Is there another way of selecting the NPCs that I have placed?

[tanglin]

I find it a lot more difficult to click and select NPCs in my base than any other object. I'd click on the NPC and it'd be something else that's selected. Is there another way to select the NPC object, like pulling up a list of all placed items?

[Osirisbain]

Npcs are a pain in the butt to select, if you are right in front of them you can try hitting TAB, otherwise I have had some luck clicking on their legs near their feet, doesnt work 100% of the time tho.

 

Hopefully someone else can add some more, just in case they have an easier way

 

[tanglin]

1 hour ago, Osirisbain said:

Npcs are a pain in the butt to select, if you are right in front of them you can try hitting TAB, otherwise I have had some luck clicking on their legs near their feet, doesnt work 100% of the time tho.

 

Hopefully someone else can add some more, just in case they have an easier way

 

 

Thanks, it's easier to target NPCs with Tab. However, even with the NPC selected, because the mouse still can't target it, I can't move it around. Is there a way to move them with the keyboard alone?

[El D]

There's a ridiculously easy way to do this that @Dacy highlighted in one of her extremely helpful videos.

 

Basically, you place the NPC you want approximately where you want them to be and select another NPC/object from the list and hover them close by but don't place the second item. Then you hit tab until the original, already placed NPC is selected, hold whatever key (shift/ctrl/alt) you want to shift them around with before moving the mouse, and click again to make the desired adjustment. Not only will this easily select the pre-placed NPC but it'll also lock your selection to that spot for really smooth custom positioning.

Edited November 26, 2021 by El D

[tanglin]

19 minutes ago, El D said:

Basically, you place the NPC you want approximately where you want them to be and select another NPC/object from the list and hover them close by but don't place the second item. Then you hit tab until the original, already placed NPC is selected, hold whatever key (shift/ctrl/alt) you want to shift them around with before moving the mouse, and click again to make the desired adjustment. Not only will this easily select the pre-placed NPC but it'll also lock your selection to that spot for really smooth custom positioning.

 

It works, thanks! I've watched some of her videos to learn how to build outdoors.

[Dacy]

To only select an NPC, and not be worried about re-positioning, (like, when you just want to delete it), simply place your character near the NPC, and hit tab until you see that NPC's box lit up (and confirm this in the item window to be sure of your selection).

 

Nicely explained, El D!

 

-Dacy

[CaptA]

Would be a nice thing to fix, though. Along with a toggle for the "double click to teleport to a spot" function in the editor. Drives me nuts. 

[ssutcliffe]

I DESPISE the double click bug!  You can unbind them though with /unbind leftdoubleclick and /unbind rightdoubleclick, but it comes back unless you do it every time.  If someone knows of a way to make it the default, I'd love to know it - though unbinding is still far better then nothing!   It sometimes seem to do it even if you don't double click, and is guaranteed to make me say Naughty Words when it does (and do the unbind thing immediately, so it doesn't happen again in that session). 

 

It would be nice if they would fix that hit box for NPCs though. We shouldn't have to resort to weird things just to select NPCs that no one who didn't watch a video would ever figure out, although again at least it works!  I tend to use temporary floor tiles when placing NPCs, so once they're placed they never get moved ever again. That's a great trick for tweaking the height to be just right, so you can do things like place NPCs seated in a swing.  Making a floor the right height is so much easier! 

[Zappalina]

On 11/26/2021 at 2:19 PM, tanglin said:

I find it a lot more difficult to click and select NPCs in my base than any other object. I'd click on the NPC and it'd be something else that's selected. Is there another way to select the NPC object, like pulling up a list of all placed items?

I place one and right click until I get the one I want or one that works out okay that I'll accept. Then after I get that one, I don't move it at all, it has to be in the space I want the NPC in. This trick only works with the standing ones for me.

[Kartanian]

On 11/26/2021 at 7:31 PM, Dacy said:

To only select an NPC, and not be worried about re-positioning, (like, when you just want to delete it), simply place your character near the NPC, and hit tab until you see that NPC's box lit up (and confirm this in the item window to be sure of your selection).

 

Nicely explained, El D!

 

-Dacy

I can't get the second technique to work on pre-placed NPC base objects. The closest thing my character's foot hitbox is next to is the NPC and that still does not find the NPC with the tab or shift+tab. Doing a "hover place and tab" works okay. This is REALLY clunky, though. 

 

Whoops.

No. This doesn't work for me, either, to move or adjust the NPC object. I can only make it work to delete the selected object, but not get it selected for movement.

 

Are we supposed to be able to get the NPC adjusted with rotation or height before placing? I can't manage to do that. And then when I get them placed, I can't select them to adjust again. Dang.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Kartanian

[Dacy]

Okay, I did a video on this very thing, with a demonstration, because I think it's hard to get just from an explanation. Here's the link, and I'll also explain further.

https://youtu.be/9qfSzBfljfc

 

So, first of all, if the NPC is sitting on the base itself, and not on a floor you pulled from the editor, you should be able to select it (mouse around, if you get an item box, you should be able to select it). So for the other things, yeah, tabbing isn't great, but will work, but it works faster if you have pulled an item from the editor as if to place it. Pick something, anything, in the editor, get near the NPC, and start tabbing. For some reason, this usually prioritizes the NPC, but that just means you will see it sooner rather than later, you still may have to go through several items to get to it. If you can find it in "current room" that may be faster, but usually it's not.

 

So, IF you picked an item out of the editor before you tabbed, once you have the NPC you want in your item window, you can now edit it. Now, this will work a bit differently than editing usually does, you actually can move it, lift it, turn it and not have to worry about it placing UNTIL you click. You don't have to keep hold of the keys, the item stays in "move me" mode until you click to place, so you can do several manipulations, tho I will say, using shift will immediately bring the NPC back to where it currently is, so if you are changing its height, do that first. Then do anything else. You will still have to guess at placement, but in general, the back of the item box is pretty close to where the back of the NPC will be (it's the centerline for the feet for standing NPCs, and only a little bit of the NPC will be behind this line ever).

 

If you still can't get it, message me in game at @Dacy, or join my Discord https://discord.gg/8pMP3qbxXB to always be able to contact me or someone who's knowledgeable to come help you get it sorted.  Also, in game, the Base Building channel, even if I'm on my alt account (and I've been building a great deal with that account of late), I will see you on that.

 

-Dacy

[Etched]

If you are buildin within the base you should be able to click on the npc if you position yourself so the npc is between you and a base wall/floor. 

 

The white floor tiles are great for placin and turnin npc outside of the base. change the angle of the tile and then place the npc with a 0 grid and the npc automaticlly faces the angle of the tile.

 

@Etched