[suggestion] Ship's Minimap

[Vabla Dragonash]

While the floating status icons for engine/armor/weapon/balloon damage/fire are helpful, a lot of the time they are a big mess and don't provide much information.
I was thinking that perhaps a minimap/blueprint of the ship with all the modules displayed might be an option. Just a small idea conceived past midnight...

[Hoja Lateralus]

I think the leading (and easiest to do) suggestion was to make icons not stack together. Maybe it would be smart for those icons to have a bit different coloured sides for different kinds of part (say: hull, baloon, engines, guns).

I appreciate the idea but you should be more specific. How should something like that look and where should it be put not to interrupt pilot's vision? Above the chat maybe?

[pandatopia]

Hmm, I thought about something like that before, but now I'm against it because

1. It doesn't make too much sense from a steampunk perspective. Already the indicators are a little heavy on the UI side (but obviously necessary or else engineering would be a nightmare), but a full ship HUD overview seems like something that would fit in a sci fi game (like EVE or Star Citizen, etc) and not in a steampunk kind of lowtech setting.

2. It would make engineering too easy - a key part of high level engineering is noticing damage and prioritizing repairs/rebuilds/shooting/spraying.

3. I've gotten used to the icons and when I don't notice them, I blame myself if I fail to notice it and the hull goes down and strive to become a better (more aware, at least) engineer while shooting, etc.

[Vabla Dragonash]

1. It doesn't make too much sense from a steampunk perspective. Already the indicators are a little heavy on the UI side (but obviously necessary or else engineering would be a nightmare), but a full ship HUD overview seems like something that would fit in a sci fi game (like EVE or Star Citizen, etc) and not in a steampunk kind of lowtech setting.

I'd imagine the engineers would have blueprints for the ship.

And I imagine engineers just feel the engine vibration and sound, the creaking of armor plating, the air whistling past the balloon and smell fires in general.
And for an irl example, a lot of the time you can tell exactly what's wrong with an engine just from the sound.

[Hoja Lateralus]

Well if we agree on drums "sixth sense" of each player then why the hell not sixth sense regarding the ship? Also I bet everyone on the ship just FEELS the explosions and hits and therefore can more or less guess the damage they did

[Dementio]

It works for explosives, but a gatlin does make all that much sound. I didn't check my armor because I didn't hear the enemy shooting so I rammed and died.

[pandatopia]

It works for explosives, but a gatlin does make all that much sound. I didn't check my armor because I didn't hear the enemy shooting so I rammed and died.

It probably has more to do with you ramming in a spire >.<