Shared Thoughts For Enhancing Quality Of Life

[Magrim]

This is meant to be a repository of simple ideas that would improve the spit and polish of Starmade, as well as enhance the quality of life for the players. None of the suggestions listed are "game changers" imho but, instead are "no brainers" really. Many of these are well known and some have already been recognized by the dev team. They are included anyway because....why not?

Note: The majority are from the community and I will attempt to give credit where credit is due and link to the relevant thread.

• Official .sment 3D exporter
• Aligning and entering gravity in astronaut mode is a smooth transition
• Ability to roll while in astronaut mode
• Zoom feature
  
• Symmetric build helper
• Improve copy / paste function
  
• Weapon group naming
• Turret groupings
• XOR gate block
  
• More display module tags
• Link cameras to display modules
• "You have been targeted" warning and other alarms
• Ability to rotate already placed blocks Already a thing, apparently
• All possible orientations for all relevant blocks
  
• Cruise control / Autopilot
• Ability to target stars, even distant ones
  
• Better course plotter EVE online style maybe?
  
• Movable cores
• Logic activated space anchor for "parking" your ship away from base
• Brown paint recipe
• Garbage disposal

• SuperWookiee
  • 'Fill All' Button and 'Remove All' Button

• Assin9
  • Individual Symmetry re-request

• Sleepy_Eleven
  • Advanced Build Mode Ruler

• Valiant70
  • Enter/leave shipyard build mode from shipyard computer
  • Create Docking From Design

• BDLS
  • Grid based logic computer system A lot of great ideas here about condensing logic
  • Randumb suggestions v378342 Good ideas here as well

• TomW1605
  • improve transfer to docked entity

• Gunmetalmonk
  • Advanced Build "Show only block type X"

• IronDusk33
  • Improved Shipyard Build "Animation"

• testkil
  • build mode suggestion A button to put the block you are looking at in your hotbar

• Edymnion
  • Disable Shipyard
  • Shipyard Build Mode from Shipyard Computer

• StormWing0
  • Enable Use of the Rail Speed Controller on the Rail Turret Axis?

• Crimson-Artist
  • Weapons Menu Improvements

• Parameter
  • Advanced Build Mode Toggle

• plusnine
  • ShipYard additional features: shipwide block replacement

• Jedis
  • Cameras on space stations

• HolyCookie
  • wedged camera block

• Yrjosmiel
  • Light wedges

• Ithirahad
  • "R" menu for scanner and jump drive computers
  • No credit cap
    
  • Gray armor + paint = colored armor
  • Colored armor + paint = different colored armor

• MacThule
  • Allow transferal of credits between players (EVE Online wallet?

• Zekester81
  • Display Wedge

• Panpiper
  • Jet pack

If there is no citation, it is because I'm going off memory and my memory sucks or 10^297 people have asked for it and there is just no way of knowing who thought of it first. If you know the who, what, when, where tell me and I'll fix it up top. Also, there is a shitload I didn't list so if you guys post something below, I'll update.

 

[Crusade]

tab+3 and tab+4 rotates already placed blocks when looking at them.

As for the rest; YES.

 

[Megacrafter127]

1. Official .sment 3D exporter
2. Aligning and entering gravity in astronaut mode is a smooth transition
3. Ability to roll while in astronaut mode
4. Zoom feature
   
5. Symmetric build helper
6. Improve copy / paste function
   
7. Weapon group naming
8. Turret groupings
9. XOR gate block
   
10. More display module tags
11. Link cameras to display modules
12. "You have been targeted" warning and other alarms
13. Ability to rotate already placed blocks
14. All possible orientations for all relevant blocks
    
15. Cruise control / Autopilot
16. Ability to target stars, even distant ones
    
17. Better course plotter EVE online style maybe?
    
18. Movable cores
19. Logic activated space anchor for "parking" your ship away from base
20. Brown paint recipe
21. Garbage disposal

2)Do you know how hard it is to make animations if the transition itself has to be instant, as there are no states in between the start and end state?
9)How the XOR reacts to 2 inputs, everyone agrees on, but how should it behave for more than 2 inputs? Like an odd-parity gate? Output true only if EXACTLY 1 input is true? Output true if at least 1, but not all inputs are true? For 2 input all these 3 definitions do the same, but they differ if you have more than 2 inputs.

 

[alterintel]

9)How the XOR reacts to 2 inputs, everyone agrees on, but how should it behave for more than 2 inputs? Like an odd-parity gate? Output true only if EXACTLY 1 input is true? Output true if at least 1, but not all inputs are true? For 2 input all these 3 definitions do the same, but they differ if you have more than 2 inputs.

This is probably a whole new topic... but:
it should be false if all inputs are the same (high or low)

 

[Ithirahad]

2)Do you know how hard it is to make animations if the transition itself has to be instant, as there are no states in between the start and end state?
9)How the XOR reacts to 2 inputs, everyone agrees on, but how should it behave for more than 2 inputs? Like an odd-parity gate? Output true only if EXACTLY 1 input is true? Output true if at least 1, but not all inputs are true? For 2 input all these 3 definitions do the same, but they differ if you have more than 2 inputs.

I'll put in my vote for outputting an on signal IFF one input is on; that's where most of my functional uses for it came up. But then, I don't do logic computers.

Anyway, does this count as a Quality of Life improvement?
http://starmadedock.net/threads/r-menu-for-scanner-and-jump-drive-computers.21574/

I'd also like to see autopilot, the "Enter Ship" button in shipyards, multiple-waypoint course plotting, the removal of the credit cap, and less ridiculous armor recipes. Colored armor should just be grey armor with paint, and it should be possible to take hull of one paint color and repaint it, as was possible with the old recipes system.

 

[Zaphord]

Yes to painting grey blocks. Hate having to replace all the hull with a different color just to have a repaint of a ship I've already built.

 

[Amadeus]

I'll put in my vote for outputting an on signal IFF one input is on; that's where most of my functional uses for it came up. But then, I don't do logic computers.

Anyway, does this count as a Quality of Life improvement?
http://starmadedock.net/threads/r-menu-for-scanner-and-jump-drive-computers.21574/

I'd also like to see autopilot, the "Enter Ship" button in shipyards, multiple-waypoint course plotting, the removal of the credit cap, and less ridiculous armor recipes. Colored armor should just be grey armor with paint, and it should be possible to take hull of one paint color and repaint it, as was possible with the old recipes system.

A non push module autopilot seems to be a rather common suggestion. How simple would it be to integrate it into a Bobby AI?

 

[Ithirahad]

A non push module autopilot seems to be a rather common suggestion. How simple would it be to integrate it into a Bobby AI?

Very. Relatively, anyway.

 

[Magrim]

tab+3 and tab+4 rotates already placed blocks when looking at them.

Damn you're right! Where have I been?

2)Do you know how hard it is to make animations if the transition itself has to be instant, as there are no states in between the start and end state?
9)How the XOR reacts to 2 inputs, everyone agrees on, but how should it behave for more than 2 inputs? Like an odd-parity gate? Output true only if EXACTLY 1 input is true? Output true if at least 1, but not all inputs are true? For 2 input all these 3 definitions do the same, but they differ if you have more than 2 inputs.

2)Why does it have to be instant? I wouldn't mind my astronaut doing a quick flip and a roll in order to orient himself, like pressing 'C' in your ship. Just something so im not disoriented by snapping into place.
9)I will admit, I mostly put that one up there because of the countless threads asking for it but, even with my limited understanding of logic, it did seem useful. However, my solution would be to limit the inputs to 2 and only 2 and if you need more inputs going into an xor, cascade them.

Anyway, does this count as a Quality of Life improvement?
http://starmadedock.net/threads/r-menu-for-scanner-and-jump-drive-computers.21574/

I really like that idea, thanks mate, added!

I'd also like to see autopilot, the "Enter Ship" button in shipyards, multiple-waypoint course plotting, the removal of the credit cap, and less ridiculous armor recipes. Colored armor should just be grey armor with paint, and it should be possible to take hull of one paint color and repaint it, as was possible with the old recipes system

The recipes are a bit nuts but, I could 'theoretically' say they should be simplified down to the point where they are just as ridiculous. If you have something in mind though I would love to hear it. Added the rest because.....yeah

 

[Megacrafter127]

2)Why does it have to be instant? I wouldn't mind my astronaut doing a quick flip and a roll in order to orient himself, like pressing 'C' in your ship. Just something so im not disoriented by snapping into place.

Quite simple: If neither the entity you were aligned to previously, nor the entity you are aligning yourself to now are moving, there isn't any problem. However, if they move, at different speeds or in different directions, what should the astronaut be aligned to while in the semi-state?

1. The entity he was previously aligned to?
   That might get him out of range on the target entity.
2. The entity he wants to align to?
   That would not easily allow a smooth transition, as the previous camera orientation relative to the new camera orientation isn't fully known.
3. Align the astronaut to nothing while in the transition?
   Both 1 and 2 will apply here.

 

[Valck]

tab+3 and tab+4 rotates already placed blocks when looking at them.

Thanks, I've known that existed, I just couldn't remember the exact keys. All those [TAB]-x combinations desperately need to be documented somewhere...

 

[Valiant70]

Quite simple: If neither the entity you were aligned to previously, nor the entity you are aligning yourself to now are moving, there isn't any problem. However, if they move, at different speeds or in different directions, what should the astronaut be aligned to while in the semi-state?

1. The entity he was previously aligned to?
   That might get him out of range on the target entity.
2. The entity he wants to align to?
   That would not easily allow a smooth transition, as the previous camera orientation relative to the new camera orientation isn't fully known.
3. Align the astronaut to nothing while in the transition?
   Both 1 and 2 will apply here.

It's perfectly doable. The answer to your question is that it makes most sense to align the player to the new entity throughout the transition.

Let's look at a worst case scenario: two ships pass each other at max speed in opposite directions, and a cyborg player with crazy reflexes is riding on the hull of one. He sees a grave module on the other one and decides he would rather be on that ship so he clicks it as the ships pass. Here's how I think the game should handle that:

1. Instantly set the player's movement to be relative to the new ship/entity while keeping absolute (universe-relative) rotation the same.
2. Rotate the player feet-down.
3. Engage gravity and drop the player to the ground.

Our cyborg character will be suddenly yanked away from the ship he was previously riding on due to the high speed difference. For most people that won't happen though because they'll be changing gravity to something on a similar velocity vector (read: low relative speed).

For greater immersion, try this instead:

1. Instantly set the player's movement to be relative to the new ship/entity while keeping absolute (universe-relative) rotation the same.
   
2. Simultaneously rotate the player and start dropping toward the deck.
3. If the player impacts something before coming nearly upright, play an animation of the avatar falling down and standing back up.

 

[MacThule]

This is meant to be a repository of simple ideas that would improve the spit and polish of Starmade, as well as enhance the quality of life for the players.

Good list. You forgot FIX SHOPS.

Even just fix them as they're clearly meant to function right now - you can set buy/sell prices separately for each item but both revert to be the same. You can set shops to trade with allies only or no enemies, but eventually they always auto-revert to trading with all. These are shop features clearly meant to function differently than they do, they should be extremely quick easy to fix, and yet they continue to malfunction rendering in-game economy completely broken.

Oh - and allow electronic transfer of credits between players. Maybe via an Eve-style wallet function or something. Anything. You can't even hire some thug to go harass enemies for you without meeting him in person, leaving your ship, and dropping items for him - which is dangerous to do with a thug-for-hire.

 

[Megacrafter127]

while keeping absolute (universe-relative) rotation the same

as the previous camera orientation relative to the new camera orientation isn't fully known.

What I meant is, the only known variable attached to the astronaut is the orientation relative to the entity he is currently aligned on(or the universe if he isn't aligned to anything). While rendering, openGL and the GPU take care of the recursive rotation, as the game simply orders the camera to rotate around for a specific angle at a specific angle two times in a row. I do not know whether the cost is worth the gain, and how much of the code-snippets in question are already implemented for other purposes, while still remaining usable for this purpose.

 

[Valiant70]

What I meant is, the only known variable attached to the astronaut is the orientation relative to the entity he is currently aligned on(or the universe if he isn't aligned to anything). While rendering, openGL and the GPU take care of the recursive rotation, as the game simply orders the camera to rotate around for a specific angle at a specific angle two times in a row. I do not know whether the cost is worth the gain, and how much of the code-snippets in question are already implemented for other purposes, while still remaining usable for this purpose.

Heck, you could create a ghost entity to align the player to and handle the rotation if that's an issue. The ghost would in turn be aligned to the ship you're gravitating to with a special case of the docking mechanics. Once it rotates into the right orientation, the player aligns to the destination ship.

 

[Magrim]

Good list. You forgot FIX SHOPS.

Even just fix them as they're clearly meant to function right now - you can set buy/sell prices separately for each item but both revert to be the same. You can set shops to trade with allies only or no enemies, but eventually they always auto-revert to trading with all. These are shop features clearly meant to function differently than they do, they should be extremely quick easy to fix, and yet they continue to malfunction rendering in-game economy completely broken.

Oh - and allow electronic transfer of credits between players. Maybe via an Eve-style wallet function or something. Anything. You can't even hire some thug to go harass enemies for you without meeting him in person, leaving your ship, and dropping items for him - which is dangerous to do with a thug-for-hire.

Do you mean these bugs?:
http://phab.starma.de/T72
http://phab.starma.de/T684

I honestly thought about adding something about the broken shops. While it would definitely improve our quality of life, if I did that I may as well put all bugs on this list. The wallet idea though, certainly belongs up top. Thanks buddy!

What I meant is, the only known variable attached to the astronaut is the orientation relative to the entity he is currently aligned on(or the universe if he isn't aligned to anything). While rendering, openGL and the GPU take care of the recursive rotation, as the game simply orders the camera to rotate around for a specific angle at a specific angle two times in a row. I do not know whether the cost is worth the gain, and how much of the code-snippets in question are already implemented for other purposes, while still remaining usable for this purpose.

We know what the gain would be but, I dont understand what the cost is. Could you elaborate? I figured it would be fairly simple to implement but, then I dont know dick about code.

 

[Gristle]

Wouldn't the alignment problem be solved by the ability to pitch/roll in astronaut mode? Then the player would be aligned to the last entered object until they aligned themselves to something else.

 

[Valiant70]

http://starmadedock.net/threads/create-docking-from-design.21707/

 

[Zekester81]

How about a display wedge.

 

[Ithirahad]

How about a display wedge.

Never thought of that, but from how I know display blocks work, I don't see any reason we can't have those.