Quick chat in the radial menu #3518
Description
Purpose
Add a Quick Chat button to the right-click radial menu and simplify the recipient/target selection by allowing players to click countries directly on the map instead of typing their names.
Objectives
- Add a new "Quick Chat" button to the existing right-click radial menu.
- Provide quick-access chat actions directly from the radial menu: Request Gold, Request Troops, Request Attack.
- Implement map-click target selection: after pressing a chat action (e.g. "Request Attack"), the player clicks a country on the map to select the target, instead of typing the country name manually.
- Ensure the current full chat remains accessible for longer/custom messages.
- Ensure the new UI works on both desktop and mobile without obstructing gameplay.
Description
Problem
The current chat is accessed through the Info button in the radial menu, which opens a large overlay that covers the entire screen. In a fast-paced real-time strategy game this is impractical — players lose visibility of the map and the ability to react to events while composing a message. Additionally, sending a targeted message (e.g. "Attack country X") currently requires selecting a message type and then manually typing the country name, which is slow and error-prone.
Proposed Solution
1. Quick Chat button in the radial menu
Add a dedicated Quick Chat icon to the right-click radial menu (alongside existing actions like Send Troops, Build, etc.). Tapping it opens a compact sub-menu with preset actions:
- 🪙 Request Gold
- ⚔️ Request Attack
- 🛡️ Request Troops
This sub-menu should be small and non-intrusive, keeping the map visible in the background.
2. Map-click target selection
When the player selects an action that requires a target country (e.g. "Request Attack"), the sub-menu closes and the game enters a "select target" mode. The player then clicks/taps a country on the map. The message is automatically composed and sent to the relevant ally (or alliance chat) with the selected country as the target.
UX Flow Example
- Player right-clicks → radial menu appears.
- Player clicks "Quick Chat" → compact sub-menu with action buttons appears.
- Player clicks "Request Attack" → sub-menu closes, cursor changes to indicate target selection mode.
- Player clicks on a country on the map → message "Request Attack on [Country Name]" is sent to the alliance/selected player.
Technical Considerations
- The radial menu already supports multiple buttons — adding one more should follow existing patterns.
- Target selection mode may reuse the existing country-click detection logic already used for other interactions (e.g. sending troops).
- The full chat should remain available as-is for custom messages; Quick Chat is an addition, not a replacement.
