This small update is aimed at improving the controls, which have been frequently criticized. Since I lack a strong sense for UI/control design, I made changes based on player gameplay and suggestions. After updating the game, I recommend pressing the default binding button in the keyboard/mouse or gamepad settings to change to the default bindings.
Save file selection menu simplified / Open menu with cancel button:
Previously, you had to select the slot and then press the start button again, but many players considered this one of the most negative control experiences when first starting the game. So now, clicking the slot will immediately start the game. Also, in most PC games, pressing Esc during gameplay opens the menu, but Crawl Tactics didn’t follow this, causing confusion. Now, if there’s no cancelable function, pressing cancel (default Esc) will bring up the in-game menu.
Basic keyboard shortcuts reorganized for left-hand use. Default mouse wheel button set to toggle screen panning:
The previous keybindings were considered unintuitive and too spread across the keyboard. So, screen control/rotation keys have been reassigned to the left-hand side of the keyboard. Skill hotkeys are no longer assigned by default; instead, you can use them through the pie menu, which will be described below. Also, because many found screen panning inconvenient, the standard control of pressing the mouse wheel button now toggles screen panning.
Mouse buttons and their functions can now be remapped:
Default mouse functions have been changed, but since preferences vary by player, each mouse button can now be assigned a different function. Additionally, if the mouse has back and forward buttons, you can assign functions to them as well.
Added equipment window button next to quickslot when using keyboard/mouse. Pressing the selected unit again now opens pie menu instead of equipment window:
Initially, I thought it was convenient to open the equipment window by pressing the selected unit again. However, based on gameplay footage and feedback, many didn’t know how to open the equipment window. So a separate button has been added for it. Now, pressing the selected unit will bring up the pie menu instead. A dedicated button has also been set to open the pie menu when using keyboard/mouse controls.
Pie menu improvements:
The pie menu, previously used only in gamepad mode, was inspired by FPS games like Quake Remastered. However, the hold-to-select method caused confusion. Now, the pie menu appears when you press the button and disappears when you press it again. Also, with keyboard/mouse controls, moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen every time to use skills was inconvenient, so the pie menu is now available in keyboard/mouse mode too. In relation to this, when using gamepads in handheld UI mode, the bottom quickslot and skill slots no longer appear on the screen. In exploration mode, buttons were added to the pie menu for map and moving to another room. This was added because room transitions were often hard to see, obscured by terrain, or troublesome to click on. In combat prep mode, a card use button has also been added to the pie menu.
Added ability to move cursor with D-pad / Use analog stick like a mouse / Analog stick bindings now customizable:
For gamepads, many players—especially fans of classic tactics games—prefer to use the D-pad for movement. So a default binding for D-pad movement has been added. Analog stick movement remains the default, but you can switch to D-pad movement in the settings.
You can also freely assign movement or panning to the left/right analog sticks, and by request, a mouse mode has been added that allows the analog stick to be used like a mouse.