Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Currently the map zooms to the position of the cursor.
This is awful and i would like the option to turn that off.

What ?

Zoom to cursor is the worst things in any game played with a mouse.
The position of my mouse and me using the mousewheel have nothing to do with each other
and its irritating having to worry about one while doing the other.

These have been games ( Ai wars for example) that i could not play at all because of this.
In Factorio i dont use the map that much so it bothers me less.
But that also a bit of of a hen-egg situation with me using the map less
because of the issue with zoom.

Why ?

I did no bother making this suggestion in the past, but with the latest FF promising a more
powerful remote access, independent of the character this is the right time to request this change.

I totally disagree on that one. I like the fact that local view zoom is centred on the player, but map view zooms on the mouse cursor, because that's exactly what I expect it to do : zoom where I want to look, not zoom on myself. I wouldn't need map view if I wanted to watch around me, I'd just zoom out.

Koub wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:05 am

not zoom on myself.

Im not asking for it to zoom on the character.
Im asking to be able to move the map with the keyboard without having to worry about the position of the cursor.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:56 am

Im asking to be able to move the map with the keyboard without having to worry about the position of the cursor.

You can. Traverse speed is dependent on zoom level, so the map moves faster when you're zoomed out.

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 15, 2023 9:07 pm

You can. Traverse speed is dependent on zoom level, so the map moves faster when you're zoomed out.

Thats not what im talking about either. I want the view to always zoom to the center of the screen, not the position of the mouse.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:58 am

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 15, 2023 9:07 pm

You can. Traverse speed is dependent on zoom level, so the map moves faster when you're zoomed out.

Thats not what im talking about either. I want the view to always zoom to the center of the screen, not the position of the mouse.

The only situation I can think of where this would be correct behaviour is if you're playing without a mouse.

Are you a pure gamepad user?

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 10:37 am

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:58 am

Thats not what im talking about either. I want the view to always zoom to the center of the screen, not the position of the mouse.

The only situation I can think of where this would be correct behaviour is if you're playing without a mouse.

Are you a pure gamepad user?

With a bit of thought, you can figure out where else it would be correct behavior.

Consider that your screen is always centered on the engineer. When you zoom, perhaps you want to zoom in relation to the engineer, not the mouse. This is what I usually want, and if my mouse is somewhere far off, I end up having to go back and forth a few times before I manage to get the map where I wanted it.

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 10:37 am

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:58 am

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 15, 2023 9:07 pm

You can. Traverse speed is dependent on zoom level, so the map moves faster when you're zoomed out.

Thats not what im talking about either. I want the view to always zoom to the center of the screen, not the position of the mouse.

The only situation I can think of where this would be correct behaviour is if you're playing without a mouse.

Are you a pure gamepad user?

In most games that I've played, zoom to center is actually the way they work, not like Factorio's zoom to mouse cursor.



That said, as to the suggestion, I'm actually indifferent on it. While most games are zoom to center, thus it seems more intuitive based on that, I do actually find the zoom to mouse cursor useful to some extent, too. As there is no actual center marker, being able to place your mouse cursor right over what you want to zoom on and just do it is nice, vs pan-zoom-pan-zoom as you attempt to better center what you actually wanted to zoom on with zoom to center.

Kyralessa wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:19 pm

Consider that your screen is always centered on the engineer.

But that's not the case in map view.

Kyralessa wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:19 pm

When you zoom, perhaps you want to zoom in relation to the engineer, not the mouse.

Why? Why does the location of the engineer matter when in map view?

Kyralessa wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:19 pm

This is what I usually want, and if my mouse is somewhere far off, I end up having to go back and forth a few times before I manage to get the map where I wanted it.

Press your map key twice to centre the map on the engineer.

Also, you may like this link, though you probably want half your screen resolution instead of 10,10.

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 10:37 am

The only situation I can think of where this would be correct behaviour is if you're playing without a mouse.

Are you a pure gamepad user?

No, im not. And why would that be "correct" without a mouse.
I want the zoom to happen independent of the position of the mouse so i can pan with the keyboard
while zooming with the mousewheel at the same time.

Having the zoom go to the cursor is distracting, confusing and at time infuriating.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 3:52 pm

And why would that be "correct" without a mouse.

Because without a cursor to tell the game "this is where I'm looking" zooming to the centre of the screen is the best guess it can make.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 3:52 pm

I want the zoom to happen independent of the position of the mouse so i can pan with the keyboard while zooming with the mousewheel at the same time.

Having the zoom go to the cursor is distracting, confusing and at time infuriating.

You don't automatically move your cursor to where you're looking on the screen?

Honestlyy curious: Do you get annoyed at Google Maps for the same behaviour?

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 5:18 pm

You don't automatically move your cursor to where you're looking on the screen?

No, why would i do that?
If anything i move it into the corner so its out of the way.

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 5:18 pm

Honestlyy curious: Do you get annoyed at Google Maps for the same behaviour?

I didnt even know it did that. Ive used that thing twice, ever. And in both cases i typed in the name of a street in the neighboring town.

But even then, thats something you use for a few seconds. Not several hours at once.

tbh, the zoom from map view works exactly the way I want it to work, and I'd be upset if it didn't.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:47 pm

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 5:18 pm

You don't automatically move your cursor to where you're looking on the screen?

No, why would i do that?
If anything i move it into the corner so its out of the way.

Because you're going to be interacting with the thing you're looking at. And you interact with things in this game with the cursor.

Koub wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:02 pm

tbh, the zoom from map view works exactly the way I want it to work, and I'd be upset if it didn't.

That is obvious and totaly fine.
There is an untold number of games out there with different behavior
and many of them let you choose between zoom to cursor or zoom to center.
Why is it that Factorio needs to be the odd one out here?

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:15 pm

Because you're going to be interacting with the thing you're looking at. And you interact with things in this game with the cursor.

That, again, has nothing to do with what im talking about.
Or maybe it does even, but in my favor.

Of course i select things with the mouse. But i also zoom with the mouse and currently these two things dont work together.
Because zooming the screen pulls it to the position of the mouse or even worse, pulls it away from the mouse instead of straight up when zooming out.

I want to position the screen with the keyboard, zoom with the mousewheel and select stuff with cursor.
And all 3 of those should be independent of each other.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:49 pm

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:15 pm

Because you're going to be interacting with the thing you're looking at. And you interact with things in this game with the cursor.

That, again, has nothing to do with what im talking about.
Or maybe it does even, but in my favor.

If your cursor is near the thing you're wanting to interact with, then zooming to the cursor is exactly what you want. Because it will zoom in to what you want to interact with.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:49 pm

Of course i select things with the mouse. But i also zoom with the mouse and currently these two things dont work together.
Because zooming the screen pulls it to the position of the mouse or even worse, pulls it away from the mouse instead of straight up when zooming out.

That sounds like they're working together to me?

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:49 pm

I want to position the screen with the keyboard, zoom with the mousewheel and select stuff with cursor.
And all 3 of those should be independent of each other.

Why do you not want to zoom to the location you're about to select stuff in?

Can you explain to me why you insist on knowing better then me how i use keyboard and mouse to control my pc?
Would you like to visit my home and watch me play?
Im not even joking, we can have a talk about this.
I have tea, bring cookies.

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:11 pm

Can you explain to me why you insist on knowing better then me how i use keyboard and mouse to control my pc?

I'm not. I'm talking about how everyone expects you to.

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 17, 2023 1:35 pm

Vulkandrache wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:11 pm

Can you explain to me why you insist on knowing better then me how i use keyboard and mouse to control my pc?

I'm not. I'm talking about how everyone expects you to.

Perhaps you should go back and read the very first post again.

Currently the map zooms to the position of the cursor.
This is awful and i would like the option to turn that off.

He's asking for an option.

You are arguing against the option, insisting that everyone should like it the way you like it.

How would the option hurt you?

Kyralessa wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 17, 2023 11:35 pm

He's asking for an option.

You are arguing against the option, insisting that everyone should like it the way you like it.

How would the option hurt you?

Im not really a fan of that argument. if the suggestions doenst stand on its own then
it can be used to request anything up to i-win buttons.

But yes, im making a no-brainer suggestions for an option commonly available in games
with a similar camera, if they dont use center-zoom in the first place.
And im suddenly finding myself having to explain my preferences in the face of arguments
as profound as "i like how it currenly is" and "you are holding it wrong".

Illiander42 wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 17, 2023 1:35 pm

I'm not. I'm talking about how everyone expects you to.

I had some time at work today and i thought of the dumbest, factorio related, way to explain this.

Sometimes, early on, you need to remove parts of a forest by hand. Its not fun but not always avoidable.
If thats needed i place the mouse close to but not on the character and hold down right.
The rest of the work is done by the keyboard. I press Q W E and R in patterns.
Circle, Square, Zigzag, straight lines, squiggly lines, whatever strikes my fancy until the trees are gone.
Go ingame and do that for a minute, then come back.



You've just used the camera the way i do even if you dont recognize it because it was attached to the character.
If there is something "over there" i want to click on i dont move the mouse into the corner.
I pan the camera until the thing is close to the center, then move the mouse the last bit.

Naturaly sometimes i want to zoom while paning. Unless the mouse is perfectly center on the screen the current system
janks the camera into directions i didnt press button for it to go.


The cursor is to stay close to the center of the screen as much as possible.
Anything around the edge is the keyboards job. Either with hotkeys or with a quick camera.
Having to move the mouse away from the center on a regular basis means that either the way of controlling
or the games UI is bad.