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Yes, it should be priority!

7 (12.1%)

Yes but it's not much of importance, it should be implemented someday in the future

15 (25.9%)

Doesn't matter to me

7 (12.1%)

I prefer keyboard but I have nothing against additional mouse support

19 (32.8%)

No, I'd like DF to stay keyboard-focused only

10 (17.2%)

Total Members Voted: 58

[konjad]

I know it has been said hundreds of times... but please could you make mouse support? Lately I've been playing Goblin Camp and coming back to DF is even more painful without convenient mouse support like that game has. Simple right click to show menu with available options and left click on the option you want to do is so much more comfortable than looking through several menus with keyboard (even if shortcuts are easy to learn). Please implement the mouse support. You could leave keyboard shortcuts as they are to please both people who want keyboard focused game and the ones who prefer playing with a mouse.

[Dakk]

Mouse is already partialy supported, you know. Just not completely. I usualy turn it off since I'm used to roguelikes and very few have mouse support.

[Caesar]

I am fully against mouse support only because I think that Toady has much more important things to do. (And he's already got his masterplan laid out.)

Maybe in the very end.

[aepurniet]

This post may seem a little presumptious. Its not an indictment of anything here, but just my general experience.

Anytime you have a large complex software project, adding new features while there is a huge hibernating 5000 pound gorilla in the room is a bad idea. Essentially your making new features that will have to be rewritten later, when you fix the gorilla. It means doing the same work twice. Tackling the big problem now, promotes code reuse, and allows future changes to be implemented much faster.

Now I'm not making the comparison that the gorilla is mouse support or he UI in general, since I don't actually know the final vision of the game. (From an aesthetic and usability point of view, Toady keeps us well informed of the envisioned gameplay / engine features).  However, saying ill get to it later, is like building a house on a foundation that needs more work, or sheetrocking a wall when you still need electrical work done. In the sense that it just would have been a lot easier to do it before, and youre actually creating more work for yourself by procrastinating on that one aspect.

Side note: I have done this with software projects in my personal life, and will continue to do so on occasion.

[Dakk]

Pherhaps, but its sorta odd to spend a considerable amount of time handling a 500 pound gorilla most players aren't super interested in. Anyway, its toady's time that will be spent on it, so it'd be up to him to decide wheter he could accomodate mouse support among the considerable changes caravan arc entails.

[Emiteal]

Toady probably knows best about what he should be tackling at the moment with regards to the grand master plan. Petitioning to change his workflow seems a bit... I dunno, less than ideal. As various features are implemented, it could change the concept of how mouse support would be handled, and that'd mean potentially that Toady would have to update or change the mouse controls every time he implements a new feature, and then people would probably start complaining about the mouse controls being unwieldy or inefficient. It's a big can of worms.

[Pilsu]

The current system is incredibly unwieldy and cobbled together and yet, such complaints are regularly ignored. I don't see how mouse support would somehow be a "placeholder" feature. Really, what are you gonna replace it with? What, you'd need to support it when adding new features? Well, that goes for the keyboard too. That's not something extraneous, that's bare bones work.

[MrWiggles]

Eh, DF is in the RL vein, and mouse support for that type is rare. I don't miss it, and don't really care about mouse support.

And this needs to be stressed, without details on how the system is coded, we can't answer how hard any particular feature will be to add at any point in the future nor how hard it'll be to maintain.

I agree with Pilsu, that keyboard control are probably the easiest and least amount effort to maintain input device, but again, I don't know for sure. Thats alright with me.

The UI isn't getting ignored, though its not the highest priority for Toady, but it does get tweaked and updated somewhat regularly.

[TheyTarget]

I want it to say keyboard focused. I don't see any way a mouse could actually make it help it, other then slowing it down. I mean if I have to right-click then go though a menu, then find designations, then find dig, then draw in my square it would aggravate me to no end. When I can just go d d enter shift+left arrow shift+down arrow enter. Takes less then a second (I got stuck in a bunch of typing courses, but it shouldn't be much longer for anybody else). Though, as Caesar said, I wouldn't care or mind if toady decided to do it at the end of development(hope the day never comes), or because he felt it was needed.

[MrWiggles]

I want it to say keyboard focused. I don't see any way a mouse could actually make it help it, other then slowing it down. I mean if I have to right-click then go though a menu, then find designations, then find dig, then draw in my square it would aggravate me to no end. When I can just go d d enter shift+left arrow shift+down arrow enter. Takes less then a second (I got stuck in a bunch of typing courses, but it shouldn't be much longer for anybody else). Though, as Caesar said, I wouldn't care or mind if toady decided to do it at the end of development(hope the day never comes), or because he felt it was needed.

Well, I don't think anyone is suggesting that mouse support would be faster or superior then keyboard. I don't think it could be faster or as efficient.

However, thats not the goal of mouse support. Its to make the user interface and experience easier.

Goblin Tower, does show that a mouse support UI could be quite flashy and easier to pick up, then keyboard interface.

[Trouserman]

The keyboard is great for specifying what you want.  The mouse is great for specifying where you want it or which thing to do it with, from the dozens in front of you.  Either one can be used alone, but can be unwieldy for some tasks.

[TheyTarget]

I want it to say keyboard focused. I don't see any way a mouse could actually make it help it, other then slowing it down. I mean if I have to right-click then go though a menu, then find designations, then find dig, then draw in my square it would aggravate me to no end. When I can just go d d enter shift+left arrow shift+down arrow enter. Takes less then a second (I got stuck in a bunch of typing courses, but it shouldn't be much longer for anybody else). Though, as Caesar said, I wouldn't care or mind if toady decided to do it at the end of development(hope the day never comes), or because he felt it was needed.

Well, I don't think anyone is suggesting that mouse support would be faster or superior then keyboard. I don't think it could be faster or as efficient.

However, thats not the goal of mouse support. Its to make the user interface and experience easier.

Goblin Tower, does show that a mouse support UI could be quite flashy and easier to pick up, then keyboard interface.

Yeah, but I don't think thats justification to do it. It's an opinion anyways.

[Pilsu]

I can't imagine any non-Koreans being able to play DF at the kind of ease and speed mouse support allows. Just look at that interface clip of Goblin Camp on YouTube. It should make you salivate. It's not like it's a placeholder function we're asking for here.

[Rowanas]

I can't imagine any non-Koreans being able to play DF at the kind of ease and speed mouse support allows. Just look at that interface clip of Goblin Camp on YouTube. It should make you salivate. It's not like it's a placeholder function we're asking for here.

Anyone typing a lot will probably find it much faster. Like me.

Also, trackpad users.

[Sir Crashalot]

While it isnt of vital importance right now, mouse (and graphics) support will have to be added sooner or later to increase it's attractiveness to more people, or this game will end up being stuck in a rut and only played by hardcore fans and dabblers.

At the moment though I would say its importance is fairly low as there are more interesting things to be added first.

Of course, if/when these features are added there should also be an option for people to carry on playing it the traditional way (keyboard/ASCII) so it appeals to everyone.