please fix the attack icon

[Alberich]

Like stated in an other thread there are some problems with the attack mode which makes it pretty useless.

Cursor - Fight Mode, Optimization cursor + fun (for pk'ers and a/d trainers)

I post this here to get the attention of some devs.

 

To sum it up, casting magic changes the cursor to walk mode.

 

I also noticed that with ranging weapons equipped you get the attack cursor on objects which makes it impossible to walk on mud or other objects.

Imo objects should only be attackable by pressing ctrl + alt since this feature isn't in game anyway (afaik) and only gets in the way.

 

One suggestion I like is the idea that attack mode for ranging does the same as pressing alt (disables walking) this would allow you to chat and range at the same time and fixes the issue when pressing alt seems to be ignored.

[Alberich]

I posted a patch on berlios to fix the change of the attack icon when casting magic.

 

To put it simple it should work like now just that the mode doesn't change anymore after casting magic.

 

This patch also fixed two issues with the attack icon:

* no attack cursor on dead animals anymore

* no attack cursor on objects when range weapon equipped (crtl+alt still works)

 

I did some tests and it seems to work for me please, but can't test all possibilities eg. does it work when magic fails.

So please test it and state your opinion here.

 

PS: If also tried a patch to stop walking with range weapons when attack icon is selected and found it too hindering but can provide a patch for this to if wanted.

 

edit: small update to the patch, forgot to include the dead animals fix

Edited October 25, 2008 by Alberich

[Torg]

The patch applies fine, but I'm not sure that adding extra variables (and changing the value of the cursor define) is the cleanest way to handle something like this.

 

Any other devs thoughts on this?

 

As for should the functionality be changed, I don't know and I don't really want to be involved in that discussion as I vary rarely play the game these days, and I never cast magic in battle (other than healing with the keyboard short-cuts) so it doesn't affect me in any way that I know of.

 

I won't apply this patch at this stage, pending further input from people.

[Alberich]

The patch applies fine, but I'm not sure that adding extra variables (and changing the value of the cursor define) is the cleanest way to handle something like this.

Only changed the value of the cursor define because it's only used in the wand variable which has only two values and don't know if compiler can optimize this to a binary variable when one of the values is 6. I got no real problem keeping this as it is.

imo it wasn't clean from beginning with when the action_mode was connected to the icon states and gets changed in spell.c

If someone has a better idea than adding an extra variable, it would be most welcome, perhapps spell_result could be used.

 

 

As for should the functionality be changed, I don't know and I don't really want to be involved in that discussion as I vary rarely play the game these days, and I never cast magic in battle (other than healing with the keyboard short-cuts) so it doesn't affect me in any way that I know of.

Looking at the posts in the original post there is some demand for this. And I think the patch doesn't change it functionality, it improves/fixes it.

[Entropy]

There was a reason for changing the cursor to walk when casting spells, I think it has to do with the teleport to range, but not sure anymore.

Please test and make sure that all the spells work fine with that change.

[Alberich]

I'm testing the patch for over a week now and noticed no problems so far, not with tele to range or any other spells.

The only change I noticed is that if you play MD ping pong you have to make sure now that you don't have the attack icon selected else you might end up attacking your partner if the spell fails.

 

If anyone could test what happens when tele to range/poison/harm fails. The action icon shouldn't change and the cursor shouldn't change to a wand.

My magic level is too high for that.

[Alberich]

I found an other issue with the attack cursor and fixed it in the patch.

 

The client knows 3 action modes, action_mode for main screen, item_action_mode for the inventory window and qb_action_mode for the quick bar.

Now when you were in action_mode ACTION_ATTACK moved the mouse in the inv or qb and right click the item_action_mode/qb_action_mode changes so far so good. But when you changed it to ACTION_USE/_WITH and clicked an item the action_mode got changed. I changed it so that if you use an item in the inventory the qb_action_mode also changes to ACTION_USE and vise versa (use an item in the quick bar and the item_action_mode changes to ACTION_USE).

 

Does anyone know why we need a item_action_mode and a qb_action_mode in first place? Wouldn't be a action_mode and a item_action_mode enough?

 

 

Also changed the cursor define back to as it was because it had no impact on the code.

 

 

PS: I know there is a code freeze but could this go into the release?

imo the changes are manageable.

 

Edit: added link to patch

Edited December 3, 2008 by Alberich

[Mar(c)]

I found an other issue with the attack cursor and fixed it in the patch.

 

The client knows 3 action modes, action_mode for main screen, item_action_mode for the inventory window and qb_action_mode for the quick bar.

Now when you were in action_mode ACTION_ATTACK moved the mouse in the inv or qb and right click the item_action_mode/qb_action_mode changes so far so good. But when you changed it to ACTION_USE/_WITH and clicked an item the action_mode got changed.

I'm not sure if I understand the issue here; after you click on an item with ACTION_USE_WITH, it's likely that you want to use that item with something in the scenery, so you want the action_mode to be changed to ACTION_USE_WITH (but indeed, I can't see why ACTION_USE in the inventory/quick bar should change the action_mode?).

After the use-with action (or magic action) is done, I guess the action_mode should go back to the previous state.

(I don't know the EL code well enough, so please correct or nevermind me if I'm wrong.)

 

I changed it so that if you use an item in the inventory the qb_action_mode also changes to ACTION_USE and vise versa (use an item in the quick bar and the item_action_mode changes to ACTION_USE).

 

Does anyone know why we need a item_action_mode and a qb_action_mode in first place? Wouldn't be a action_mode and a item_action_mode enough?

It's very convenient to keep item_action_mode and qb_action_mode separated.

For example if you need to use ACTION_USE_WITH a lot, you can keep qb_action_mode ACTION_USE_WITH and item_action_mode ACTION_USE, so you don't have to cycle through the different modes each time you need the other.

[Alberich]

I found an other issue with the attack cursor and fixed it in the patch.

 

The client knows 3 action modes, action_mode for main screen, item_action_mode for the inventory window and qb_action_mode for the quick bar.

Now when you were in action_mode ACTION_ATTACK moved the mouse in the inv or qb and right click the item_action_mode/qb_action_mode changes so far so good. But when you changed it to ACTION_USE/_WITH and clicked an item the action_mode got changed.

I'm not sure if I understand the issue here; after you click on an item with ACTION_USE_WITH, it's likely that you want to use that item with something in the scenery, so you want the action_mode to be changed to ACTION_USE_WITH (but indeed, I can't see why ACTION_USE in the inventory/quick bar should change the action_mode?).

After the use-with action (or magic action) is done, I guess the action_mode should go back to the previous state.

(I don't know the EL code well enough, so please correct or nevermind me if I'm wrong.)

Yes, I noticed this and changed the 'use with' behavior to what it was before, just forgot to post here.

Not sure if it's worth the effort to write a patch so that 'use with' on an item doesn't cancel the attack mode, it's not as easy as the 'use' case and more testing would be involved.

 

I changed it so that if you use an item in the inventory the qb_action_mode also changes to ACTION_USE and vise versa (use an item in the quick bar and the item_action_mode changes to ACTION_USE).

 

Does anyone know why we need a item_action_mode and a qb_action_mode in first place? Wouldn't be a action_mode and a item_action_mode enough?

It's very convenient to keep item_action_mode and qb_action_mode separated.

For example if you need to use ACTION_USE_WITH a lot, you can keep qb_action_mode ACTION_USE_WITH and item_action_mode ACTION_USE, so you don't have to cycle through the different modes each time you need the other.

 

Ok I see the use (not sure if it was originally intended) and reverted the change in the new patch version.