UI: Display option for Explore button

[hackedpassword]

My bad @SomeTroglodyte you're right UI issue not modding. I'll delete the post if it's way too off 3242 topic, just drop a hint here.

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A Display option allowing toggling of the ever present Explore button.

Personally, after a few early eras there's no use for it. There are exceptions.

This is a constant source of UI grief for me. In later eras, it doesn't even make sense to be onscreen, especially after revealing the map. Should be auto-removed at that point regardless. :/

Originally posted by @hackedpassword in https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/issues/3242#issuecomment-1819833384

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Really, was only trying to seed a suggestion, since we're here...

branch

Seems awfully sophisticated for an if-then checkbox option render. Like creating a swiss army knife for a toothpick. Though those features sound interesting. Anyway, this issue bugs me and I want to crush that button into digital dust. Since I recently dabbled with android studio that button is now on my radar of destruction buahahaha

[SomeTroglodyte]

Any new reader - this

branch

Seems awfully sophisticated for an if-then checkbox option render.

refers to an idea to make Unit Actions more flexible when and where they're offered, born from the wish to have keyboard shortcuts for all actions always available even when the action is behond the "More..." button. And I for one have no quarrel with the Explore button, but I'd like swap to be reachable easier...

[yairm210]

How did you open this issue?

[hackedpassword]

How did you open this issue?

I came from 3242, and I think I stayed in the github app, but exactly how I can't recall. Looked over at chrome cause that works better for issues, used that for another issue. I'm not sure, but I do see the reasoning for you asking. Strange. I'll let you know if I figure it out.

[SomeTroglodyte]

It's a github offer, yes, I remember... ... that one, right?

[yairm210]

https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/23034 Known issue for checks watch 4 years, so I'm sure they'll be dealing with it aaaany day now

[SomeTroglodyte]

That's been 2019 BC probably

[hackedpassword]

... that one, right?

That looks right. Sidestepped the tagging/assignment process, had no idea. Now we know and knowing is half the battle - hmm half seems like a disproportionate percentile

[hackedpassword]

but I'd like swap to be reachable easier...

Since there's a unique that puts the automate button front and top, wouldn't it make sense to say: "Swap is a primary action", "Explore is a secondary action",

[yairm210]

I'm fine with having explore be a secondary action after map reveal But swap as a primary... I'll need to meditate on that

[hackedpassword]

So, uh, yea about that universal enlightenment ........

lol! this is a cheat enabled test mode so workers can get-r-done, nothing to support here

the above is only for your entertainment =)

[yairm210]

That would look awful on horizontal

[SomeTroglodyte]

We need the UnitAction builder formalization finished, then redistributing them (dynamically, more than 2 pages, user-configurable, all that) becomes much easier. And that idea to have a toggle w/ the other setting showing the icons only, horizontally, is also easier. And having key bindings work for stuff hidden on another "page". And and and.

[yairm210]

@SomeTroglodyte I'm working on the standardization, there is a problem with actions that can be optionally placed in different places - I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on how to structure unit actions that will sometimes be in primary and sometimes in secondary

[SomeTroglodyte]

.... yeeeeeeeeeaaahhhh .... I'm sorry I do/did/will not invest enough in Unciv to stringently see ideas through to the end. Here, we have some way way way back history, maybe around #4607, where I already had the idea to make UnitActions much more dynamic - one goal: Keyboard shortcuts should be able to always work, even if the UnitAction is currently not shown. Another goal: dynamic enough to, say, offer 'Worker build road' additionally to 'worker open improvement picker' if and only if there's not much else to offer...

So, in the long run, I'd like the abstraction to allow:

• Access icon cheaply without kicking off a Gdx Table init
• Access executor cheaply without constructing any UI element (runnable on non-GL thread)
• Access button label String cheaply (tooltip in a reduced-UI variant??)
• Any UnitAction has a page: Int - possibly as open fun - exclusively controlling where in the "Show more" paging it wishes to go - and here would be where any "I don't wanna see that disgusting Explo~d~re button anymore" should apply the crowbar - and this one would be independent and optional, meaning all other properties would work irrespective of page, including the "gimme entire button" builder?
• Likely the "enabled" tester would need to be an open fun too?

With all of those, we'd be set for

• Switchable UI - vertical button list vs horizontal icon-only
• Configurable UI - user options move or disable stuff
• Dynamic UI - Found city can be on a different "page" for the Settler and the Conquistador - if we want that
• Keyboard shortcuts don't need to care about what the visual UI currently shows

Any specific actions that crop up a problem with being "placed in different places"? Can't imagine any not being able to conform to "icon, executor, text, enabler all must be independent of actual UI"... Might need some sledgehammer if malleability is low...

Not thought through: Order, or how to sort. maybe make page a Float and use fractions as fuzzy hint for up top / down below tendency? Nah.

Yup all this comment is just a rewording of the one up there and the mushy fantasies behind it.

[hackedpassword]

Modder note - I addressed that huge menu stack with a unit transformation chain:

worker - > cheatUnit1 - > cheatUnit2 - > cheatUnit1 - > ... (swap 1 & 2 as needed)

The menu stack is divided between the two units, could continue to divide and assign if needed.

[hackedpassword]

Would it be difficult to make the button menu scrollable like the Notification log, or build menus? eg. swipe up/down

shown: (vanilla) Alpha Frontier

[github-actions[bot]]

This issue is stale because it has been open 90 days with no activity. Remove stale label or comment or this will be closed in 15 days.

[SeventhM]

Closing as unit actions is now paged. Please send a comment explaining if this is still relevant

[hackedpassword]

Explore button still makes no sense to retain after certain points (like starting in future era). Maybe next time.

[SeventhM]

I'm not sure how the explore button works, but if it functions at all past revealing the whole map, then I don't see the harm in keeping it. I'm not against reopening, but in general it seems this issue moved towards having the explore button paged alongside other actions which avoids the larger problem of having the screen fill up with too many actions. It might be better to reopen this as a newer issue to keep the discussion more focused

[hackedpassword]

It doesn't. That's why I have issue with this, there is literally no use for that button once the map is revealed. After 150-200 turns either. Meh. Thanks for the consideration anyway @SeventhM :)