Forums » Suggestions
Situational Awareness
The current HUD isn't as read-on-a-glance as it should be. I can only mention a few things, I'm hoping others will mention more.
- An arrow, possibly located in a circle at the lower-center area, which describes your current vector. Your speed gauge will still just describe your speed. Though honestly, I think this arrow should be located right in the targeting HUD itself, possibly the upper-center area of it.
- Target Speed, located under it's distance.
- WHAT my target is flying. Not needed for bots, but would be great for viewing players at a distance. I don't need a 3D, though it would be nice. A 2D version of the ship, and a small name in print undernieth, would be enough for instant identification and/or evaluation. We needn't even know what Varient, just the model.
- Different Radar mode options would be nice. Some of us like the dual window, others consider it a 'fish finder' and would rather have an Elite-style radar with little T's, others would rather have one large radar where the outer edges were behind you and the center circle was in front. The option would be nice, but isn't inheriently necessary.
- Personally, I think 'target distance' should be closer to the center of the HUD. Just a raw number, small and located near the center. '345d' would be enough for me.
- I believe Trit suggested it earlier, but a 'damage klaxion' would be nice. An alarm that sounds when at 25% damage, louder and more persistant at 15% damage or something. I constantly forget to check, especially when I'm taking very slow damage that I don't tend to worry about.
- HAT-switch look-around. If I push right (or hit the bound key) the camera looks to my right. If I push left, to the left. Looking behind me seems useful as well, though unless there is a camera back there it doesn't make sense. This would be nice, but with the current physics model it's not entirely necessary. Still, I'd like to be able to glance over my shoulder to see what just flew past me rather then turn my whole ship around to look.
Anything I've not mentioned? Comments?
- An arrow, possibly located in a circle at the lower-center area, which describes your current vector. Your speed gauge will still just describe your speed. Though honestly, I think this arrow should be located right in the targeting HUD itself, possibly the upper-center area of it.
- Target Speed, located under it's distance.
- WHAT my target is flying. Not needed for bots, but would be great for viewing players at a distance. I don't need a 3D, though it would be nice. A 2D version of the ship, and a small name in print undernieth, would be enough for instant identification and/or evaluation. We needn't even know what Varient, just the model.
- Different Radar mode options would be nice. Some of us like the dual window, others consider it a 'fish finder' and would rather have an Elite-style radar with little T's, others would rather have one large radar where the outer edges were behind you and the center circle was in front. The option would be nice, but isn't inheriently necessary.
- Personally, I think 'target distance' should be closer to the center of the HUD. Just a raw number, small and located near the center. '345d' would be enough for me.
- I believe Trit suggested it earlier, but a 'damage klaxion' would be nice. An alarm that sounds when at 25% damage, louder and more persistant at 15% damage or something. I constantly forget to check, especially when I'm taking very slow damage that I don't tend to worry about.
- HAT-switch look-around. If I push right (or hit the bound key) the camera looks to my right. If I push left, to the left. Looking behind me seems useful as well, though unless there is a camera back there it doesn't make sense. This would be nice, but with the current physics model it's not entirely necessary. Still, I'd like to be able to glance over my shoulder to see what just flew past me rather then turn my whole ship around to look.
Anything I've not mentioned? Comments?
- I believe Trit suggested it earlier, but a 'damage klaxion' would be nice. An alarm that sounds when at 25% damage, louder and more persistant at 15% damage or something. I constantly forget to check, especially when I'm taking very slow damage that I don't tend to worry about.
NO!
No No no NO NO no No.
Most of the fights I get in involve me at that health region for over 5 minutes...
NO!
No No no NO NO no No.
Most of the fights I get in involve me at that health region for over 5 minutes...
Then make it a customizable option.
Some people get nervious at 20%. Others get nervious at 5%. Others just don't care and could turn it off.
Some people get nervious at 20%. Others get nervious at 5%. Others just don't care and could turn it off.
I don't think know the other player's ship is a good idea.
Maybe if he ever gets as close as, say, 200-500 meters, then you could see it. But at a distance, this isn't good IMO. I think targets hould hav to be visually confirmed, it makes the game all that much trickier and more challenging.
Maybe if he ever gets as close as, say, 200-500 meters, then you could see it. But at a distance, this isn't good IMO. I think targets hould hav to be visually confirmed, it makes the game all that much trickier and more challenging.
A decent point. But I still think SOME kind of identification is needed, on a game-level.
Maybe you're radar (which is already an amazing pice of wonder) can deciher between small/medium/large ships?
That way, you're radar says small: Is it a Centurian? Or i it just a bus? You don't really know, but if you know you are in a large ship, you can probably take him out.
That might not hurt gameplay too much, but I, for one, am very much against the whole "Tie-Fighter" computer system where you could not only see the target, you got a complete run-down on its systems, its shields, its hull, what it was carrying. You even got a little 3d picture of it that updated in real time.
Amazing cameras in the Star Wars universe...
That way, you're radar says small: Is it a Centurian? Or i it just a bus? You don't really know, but if you know you are in a large ship, you can probably take him out.
That might not hurt gameplay too much, but I, for one, am very much against the whole "Tie-Fighter" computer system where you could not only see the target, you got a complete run-down on its systems, its shields, its hull, what it was carrying. You even got a little 3d picture of it that updated in real time.
Amazing cameras in the Star Wars universe...
I have a serious objection to hiding what should be obvious information in the interests of making the game "trickier and more challenging", when the information is there in front of you, but you just can't make it out because of screen resolution -- which compared to any decent camera in a vacuum is -rather- low.
Our ship's computer should not have any trouble at the distances where you can maintain a target lock telling what kind of ship it is.
This similarly ties to my request of having clearer visual indication of ships which belong to a group/guild mate. Information that wouldn't reasonably be hidden should not be hidden for the illusion of making the game more interesting/challenging. It instead makes it more frustrating, and is silly.
Our ship's computer should not have any trouble at the distances where you can maintain a target lock telling what kind of ship it is.
This similarly ties to my request of having clearer visual indication of ships which belong to a group/guild mate. Information that wouldn't reasonably be hidden should not be hidden for the illusion of making the game more interesting/challenging. It instead makes it more frustrating, and is silly.
Orion_Prime, your post was not up yet when I started mine.
You say 'Amazing cameras in the Star Wars universe...'..
I say we have -better- cameras -now- that you can buy in a store that, in a vacuum, would be able to identify clearly what kind of ship -- within the very discrete designs that we deal with in this game -- at distances WELL BEYOND our target lock range.
What's more, there's the matter of very simple scanning methods which can be used to identify subsystems that are also not just feasible but usable with today's modern day technology. It only stands to reason that detection methods would be refined as time went on.
You say 'Amazing cameras in the Star Wars universe...'..
I say we have -better- cameras -now- that you can buy in a store that, in a vacuum, would be able to identify clearly what kind of ship -- within the very discrete designs that we deal with in this game -- at distances WELL BEYOND our target lock range.
What's more, there's the matter of very simple scanning methods which can be used to identify subsystems that are also not just feasible but usable with today's modern day technology. It only stands to reason that detection methods would be refined as time went on.