New Frames & Inventory Console Features

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 7:33 pm

I remember Vice mentioning adding rotating planets possibly. I wonder if that's still a part of the expansion plans? It would be soooooo awesome!!!

NameemaN · Post by **NameemaN** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:32 pm

right, I read the first 6 or 7 pages but this idea is one I wana post and im getting antsy sorry if its already out there.

what about stations that advance with the economy, when you build one it starts off smaller and as it's used it grows gets bigger more stock ect. this could affect things in a number of ways, if you build a whole bunch of these small stations then the economy becomes stagnant and limits growth which would help to enforce a soft limit to stations in a system and really make you work to build strong economies.

the stations growing would have to seem reprasentive of the economy so perhaps it holds a value of the things that are "supposed" to happen based on economy and the ships in the region reflect that with a basic farming type ai system (as apposed to ship activey reflecting the economy which is harder on computer/servers) and raises on a slighly randomized bell curve that could change drasticly to changes a player would make eg. if it's a platinum mineing/ tech economy if a player sells a reduculus amount of plat then the price drops and the tech stations grow due to supply but stations that rely on the high plat price would slow growth, or even regress.

I'm not sure if that should scale up with the systems around it as that would hard to balance right and some people would try to optimise a servers economy and things like that and thats no fun.

ummm that's about it if I get another I'll be be back

, after I read the rest of this thread....

Barberetti · Post by **Barberetti** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:50 pm

Just a couple of little things for me:

1. An option to disable the dust particles or whatever they are that fly past when you're moving.

2. An easily identifiable last save in the save games list, so I don't have to click each one to check the date and time it was created.

Letoras · Post by **Letoras** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 3:13 pm

From post: 140717, Topic: tid=9376, author=Barberetti wrote:Just a couple of little things for me:

1. An option to disable the dust particles or whatever they are that fly past when you're moving.

2. An easily identifiable last save in the save games list, so I don't have to click each one to check the date and time it was created.

For the first one amigo try to cicle the views, ofcorse you loose the pitch ladder but the dust effect disapears too. I like that effect, helps me understand how the ship goes.

Agent Zirdik · Post by **Agent Zirdik** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:41 pm

Ooh, here's one! How about defensive battle stations. They would have AI controlled batteries that would open fire on any ship that doesn't have the correct ID, like a clan tag, or if you want to get really technical, a 4 digit code that someone has to transmit every time they enter a system. This way clans would have a way of defending their territory when none of them are online, preventing (or at least discouraging) griefing and station detonating.

Post by **Marvin** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:35 pm

From post: 140723, Topic: tid=9376, author=Agent Zirdik wrote:How about defensive battle stations. They would have AI controlled batteries that would open fire on any ship that doesn't have the correct ID, like a clan tag ... This way clans would have a way of defending their territory when none of them are online, preventing (or at least discouraging) griefing and station detonating.

Something that only a stealth device could penetrate would be nice ... especially in MP.

KingArthur · Post by **KingArthur** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:46 pm

As ANYONE Can Put on a ClanTag this Would DEFEAT The ID Element of the AI DEFENSIVE BATTERIES and Render them USELESS. It is IMPOSSIBLE to Have a STATION That can Defend Itself as ANY of the "Friend or Foe" Indicators can be Copied By ANYONE.

Janus · Post by **Janus** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:01 pm

I think the 4 digit passcode would be a solution. But it would need to be a system command. Example: In chat type "/tid0000". Without the quotes of course. That way the system recogizes the /tid and doesn't transmit it so everyone can see it. tid is just an example and in this case stands for Transponder Identification. And I would say make it so the player must be within 10 sectors of the station.

Not sure how much extra programming this would take, but probably more than just a little, although it could be made simpler by having it set at station build and then unable to change it, except maybe by server admin using the universemulti.txt file.

Just a thought.

Janus

KingArthur · Post by **KingArthur** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:47 pm

I Agree JANUS. A 4 Digit Code, Only to Be Recognised by Certain Systems, from SPECIFIC Clans, would seem it would Take A Great Deal of Programing and Once that Code is Entered WHAT'S TO STOP SOMEONE FROM PUTTING THAT ClanTag On And ENTERING THE SYSTEM and DESTROYING STATIONS?

Barberetti · Post by **Barberetti** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:00 am

From post: 140718, Topic: tid=9376, author=Letoras wrote:For the first one amigo try to cicle the views, ofcorse you loose the pitch ladder but the dust effect disapears too. I like that effect, helps me understand how the ship goes.

Yeah I do use that view usually, but as you say, I lose the pitch ladder which is the down side. I've kinda got used to it, but it'd be nice to have the option of one without the other.

[Edited on 18-7-2012 by Barberetti]

Janus · Post by **Janus** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:08 am

From post: 140740, Topic: tid=9376, author=KingArthur wrote:I Agree JANUS. A 4 Digit Code, Only to Be Recognised by Certain Systems, from SPECIFIC Clans, would seem it would Take A Great Deal of Programing and Once that Code is Entered WHAT'S TO STOP SOMEONE FROM PUTTING THAT ClanTag On And ENTERING THE SYSTEM and DESTROYING STATIONS?

Don't think you understood what I meant. It wouldn't be based upon clan tag but upon the ship transmitting the transponder code. That ship would have safe passage in and around the station regardless of the clan tag. That way, Clans could give the code to those they trusted.

Janus

KingArthur · Post by **KingArthur** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:33 am

Sounds EXTREMELY COMPLICATED.

Agent Zirdik · Post by **Agent Zirdik** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:40 am

I don't see why. All you would have to do is type some sort of pre-shared command with the id code into the chat like "/id4210" and the station would consider you friendly (maybe just once, or maybe every time you enter the system). The clans u2u the id code to their members so it stays secret.

Agent Zirdik · Post by **Agent Zirdik** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:44 am

Also, let's keep in mind that ANYTHING we post here is hypothetically a LOT OF WORK for Vice, regardless of how simple or complicated it sounds. But that's what this thread is for, us dreaming up more work for Vice! LOL!

:D

Post by **Marvin** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:14 am

The Transponder Code sounds cool ... except you'd need another version of the "send message to selected pilot" option to keep it from being displayed in Chat for everyone else on the server as you type it in.

Janus · Post by **Janus** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:07 pm

Not necessarily, Marvin. Just parse the chat line when it's entered. If the first character is a "/" or some other special character, it is treated as a system command and not displayed.

Again, since I don't know dark basic, I'm not sure how much work would be involved.

edit for spelling

Janus

[Edited on 7-18-2012 by Janus]

Post by **Marvin** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:22 pm

From post: 140769, Topic: tid=9376, author=Janus wrote:If the first character is a "/" or some other special character, it is treated as a system command and not displayed.

IIRC, that's kind of how the "send message to player" works (but, since I never use the option, I can't be sure).

inDissonance · Post by **inDissonance** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:52 pm

I am new to this game so don't give me any flak if these things are already in here and I just haven't seen them yet. These are just what I wish to see in the game from my perspective of being a new player. And I haven't gone through the 41 pages in detail, just skimmed them. Also, I have to say right off the bat I really like this game! The Devs did an awesome job at giving me what I like, I'd just like some things cleaned up/expanded upon a bit.

A BETTER DOCKING MENU
Though I can find everything I need to, it feels kind of crowded. If it were organized into sections with tabs at the top of the page such as:

- Job Board: With more varied jobs. I see the same jobs no matter what system I am in (and I haven't been to too many, I'll grant you that), but there isn't a lot to keep me going here. And while I'm on the subject, have jobs that branch into other jobs or a short story arc. This will make things more exciting, for sure.

- Crew Board (or Bar): Where you can find crew for your ship, much as you already do, but have it all organized into a neat little table including an avatar for each crew member, their ratings and some background story of the person you are hiring to get to know them a little more (*props to the person who already mentioned this). Also, have the crew preform better/worse with other crew. This will give you more reason to search out better cremates (*props again to the person who mentioned this).

- Commodities Store: Right now I only see a few commodities at each station/planet. In any real life situation, there would be a lot more. Let's vary and build on this for traders (*a lot more on this later). Also, short descriptions of the items would be neat. It doesn't have to be a huge paragraph. Just something that gives you an idea of what you are actually purchasing so you're not just buying random item A and selling random item B.

- Maintenance Bay: Buy/Sell/Repair items for your ship. You can also refuel here, reload, etc. Give more descriptions with items. This will help add to/tap into the backstory of the game or just make it feel like the item you are buying is real.

- Shipyard: Much like the current shipyard, this is where you can piece together your ship. Can this be organized a little better though? Again, a story to each of the items would be cool. Also, the price of each item upfront would help a bunch instead of dragging a frame onto my ship, realizing I don't have enough, then having to find my original one to drag back on so I can add some other item.

- Hanger: This will simply be where all your ships, etc. are stored and located.

There, of course, will be quick buttons that would allow you to refuel/reload on the fly and to launch to space (can we get an up arrow or something, though. I sometimes forget the X button "launches" you to space instead of closes current window and have to re-dock.

MARKET WINDOW
On top of what was already said about commodities, can we get a market window included in the game. It could be brought up to give us any breaking news on what's needed where, but also give us the prices of items at places already visited.

On top of that, commodities shouldn't be the same price all around (and I know it varies a bit already, but I haven't seen it vary much in my short travels), but in my mind planets require some different things that stations don't and vice versa. Also, some groups such as the Federation might require certain items that the Vonari don't. It's this supply and demand system that makes a market work. I haven't seen this yet in my, again, short travels.

JOBS
To clarify more on the jobs: I've only seen a few. How many times do I have to clean a solar array or drop cargo off under a freighter? Are there any missions where I deliver something to a planet or space station? I'd like to see a mission where I have to deliver an item that will help multiple factions so I get attacked when trying to deliver it. As I said before, I would like to see missions branch out into small story arcs. In the previous case, perhaps it's an ancient item that will grant whomever holds it great power to defeat their enemies, but in the end nobody gets it for one reason or another. It's a MacGuffin. It's something to get a story and a sense of purpose going. Without it, you're just cleaning solar arrays and dropping cargo.

SHIPS
Every ship can be a transport? In that I mean every ship can carry a five slot cargo hold? The only difference between them is how many assembly slots they have so you can add bigger shields, more weapons, crew, etc., right?

Why are cargo ships left out of this?

JUMP
What does the jump button do? I select a point on my Nav Map and can launch successfully from there by hitting the launch button, but if I hit Jump I seem to go to a random point on the map. What's up with that?

HELP
If I'm being attacked by enemies and the Navy are around, why don't they come to help me? I know the "Attack my enemies" command is only for fleets and what not, but could they save my bacon instead of just float there watching? Just a thought.

I have some other ideas, but I'm going to play more of the game to be sure they're not already in there.

Thanks again, Devs! Keep up the great work!

[Edited on 7-20-2012 by inDissonance]

[Edited on 7-20-2012 by inDissonance]

Agent Zirdik · Post by **Agent Zirdik** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:57 am

hey there inDissonance. don't worry about posting initial thoughts about suggested improvements. As I am sure you can tell this has been quite a long and well-trodden topic, so don't worry about offending anyone with your first impressions! Most people have either already made the same suggestions, or agree with them now!

DOCKING MENUS
I agree that the menus need to be cleaned up; they do feel a little bit like they were all stuffed in their so that you could have as much information as possible as quickly as possible. I think a better system WOULD be the tabbed method, with each tab branching from a main docking menu. This would however, make things a little convoluted, and would then spawn a counter-argument that things need to be simplified

However, one thing I think Freelancer did very well was making each "tab" a location where you could perform all the relevant actions, but also have a relevant background with npcs and animations to make it feel more real, rather than a simple menu, otherwise we get the menu upon menu upon menu of X3. I think a good compromise would be a tabbed menu, which would be intuitively similar to modern computers, and a varied visual background relevant to the tab.

COMMODITIES
Commodities do actually vary greatly in price, but you'll find that the variance is due mainly to the LEVEL of economy (the amount of stations nearby), how advanced it is, and the LOCATION (In the nav map, when you switch to the quadrant map there is an option for "economy", which shows you which systems tend to have the highest prices. However, I agree that commodities should vary based on more economic factors, like the industry system in X3, where the more stations in an area that produced a certain commodity, the less demand there was for it in that location.

JOBS
There are a lot more different types of contracts than in Freelancer, and they are pretty creative, but there is always more room for additional types of contracts. An earlier suggestion was for illegal contracts like smuggling, and thus also contracts to scan other ships for contraband. But you will also find more types of contracts in higher "level" systems. There are in total something like 20 different contract types in the game (don't quote me on that number), and in the higher "level" areas they get more challenging and dangerous.

TRANSPORT SHIPS
I'm not exactly sure I understand what you mean here, but the idea is that the more assembly you put towards cargo, the less you can put towards engines, shields, maneuverability, and fuel. Perhaps you mean that freighters shouldn't have to sacrifice those things, and instead they should have to decide between things like equipment slots, crew size, countermeasures, and secondary weapon slots, since those are less important to freighters. If that's what you mean, I agree!

JUMPING
Be very careful about jumping. Just today I moved my jump key to the "pause" button on my keyboard after I jumped straight into the asteroid I was mining

. Anyway, when you have a nav point marking a destination, jumping will bring you close to that point. If you don't have a nav point, jumping will send you the maximum distance in the direction you are facing! So always make sure you have a destination marked (autopilot can help you orient yourself once you have one). There are all sorts of things you should know about jumping, but that's a whole separate discussion. U2U me or Marvin (or really anyone who has been playing for a little while) if you want a detailed explanation.

HELP
I've noticed the same thing too, when being attacked by hostiles, my allies don't seem to care. In terms of rationalization, keep in mind that some organizations may not be friends with you, but that doesn't mean your "friends" are also hostile to them. But I think that for now, it's just not part of the programming (Vice has a lot on his plate programming already). Hopefully he can update the AI in the future. Also, it's nice to fly around with some players, they provide much better backup.

DEVS
Keep in mind, there really is only one developer, Vice, name Shawn Bower. So although this game is fracking amazing, we also need to remember that we aren't dealing with a publishing company and a developing company delegating task with specialized teams. Just one guy!

Thanks for your ideas and keep playing. I hope to see you on some time!

[Edited on 7-20-2012 by Agent Zirdik]

Letoras · Post by **Letoras** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:18 pm

An android app with the map tool..

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:42 pm

From post: 140842, Topic: tid=9376, author=Letoras wrote:An android app with the map tool..

Cool. An App ... a whole menu of options in one App for the iPhone, iPod, iPad ... and iYiyi (carumba).

inDissonance · Post by **inDissonance** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:14 pm

Hey! Thanks for answering my questions/suggestions. I appreciate it and will continue to play, for sure!

From post: 140832, Topic: tid=9376, author=Agent Zirdik wrote: TRANSPORT SHIPS
I'm not exactly sure I understand what you mean here, but the idea is that the more assembly you put towards cargo, the less you can put towards engines, shields, maneuverability, and fuel. Perhaps you mean that freighters shouldn't have to sacrifice those things, and instead they should have to decide between things like equipment slots, crew size, countermeasures, and secondary weapon slots, since those are less important to freighters. If that's what you mean, I agree!

In my admittedly small knowledge of ships (I still have the beginner, though I'm saving up big) it would seem all ships should have the 5 cargo bays because it doesn't "cost" that much. Now, this may change as I get further into the game with the bigger ships, but that's just what I see right now.

I guess I just like the idea of flying a huge tank in the sky with tons of cargo room, but with only five cargo holds that even fighters can have, this diminishes that idea a bit. But I guess I will see if this is the case as things go on.

Thanks for answering my questions/suggestions. I look forward to playing this game as time goes on and see the upgrades!

A one man show? Does Vice do all the programming and the graphics?

Major Grubert · Post by **Major Grubert** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:23 pm

and answering u2u as fast as HAL from 2001 movie

awesome

kind of Jesus for space sim lovers

Janus · Post by **Janus** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:53 am

Yeah, Vice is unbelievably fast. I sent in my text2.dat file for getting Starport 6 on the list and was expecting to have to wait a couple to three days for him to get to it.

I had a reply with the authenticated file attached in less than 12 hours. My jaw just about hit the floor. The same when I've had questions or problems. He probably eats, lives and breathes the game. He certainly knows what customer service is; more than these big companies like, uhhh, well I won't say, but we all know who they are.

Janus

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:39 am

From post: 140850, Topic: tid=9376, author=inDissonance wrote:... but with only five cargo holds that even fighters can have ....

That's news to me. Last time I looked, fighters could only carry one cargo bay. I can add fuel tanks but not extra cargo bays.