Feature Ideas Backlog - Taj's Mod

HUD/UX and Settings

1) Settings Search Bar DONE

2) Compact Settings Mode Player value: fit more options on screen for small monitors. User flow: toggle Compact Mode in General tab to reduce row height and font size. Implementation sketch: Touch settings_ui.gd to add a global style toggle; add config key in config_manager.gd. Hooks: none. Data: compact_ui flag. UI: apply theme overrides to rows and panel margins. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

3) Toast History Panel DONE

4) Restart Required Banner DONE

5) Profile Switcher (Minimal) Player value: quick switch between visual/QoL presets. User flow: choose a profile from dropdown in settings; it swaps mod config sections. Implementation sketch: Touch config_manager.gd to store profiles; settings_ui.gd to add dropdown; mod_main.gd to apply. Hooks: none. Data: nested config dictionaries. UI: OptionButton. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

6) HUD Quick Toggles Bar Player value: toggle wire colors, glow, palette tools without opening settings. User flow: small expandable strip in HUD overlay with 3-5 toggles. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd _setup_for_main to add buttons; reuse SettingsUI callbacks. Hooks: none. Data: existing config keys. UI: row of ButtonMenu icons. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

7) Context Help Tooltips DONE

8) Palette Onboarding Tooltip DONE

Visuals and Customization

9) Wire Color Presets Player value: quick swap between color themes (high-contrast, pastel, monochrome). User flow: pick a preset from Visuals tab; wires update. Implementation sketch: Touch wire_color_overrides.gd to load preset tables; mod_main.gd to add preset dropdown. Hooks: none. Data: preset id in config. UI: OptionButton + Apply. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

10) Group Pattern Opacity Slider DONE

11) UI Color Theme Variants Player value: match HUD to personal taste (cool, warm, low-contrast). User flow: choose theme variant in Visuals tab, applies to mod panels. Implementation sketch: Touch settings_ui.gd, palette_overlay.gd, color_picker_panel.gd to apply theme colors. Hooks: none. Data: theme id in config. UI: OptionButton. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

12) Boot Screen Variant Selector Player value: choose between modded boot art, vanilla, or minimalist. User flow: pick boot style in Debug tab. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd and patcher.gd to swap textures/labels. Hooks: Boot node. Data: config key boot_style. UI: radio or dropdown. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

13) Group Title Glow Player value: make groups easier to locate. User flow: toggle glow outline on group title bars. Implementation sketch: Touch window_group.gd to add stylebox glow or modulate. Hooks: none. Data: config key or per-group toggle. UI: button in group title. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: maybe (per-group flag if stored)

14) Wire Thickness Slider Player value: improve readability in dense graphs. User flow: slider in Visuals to set wire width. Implementation sketch: Touch connector drawing code in base game is not directly patched; workaround: override connector script if extension is allowed. Needs hook: connector line width property. UI: slider in Visuals. Data: config key. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

15) Background Grid Density Player value: better spatial orientation at different zoom levels. User flow: choose grid density in Visuals. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd to find Main/HUD/Lines or Desktop/Lines and adjust properties if exposed; may require new hook in base grid script. Data: config key. UI: slider. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

16) Screenshot Watermark Toggle DONE

Node Graph Workflow Boosters

17) Box Select to Group Player value: instant grouping for organization. User flow: select nodes, run action to create group bounding selected nodes. Implementation sketch: Touch default_commands.gd or new utility; use Signals.create_window to spawn group at bounds; set group size. Hooks: Globals.selections, Signals.create_window. Data: none. UI: palette command + hotkey. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

18) Snap Align Left/Right/Top/Bottom Player value: clean layouts fast. User flow: select nodes, run Align Left, etc. Implementation sketch: Touch default_commands.gd or new utility; move windows via Signals.move_selection or direct position changes. Hooks: Signals.selection_set or Globals.selections. Data: none. UI: palette commands. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

19) Distribute Horizontally/Vertically Player value: even spacing for large selections. User flow: select nodes, run Distribute H or V. Implementation sketch: Similar to alignment; compute bounds from Globals.selections. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: palette command. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

20) Auto-Arrange by Category Player value: auto layout by node type. User flow: run action, nodes cluster by Data.windows category. Implementation sketch: Touch default_commands.gd; use Data.windows to map category; position in grid. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: palette command. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

21) Lasso Select Connectors Player value: faster wire cleanup. User flow: drag a lasso to select connectors and clear them. Implementation sketch: Needs connector selection support; potential workaround: iterate connectors by screen rect. Touch wire_clear_handler.gd and maybe extend selection in Globals. Hooks: Signals.selection_set is available but connectors selection is limited. Data: none. UI: new tool mode. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

22) Wire Reroute (Swap Source/Target) Player value: fix wiring mistakes without delete/reconnect. User flow: select a connector, choose new compatible target from list. Implementation sketch: Touch wire_drop_connector.gd and add a picker mode; use Signals.delete_connection + Signals.create_connection. Hooks: Signals.connection_created. Data: none. UI: palette action + popup list. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

23) Multi-Connect Batch Player value: connect one output to many compatible inputs quickly. User flow: select an output, choose multiple targets from list, auto-connect. Implementation sketch: Use node_compatibility_filter.gd to list candidates; call Signals.create_connection in loop. Hooks: Signals.create_connection. Data: none. UI: picker with multi-select. Effort: L | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

24) Group Color Sync to Contents Player value: group color reflects dominant resource type. User flow: press button to auto-pick group color based on contained nodes. Implementation sketch: Touch window_group.gd to analyze nodes in bounds and map to resource colors (via Data.resources and Data.connectors). Hooks: none. Data: store custom_color. UI: button in group title. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: maybe

25) Node Limit Meter in HUD Player value: see node usage without opening settings. User flow: small text in HUD top bar with warning color at 90 percent. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd to add label to HUD; reuse _update_node_label. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: Label in overlay. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

26) Bookmark Camera Positions Player value: jump between areas of large graphs. User flow: save 3-5 bookmarks and jump via palette. Implementation sketch: Touch palette_config.gd for bookmark list; store positions in config; use Signals.center_camera or camera tween. Hooks: none. Data: camera_bookmarks. UI: palette commands + small HUD list. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

27) Quick Replace Node Player value: swap node type without re-wiring. User flow: select a node, choose replacement from picker; connections transfer if compatible. Implementation sketch: Use window.save() + replace with new window; rewire matching ResourceContainers. Touch wire_drop_connector.gd and new utility. Hooks: Signals.create_window, Signals.delete_connection. Data: none. UI: palette action. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

28) Selection Stats Panel Player value: see total cost, output, or count for selected nodes. User flow: select nodes; panel shows aggregate info. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd to add a small panel; read node properties like level, cost. Hooks: Signals.selection_set. Data: none. UI: Panel in HUD overlay. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

29) Auto-Expand Group to Fit Contents Player value: keep groups tidy after moving nodes. User flow: click button to resize group to bounding box of enclosed nodes. Implementation sketch: Touch window_group.gd to compute bounds from contained nodes and set size. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: button in group title popup. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

30) Node Search and Focus Player value: find nodes by name or type quickly. User flow: use palette to search nodes and center camera on result. Implementation sketch: Touch palette_overlay.gd (new picker mode) or add command in default_commands.gd; use Data.windows and Globals.desktop children. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: palette search results. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

Command Palette Actions (new)

31) Palette Action: Toggle Wire Drop Menu DONE

32) Palette Action: Clear All Wires in Selection DONE

33) Palette Action: Lock/Unlock Selected Groups Player value: protect layout. User flow: select group nodes, run Lock or Unlock. Implementation sketch: Touch default_commands.gd; call toggle_lock if available. Hooks: Globals.selections. Data: group save already stores locked. UI: action only when groups selected. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

34) Palette Action: Toggle Palette Tools Mode Player value: quick opt-in to gameplay tools. User flow: run Enable Tools or Disable Tools in palette. Implementation sketch: Use palette_config.gd set_tools_enabled; update context. Hooks: none. Data: palette config. UI: palette actions with OPT-IN badge. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

35) Palette Action: Set Node Limit (Presets) Player value: one-tap limit changes. User flow: choose presets like 400, 800, unlimited. Implementation sketch: Touch default_commands.gd; call mod_main.set_node_limit. Hooks: none. Data: config node_limit. UI: palette category with preset actions. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

36) Palette Action: Jump to Group (List) DONE

37) Palette Action: Toggle UI Opacity Cycle DONE

38) Palette Action: Screenshot (Area of Selection) WIP

39) Palette Action: Focus on Money/Research Nodes Player value: find key economy nodes quickly. User flow: run Focus Money Nodes; camera centers on cluster. Implementation sketch: Iterate windows for resource containers with matching resource; use Signals.center_camera. Hooks: none. Data: Data.resources. UI: palette actions. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

40) Palette Action: Toggle Group Pattern Player value: quick styling for groups. User flow: select group, run Cycle Pattern. Implementation sketch: Call cycle_pattern on selected group nodes. Hooks: Globals.selections. Data: group save already handles pattern_index. UI: palette action only when group selected. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

41) Palette Action: Clean Orphaned Connectors Player value: fix visual glitches and reduce clutter. User flow: run command; remove connectors without valid endpoints. Implementation sketch: Use Globals.desktop.connections and Signals.delete_connection if endpoints missing. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: palette action with warning badge. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

42) Palette Action: Export/Import Mod Config Player value: share settings across machines. User flow: run Export Config to file; run Import Config to apply. Implementation sketch: Touch config_manager.gd to read/write user://tajs_mod_config.json and .bak; use FileAccess. Hooks: none. Data: config file. UI: palette actions. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

QoL, Upgrades, and Economy

43) Upgrade Queue (Selected Nodes) Player value: spend money evenly across selected nodes. User flow: select nodes and run Upgrade Queue to round-robin upgrades. Implementation sketch: Reuse logic from options_bar.gd buy-max loop; add new utility and palette action. Hooks: Globals.selections. Data: none. UI: palette action. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

44) Buy Max for Current Category Tab DONE?

45) Schematic Quick Save (Selection) Player value: save frequently without opening menu. User flow: select nodes, run Save Selection as Schematic. Implementation sketch: Use Data.save_schematic with Globals.desktop.export_selection if available; may require hook to export selection only. UI: palette action. Data: new schematic. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

46) Auto-Sell Bin Metrics Player value: see how much the Bin deletes. User flow: hover bin window to see counts or add a small counter. Implementation sketch: Touch window_bin.gd to track counts during process; store in runtime only. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: label in bin window. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

47) Focus Mute Exceptions Player value: keep SFX on while muted or vice versa. User flow: toggle options for SFX/UI/BGM when unfocused. Implementation sketch: Extend focus_handler.gd to adjust buses 1/2/3 separately; add settings in mod_main.gd. Hooks: AudioServer. Data: config keys. UI: toggles and sliders. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

48) Node Limit Warning Tooltip Player value: understand why node creation failed. User flow: when limit hit, show tooltip with current and max counts. Implementation sketch: Touch windows_menu.gd, wire_drop_connector.gd, schematic_container.gd to show detailed message. Hooks: Signals.notify. Data: none. UI: notification text. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

Performance, Diagnostics, and Interop

49) Palette Performance Mode Player value: smoother palette in huge command lists. User flow: enable Performance Mode to limit results and reduce UI redraw. Implementation sketch: Touch palette_overlay.gd to cap results and disable icon loading; store config flag. Hooks: none. Data: config. UI: toggle in settings. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

50) Wire Cache Refresh Button Player value: fix wire color or compatibility issues after mod updates. User flow: press Refresh Cache in Visuals or Debug. Implementation sketch: Touch node_compatibility_filter.gd clear_cache, wire_color_overrides.gd; add UI button in mod_main.gd. Hooks: none. Data: none. UI: button. Effort: S | Risk: low | Save compatibility: safe

51) Safe Mode (Disable All Patches) Player value: recover from broken mod states. User flow: toggle Safe Mode, which skips script extensions and patches. Implementation sketch: Touch mod_main.gd _init and _ready to guard installs with config; add config key and UI toggle. Hooks: none. Data: config safe_mode. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

52) Mod Conflict Reporter Player value: detect other mods patching same scripts. User flow: open Debug tab to see warnings about script extensions. Implementation sketch: Query ModLoader for installed extensions and compare against known list; add to debug panel. Hooks: ModLoader APIs. Data: none. UI: debug label list. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

53) Screenshot Capture Queue Player value: capture large bases without manual timing. User flow: set interval and count; screenshots take sequentially. Implementation sketch: Extend screenshot_manager.gd with timer queue; add UI fields in settings. Hooks: SceneTree timers. Data: config. UI: inputs in screenshot section. Effort: M | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

Big Bets (Major Features)

54) Node Graph Auto-Layout Engine Player value: one-click tidy layout for large networks. User flow: run Auto-Layout; nodes reposition based on connections. Implementation sketch: New extensions/scripts/utilities/auto_layout.gd; requires access to connector graph (Globals.desktop.connections). Hooks: Signals.move_selection or direct positions. Data: layout settings in config. UI: palette action + settings. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

55) Schematic Diff and Merge Tool Player value: compare two schematics and merge changes. User flow: open tool, pick schematics A/B, preview diff, apply. Implementation sketch: New UI panel; use Data.schematics dictionaries and Data.save_schematic. Hooks: none. Data: new merged schematic. UI: modal panel with list and preview. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

56) Selection Macro Recorder Player value: record repetitive build actions. User flow: start recording, perform actions, save macro, replay. Implementation sketch: Hook into Signals.create_window, Signals.create_connection, Signals.move_selection; store macro in config. UI: palette actions and small recorder overlay. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: maybe (new macro data)

57) Modular Group Templates Player value: reuse group layouts as templates. User flow: save group as template and spawn later with one command. Implementation sketch: Store group contents as schematic + metadata; add Data.save_schematic integration and template list in config. UI: template picker in palette. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

58) Cross-Save Settings Sync Player value: keep mod settings across devices. User flow: export config and import on another machine; optional Steam Cloud if available. Implementation sketch: add import/export in config_manager.gd; for cloud, needs game hook to save to cloud path. UI: settings panel buttons. Data: config file. API wishlist: cloud save path access. Effort: L | Risk: medium | Save compatibility: safe

Experimental / High Risk

59) Live Throughput Heatmap Player value: visualize bottlenecks on the graph. User flow: toggle heatmap; wires and nodes glow based on throughput. Implementation sketch: needs per-connector throughput data from base scripts; currently not exposed. Workaround: sample ResourceContainers if they expose counts. API wishlist: signal for resource transfer amounts. UI: toggle in Visuals. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

60) Adaptive Wire Routing (Avoid Overlap) Player value: cleaner wiring in dense areas. User flow: toggle adaptive routing; wires curve around nodes. Implementation sketch: requires connector draw logic changes in base; likely needs engine hook or script extension on connector. API wishlist: custom wire renderer or path controls. UI: toggle in Visuals. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe

61) Smart Auto-Upgrade Assistant Player value: optimize upgrades based on resource goals. User flow: pick goal (money/research), assistant upgrades nodes to maximize output. Implementation sketch: needs access to node production data and upgrade effects; not exposed in mod scripts. Workaround: heuristic based on node type and level. API wishlist: node output stats. UI: wizard panel. Effort: L | Risk: high | Save compatibility: safe