New Frames & Inventory Console Features

wasdie · Post by **wasdie** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:13 pm

I would love to see a much more intuitive map and navigation screen.

I feel that a more user friendly map would really help new players like myself. If you cold pan the map, zoom in smoothly and many different levels of zoom, and put down navigation points like you currently can, it would be a lot better.

Increasing the maps resolution and making it fill more of the screen would also be great.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:28 pm

Hi wasdie, welcome to the game and forum. Hope to see you out there some time. Yes a lot of the not so important stuff could be improved resolution and graphics wise but would tax Computer systems with limited resources a lot more then the Game is already doing. Vice always tries to balance the resources as best as possible so that a great variety of Computer Systems can play his Games reliably!......

wasdie · Post by **wasdie** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:44 pm

From post: 124629, Topic: tid=7616, author=Maarschalk wrote:Hi wasdie, welcome to the game and forum. Hope to see you out there some time. Yes a lot of the not so important stuff could be improved resolution and graphics wise but would tax Computer systems with limited resources a lot more then the Game is already doing. Vice always tries to balance the resources as best as possible so that a great variety of Computer Systems can play his Games reliably!......

I understand the need to balance resources and keep it working on a large variety of systems, but a change like this wouldn't necessarily increase the amount of resources needed by drastic amounts. Sure, more RAM would be needed to store the higher resolution map and some more 2d processing power would be needed out of the GPUs, but that's about it. The current map itself is a great foundation, all that needs to change is how the map is interacted with.

I understand any change like that would be difficult regardless of how small it seems, but it's these little things that really help polish up the game and make it easier for new players and veterans alike.

I do understand that new gameplay features, content, and bug fixes usually take priority over polishing, especially in really small budget titles like this one. Usually in a game of this size, if the system works, you usually don't touch it and move on. I just think that this specific system could actually help increase sales by decreasing the initial learning curve of the game. More of the potential customers who try the demo would probably end up buying the full game.

Just food for thought.

Raynor · Post by **Raynor** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 8:14 pm

Well first of all let me state that i love the game already but of course everything can always be perfected. I haven't read through the 25 pages of this topic so far so it's likely what i mention will already have been. I'm gonna try to mention both the littlel things and the bigger things. This is more of a wishlist really as for some of these, i know that if it were possible, it would probably have been done.

Little things:
- First, id' like if the directional pad on the xbox 360 gamepad could be recognised by the game though i'm not sure how easy or not that is to do.
-I think the cities should be a little bigger. I know it's dumb but i'd make them at least 4 times larger and maybe have a dozen different designs for them so they don't always all look the same.
-I don't know if I'm the only one to experience this, but there is a frequent bug when looking at the map zoomed in where anything in a sector will not appear. Like let's say i look two sectors ahead with maximum zoom, the sector will show as empty, no stations, no planets, no asteroids even if there is some. Sometimes if i go back and forth on the map for a while it will finally show up. But often, it never does.

bigger things:

-Different frames, different cockpits. That would be terrific s far as i'm concerned if every frame had it's own specific cockpit. That's a lot of work but it would certainly make it more rewarding to get a different frame. I'm thinking all the way back to Privateer which yeah, only had four ships and of course the cockpits were 2d, but they were all very different and that was great. There's some skilled cockpit modders here.... in fact could that at least be modded to have different cockpits depending on the frame? hmm.... Also maybe eventually....make it that you can see your ships components. Like, if i have wings really close to my cockpit, when i turn left and right, i would see the wings. Of course doing this would sometimes make it that some ship designs would be completely impractical (like if you put the wings in a position where they would block your view)

-The shipyard. The view of the ship is too small, i'd like the ability to zoom on it if nothing else. It's really hard to see the details and exactly what you're doing with the current view (also the lighting is rather dim but that can be fixed by adjusting the brightness i suppose. It's just that the game's brightness setting is fine otherwise but when i get in the shipyard i can hardly see the details on my ship cause it's so dark). Also seeing the ship against the background of a hangar when in the shipyard would be nice. Like freelancer had (but also have the view where we can rotate the ship and all)

- I'd like to see static (or dynamic) screens when we enter stations. Either 3D or artwork (though i understand that making 3d characters is a whole another ballgame). But nice 2d artwork of like the insides of a station or a city would be nice. I liked freelancer 3d characters and bars and such which i found made the game a lot more immersive, seeing the ship parked on the main screen either on a landing pad or in the middle of a city, that was nice and there was a lot of variety too in backgrounds depending on the planet or station. Of course freelancer had a team of people that could focus entirely on that kind of stuff, i'm not expecting something as diversified and well done but something even remotely similar would be good. If nothing else like i said, 2d artwork, and different ones whether you're in a hangar, buying stuff, looking at contracts, the news. Some people will say that having everything in one simple menu makes things simpler and more effective, but i find it detracts from immersion.

-Somebody will call me an ingrate here for "complaining" (it isn't really a complaint) about the planetary landing which like barely any game has ever done, well, i just would like eventually the scale could be improved though i'm certain this would be a whole lot of trouble. I don't expect the planets to have a realistic scale, that's ridiculous, but if the scale was even twice as big, then the atmosphere could be twice as high an well it would look a little more realistic. Also the curve of the planet would not be as readily obvious when flying below the clouds if it was bigger.

I might think of more things later (for one i haven't playing the game that long so there's parts of the game i've yet to experience, like.....combat. I must be more than twelve hours in and i have yet to see any combat so....if there's things to improve there i dont know yet)

[Edited on 1-20-2012 by Raynor]

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 8:25 pm

At least two of the "things I'd like to see" are already available. You can mod the chat window yourself to change colors ... or check the mods section for a couple current color mods. And the navigation map can be made as large and detailed as your computer can handle ... even to the point where you must use the Zoom function to see it all.

What we really need, with all this influx of posts, is the option, in this Forum, to click on "Go to First Unread Post" somewhere at the top of each topic.

mikeloeven · Post by **mikeloeven** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:42 am

a freespace style targeting system that allows you to cycle through all physical entities not just ships for example lock onto planets stations or cargo objects to see distance.

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:46 am

I was on mp tonight and heard (read)
alot of common complaints

first;
about the chat window I'm not bringing up the window size and location thing but I noticed an issue that i dont think i have seen addressed yet

with all the new players, the chat is bombarded with player joining and player has joined messages.
bad enough to cause alot of studdering in game when multiple people join at once.

can we add an option to select or limit what is displayed in some way ?

second;
again with all the new players comeing and going in and out of sectors, contracts are failing alot more often as someone leaves a sector not knowing they were included in some one elses contract.

could we asign contracts to docked players rather than all players near by ?
(or is my theory totally wrong on this one ?)

[Edited on 1-21-2012 by capt_cronic]

mikeloeven · Post by **mikeloeven** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:50 am

while possible to land on and mine the surface of a planet due to the buggy collision detection you will most likely end up exploding at random due to the smallest inclines in terrain so for people who like mining and exploring the surface of planets i propose a

A VTOL (Vertical Take Off And Landing Module)

A special piece of equipment that is triggered when the user presses a button this will change the throttle to control altitude and the xy axis will control directional movement. the hat will switch from strafing to pitch and yaw.

this will allow the ship to maintain a constant altitude while moving in a manner that closley hugs the planetary terrain. of course since this module modifies and increases the output of directional thrusters allowing for low altitude hovering. this module will consume significant amounts of fuel when active due to the force required to actively resist gravity with no lift from forward momentum.

[Edited on 1-21-2012 by mikeloeven]

@Above Post
personally i think there needs to be a contract management system that allows players to have multiple open contracts. this bit about instantly failing a contract after docking is unrealistic

[Edited on 1-21-2012 by mikeloeven]

tk5800thesecond · Post by **tk5800thesecond** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 2:09 am

From post: 107923, Topic: tid=7616, author=SeeJay wrote:I would also like to see some more difficult docking procedure. Now you can basicly crash into a station
and dock without any penalty.

Something like landing on a carrier at night....

i once jumped away from some enemys straight into a jump gate then straight into another station all in of smooth movment,it wasnt piloting it was luck

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 7:58 am

From post: 124831, Topic: tid=7616, author=mikeloeven wrote:while possible to land on and mine the surface of a planet due to the buggy collision detection you will most likely end up exploding at random due to the smallest inclines in terrain so for people who like mining and exploring the surface of planets i propose a

A VTOL (Vertical Take Off And Landing Module)

Vertical thrusters work pretty well. Use a combination of vertical thrust and main engine to gradually pull away from the surface of a planet. Save before liftoff.

Viper · Post by **Viper** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:59 pm

I don't intend to nag about this, but I'd like to repeat my proposal for separate chat channels. We could really use this.
For the more experienced players who are answering questions, it is close to impossible to keep up with the chatter. The 'chat color' mod helps, but it would be so much more efficient if players could be talked to individually.

I have given it some more thought, and this is how I see it working best:

a private channel any player can use to talk to another player individually, no matter where they are
(could function by simply selecting a player in the player list);
the possibility to invite players to a group and talk only to the group members via a group channel;
an Admin chat function that lets the admins' chat have a color, so it stands out from the other chatter.
normal (universal) chat could have a different color than the system notifications by default (or system notifications could have 50% transparency for example).
A mute function, to 'mute' all text chat. When activated, a mute icon could be shown next to your name on the player list.
Preferably, the mute function would not apply to the private channels. This way you could have a private chat with a player without being distracted by a lot of other text appearing on screen, while at the same time players who really need your assistance could still contact you, even if you're muted.

In addition, there would have to be some sort of a chat channel interface by which players could select going back to the normal universal channel after using one of the others, and apply the mute function..

I have of course no idea whether such a thing could be developed on short notice, and I realize this is probably not a priority from a dev point of view. But I would like to stress out how useful this will be. And if Vice is reading, could you shed some light on this?

Thanks!

Edit: point #4 added.
Edit: point #5 added.

[Edited on 1-24-2012 by Viper]

Post by **Vice** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:10 pm

And if Vice is reading, could you shed some light on this?

At the moment, I'm focused on getting the core functionality of everything working for as many players as feasible. Once the next update rolls out, then I should have some time to get back to feature addition/development and the expansion. I think a direct player-to-player anywhere chat option would be a good addition. Then maybe also a group chat, perhaps like voice chat with a clan linked option?

Dingo · Post by **Dingo** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:17 pm

From post: 124963, Topic: tid=7616, author=Vice wrote:
And if Vice is reading, could you shed some light on this?
At the moment, I'm focused on getting the core functionality of everything working for as many players as feasible. Once the next update rolls out, then I should have some time to get back to feature addition/development and the expansion. I think a direct player-to-player anywhere chat option would be a good addition. Then maybe also a group chat, perhaps like voice chat with a clan linked option?

+1 for those chat ideas.

We do keep you busy

Viper · Post by **Viper** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:26 pm

From post: 124963, Topic: tid=7616, author=Vice wrote:At the moment, I'm focused on getting the core functionality of everything working for as many players as feasible. Once the next update rolls out, then I should have some time to get back to feature addition/development and the expansion.

Absolutely, first things first.

From post: 124963, Topic: tid=7616, author=Vice wrote:I think a direct player-to-player anywhere chat option would be a good addition. Then maybe also a group chat, perhaps like voice chat with a clan linked option?

I think that would leave out the non-clan players who would need assistance or instructions. Actually I was more thinking of being able to invite any player to a group, not just clan tagged ones. The way I pictured it, you could basically see it as an extension to the player-to-player channel. As in, when you're in a private chat with another player, you would have the option to add other players, thus creating a group.

Thanks for the response!

[Edited on 1-21-2012 by Viper]

mikeloeven · Post by **mikeloeven** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 6:53 pm

From post: 124836, Topic: tid=7616, author=tk5800thesecond wrote:
From post: 107923, Topic: tid=7616, author=SeeJay wrote:I would also like to see some more difficult docking procedure. Now you can basicly crash into a station
and dock without any penalty.

Something like landing on a carrier at night....
i once jumped away from some enemys straight into a jump gate then straight into another station all in of smooth movment,it wasnt piloting it was luck

yeah before we add the ability to crash into stations lets fix the autopilot and jump drive so it doesn't ram you into the target but instead jumps you a safe offset. in any and all sci fi shows jump drives don't crash people into planets but rather shut themselves off when you enter a gravity well i think us players deserve the same fail safes

especially with the difficult nav interface

RetroNutcase · Post by **RetroNutcase** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:15 pm

Personally, I'd like to see some Secondary weapons beyond the basic Missile and Torpedo types, to help spice things up and add some variety to weaponry. A few of the ideas...

Rocket Pods-Unlike other secondary weapons, Rocket Pods hold multiple shots (six to ten or so) and do less damage compared to their heavier cousins. What's the tradeoff? Well, more ammo for one, and they make for good strafing runs. Basically, unguided, dumbfire ordinance with rapid fire, but lower damage and range than torpedoes.

Micromissiles-Similar idea to Rocket Pods. A weapon that allows for multiple missiles to be in a single slot. The tradeoff, considerably less range and power than normal missiles, meaning you have to get closer and use more than one to take out an opponent.

Mass Drivers/Rail Guns-I was kinda surprised to not see any kinetic weapons that rely on solid ammunition. Who doesn't want to be able to fire a chunk of high penetration metal into someone's hull? Obviously, they'd be of minimum use against shields, but great for taking out hulls.

Another thing I'd like to see? A more living, breathing galaxy. In my experience so far, I mostly just see random ship traffic flying around. An A-Life setup would really make the galaxy feel more dynamic and alive. Some ways it could be done?

-Navy or other "enforcement" factions fly regular patrols around stations and planets, in small squadrons.

-Miners actively mine asteroids for resources, also sticking to groups in case of Rebel attacks.

-Trade Convoys of multiple traders doing runs from one part of the galaxy to another

Now, if any of this is done and I just haven't really noticed it, feel free to point it out.

EDIT: A few more ideas, I'm just full of em aren't I?

-Shield management. I like what's there, but it seems like it could be improved upon. For example, in the classic Star Wars space combat sims, you could actually divert ALL power to a single shield array (front or back) to increase its output and defensive capabilities. Useful if, say, you had no choice but to fly head on into gunfire, since you could double up your front shields to survive the onslaught. Or similarly if you had someone on your six or KNEW a missile was going to hit you in the back, you could divert all power to your rear shield. What about a similar feature for Evochron where you could reinforce an array at the cost of the other arrays? Or failing that, some kind of automatic shield management system (toggleable of course) that would automatically prioritize and divert power to a specific array. IE, set forward as your priority array, and if it starts taking a pounding, your ship's computer would automatically start diverting power to it from the other arrays. Obviously, people who rely purely on manual shield array management wouldn't use such a system, but for those less used to it, it COULD be a nice feature. And again, see the 'Situations where you KNOW a specific shield will take a beating' note. Being able to set up a shield in advance for these situations would be nice.

-Bars! The intergalactic watering holes of the universe. You see them in Privateer and Freelancer, how about here? Even if it's purely text/menu based, it would be nice to have a place where you could take a break, and perhaps get some information. Because EVERYONE knows the best rumors in space come from bars. Be it rumors on a hidden stash, some wormhole someone claims to have found, a secret pirate base, or even leads on a really big paying job, being able to talk around to learn about this kind of stuff would be great. One could even integrate the existing Crew system into Bars. It could be where you find people needing a ride to a system or hire people to work with you. Or even hire additional pilots to fly with you!

-Station Defenses. It seems rather odd to me that stations lack anything to protect them against a hostile group. What would stop rebels from trying to torpedo a Navy friendly station that's relatively unguarded? You'd think a station would have a few cannons and lasers to defend itself.

[Edited on 1-21-2012 by RetroNutcase]

mikeloeven · Post by **mikeloeven** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:36 pm

From post: 125044, Topic: tid=7616, author=RetroNutcase wrote:Personally, I'd like to see some Secondary weapons beyond the basic Missile and Torpedo types, to help spice things up and add some variety to weaponry. A few of the ideas...

Rocket Pods-Unlike other secondary weapons, Rocket Pods hold multiple shots (six to ten or so) and do less damage compared to their heavier cousins. What's the tradeoff? Well, more ammo for one, and they make for good strafing runs. Basically, unguided, dumbfire ordinance with rapid fire, but lower damage and range than torpedoes.

Micromissiles-Similar idea to Rocket Pods. A weapon that allows for multiple missiles to be in a single slot. The tradeoff, considerably less range and power than normal missiles, meaning you have to get closer and use more than one to take out an opponent.

Mass Drivers/Rail Guns-I was kinda surprised to not see any kinetic weapons that rely on solid ammunition. Who doesn't want to be able to fire a chunk of high penetration metal into someone's hull? Obviously, they'd be of minimum use against shields, but great for taking out hulls.

Another thing I'd like to see? A more living, breathing galaxy. In my experience so far, I mostly just see random ship traffic flying around. An A-Life setup would really make the galaxy feel more dynamic and alive. Some ways it could be done?

-Navy or other "enforcement" factions fly regular patrols around stations and planets, in small squadrons.

-Miners actively mine asteroids for resources, also sticking to groups in case of Rebel attacks.

-Trade Convoys of multiple traders doing runs from one part of the galaxy to another

Now, if any of this is done and I just haven't really noticed it, feel free to point it out.

swarm missiles.!!! these were in freespace and what they were were a group of linked missiles that would fly toward the enemy and than surround it and come in from all sides at once.

additionally cluster missiles they launch out at high speed and detonate in a massive radius letting out alot of shrapnel to takeout formations

Fabe · Post by **Fabe** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:33 am

I'm still really new to the game but one think I won't mind see changed is the way contracts work in on-line play. It just seems odd to me how if one person takes a contract them every one in that area is linked to it and gets the rewards,I would like it so only the person who takes the job gets the cash when it's done.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:34 am

From post: 125453, Topic: tid=7616, author=Fabe wrote: I'm still really new to the game but one think I won't mind see changed is the way contracts work in on-line play. It just seems odd to me how if one person takes a contract them every one in that area is linked to it and gets the rewards,I would like it so only the person who takes the job gets the cash when it's done.

I know what you are saying but then you would not be able to do Coop missions. This is so that if you wanted to do Missions or contracts with your friends that all your friends participating in the contract or mission gets paid!. There are some huge contracts/missions out there and some that can not always be accomplished alone.....And also if you belong to a Clan the whole clan can work together doing contract and multiple waypoint missions together. Another advantage is also if you do contracts/missions with a higher ranking player and the higher ranking player selects the contract/mission all the players involved in the sector get the higher rankings players pay which is more then the lower ranking players pay and you learn from the experienced pilot some tricks and tips so it is a good incentive to encourage coop missions/contracts....

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by Maarschalk]

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:18 am

From post: 125453, Topic: tid=7616, author=Fabe wrote: I'm still really new to the game but one think I won't mind see changed is the way contracts work in on-line play. It just seems odd to me how if one person takes a contract them every one in that area is linked to it and gets the rewards,I would like it so only the person who takes the job gets the cash when it's done.

That's just mean.

Fabe · Post by **Fabe** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:24 am

From post: 125483, Topic: tid=7616, author=Maarschalk wrote:
From post: 125453, Topic: tid=7616, author=Fabe wrote: I'm still really new to the game but one think I won't mind see changed is the way contracts work in on-line play. It just seems odd to me how if one person takes a contract them every one in that area is linked to it and gets the rewards,I would like it so only the person who takes the job gets the cash when it's done.
I know what you are saying but then you would not be able to do Coop missions. This is so that if you wanted to do Missions or contracts with your friends that all your friends participating in the contract or mission gets paid!. There are some huge contracts/missions out there and some that can not always be accomplished alone.....And also if you belong to a Clan the whole clan can work together doing contract and multiple waypoint missions together. Another advantage is also if you do contracts/missions with a higher ranking player and the higher ranking player selects the contract/mission all the players involved in the sector get the higher rankings players pay which is more then the lower ranking players pay and you learn from the experienced pilot some tricks and tips so it is a good incentive to encourage coop missions/contracts....

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by Maarschalk]

Good points, but the whole thing with everybody getting payed regardless if whether or not they actually took part in the contract just because they're in the same area still seems out of place to me. I know other have suggested letting player form groups for taking on bigger jobs so maybe that is the way to go,or some other way of sharing contracts so only those who are actually taking part get payed.

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:28 am

Things will thin out and then it won't be such a problem. If you still find it unfair, you can always move to an empty sector to take on contracts.

Dingo · Post by **Dingo** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:31 am

From post: 125511, Topic: tid=7616, author=Marvin wrote: Things will thin out and then it won't be such a problem. If you still find it unfair, you can always move to an empty sector to take on contracts.

This.

As players gradually move from the starting sector, it wont be much of a problem. They will be off doing their own thing or in the warzones most likely. In the warzones, you want the help.

Fabe · Post by **Fabe** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:37 am

From post: 125514, Topic: tid=7616, author=Dingo wrote:
From post: 125511, Topic: tid=7616, author=Marvin wrote: Things will thin out and then it won't be such a problem. If you still find it unfair, you can always move to an empty sector to take on contracts.
This.

As players gradually move from the starting sector, it wont be much of a problem. They will be off doing their own thing or in the warzones most likely. In the warzones, you want the help.

I guess,I haven't really played much online and I haven't left the starting sector so I can see this becoming less of a problem once I get out further if I do play online more.

I think my real problem might be that every one being force to take part in what ever contract is currently active takes away from the 'lone wolf' aspect of the game I want to take the contract I want to take regardless of how populated the area is.

But still Evochron Mercenary is a nice game and a great example of what a single independent game Developer can do on Their own.

[Edited on 1-23-2012 by Fabe]

Zaggeh · Post by **Zaggeh** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:59 pm

First, I'd like to say, as awesome as Evochron Mercenary is, I'm a total n00b, so these suggestions are based off the perspective of a n00b. As such, I also have not been following the game development very closely (well, at all really), and 25 pages of suggestions is a LOT to read through, so if these have already been suggested or are against the developer's design philosophy, you can just treat them as random n00b ramblings and disregard them.

There are a few things I'd like to see though:

Cosmetic: Different cockpit view graphics for different frames
I understand that the developer likes keeping his game super lightweight (and I totally respect that). But if at all possible, it'd be a nice addition. I was a bit disappointed when I worked so hard to finally get my frame upgraded (as a brand new player, it can take a few hours of work, later on money comes fast, I know.), and then I was presented with the same generic cockpit view.

Gameplay: Smaller hitboxes for ships
My friends and I collide all the time when docking at the same station, even though in third person view it looks like we're quite a bit apart. The same can be said for racing. You pretty much have to take the lead right at the start of a race, otherwise the opponent will just shove you out of the ring. I guess you could justify this saying it's a shield collision rather than a physical collision, but it still feels way too big for me.

Gameplay: A larger universe
You can fly off in any one direction and go hundreds of sectors away from the last charted system. But all that is really out there (from my experiences thus far at least) is the endless void of space. It'd be pretty cool if after you went far enough new systems complete with points of interest and factions were randomly generated or something.

Server: A command line based server program to run on real servers, preferably in both Linux and Windows flavors.
Pretty self explanatory I would think.