Add "Start Delay" to all triggers in ME

[Exorcet]

A few ME trigger actions have a Start Delay field, which allows them to activate after their conditions have been met by a fixed amount of time. This delay is nice for simulating things like communications between different units or reaction time of a unit. I'd like to see the delay added to all triggers, such as AI Task Push, Explosion, all of the Flag triggers, etc.

It might also be nice to be able to set a range for the delay that is then randomly selected, ie 10-30 seconds.

[Perpetual]

This can already be done by using a separate trigger, with the Time Since Flag condition.

 

Trigger 1:   does any instant effects, plus sets a flag value (FLAG ON or FLAG SET VALUE)

Trigger 2: Condition: Time Since Flag (Flag, time) -> Effect

[Tippis]

I'm mostly in agreement with Perpetual above on this. The functionality is pretty much already there, and also already in a more flexible way.

The problem is that it gets a right mess if you try to use it extensively because of how limited and constricted the UI is, with no real ability to group or filter or show dependencies between triggers, and with list windows that in 2022 still assume you're playing at 720p. Also, the whole presumption that you're dealing with numbered flags — they're actually also more flexible than that, but there's little indication for it and trying to make them descriptive once again quickly busts out of the tiny tiny UI boxes at your disposal.

So while I fully understand and sympathise with the OP's felt need to include it in the trigger itself, I think the solution is better addressed at the root: in an outdated UI that makes it a right pain in the behind at every step of the way to make use of functionality and flexibility that is already fully available.

[Exorcet]

I'm aware of Time Since Flag but it's basically double the work for the same effect. Not terrible if you only need 1 trigger, but time wasted grows quickly with mission complexity. Not the mention you end up with dozens of extra flags to keep track of.

If a revamped GUI can fix it, so be it, but I feel like integrating the time delay into the triggered action itself makes the most sense. Also if we expand the delay to be a range, it would be nice to have that all in one place. You can set time ranges with random, combinations of time more/less (sadly though only with absolute time as time since flag does not have more/less), and a few other methods, but it's way more complicated than it needs to be.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Exorcet