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Cloaked units are hard to tell apart

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4 years ago
As it says on the tin. The "transparent shape" effect makes units hard to tell apart if you're looking from a distance, which you are because this is an RTS.

Two units I frequently mix up are conjurers are gremlins, since the're both innately cloaked and both have roughly the same size and shape when looked on from above.

Spiders under a cloaking field are a nightmare since most of them have the same shape and about the same size.

The transparent shape effect also makes blobs of units sorta meld together visually making it difficult to calculate how many units of each type you have under a cloaking field.

How about a different effect to signal cloak? Maybe some kind of circle on the ground or somesuch. Partial transparency may or may not work, would have to see it in action.
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I agree with that.
Maybe make the cloak "Aura" or transparence Match the unit color...
For exemple red back a red aura and venom yellow shine aura.
It'll help to micro the position of unit inside the cloacked area
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use radar-symbols. zooming out regularily has so many upsides beyond this that it is definitely a habit that will get you a few ranks stronger.
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4 years ago
That's a rather hacky solution, plus its hard to micro and count from a mile away.
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4 years ago
No units only radar signals is so ugly though.

It would be a dream if the shader or whatever didn't turn everything into clear pollygons. Say if defining parts of a unit were only translucent instead of clear, preserving some color.the rocket packs of recluse, legs of venom, redback body, weaver construction arm/casing.
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i guess this is important for others? for me it dont matter at all since i use group selection for basically all my units
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BRrankManored i didn`t suggest to micro in that state. And it`s exactly not "hacky" because it is not meant to solve your specific issue, rather your issue is solved as a byproduct of that.
Switching between zoomed out and in let`s you be aware of the map as a whole, helping your decision-making, your awareness of eco, just how things relate to each other.
Ofc if you micro, you should zoom in.

Your brain has enough capacity to remember the radar-symbols in your example, so if you zoom in again you won`t find it that hard to differentiate your units.

I mean, yes i see what your problem is and that you can search for solutions to it. I on the other hand realized that i never had that problem in the first place and think it is because i see my units zoomed out (radar-symbols) and in constantly anyway.

So, if you are looking to improve as a player, your problem gives you good hints on what you lack. @CatMaster `s post goes into that direction as well.
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quote:
zooming out regularily


so you are saying you play zoomed IN? at all?
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yes
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4 years ago
Its just a silly line of argumentation to be honest. Or maybe I should say tangential? Yes people who zoom out regularly probably don't have that be as much of a problem, and yes that is a good habit to have in an RTS.

But that doesn't change the core issue of that cloaked units are hard to identify visually. Ideally units should be easy to identify at all zoom levels.
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4 years ago
to quote my post above:

"I mean, yes i see what your problem is and that you can search for solutions to it."
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4 years ago
I use a widget that makes icons always visible, even when the unit model is displayed. I've found this would really help, and help in some cases where I'd need half a second (aka half a second too much) to identify unit between two with similar silhouettes.

I suggested making this widget accessible in advanced options, but apparently those are too cluttered. A shame IMHO, given how handy it is, though.

Also even with icons, it can be a problem to separate scythes from phantoms, given both are cloaked humanoid bots with using the same icon, and come from the same factory so chances are you are making both. Scythe would really benefit from having its own icon, though I have no idea what it should look like.
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4 years ago
Icon distance and render distance.
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4 years ago
I have the problem of seeing them at all on grass. Green grass, green cloak and I often forget I made that Scorpion and then MNB here hits me with jacks and I have hold fire on default and...

I am going on a tangent here aren't I :P

GG MNB GG *shakes fist*
+1 / -0
4 years ago
Scythe icon suggestion:

[Spoiler]
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