Idea: Remember follow setting for each vehicle

[Dzi4d3k]

Hello,

I have an idea for enhancing Follow Me mod with cache/save for each vehicle.
It currently remember last set inter space and offset, but it would be very useful if these can be saved for each vehicle which was followed.
My idea come from following use case:
I have two tractors with trailers on field used for following forage harvester set to 1m behind and 5 m on right. When both trailers are full I take them to BGA, but I have to change follow settings (on one of tractor) to 15m behind and no offset. When I'm back on field I have to set follow again to track harvester.
Settings could be saved with each machine section which followed others vehicles.
Additionally there would be usefully to have buttons for resetting settings remembered for one and/or all vehicles.

I'm not sure how much work this would require but I thrown idea.

Regards.

[sootysax]

i've been wanting to be able to flip the offset on both following vehicles when I am using 3 tractors to plow, rather than having to switch vehicles to flip the offset for each.

would be nice to have a key command to flip offset for all vehicles in the chain

[DeckerMMIV]

@Dzi4d3k - The settings are remembered by each follower-vehicle.

Though I suppose, depending on from what point of view it is seen, you are suggesting that the 'distance & offset' should be "stored" in the leading-vehicle, and then any (new) follower-vehicle will use that leader's settings.
That might be more intuitive, when the follower-vehicle is changed often and where the leading-vehicle is always 'the same'.

@sootysax - I could try to "expand" the current 'toggle/invert offset'-action so it is applied to the entire 'chain of followers', which will then happen at the same time.
You will have to deal with the traffic-jam yourself 😄

[Dzi4d3k]

Well, not exactly. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I know that each follower remember its settings, but they are the same no matter which vehicle is followed.
This mean if I follow harvester on field with offset and then I would like to follow tractor on road without offset I need to change settings each time when I change leading vehicle.
My idea was to have, let say, pair of vehicles with last settings set.

[DeckerMMIV]

Okay, so kind of 'several presets' or 'multiple configurations'.
But why? Is it too difficult to adjust the distance and offset? - Or is it due to the hazzle of having to do it every time when switching to a different leader-vehicle?

[Dzi4d3k]

Basically to speed up arrangement and not to having to remember optimal sets for every pair of vehicle. Especially when playing on MP where as an admin have to teach every one how to set correct distances.
Because of this, some beginners find it to set proper values.

[DeckerMMIV]

I have been pondering if adding some kind of 'mouse controlled heads-up-display' could help make it more intuitive to use.
So instead of having to press action-keys multiple times to adjust the distance/offset, then instead a visible grid of the possible "waypoints" could be shown and the player just selects a 'point' with the mouse.

Also such a control-scheme would help me to reduce the number of input-actions/keys, while possibly allowing those other 'requested features' to be added; like raising/lowering/fold/enable/disable of equipment that the follower-vehicle is dragging. - Something along the HUD-icons control of the Agricultural Simulator game.

It will though require quite a bit of code-adding, as it won't be easy mapping between a 3D-scene and a 2D-screen, with the different states/icons that needs to illustrated and understood by players.

[Dzi4d3k]

I'm not sure if I correctly understood, but being able to click with mouse on vehicle to choose it ass leader (from follower) would be a great improvement toward easiness of use.

Another idea I had is to add automatic awareness on the length of tools attached to leader. Now the default distance is set to 10 meters. If we enable following of leader with long trailer, then following vehicle ofter rams trailers unless we quickly extend distance. This is rather nice addition not an urgent function, and I have no idea if it is difficult to code, maybe the length of vehicle/tool set in its xml file could be used for adapting distance between leaders and followers.