Teleport shortcut keys

[Maya Kate]

I would love to see shortcut keys for using the teleport feature.
Having to "slide" the map around to get where to you want to go can be really annoying. Perhaps use alt p for port royal, alt t for tortuga, alt c for cuba... you get the idea.
With other shortcut keys already in use it shouldn't be that hard to set up.

[League]

I'd have alt + P for Return to Port in general if such a system was implemented, and alt + R for Port Royal--though I suppose they could be switched around just the same with R for return.

I guess they could, but it doesn't seem like anything of much benefit--shave off a couple of seconds. A generally flat map when you press M, with all the names of the Tame islands (not necessarily with all the islands themselves) immediately visible. Then, you could just in the direction of that island for the map.

[Andrew]

Alt + T for tortuga

[wmah]

Originally Posted by League

I guess they could, but it doesn't seem like anything of much benefit--shave off a couple of seconds. A generally flat map when you press M, with all the names of the Tame islands (not necessarily with all the islands themselves) immediately visible. Then, you could just in the direction of that island for the map.

The benefit would be when you try to board a ship and you are stuck listening to the action but only see the loading screen.

[Poison elf]

If this would cut out some of the multiple attempts to teleport I wouldn't mind that. I hate hitting a teleport tab, and get you can't teleport in battle, like 5 times well after what you were fighting is dead.

You receive your rep, should be done and over.

[League]

The benefit would be when you try to board a ship and you are stuck listening to the action but only see the loading screen.

Then why not fix the loading screen? The complaint in the post is going all over the globe and sliding the map.

[Maya Kate]

Originally Posted by League

Then why not fix the loading screen? The complaint in the post is going all over the globe and sliding the map.

The other suggestion about a "list" of the islands you can teleport to is good also.
Just point to the name of island you want and tp to it. The list would grow as you aquire tp to the different islands. This type of feature could also be used to limit low levels from ending up on the SvS islands. (Those only become available after a certain level).
Don't get me wrong I love my map, and use it often to pinpoint an area that's active for different ships or to see where the nearest island is to land. It's just haveing to slide it around for the tp feature that bugs me.

[Edward Edgemenace]

Originally Posted by League

Then why not fix the loading screen? The complaint in the post is going all over the globe and sliding the map.

Maybe the map moves smoothly on your computer. On mine, it has always been an unpleasant chore. Just as the mouse starts to grab it a slide, it will go wonky.

Having hotkeys (ESPECIALLY RETURN TO PORT OF CALL) would help alleviate that significantly. You don't need to see the map after a month, to know where you want to TP to.

It's been many months we've had the loading screen errors. Just having working hot keys for the map (which probably should have been there to begin with) would help.

I agree with the other post regarding the "Cannot teleport in battle" error I get for 5 seconds AFTER the +0 Rep shows up. Particularly annoying when there are no other red dots on compass at all. Again, having working hot-keys for teleport would help work-around that bug as well.

If there were a way they could make the map page open instantly without the 1.3 second animation AND have the map zoom out so you could see the whole thing AND not require mouse to move all the way over to the map section AND have it be telepathic and know what you wanted to click, then I could see MAYBE not worrying about having hotkeys.

Of course, they might do something like force a Yes/No dialog (which doesn't help the loading screen error) forgetting to allow Enter/ESC to function as OK/Cancel should, again. Hopefully they would remember to add another modifier (like Shift) to bypass the confirmation dialog, if they do that.

Possibilities (what I initially sortof expected to see):

Alt-T Tortuga
Alt-R Port Royal
Alt-P Padres del Fuego
Alt-C Cuba
Alt-K Kingshead
Alt-F Ile d'Etable de Porc
Alt-S Isla Avaricia
Alt-E Escape to port of call

then without confirmation dialogs:
Shift-Alt-T Tortuga
Shift-Alt-R Port Royal
Shift-Alt-P Padres del Fuego
Shift-Alt-C Cuba
Shift-Alt-K Kingshead
Shift-Alt-F Ile d'Etable de Porc
Shift-Alt-S Isla Avaricia
Shift-Alt-E Escape to port of call

The more I think about this, the more awesome this idea seems.

[Dr. Zeppers]

Well maybe something to eliminate the map from the process would be nice. If anything, I would say ONE hot key to call up a list, and select an island from a list (instead of a map).

Some of the reasons im reading are individual situations, and not across the board (pc issues?). And as PC's and coding moves forward are less likely to be issues as time goes by (and systems are updated, etc).

IMO absolutely NOTHING should 'work around' intentionally programmed safeguards, like being in battle, now perhaps better coding to determine if the pirate is truly in battle could be implemented though. There is a purpose for this safeguard however, and it is properly implemented, and no option should circumvent it. I would consider that a glitch that needed to be fixed if it did.

Having a hotkey for each island would be very inconvenient to me, actually quite a nuisance. Having a teleport key combo to pull up a list, would be handy. But I would much rather them give us the ability to select our own keys/binds for various functions. I guess I dont see any reason to make the game "easier" to play, i'd rather they focus on making it more "fun" to play.

[Edward Edgemenace]

Originally Posted by OFxZeppers

Some of the reasons im reading are individual situations, and not across the board (pc issues?). And as PC's and coding moves forward are less likely to be issues as time goes by (and systems are updated, etc).

Some, but not all. If you want to read them all as specific situations instead of examples, you certainly can, but I'm not sure that is a fair take on it.

IMO absolutely NOTHING should 'work around' intentionally programmed safeguards, like being in battle, now perhaps better coding to determine if the pirate is truly in battle could be implemented though. There is a purpose for this safeguard however, and it is properly implemented, and no option should circumvent it. I would consider that a glitch that needed to be fixed if it did.

I very strongly disagree with your assessment that it is properly implemented. I understand the safeguard and its intent. But the 5-10 seconds after all nearby enemies are defeated is superfluous.

Having a hotkey for each island would be very inconvenient to me, actually quite a nuisance. Having a teleport key combo to pull up a list, would be handy. But I would much rather them give us the ability to select our own keys/binds for various functions. I guess I dont see any reason to make the game "easier" to play, i'd rather they focus on making it more "fun" to play.

OK for you...sounds like a reasonable preference. You personally would not be required to know nor use the hotkeys. I don't recall suggesting that the current teleport methods should be eliminated. But a hotkey for RETURN TO PORT OF CALL would help a lot of people. A drop-down list would also be nice, but not nearly as helpful. Know anyone that has never been stuck on a ship's loading screen?

I don't understand what prompted your final sentence at all. But this thread's suggestion centers around getting un-stuck more easily...the less you are locked up in the game, the more fun it is.

[Sven Niscadae]

Originally Posted by OFxZeppers

Well maybe something to eliminate the map from the process would be nice. If anything, I would say ONE hot key to call up a list, and select an island from a list (instead of a map).

I dunno, Zep. Sometimes I like to use that map... as a map.

Originally Posted by Edward

I don't understand what prompted your final sentence at all. But this thread's suggestion centers around getting un-stuck more easily...the less you are locked up in the game, the more fun it is.

Actually this thread's original post centered around what a pain moving the map around is. As League said, they really should just diagnose what's causing the Loading Screen bug and fix it. Having a hot key for returning to the port of call, yes, I can see how it would be helpful; however, if they do that, then they'll never fix the bug since everyone will have a workaround. Personally, when I experience the bug, I just wait it out after typing that I'm stuck in chat.

Originally Posted by Edward

Maybe the map moves smoothly on your computer. On mine, it has always been an unpleasant chore. Just as the mouse starts to grab it a slide, it will go wonky.

I still want to know your computer's specs. That's just insane to hear/read. Sometimes, though, the map will spring back to where it was if I drag the mouse too far (say out of the window).

[Edward Edgemenace]

My primary computer is a laptop with a dual-core P4 with 1GB, running XP pro. If you have more specific concerns, I'll send you more specs via PM.

The MAP navigation for me, indeed, has always been wonky. The start delay from when I click and start dragging is over one second, always. And that is after the 1.5-3.5 second delay of opening the map in the first place. Miss-clicks are common, if not frequent. And the lack of map zoom is just weird...why not just have the whole map? Why start zoomed so far in? Clicking an island often opens the journal instead of teleporting (arrrgh!) if I'm not careful to wait for the little asterisk thing to render, so I can avoid it.

I think Zep misunderstood what I meant, when he thought I was suggesting adding a new exploit. If there is a hotkey for "RETURN" then when a battle is over, I can type that hotkey over and over until I go. But with the map as it is now, I have to wait 1.3-3.5 seconds for it to open, then click, then open it again, then click, then open it again, then click, then open it again, then click...then give up and turn autorun on, then open it again then click, then open it again then click and finally go. It's pointlessly annoying. But having a hotkey wouldn't "bypass" nor "circumvent" the errant 5-10 second delay...it would just make the map itself less of a hassle during that interim.

[League]

Map Corner//////////////////////////////////////////////////Map Corner
Map Corner//////////////////////////////////////////////////Map Corner

I'd think then that a map and map indeed would be preferable. As it is, it is rather like a globe. When pressing 'M', the whole map should be visible, nothing needing to be dragged. Still, loading screen errors should be fixed, as errors in general are one of the first things that should be fixed with just about everything.

The way they're doing changes now, small and frequently, I wouldn't mind seeing shortkeys using alt, another button like shift, and, then, the first letter the island starts with, the first letter of the second if both islands share the first. R=Royal, D=Del, T=Tort, C=Cuba, A=Avaricia; they could have F=French and S=Spanish, I dunno.

Anywhoo, the dissatisfaction in the original post had to do with sliding, which I guess wouldn't warrant hotkeys neccesarily. I'm more along the lines of the first paragraph of this post, nothing else really being neccesary, if anything at all is indeed neccesary.

[MacIronhawk]

Originally Posted by Sven Niscadae

I dunno, Zep. Sometimes I like to use that map... as a map.

Yes, makes the game a little more unique with the map.
Although the shortcut keys still sound nice.

[Machazzard]

I really like the idea of having hot keys. But how about, after doing a quest, you are given one teleport medallion(spelling?). While you have the teleport totem to the main islands, with the teleport medallion, you can place it on one island and it is interchangable.

For instance, if you are going to kingshead to work on your grenades and you place your medallion on that island (not literally "place it" but you get what I mean), if you die you can teleport right back. Now, in order to change the place of your medallion, you have to sail there, or tp to a friend.

* The medallion could either have a hot key, or it would just be found in one of the tabs of your chest. (the "map" tab would be most logical)