Directional indicators for contacts/targeted entities

[biostem]

So I was showing CoH to my nephew the other day, and one thing he had difficulty with was trying to navigate to targets/contacts via the compass marker at the top or via the mini-map.  He's more familiar with FPS games, and how they'll often depict an arrow pointing right or left, indicating where the target is relative to you.  I was thinking it'd be useful, as an option, to have similar indicators here in CoH.  Such indicators for the target being above or below you could be helpful as well...

[Vanden]

Hm, I hate youths, but I don't hate this.

[TheZag]

Its not exactly what you want but target them and hit 'F' will activate follow mode to get him pointed in the right direction.  

[Troo]

the green dot on the nav bar didn't resonate?

[Rudra]

There is an indication. And not just the on the compass map. It doesn't work for enemies, but trainers, stores, and other targets? Select the target. It shows up as a waypoint on the map and on the screen.

 

Edit: You can even select a contact from your contacts list and the game provides where the contact is without having to find and select them on the mini-map.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Rudra

[biostem]

5 minutes ago, Troo said:

the green dot on the nav bar didn't resonate?

 

The problem is, not everyone is used to having to take their attention away from the main gameplay area to look for a little marker on a fairly small compass bar at the top.  Remember, this isn't so much for us who are already familiar with the game, but a newcomer...

[biostem]

12 minutes ago, Rudra said:

There is an indication. And not just the on the compass map. It doesn't work for enemies, but trainers, stores, and other targets? Select the target. It shows up as a waypoint on the map and on the screen.

 

Edit: You can even select a contact from your contacts list and the game provides where the contact is without having to find and select them on the mini-map.

Now imagine you've never played CoH, are about 10 years old, and want to focus on your character.  On top of that, further imagine yourself as having virtually no experience with PC games, mainly being a console player only...

[Troo]

It moves and can be made more transparent than other 'windows'.

 

 

but I understand a heads up display style without the menus and the border might be nice

[biostem]

1 minute ago, Troo said:

but I understand a heads up display style without the menus and the border might be nice

Since I was supervising him as he played, we did things like close chat and some other superfluous windows.  He wanted CoH to kind of mimic a 3rd person action game as much as possible, because that's what he's used to.  It was hard enough trying to explain that he could use the number keys instead of having to click on the power icons, and I had to arrange said power icons because he didn't grasp that he could drag-and-drop powers however he liked.  Heck, even explaining the concept of inspirations and how he didn't need to save them *just* for boss fights was a bit of a struggle...

[SwitchFade]

Uh, it's not just in the compass it's on screen, when you select a target it shows up as a distance indicator you can travel directly towards.

 

That is literally in in game, not compass, direction indicator.

[Rudra]

3 minutes ago, biostem said:

Now imagine you've never played CoH, are about 10 years old, and want to focus on your character.  On top of that, further imagine yourself as having virtually no experience with PC games, mainly being a console player only...

We all had to learn the controls. It is the nature of playing any game.

 

Also, I've always hated that when I play FPSs, I always get that red arrow saying where the attack is coming from. I mean, I get it. In a FPS, you only have the limited field of view and no impacts or directional sounds to key you to direction. In CoX, you're playing in 3rd person view unless you shift your camera to first-person view. So where the enemies are is usually pretty obvious because non-bullet attacks have a clear animation to follow.

 

So let me make a counter-proposal: The requested indicator is only available while playing in first-person view and must be turned on in the options.

[biostem]

1 minute ago, Rudra said:

So let me make a counter-proposal: The requested indicator is only available while playing in first-person view and must be turned on in the options.

I'm not sure why this, as an optional feature, couldn't be made available regardless of which perspective you're playing from...

[Rudra]

Because when you're in third person view, you can see the enemies on the sides and often even behind you attacking. I don't see the need for any extra indicator to tell anyone they are being attacked by mobs that are using attack animations in the player's field of view.

 

Edit: Besides, your nephew wants to play the game as a FPS, so the indicator not being available while in 3rd person shouldn't bother him or anyone else that prefers to play in 1st person perspective.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Rudra

[RikOz]

On 7/27/2022 at 8:04 PM, Rudra said:

So where the enemies are is usually pretty obvious because non-bullet attacks have a clear animation to follow.

There are some bugged ranged effects--particularly noticeable when fighting Council--that come from a completely wrong direction. Like, the Council hoverbot directly in front of you fires a rocket at you and the rocket comes screaming in from somewhere off to the side.

[Rudra]

You still see the mob that is attacking you. And as far as I can tell, that glitch happens when you are too close for the animation. So where the enemy is at is still pretty obvious.