Spell Hotkeys "1", "2", "3", etc.

[Miles111]

Is it possible to set spell hotkeys to numbers like 1,2,3,4, ect.? Also, if a hero has more spells than can fit in his UI, can he still use them with hotkeys?

 

[PurgeandFire]

Is it possible to set spell hotkeys to numbers like 1,2,3,4, ect.? Also, if a hero has more spells than can fit in his UI, can he still use them with hotkeys?

Sadly, no to both those questions.

For the first, even if you do get the object editor to read "1" or "2" etc.. as the hotkey, it still doesn't work. There isn't a way to detect the regular number keys at the moment.

For the second, if a unit has more spells than his UI can fit, sadly it won't register when the hot key is pressed. (however, I believe the unit can still be issued the ability's order string to have it cast)

 

[Apheraz Lucent]

Use the Q-W-E-R or Z-X-C-V combinations instead.

 

[Noobsmoke]

Trackables ?

 

[PurgeandFire]

Trackables ?

Trackables can only detect mouse hovering and mouse clicking over a specific fixated model. (the trackable API is incomplete, you can't move a trackable and you can't destroy one) They won't help with hotkeys, sadly. :\

 

[Gekigengar]

o.o what is API

 

[Switch33]

Yeah you can get em to work if you have the player hold CTRL.

As an example:
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/maps-564/diablo-builder-1-0-a-203738/

 

[Adiktuz]

That method will totally give you a problem... since CTRL + Num is used to register unit or unit groups... so it actually leads to interrupting the gameplay...

 

[Switch33]

It seems to work alright in that map. Basically you just have to get the players to be aware that if they use ctrl + any number to hotkey anything they are wrecking that system. And if that ever even happens though you can detect for issues by checking the hotkeys in-game and re-setting them when the players type an "-fix hotkeys" command.

Most maps that really want this done anyway are rpgs so i don't see it as interupting gameplay really.

You could instead use custom heros that rely on f1-f8 or so which are naturally hotkey'd and need no weird ctrl setting; but most people who do rpgs want to do something like an advanced party system where you can target heroes using those hero portraits for heals/buffs.

 

[Adiktuz]

That is why its is bad, because you need to force the player not to use CTRL Num for anything else...

and for the F buttons, you can only rely to up to F5, F6 and above are used by the game... so if you have one hero as the main unit, then you're just left with F2-F5... which is what I use in my current proj...

but using anyone of these methods is still not that good, so we still need to find a better alternative...

 

[Switch33]

Eh i'd say using f1-f6 ain't bad. I mean you can replace hero icons relatively with ease without messing up the order. TCX was a really good example of this.

And as far as an issue with the ctrl + numpad hotkey setting thing i really don't see a downside for it if it's an rpg. As long as you inform the players it's really not all that hard to deal with.

Your not gonna really find anything better than these. Many people have laptops(me included) that don't even have numpads; so at least some controls using "1", "2" etc or f1-f6 are at least on both laptops and regular computers.

 

[Adiktuz]

You can't use F6, that is auto something...

I don't also have a numpad... haha...

 

[Switch33]

I guess you could always get a few more hotkey positions(using regular keys) if you forced spellbooks open but i've heard of strange issues with that.

 

[Adiktuz]

yeah, plus spellbooks don't look nice... hahahahaha...

 

[Switch33]

The cancel button versus move, hold position, and patrol though dealing with ain't too awful. I mean i'm sorta considering using a spellbook just to give like 2 more hot-keys but eh. . . Just 2 extra hotkeys woopdie doo!

 

[Adiktuz]

you forgot, attack... haha... there are instances where using attack is better than right clicking...

 

[Switch33]

I didn't forget it; i didn't list it cause u can hide the attack icon in the object editor for units since it's an option.

there are instances where using attack is better than right clicking..

I haven't ever really noticed this. Unless your attacking to a position; but in my map thats kinda impossible. It's more about having an spell for attack so it's whatever. heh.

 

[Apheraz Lucent]

It's useful for only one purpose - Attack Move command, where units issued to attack solid ground will instead engage any enemy they encounter. I use it all the time instead of movement when playing AoS-es, for an example.

It's possible to hide attack only by removing the attack option from units, or by adding the Ward classification (removes everything other too).

 

[Adiktuz]

on yours, but were not sure on his... but seriously, I hope blizz will do add some capability to at least detect the button press of every key on the keyboard...

 

[Apheraz Lucent]

I think they won't - not before their attention focuses off Diablo III. Besides, what's new and exciting they added recently? Exactly, nothing.

 

[Noobsmoke]

I think they won't - not before their attention focuses off Diablo III. Besides, what's new and exciting they added recently? Exactly, nothing.

True, warcraft 3 needs a buffup

 

[Apheraz Lucent]

Yeah, it would be quite nice if Blizzard could make up and sign few new things to Warcraft III.
But this is off-topic, no?

 

[Gekigengar]

make a call to them lol, maybe they will fullfill that request ;D

btw,
if blizzard does a buff-up to wc3,

i can guarantee you people will move back from sc2 to wc3,
people "Already" had wc3, so they won't need to buy the dvd again, to enjoy the updates
which means they won't make money..

why do you waste money on things you can't make more money on..?

 

[Adiktuz]

Making an existing game better could produce new players... though with Blizzard's current trend, I don't think they would do this... they only want more money, and in the fastest methods possible...

 

[vizard10]

if you want it ,
u can use F1 to the maximum number of heroes that can be displayed on your screen.
Pressing hero of F1 , then run the trigger for you. this is my idea.
then unselect the hero of F1 then select back to your current order unit.

 

[Adiktuz]

I already said that if you read the older posts... and the maximum is F5 since F6 is auto-save...

 

[Switch33]

I just had an interesting idea. Is it possible to force the enter key with ForceUIKey()? Cause if you forced it with a timer for a player it'd record whatever key they pressed on the keyboard. Then you can just sorta use what they type and hide their chat messages and its full keyboard detection except for a few keys.

Sure it may ruin chat unless they press some kind of button but it'd be worth it to detect all keys for the most part though you'd have to separate the strings quite effectively letter per letter.

 

[Adiktuz]

if you force the player to press enter every blahblah, it would ruin the whole game...

 

[Switch33]

How so? Thats not much of an explanation. You can hide chat; and I don't think it'd interfere with much besides chat commands/chatting with other players(which can be entered when the player types em after disabling the constant force key by pressing a single button or something of that sort).

Imagine something as simple as:
[Q] - Allows players to type anything as chat
[W] - Allows players to type any keys as hotkeys
Then you can have a layout of asdf and zxcv as a layout for spells or alternatively a bunch of different combinations
And you could have 1,2,3. . . 9 also be detectable.

 

[D0W3R]

.

I think first try to do that, If you won't try, no one make it for you.
I like your idea it would be awesome if it would work!

if you force the player to press enter every blahblah, it would ruin the whole game...

I believe its possible to order player to push some kind of other button after all triggers that would make chat working again, isn't it?

 

[Switch33]

Only chat would be effected really; you can still click and do everything normally like ordering units to move. (if this works i'd suggest changing all of the normal hotkeys of things like move, patrol, attack, etc so that they are only used when you really mean for them to be used.)

Well, thats actually not the issue. The issue is that:
call ForceUIKey("ENTER") <-- Doesn't work
call ForceUIKey("[ENTER]") <-- Doesn't work

So i'm not sure how ENTER is register'd for forcing UI keys.

http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php/18112-Force-UI-Key

This thread says that !q = alt + q so I believe something like this is possible.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

For the one about the numbers, I think it's possible if you do some Control Grouping (But you wouldn't be able to do it in the game then, sadly) at the beginning of the game. Then, make a trigger that happens to work whenever you select a certain Control Group (In other words, press a certain number)

As for that second question, you'll still be able to use more spells but you'll need to trigger it in a way where it detects you pressing a letter hotkey (Well, lets just say you put those excess spells into another dummy unit) whenever you select a certain unit (Your main unit).

 

[Switch33]

Someone should do some tests with ForceUIKey() and map out what does what. Cause if things like !q =alt + q then theres probably plenty of other keys people are unaware of.

Another idea dealing with metamorph:

Clicky

Another Idea that is running through my head is.. . If you periodically used Metamorph that has new abilities with hotkeys for every letter key(each has 4-5 abilities that are instant) and a timer. This might cause the unit to be unable to do much of anything except for abilities that have no cast times(defend, manashield, etc), but it'd allow for getting complete control over all letter keys.

And for the metamorph idea i'm unsure if it would hold any dice at all because the keys would be instant while the metamorph is still going on like crazy and the non-stop metamorphing might just game crash lol but its an interesting idea. It might be worth testing but is probably not worthwhile. I dunno tho I'm not gonna test it cause i have no use for only detecting keyboard keys anyway. It would be limited to detecting only letter keyboard keys because spells cannot define 1, 2, 3 or f1 etc for hotkeys.


Edit: I had an awesome idea that doesn't consider any of these things above and yet it could potentially add 8 more clickable buttons for a player. I'll have to do some testing to see if i can get it running though.