Interface suggestion for Jim/Gary/Brian/Arlie and anyone else making a college sim
 

This same issue crops up for me in game after game, specifically during recruiting. Quite often, there are a number of players for whom I want to perform the exact same action. Therefore, here's the suggestion: allow us to select a group of players using the normal windows methods, and "batch-recruit" them. Right now, for example, I'm looking at the recruiting section in BBCF. There are 30 or so in-state recruits with interest of 9 or 10 in my school. I want to scout all of them and add all of them to my watch list. As it stands now, this is a nothing more than a clickfest. Add watch. Scout. Go to next player. Add watch. Scout. Go to next player. Add watch. Scout. Go to next player. (NOTE: BBCF is not the only culprit. I have the same problem with other college games, too.) IT would be MUCH better to click on the first guy on the list, shift-click on the last guy on the list, and then hit "Add Watch" once, "Scout" once, and be done with that task. Ctrl-clicks would be nice, too, to help with skipping certain positions on the list, for example.

Also, every text sim needs keyboard shortcuts. BBCF could sorely use them, for example. I have to move the mouse all over the place because I can't go from one player on a list to the next without using the mouse.

OK. That's that. Back to your regularly scheduled clicking. :/

I, for one, never use keyboard shortcuts in text-sims....mouse if perfect top to bottom.

Strangely enough while we aren't a college sim - we are looking into multiple selection of players on screens in FM ....

I use them all the time in FOF2K4. When going through FA's, for example, it is much faster and easier to cycle through them quickly using "N" and "P", because I can change directions quickly. Pointer finger on the "N", middle finger on the "P", and off we gooooo. :P

It could definitely be useful in a pro sim (and if I recall, there are times when one would want to scout a bunch of players in FM), but it would be huge during recruiting, particularly in football, where one might need to scout 100+ players in an early week of recruiting.

Keyboard shortcuts are my friend.

When you work in an environment where you are at a PC all day, it can be a matter of carpul tunnel or no carpul tunnel if you can use the keyboard instead of the mouse.

Having the space bar to advance the schedule (as in FM) is a must IMO. I also like SkyDog's use of CTRL for multiple selections especially around things like scouting/recruiting.

Hopefully EHM too. :D

definitely :)

and the addition of the usual left and right arrows to go back and forth between screens :)

FM

Lack of keyboard shortcuts is the reason I stopped playing EHM, and the reason I likely won't buy BBCF.

Is this a case of needing extra work done for keyboard shortcuts, or do the standard windows shortcuts for the standard controls not work right for everyone? I'm wondering if it is simply the use of non-standard windows controls that is causing this issue for other games. FOF uses pretty standard Windows UI elements, and I think that's a key reason everyone is happy with their keyboard shortcuts.

I think I need a Kleenex. I can't encourage that thinking enough.

Love the idea.

Note to self: Include keyboard shortcuts.

TCY is among the best games available to play with keyboard shortcuts. I was actually disappointed with FOF2k4 that you couldn't open windows with a Ctrl- and key combination, it was a step back in usability unfortunately.