matrix-org / matrix-org/thirdroom

Need for a more prominent indication of object being grabbed

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Dominant language
C
Stars
647
Forks
70
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No merged PRs in 30d

Description

**Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.**
Today I checked how objects are picked up. I reach out to the sphere and press E (also left-click), but then I'm unable to confirm whether it's grabbed. I don't know what caused it: my relative position or angle of grabbing, maybe both. It didn't give any feedback that can be accounted as picking up object, other than a small dot in the center.

In doubt, I press said button again, and only then I understand it was picked up and that I just didn't try moving from the spot. At this point, object is already thrown/dropped. Remember: it simply happens in a blink of an eye, but I had to go through the same lapses again and again before realizing what was happening. Current feedback with jumping blue cursor happens very fast, which is barely noticeable.

**Describe the solution you'd like**
UI/accessibility feedback of grabbing an object the mere moments it's done with duration of **at least 200ms**. Show some particles or let cursor indicate in a more recognizable way that user actually grabbed the object.

**Describe alternatives you've considered**
I tried looking closely to the center - it's like a chore, because then I get distracted from surroundings. Personally, I'm just more confident in moving something if I can capture the whole picture in head, click the thing, and have a call to move.

**Additional context**
It may seem that issue is too trivial and not worth considering. However, if we remove the destructive physical feedback, in perspective, fixed UI solution adds a bone to every interaction that user makes. Also, good for recordings, where people watching don't interact and can't see current blue-dot feedback without excessively focusing on the center of view.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No implementation file or test is named. Start by locating the grab interaction and the current blue-dot feedback, then trace where the pickup event is presented to the player. Done means a successful grab produces clearly noticeable UI or particle feedback lasting at least 200ms.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
three.js, typescript
Domain
accessibility, frontend, game-dev
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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