Animated Movement Path with Flow Trail for Units

[turkiasma]

Summary:
When a unit moves across the battlefield, animate the path as it’s moving, lighting up each hex in sequence to show its route. Optionally leave a short-lasting visual trail once the movement finishes.
Why This Matters:
Makes movement feel more fluid and alive
Helps players visually follow the creature’s decision path
Boosts strategic clarity and overall UX polish
Reduces confusion in fast-paced or complex turns
Implementation Suggestions:
Animate each hex on the movement path using a light pulse, shimmer, or glow effect
Synchronize this animation with the creature’s actual steps
(Optional) Leave behind a fading trail or glowing footprints that vanish after ~2 seconds
Color of the path could match the player’s color (e.g., blue, red, etc.)
Should be lightweight and toggleable for performance or accessibility
Related Context:
Inspired by #1598: Hexagon flow animation, but focused on unit movement animation, not general hex highlighting.
Aims to deliver more immersive, readable gameplay especially in battles with multiple units.

[DreadKnight]

@turkiasma Yeah, this sort of stuff could definitely be improved, thought about at times, but it's the type of thing that's sort of hard to properly describe up to spec upfront and it needs to be poked at directly and tested until it feels right and not seem like a regression overall, but actually bringing something nice to the "table", well, battlefield 🐻 in this specific case.

[yousefsassy]

The proposed animated movement path idea by @turkiasma would significantly enhance gameplay readability and visual engagement, especially during complex turns. By lighting up each hex in sequence, it helps players intuitively track movement decisions and adds a layer of polish that makes the battlefield feel more dynamic. However, to improve this feature further, the animation speed should scale with the unit’s movement speed to avoid unnecessary delay. It may also be beneficial to allow players to toggle trail persistence duration or disable the feature entirely for performance or accessibility reasons. Additionally, ensuring compatibility with all terrain types and avoiding visual clutter when multiple units move simultaneously will be essential for maintaining clarity.

[DreadKnight]

The proposed animated movement path idea by @turkiasma would significantly enhance gameplay readability and visual engagement, especially during complex turns. By lighting up each hex in sequence, it helps players intuitively track movement decisions and adds a layer of polish that makes the battlefield feel more dynamic. However, to improve this feature further, the animation speed should scale with the unit’s movement speed to avoid unnecessary delay. It may also be beneficial to allow players to toggle trail persistence duration or disable the feature entirely for performance or accessibility reasons. Additionally, ensuring compatibility with all terrain types and avoiding visual clutter when multiple units move simultaneously will be essential for maintaining clarity.

@yousefsassy Ideally no toggles and settings. The feature should be designed in a way that's pleasant and useful, while also being rather lightweight resource wise.
There's not much regarding terrain type compatibility, as that's more about the art specs when creating the combat locations themselves. Good thing usually only one unit moves at a time, but yeah, the effect shouldn't be too distracting or overkill.