Settings Menu: Controller Variant

[iamsirenstorm]

The settings menu for controllers is a subpar experience. Simply modifying CSS selectors is not enough. Coupled with the fact that holding down a direction doesn't continually move focus, navigating it is also terrible.

The current settings menu, however, works fine for M+KB users. So, instead, a special Settings screen that is used for controllers will be created.

This does mean that there will be two variants of the settings screen, but I don't want to make any drastic "feeling" changes to the current settings menu that messes with what current users remember. I also don't want to tangle with its existing code and try to slam a controller variant in-place, that will just spaghettify that code and make it a nightmare to interact with.

Ideally, there would be a setting that allows users to opt-in to the "new" layout for M+KB too, if they find that is better.

This screen may lack some features that the current settings screen provides. It's sort of dependent on what controller users need/want.

[vrad-exe]

Feels like it should be possible to get the current layout working with just some different navigation logic. I got a bit carried away coming up with a scheme for how it could behave, so here it is:

• By default the category list would be focused and able to be navigated with up/down. Pressing A would move navigation over to the corresponding header in the settings list.
• Once the settings list is focused, each type of option would react a bit differently, but generally should be changeable with A and left/right:
  • For toggles, A or left/right would switch the value.
  • For sliders, left/right would change the value (by a per-setting increment), and A would open the onscreen keyboard to type into the text box.
  • Dropdowns would be opened by pressing A, navigated with up/down, then closed by pressing A again on the desired option. You should also be able to press left/right while a dropdown setting is higlighted to switch directly between options, like Portal 2's wheel selectors. (Alternatively, maybe just convert these fully into wheel selectors while using a controller?)
  • For color pickers, A would open the color picking dialog and left/right would do nothing. The dialog itself should maybe just have the HSV/RGBA sliders focused, using left/right to change the values, and only use the picker on the left as a preview?
  • String settings don't currently exist, but if any are ever added, pressing A would open the OSK to type into the text box.
  • Headers could be focused too, and pressing A on them would reset that section to default. (Alternatively maybe map this to something like X?)
• In the video settings tab, pressing B would discard changes (probably with a prompt), while either X or Y (whichever isn't otherwise being used) would apply them.
• Pressing B while the setting list is focused would back out to the category list. Pressing it while the category list is focused would back out of the settings menu entirely.
• From the category list, and from the settings list if there are any free buttons there, either X or Y (whichever is available) could be pressed to focus the search bar, which would also open the onscreen keyboard. Pressing enter would close the OSK and switch focus over to the results list. Pressing A on a result would jump to that setting in the settings list.