Corner Snapping Tokens for Hex Grids (and other Hex Grid TLC)

Main Issue:

In the current snapping system for tokens in Hex grids, it is currently only able to snap the the center of a given Hex. However, some 'intermediate sized' tokens should be centered on corners to properly represent their positioning and size. While it is possible to manually place a token using Alt-Click, this is unwieldy and prone to error, especially in games with many such tokens.

A possible solution to this is to offer an option in the right click drop down menu or in the token settings to offer to "Snap to Center" or "Snap to Corner", similar to the option with the in game ruler. [Edit 2: I proposed a novel solution that better addresses this in a later post]

[Edit: Note that current 'Snap To' Resizing increments as currently implemented works properly. It just default centers the token on one central hex, so that a size 2 and a size 3 token seemly occupy the same total number of hexes.]

Overview - 

Solutions? - [See edit 2]

Secondary Issues:

Additionally, while the Ruler correctly snaps and measures on a hex grid, the polygon/line drawing tool is still snapping to a square grid. The option to draw a hex shape would also be appreciated. Perhaps the Draw Shape option should have a sub-menu to select normal geometric shapes (Circle, Triangle, Square, Hexagon)?

Thank you!

- Rhyme

I would like to see this especially if large tokens in GURPS which are 1 Hex wide but 2 or more hexes long (A donkey or prone human is 1 hex wide and 2 hexes long) - or a token 2 hexes wide and  3+ hexes long.like a Naga.

@Mike W.

Yeah, agreed. But I can understand how those odd shapes may be harder to implement. Nonsymetrical shapes unfortunately don't feel as intuitive on a hex grid as with the square grids. How would a 1-by-2 or 2-by-6 hexes snap? Perhaps to a side rather than a corner? And then on top of that, it would depend on its orientation which side it would need to snap to.

I think the simplest way to solve all of this is to change tokens to base their position by matching one of their corner to a hex corner, rather than their center to a hex center?

I'll try to make a visual mock up of that later today!

Rhyme

Yes you have the idea.

Yeah, something like this would be nice.  I'll throw a vote at it.

Alright!

So, after some tinkering and visualizing, I believe I have found a practical solution that will fix the issue for Standard sized, Intermediate Size, and Irregular shaped Tokens!

The problem is twofold:

First, the with current Hex Grid Snap To, rotational increments are still based on a square grid of 45 degrees.

To address this, when on a hex grid, rotational increments should be changed to 30 degrees so match the grids new shape.

Second, with the new rotational increments adjusted, the centering can now be changed to match. Currently, it is still Square based, and centers a Token by placing it's center over the center of a hex. Note, however, that on a square grid, tokens are placed by matching a corner of a token to a corner of the grid, so that even small or rectangle token still properly align.

To address this, the new centering system will be based on the center of the top side of a token. In rotational increments of 60 degrees, the top side should center on a hex's corner. In rotational increments of the intermediate 30 degrees, the top side should center on a hex's side. (Note, these rules are for Vertical hex grids, and should be reversed for Horizontal hex grids)

Messing around with it manually, placing tokens of all sizes and shapes but following those guidelines, seems to always properly represent size and positioning of all tokens!

Thoughts?

I would think that this the sort of change the I can get behind, especially with the amount of ttrpg that are using a hex format now, here's hoping that it continues to get notice.

They just need to fix the snap grid.

• Make rotations snap to 15 degree intervals regardless of cell type.

• For square cells, have the snap grid be half the square size. That puts a snap point at every corner, the center of every edge, and the center of every cell.

• Fox hex cells, have the snap grid be quarter the hex size the short way, and eighth the long way. That puts a snap point on every corner, the center of every edge, and on the center. And a bunch left over in the middle that are unused. But that's what you get when you insist on using a square snap on a hex grid instead of making an actual hex snap grid.

Yes! Please fix the snap to grid for hexes! I just bought Terrain Hexagons: Grassland and they end up too small when I drop them. And it's a pain to get them sized correctly. I would like to just be able to drag and drop these guys onto the map.

Maybe a necro-post but running into this issue at the moment and it would fantastic to have this update.
Honestly surprised it hasn't already been done yet.

Can confirm - a 'Size 2' in Lancer is awful in Roll20.

Bumping since this came up in the roundtable.

I'll support any additional snapping options

Sorry if I'm bumping a post after its prime, but I also would greatly appreciate something like this.  Or at least an option to set whether a token's center alligns to the center of a square/hex or the corner between them.  As it is now, I have to work-around by holding ALT, which gets difficult when you have larger tokens like size 4.

Full hex support would be great.
If you've put a vote here, you might consider putting one there as well:
https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1410811/hexgrid-polygon-slash-line-tool-snapping

(and there is no such thing as bumping a thread "after its prime", this is the roll20 suggestions forum, where some suggestions are 6 years old)

It's mind-boggling to see that this is still an issue.

This is easily one of the most important suggestions on this site for hex-grid players, and with the rising popularity of Lancer, there seem to be more and more of those these days. There are suggestions requesting this feature going back at least 8 years now, but I guess they never quite made the cut because most roll20 players are using square grids (a self-reinforcing pattern, given that roll20's currently-poor hex-handling seems likely to drive hex players to other VTTs).

I really hope this issue is adressed soon. I love using hexes, not just for games like Lancer, but also for outdoors areas in DnD and pretty much just whenever I can get away with it.

I'd like to see this happen as well.  

I would also love to see this happen

Would use roll20 more if this went through 

Adding my support to this!

Yes please I'm on board

As a hex user on roll20 I second this!

I'd like to add another vote on the pile for better hex grids. I haven't played with them yet, specifically because i don't think they're worth the trouble right now.

Our group loves playing Lancer but this keeps cropping up as an issue for us on roll20. Fantastic idea and voting for this change to help the implementation. Roll20 staff, please help the hexes!

I think this would be good for Space combat in 5e.
It mostly looks OK but I have a problem with 4x4 Tokens snapping 1/2 a grid out. If you could change the token snap point on the token editor I think that would fix it.

This is the #1 feature I'd like to see implemented on Roll20

I've been wanting to run Lancer online, but as this feature is still lacking, I don't see how I can.

+1 and I cannot believe how long it's been with zero movement on this issue. Even a simple per-token toggle of "snap to hex center" or "snap to hex vertex" would work, and while I'm not a coder, I can't imagine it would be difficult to implement.

At least they implemented a little bit of this suggestion. The drawing tools will properly snap to hex grid corners, rather than drawing on some invisible square grid.

But yeah, it's obviously not a priority for them.

+1 and for those of you wanting to run Lancer but hate Roll20's hex grid, both Foundry and Owlbear Rodeo do it better so you have options elsewhere

ya, running lancer having the same problem. 

I would love this. 

Also would love to see some extra compatibility for hex-grid play.

I don't just want this I need this to be able to run Lancer. With my group moving away from dnd, roll20's lack of flexability in this way is really pushing us towards owlbear rodeo. 

As an active GURPS GM, I would love to see multi-hex tokens handled better!

God damn, it's been 5 years since the original post and it still hasn't been implemented? I'm going to run a Lancer oneshot soon and it is indeed a real hastle to get multi-hex tokens correctly placed.

Good news tho, Sylvia, et al, 

Major improvements to Hex grid (including, I believe, hex snapping) ARE COMING SOON in the new Roll20 Jumpgate VTT which is currently in Beta testing for all users so you can playtest it now. 

Roll20 has announced that.

It remains to be seen if the Jumpgate hex grid will satisfy the current Suggestion thread and lead to closing this thread and refunding the votes when it's accomplished. I am hopeful for that.

I believe that a Mod could already currently mark this thread as "Researching" or "In Progress". 

Sadly even now the current states of jumpgate does nothing on hex maps. Not to mention that there is no support for corner snap either.

About two months later and we have no avail for usable fix for the hex map at all. Yes they had numerical fix for the hex map but is it important that much? Yes it is good to have for the circle radius was weird, but it's rather disappointed that it's all we have. Perhaps still the best choice for the hex map is simply put the hex grid image on the map layer and disable the grid, and it's foolish to had a hope for that.

https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/12224293/updated-advanced-transform-token-options-in-tabletop

Although it's not what we REALLY want, but for now it is possible to get rid of grid snapping while using the tokens' property as well as grid on the map in jumpgate. Shame that it isn't available on non-jumpgate games for I cannot run jumpgate games by my default browser, but at least it's playable now.