Don't re-assign control groups when pressing shift+#

[kind berry]

I had some units in groups 5,6, and 0 that I wanted to select. I pressed 5, then shift 6 with the intent of then pressing shift+0 to get all those units, but I saw after pressing shift+6 that all of my 5 units were now in group 6 which wasn't what I wanted at all - I was planning on giving a group move at speed of slowest unit order to all 3 groups and once they were close to the destination start selecting their individual groups to give orders, but the behavior of shift to reassign a unit from an existing group to another messed that up. There are a couple of ways this could be addressed:

1. Don't reassign a units group when pressing shift+# if it is already in a group - this assumes that shift+# will add the # group to the existing selection, not that its behavior is to assign the selected units to the group and then select the group
2. Don't use shift+# to add to groups, just make it add the group to the selection (If you want to add those units it's not too difficult to press ctrl+# after pressing shift+#) - this should probably be a menu item that can be toggled since there are probably people who like / are used to the existing behavior.

[chilly jolt]

The meaning of this sentence isn't clear to me: " I was planning on giving a group move at speed of slowest unit order to all 3 groups and once they were close to the destination start selecting their individual groups to give orders"

[kind berry]

You can press ctrl + right click to give a move command where every unit in the group moves at the slowest unit's speed so they all arrive together. Where as a regular move command will have the fast units run ahead of the slower units. I wanted to make groups 5,6 and 0 move in formation at the same speed, then give them different orders once they got where they were going.

I agree, but when I searched for "control groups" in this channel I found out that this adding to control groups was by design since some other RTS do it.

[atomic rapids]

shift should be allowed to add things to your existing group

i.e. shift + selecting units

[kind berry]

Yes. That. Hence my suggestion to make it optional in option 2 since someone wanted the current behavior where it changes the groups.

"add things to your existing group" assuming you meant "selection" by "group" rather than "control group".

I don't know about design meetings. Is that something I give myself the developer role to attend (is it just a text chat in discord?). Is it enough that I posted this suggestion before it and someone else will raise it? I'm just a random guy on the internet, I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to gatecrash a meeting?

[chilly jolt]

"I pressed 5, then shift 6 with the intent of then pressing shift+0 to get all those units"

The way ppl do this is to either (1) use your mouse to select everything, or (2) add them all to a 4th control group and press that

[kind berry]

But I want to select the units from only group 5 once the combined group has got there and give them orders, and the same with groups 6 and 0.
To do what I want to do now I'd need to put them all in one big group, give the combined move command then, while they're on their way, try and select the units for each group and add them back into groups 5,6 and 0 - which is pretty hard - especially if they're small fast moving units aircraft.

[chilly jolt]

" try and select the units for each group and add them back into groups 5,6 and 0"

Why would you have to add them back? You already have defined groups 5,6 and 0 earlier

Once you have created group 5/6/0, it's there, you can use it later on

[kind berry]

Because the problem I want changed is that pressing shift+# changes the control groups of units. When I pressed 5 then shift 6, the units in group 5 were put in group 6.
Selecting with the mouse would work, assuming I can get the different groups into a location where there aren't any other units I don't want to select.

Link to post where it was said the existing behavior was by design for reference: #1101736564683456562 message

[chilly jolt]

You could press 5 and then hold Shift and press 1. Then press 6 and then hold Shift and press 1. Then press 0 and then hold Shift and press 1. Now you have a 4th group with all your units without using the mouse

[kind berry]

Ok, and how do I select the units that were in group 5 once the combined group gets to the base, same for 6 and 0?

I want to be able to use my original control groups to give different orders once the combined group has moved together.

I don't think a unit can be in multiple control groups? All my groups are already used with auto groups anyway.

[chilly jolt]

Press 5

Oh I think you are correct, BAR has exclusive control groups so what I am saying doesn't work

Nvm, I am wrong

[atomic rapids]

multiple groups should be a thing, it's hugely useful

[atomic rapids]

actually I reread what you typed, the current control scheme IS how other RTSs do it, shift does not assign groups

so for your purpose, you have to select group number, let's say 3, and then shift select another group, say 5, and then you can ctrl move them to do formation move

you will obviously not be able to recall the combined group since it's two separate group numbers

I agree there ought to be multiple groups a unit can be assigned to, but shift functionality is working as intended

[kind berry]

Hmm, it doesn't do that when I try it - screenshots:

1. initial setup
2. I press 1
3. I press shift 2
4. I press 1 again

See at step 3 the commander changed to group 2 instead of staying in group 1. Whereas I want him to stay group 1 but just add group 2 to the selection.

[atomic rapids]

hm, maybe it's some custom keybind?

oh, I see, it's the grid keybind

it's different from default and the default custom keybind

[kind berry]

Ohhhh. I think I might have to learn how to do custom keybinds. I watched some intro to BAR youtube videos and they said use grid keybinds and I figured I should do what the expert said and that it only really shuffled keys around so that the build menu matched the keyboard, not changed the functionality of the keys themselves! 😮
I have been finding the grid keybind a little annoying because when I try and set a fight command as a factory waypoint it only works for some factories because for ones with things you can build in the second row last column it just queues up that unit rather than giving an order.

I heard that the grid keybind layout is being redesigned. Perhaps they can fix this while that's happening?

[atomic rapids]

yeah well, that overhaul is a sort of different matter, what happens here is not normal

I already brought it up in #⌨｜keybinds

[kind berry]

Just tested. You're correct. Normal layout doesn't change the groups when you use shift+#

[atomic rapids]

I use custom keybind because I need it for testing various widgets

[kind berry]

I can't see that, should I add my self to the developer role?

[atomic rapids]

but I do also test the grid and default, and grid ought not to do this

[atomic rapids]

if you feel you can contribute to the discussion, sure

you will see a ton more channels

[kind berry]

I'll probably just lurk unless I have something useful to say.

[kind berry]

Ah, I see it, on the grid keys what I want is ctrl+shift+#
https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/blob/master/luaui/configs/bar_hotkeys.lua has

    table.insert(bindings, { 'Ctrl+Shift+'..i, "group", "add "..i          })```
https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/blob/master/luaui/configs/bar_hotkeys_grid.lua has
```        table.insert(bindings, { 'Shift+'..i     , "group", "add "..i    })
        table.insert(bindings, { 'Ctrl+Shift+'..i, "group", "selectadd "..i          })```
They're reversed.