Map tag dialog: Enable old features additionally to new ones

[Impatient]

TL;DR

I am suggesting to enable the old features of the map tag dialog, which were opening by RMB on the location on the map directly and creation without icon or text, additionally to the new ones.

What ?

- Enable opening and location setting by RMB on the map.
- Enable the creation of a tag without the need of text or icon. Currently the dialog forces the player to enter text or select an icon.
- Keep the new features, the "Add tag" button and the "snap to grid" option.

There is a detail to be taken care of: When initiating the process of creating a tag via the new Add tag button, the player is required to set the location after the dialog is closed. For my suggestion, initiating the process by clicking with RMB on the map, the location would be set to the click location automatically after closing the dialog.
I think it is possible to have both.

Why ?

I think it increases the value of Factorio, because the process of creating a tag was very quick and simple before recent changes. The new Add tag button is great for players who don't know that this feature exists. For players who need to set a lot of simple marks on the other hand, RMB click and confirming is more convenient. Additionally, by not forcing the player to enter text or select an icon, more freedom in the way of creating a map tag would be added (or reinstated, if you compare it to the way before recent changes).
The old - and suggested new process - and the current process can perfectly live alongside.

[ElderAxe]

The old way was much more faster and usable.

Because of the new implementation's tedious way, I stopped using it for most cases and trying to use the "show product icons on map view" feature instead. The only downside of this is, you need to zoom in to see everything clearly.

Also please allow the game to remember the grid size selection or allow us to set the default value from interface settings.

[foodfactorio]

hi i was going to post a similar idea and saw this post, so adding here.
in 1.1.1, i would like to suggest the following ideas regarding map tagging:

1st idea:
when a player clicks on add tag, to allow us to mark the map first, and then to enter a text in the popup.
(instead of the way it happens now which is to prompt for text, and then mark it on the map).

reason for suggestion = sometimes a player will need to tag something on the map in a hurry, and trying to think of something quickly takes time.
also, some events (maybe only from mods im not sure), will only ping the map temporarily, and then vanish, so being able to quickly add a tag first, will help.
(for example earendels Space Exploration, has Meteor Strikes which happen frequently, but i always try to mark locations for later so i don't forget, but with biter attacks etc it is quite fiddly)



2nd idea: not sure if possible)
to allow a right-click any where on the map when viewing the map, and to bring up a menu option of "add tag here"
and then it simply adds a tag icon automatically, and then either asks for text (as above)
or shows the last few tagged names, which we can click on to select and it takes that as the text input value, and closes the popup/
or menu has "add generic symbolic tag here now" and just puts a dot somewhere (where we can later edit when biters give us a chance)

[templar4522]

+1

I was going to create a new thread but I figured I'd bump this.

The map update overall is nice, but this... this is almost a textbook bad ux change scenario. You take a simple and direct interaction (literally one click) and you increase the user actions to do the same thing.

The ping is clearly for multiplayer, and avoiding to pollute the map with markers nobody remembers what they were for. Great.

The fancy options are for those who decorate their map - this use case is partially obscured by the recipe icons filter, but this is still very useful, and the new process while less smooth is still acceptable as icons and snapping are both useful features, and generally these markers are a one-time effort.

However, for those of us who also use the map markers for quick planning and adding notes that are bound by location, the rate of adding, editing and deleting is high and the value of icons and perfect alignment is very little while the value of doing it as effortlessly as writing with pen and paper is high.

Hell, sometimes I just want a marker, no writing, no icon, just a dot. I'll place it there, and a few minutes later I'm there placing the radar, or do whatever it was that I couldn't or wouldn't do from the map view, and I'll delete it.

I agree with Impatient's suggestions. The "what" section is on point.

Here's my take. In addition to the op suggested changes, I'd rework the interface and interaction this way:

- The tag snapping slider would be placed under/above the add tag and ping buttons.
- Clicking "add tag" will allow to select the location (similarly to how it happens now at the end of the process)
- Once selected, open the tag editing dialog
- Alternatively, right clicking on the map will directly open the tag editing dialog with the location set as the one clicked
- The user can customise the marker with text and icon - the snapping is not necessary anymore as it is set outside the dialog
- Clicking confirm adds the marker

Note on empty (no text and no icon) markers: this is great for single player, not so much for multiplayer. Empty markers should be allowed by default in singleplayer, but arguably being disabled in multi as an option.




OR, if all of this is too much work, at least give us a hotkey to open the add tag dialog

[QGamer]

I agree with everything that has been said above!
I am disappointed that the devs removed the quick right-click to put down a map tag.
I use it often when biters damage my turrets so I can go back & repair them later when I have time.
There is a simplicity in being able to generate a message on the map with just one click on the location I want it in.
I find with the new system, sometimes I forget where I wanted to place the tag by the time I'm done typing the text in.
Knowing the location of the tag is more valuable to me than the text.

[templar4522]

For the people that are interested, I made a mod to go around the issue. It doesn't do all I want it to do, but you can quickly add a tag with right-click, and edit it with left-click. I'd love to be able to open the vanilla edit-tag gui, but it doesn't seem possible, so I'll have to build my own.

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/QuickMapTag

[foamy]

I don't mind the new GUI, but I'd like at least one old feature: The ability to put down iconless markers. I like to flag ore patches with their starting resources, so I know how far along they are, but the new teardrop pins if you choose nothing else vastly increase the area of the tag and make it difficult to get the actual remaining ore from the map.

Also it'd be nice to be able to move the pins once they're placed, but that'd be more of a new feature than an old one.

[Zaflis]

Having tried the new tag and ping buttons, i could quickly tell they need more work.
- You can't cancel either of them to starters. Pressing ESC will not only cancel but also close the whole map!
- Add tag dialog is confusing. I expected being able to see where the tag will be placed before pressing the big "Confirm" button, only to realize the placer only comes afterwards.

What i expected was...
Tag:
You would first choose where you place it, left click and it would open the dialog then. Right click to cancel. (Optionally rid of Add tag button and left click anywhere to add one as before)

Add ping:
Left click would place tag and right click cancel.

[Impatient]

For the people that are interested, I made a mod to go around the issue. It doesn't do all I want it to do, but you can quickly add a tag with right-click, and edit it with left-click. I'd love to be able to open the vanilla edit-tag gui, but it doesn't seem possible, so I'll have to build my own.

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/QuickMapTag

Thanks for that! I am already using it. ++

[bitsunited]

+1

I also miss the old feature of right-clicking to create a tag. It was way faster then the new one.

Another approach could be a configurable hotkey to create a tag. If a new tag already had a valid title it could be possible to accept this (double-tap the hotkey) and place the tag first if time is critical. Then I could update the tag after that.

I think a simple hotkey to bring up the tag dialog is critical. Thanks.

[ptx0]

+1

I also miss the old feature of right-clicking to create a tag. It was way faster then the new one.

Another approach could be a configurable hotkey to create a tag. If a new tag already had a valid title it could be possible to accept this (double-tap the hotkey) and place the tag first if time is critical. Then I could update the tag after that.

I think a simple hotkey to bring up the tag dialog is critical. Thanks.

it's one of those decisions that seems someone threw in there without consulting the UX designer.