Mouse Support

Aerisetta

Aerisetta

Active member
Hi

I'd like to request that mouse support be added to openBor.

Benefits
1. It will open up more options for easy creation of menus inside the game. Players will have a much easier time navigating menus, which is pretty tough for developers to make atm.
2. New styles of gameplay open up, like shooting style games for example.

Throughout the years, this is a top complaint I get from players. Whenever I see a negative review/comment, "no mouse support" has a good chance of being mentioned.

Please consider it, thanks.

It could start with something simple to just allow players to use mouse to navigate the Main Menu as a start. Though Ideally it can be used throughout the game.
 
Succinct version: No.

More elaborate answer: Mouse support is one of those frequently requested features that sounds great at first glance, but quickly runs into the “then what?” problem. How many Steam games really use it? How many console titles? Some, sure - but not nearly enough to justify the cost for us. Adding mouse support would require a fundamental rework of the control logic and would almost certainly introduce a whole new crop of bugs.

It’s not as simple as dropping in a cursor and calling it done. Developers would still need strong coding chops to make it useful: positioning, custom menus, trigger coordinates, and so on. The folks most likely to clamor for mouse support are also the least likely to actually take advantage of it. In contrast, everything you’re asking for can already be handled today with a digital cursor and some straightforward script work.

That’s why full mouse support falls way down the priority list. It’s not that I don’t see possible applications - it’s that the gain doesn’t balance out against the development cost. When the 2.4 billion other things on the to-do list are finished, maybe it’ll get another look (and with it, analog controller support, since both work on the same principal). Until then, I'm sorry @Aerisetta, I’m afraid it’s going to stay a very low-priority item.

DC
 
DCurrent said:
Succinct version: No.

More elaborate answer: Mouse support is one of those frequently requested features that sounds great at first glance, but quickly runs into the “then what?” problem. How many Steam games really use it? How many console titles? Some, sure - but not nearly enough to justify the cost for us. Adding mouse support would require a fundamental rework of the control logic and would almost certainly introduce a whole new crop of bugs.

It’s not as simple as dropping in a cursor and calling it done. Developers would still need strong coding chops to make it useful: positioning, custom menus, trigger coordinates, and so on. The folks most likely to clamor for mouse support are also the least likely to actually take advantage of it. In contrast, everything you’re asking for can already be handled today with a digital cursor and some straightforward script work.

That’s why full mouse support falls way down the priority list. It’s not that I don’t see possible applications - it’s that the gain doesn’t balance out against the development cost. When the 2.4 billion other things on the to-do list are finished, maybe it’ll get another look (and with it, analog controller support, since both work on the same principal). Until then, I'm sorry @Aerisetta, I’m afraid it’s going to stay a very low-priority item.

DC
Click to expand...

OK no problem. I understand.

I don't have visibility on what the priorities, but I really hope to see more end player accessibility additions. Things such as double key binds, automatic controller detection.

If someone says my game sucks because the combat is bad, the artwork is crap etc, I can fix that on my own as a developer. But if it's stuff like that, there's really nothing I can do but hope the engine changes.

Players nowadays just arent very patient or tech savvy anymore. Any sign of inconvenience or friction and they quit/refund.
 
Aerisetta said:
Players nowadays just arent very patient or tech savvy anymore. Any sign of inconvenience or friction and they quit/refund.
Click to expand...
But this is a fight you will never win, buddy. Even big companies struggles with it.
People are impatient these days, but that's more of a problem for their therapist than for the developers.

I agree with Damon, mouse support is one of the things that would be of very low priority; I think we have more important things to deal with before that.

Because the problem isn't "just adding it," it's supporting it, and solving all the additional problems it adds. For example, I remember someone adding support for 6 or 8 players in a version of OpenBOR and submitting it for approval, which was rejected.

You might think this would be a good idea, but I remember seeing the code and the person simply added support for more controllers, but there's a mountain of logic behind it—for example, the STAGE CLEAR position for these additional players wasn't even implemented.

Add to this the need to create routines for scripts based on the number of players, such as join#.c, respawn#.c, die#.c, score#.c, and others...
 
O Ilusionista said:
But this is a fight you will never win, buddy. Even big companies struggles with it.
People are impatient these days, but that's more of a problem for their therapist than for the developers.

I agree with Damon, mouse support is one of the things that would be of very low priority; I think we have more important things to deal with before that.

Because the problem isn't "just adding it," it's supporting it, and solving all the additional problems it adds. For example, I remember someone adding support for 6 or 8 players in a version of OpenBOR and submitting it for approval, which was rejected.

You might think this would be a good idea, but I remember seeing the code and the person simply added support for more controllers, but there's a mountain of logic behind it—for example, the STAGE CLEAR position for these additional players wasn't even implemented.

Add to this the need to create routines for scripts based on the number of players, such as join#.c, respawn#.c, die#.c, score#.c, and others...
Click to expand...

To me, the issue isn't really boiled down to if it's difficult or not. It should be based on the cost vs benefit to the players.

I mean... if tons the players are demanding 6 to 8 player games...then it should be done. Difficulty is a factor, but limited (I don't think there's many players demanding 6 to 8 player games though). No players, no need for an engine.

To me, only the player experience matters. It doesn't matter if they're all crazy or stupid, they're who I make games for. If I see something is messing up their experience, I'll try to solve it (like how I made a launcher for my game to solve the controller detection and binding issue...because i know i cant expect players to bind their own controller nowadays...theyd just give up)

I'm not trying to push this subject. You guys decide the priority and I have no say in it. I respect that. But I will say I'm not making this request willy nilly because I appreciate how complex it can get. However, the amount of people who complain about no mouse support is alot and that's why I bring it up.
 
Just my two cents about the topic.

I think that there's an important correlation between the players' requests and the project's plan. I mean, if I decide to make a MMORPG using OpenBOR, certainly players would feel the necessity of a mouse. In the end, it was my creative decision that generated this necessity.

So, I think that every decision in the project's course must always carefully consider all the tools we currently have in hands, and build everything "around" it.

EDIT: I went a little far using MMORPG as an example lol, a simple point & click game would be enough to generate the necessity of a mouse.
 
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@Aerisetta -
i support the mouse support -
there are other things that you can explore in the meantime if you are looking to expand - check PM
 
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