Author Topic: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap  (Read 8295 times)

Offline Vabla Dragonash

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[suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« on: August 06, 2014, 09:46:28 pm »
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...

Offline Hoja Lateralus

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2014, 09:53:40 pm »
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?

Offline pandatopia

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2014, 10:01:20 am »
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.

Offline Vabla Dragonash

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2014, 09:09:55 pm »
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.

Offline Hoja Lateralus

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2014, 09:28:10 pm »
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

Offline Dementio

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2014, 09:25:22 am »
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.

Offline pandatopia

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Re: [suggestion] Ship's Minimap
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2014, 10:00:47 am »
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 >.<