Engine name markers

[Cheeseycom]

This is a minor change that I think would make Engineers lives just a tiny bit easier - add individual markers to each engine icon to identify which one it is, so players can determine which engine is down without having to look around to see which location that icon hovers over.

While I know most ships keep the manoeuvring engines together, there are some ships (like the Mobula) where the player is required to run the entire width of the ship to reach each engine. In most ships the main engine is separate from the others as well. However, there's no way to tell which engine is down at the moment, and it can be a little annoying have to jump off of a gun or repairing a component to check where the engine is (and if the task of fixing it is better delegated to someone a bit closer).

A single letter would work well (such as 'M' for main engine, 'L' for left engine and so on), although in the interest of making localization easier, symbols could be used instead - perhaps a ◀ for the left engine and ▲ for the main engine etc, etc..
They wouldn't have to be large symbols, I was thinking perhaps overlaid on the edge of one corner of the original icons. Just enough to provide a bit more information without getting in the way.

[Rainer Zu Fall]

I'm always against loading more and more stuff into the HUD, especially in a game like this.
Also, I don't think this is necessary since you can just turn your head or tell by the heigth and the side the symbol is on where it is.

[Cheeseycom]

It's hardly an obtrusive element to add to the HUD though, as it would sit on a tiny portion of a pre-existing UI element, rather than adding something new altogether.

You say that turning your head is enough, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with you - more often than not, the icons are lumped so closely together that I'm often required to turn around to face the back of the ship in order to determine which engine is being indicated. While this might not sound like a big issue, it's a pain to jump off of a gun in order to look around and find it's another Engineers problem, especially when those last few seconds on the gun could be the deciding factor in a battle.

What I'm suggesting will allow not only for Engineers to determine where their job is located without having to move, but also for other crew members to keep an eye out for specific engines while doing their own jobs. It's one thing for the Pilot/Captain to yell out that there's an engine down (but is unable to turn around far enough to check while piloting the ship), and another for them to be able to instantly say  'Main engine is broken!' or 'Left turning engine is about to go down!'. It's a small but not insignificant change when engines are separated by a large distance or located on separate decks.

[Rainer Zu Fall]

You say that turning your head is enough, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with you - more often than not, the icons are lumped so closely together that I'm often required to turn around to face the back of the ship in order to determine which engine is being indicated. While this might not sound like a big issue, it's a pain to jump off of a gun in order to look around and find it's another Engineers problem, especially when those last few seconds on the gun could be the deciding factor in a battle.

This problem will solve by time. The longer you play this game the more you will see differences in those icons by taking a look at heigth and which the side the symbol is located on if you turn your had by a few degrees, still on a gun.

What I'm suggesting will allow not only for Engineers to determine where their job is located without having to move, but also for other crew members to keep an eye out for specific engines while doing their own jobs. It's one thing for the Pilot/Captain to yell out that there's an engine down (but is unable to turn around far enough to check while piloting the ship), and another for them to be able to instantly say  'Main engine is broken!' or 'Left turning engine is about to go down!'. It's a small but not insignificant change when engines are separated by a large distance or located on separate decks.

Well, as an engineer has to move to the component that should be repaired anyway and to do so turn around to face the component he can easily determine where it is.
As a pilot you usually notice which engine is broken by the symbols (since you're often centered) and the behavior of the ship.

To sum it up: I guess you will dominate this problem the more you play, it is something you will gain a feeling for quite quickly.
If someone sees it another way, I'll be glad to hear it though! Maybe it's just me seeing it that way.

[Cheeseycom]

This problem will solve by time. The longer you play this game the more you will see differences in those icons by taking a look at heigth and which the side the symbol is located on if you turn your had by a few degrees, still on a gun.

I'm not sure how much time you think is needed to learn.. I'm a relative newbie compared to some on this board, but I've won 30 out of the last 40 or so matches, so I'm pretty sure I've got a pretty good grasp of the game so far (although having a damn fine crew probably has something to do with it as well xP).. but I still think this could be a useful thing to have.

On the Mobula for example, it's been my experience that while manning one of the wing guns, the engine behind you might be distinct from the others, but the opposite wing engine and the main engine tend to hover closely together, and it takes turning all the way around to differentiate the two. On the Spire as well it can be hard to tell if the main or turning engines are damaged if you're on the top deck, as the one behind you and the ones below you both move to the bottom of the screen in a relatively small space (and since the guns are off to the side, the icons aren't necessarily spaced apart well enough to tell apart).

I'm not saying this is the experience on all ships, but on certain ships it would be nice to be able to tell the icons apart more easily.

Well, as an engineer has to move to the component that should be repaired anyway and to do so turn around to face the component he can easily determine where it is.

This isn't exactly correct, as on the Mobula the hull is split into two and therefore requires at least two Engineers that cover their own areas as well as manning the guns when not repairing - it's in a situation like that that I see being able to filter out unnecessary information would be useful. As I said before, it's annoying to have to jump off a gun to go repair an engine, only to realize it's on the opposite hull and the other Engineer hasn't realized it's his problem to deal with.

As a pilot you usually notice which engine is broken by the symbols (since you're often centered) and the behavior of the ship.

I suppose.. can't say I've had the pleasure of flying with a pilot who knew their right from their left, but that's just my misfortune.. >.<

To sum it up: I guess you will dominate this problem the more you play, it is something you will gain a feeling for quite quickly.
If someone sees it another way, I'll be glad to hear it though! Maybe it's just me seeing it that way.

You make good points, and the more I think about it the more I realize that this suggestion is specifically aimed at an issue I have with Mobula's (and Spire's to some degree).. on other ships I suppose it makes less sense.

However I have seen suggestions on this board for a sort of 'quick command' menu for captains to issue orders, and I could see marking the engines with symbols making non-verbal communication somewhat easier.
As the game stands now though it may not be as useful as I thought..

By the way, this is what I envisioned it looking like:

[Gambrill]

Im with Rainer on this one.

The less you have on your HUD makes it more of a need to turn your attention to look. Or ask your engie, who should already be deciding on what to fix and when. While it may seem like just a small adjustment to the HUD  it'll make you less dependant on your crew, Possibly making you only use voice chat to bark orders (not saying JUST you, just speaking in generality)

[Alistair MacBain]

Have to agree to Rainer.
Currently when i see a engine down i mostly already know which engine is down. Yes that markers would make it easier to determine which engine it is but i agree that this would go bid to far imo.

[Cheeseycom]

Guess it's just me then.

The less you have on your HUD makes it more of a need to turn your attention to look. Or ask your engie, who should already be deciding on what to fix and when.

I'm speaking from an Engineers point of view mostly, not a Captains. As someone who primarily uses a Mobula, the job is divided among at least 2 Engineers (who also have to divide their time between repairing and acting as gunners).. and among all the crews I've flown with, I still find that people tend to assume the engine symbol belongs to the other side (and don't dismount their gun to check), and I constantly have to yell at the other Engineer to do his job and get to the engine before it breaks (oddly these same people have no problem attending to the balloon/hull or the guns on their own side.. but they don't seem to know when their own engine is about to go, hence my suggestion to differentiate them somehow).

While it may seem like just a small adjustment to the HUD  it'll make you less dependant on your crew, Possibly making you only use voice chat to bark orders (not saying JUST you, just speaking in generality)

I have to disagree, the only difference would be the ability to identify an engine faster than before - that's it. The Engineers would still have to attend to their specific areas, nothing would change except I would hear less of 'Umm, guys there's an engine down, go check if it's yours' and 'Oh it's MY engine that's down?'.. happens more often than you'd think.
People who bark orders would still bark orders, and people who don't wouldn't be any more inclined to do so than before.


I see a lot of people are against additions to the UI in this game.. well how about this: Don't add anything.. just re-use what's already there.
Have three separate icons, one for each engine, pointing in a direction relevant to that engine.. so the left engine has a left facing propeller, the right engine has a right facing propeller, and the main engine is the symbol as it currently exists in-game.

Like this:

[Sprayer]

It would hardly make the game worse the way people seem to think with their "Me don't like" answeres here.
You know which engine is damaged from the position of the icon alone? Good for you, a tiny extra symbol on the icon won't distract you. You do not know that from the position alone? Look at that tiny extra symbol.
Seriously, actually think about what that change would do before you post a "I don't want it because it would change the game a little" answere which all the repliers except for Gambrill did.