New thrust, speed, rotation, vector & intercept indicators
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:22 pm
I have read some previous posts on changes to the HUD and the consensus seemed to be that to avoid hiding the most important information, excess information should not be shown. As always I tried to think about not just other ways to do things to solve problems, but rather what the core problems where by thinking what makes the problems work less than the solutions. I figured there where many issues but some examples are volume, attention, readability, usefulness, style and current implementation. I made this example to show some proposed additions to the interface with particular attention given to making it easier to intercept a target without passing them, and improving compatibility with gravity by showing the ships thruster usage.
I will describe the basics first, the numerical speed indicators are similar to the current system but on the centre left the display text adds the local space relative speed and multiplies the SPEC multiplier of a new dilation drive to equal the total relative local real space speed. Alcubierre warp speed in c for speed of light is displayed and added, then what is equals is displayed as the final relative speed forward or for whatever directional key is pressed. For more information about why I changed the way this works look at "Proposal to change the way SPEC drive works for orbit sync".
On the right the text is the same but represents desired speed in the pressed direction. The final desired speed is a range or probable speeds that maybe achieved on route to the target. A low minimum proable speed indicates that something may block your SPEC drive on the current course. The maximum speed is the fastest speed an ideal course to the target according to the autopilot.
In the middle between the text is are the thrust indicators green is vertical, red is horizontal, dark blue is heading, yellow is roll, cyan is pitch, and magenta is yaw. Most of the time thrust will be at maximum unless using a joystick mouse or if the buttons are recently pressed or released. The centre solid purple bar indication is the ideal intercept thrust. The dotted centre of each bar is the maximum thrust and vertical and horizontal may be made in proportion to each other. As mentioned to the left or top of every dotted line is the thrust indicator, but to the right or down of every doted line is the SPEC dilation field strength indication The higher the strength to maximum the closer to maximum is the SPEC dilation multiplier for that direction. The ship needs to be thrusting in the dilation directions for them to work their best and would do so automatically.
On the left is the graphical speed indicator for the ship. Though it may be confusing initially once they indicators start moving it should be very easy to follow. All of the indicators would use a logarithmic equation to make a scale from zero to infinity so that both very small and very large numbers can be indicated. The colours correspond to the thruster colours. Green vertical, red horizontal, blue heading, yellow roll, cyan pitch, magenta yaw. The graphical layout is similar to the thruster but the left and bottom bars wrap around to the top right of the VDU, and the pitch and yaw are in the corners which all indicate speed relative to their maximum. This maximum is infinity for liner speed and the governed maximum the crew can withstand for turning.
On the right in the Target VDU is the target speed indicators. These indicators are the same as the left indicators except that they show the targets speed relative to the players ship. The purple dotted indicators would show weather the ship is on a intercept path or an avoidance path.
Since there has been talk of slowing down ships to a realistic speed I figured the pilot could use some way to quickly intercept opponents while avoiding unnecessary thrusting. Though not shown, in the thruster indicators there can be purple doted line between the dots of doted lines of maximum thrust and in between the dots on maximum speed. This purple tinge would indicate the intended speed or the required thrust to intercept the current target.
On the HUD attached to the target on screen or off screen are intersept indicators. The white “X'” is the weapons estimated point for interception, and there may be more than one for each activated weapon. Weapon lock is the same but rocket paths may be estimated and shown in white when locked on target.
The purple "X" is off screen in this example but half its marker is shown to indicate its location off screen. It indicates the path the ship would need to take at current thrust to intercept the target. If close enough a trail would appear behind the ship that looks like a navy blue smear of the ship which disappears after a certain combination of visible length and time.
These blue lines would be the similar to the motion indicators such as the blue vector lines which are always relative to the set point of reference. These vector indicating lines would stretch logarithmicly the same as the speed indicators to some point out of sight so that if using space dilation speed multiplier there would almost never be a point where the HUD vector indicators are maximum length. For SPEC alcubierre warp additional lines would appear. In this example since the ship is moving forward slightly in SPEC, distant white lines would appear to slowly pass the ship as it moves forward in the SPEC Alcubierre bubble. This way the ship can move in one direction in warp space and another direction in real space.
This is where the idea and the picture is not quite finished yet. I would like to put some curved transparent bars in purple on the screen to show some information that would make the intercept path indicator more useful. I think that showing slip relative to the intercept path would allow the pilot to not need to look at or interpret any of the other indicators. The indicators would encourage the pilot to thrust to compensate for the relative slip whenever the ship is not pointed and moving toward the intercept point.
Okey so that was a large amount of information but hopefully it does not look like that much information when on screen and it simply gets used effortlessly. Does anyone else think this would be functional? I would like to ignore how difficult this would be to implement and focus first on what people think of it. Weather it would work, if it needs adjustments, if it's ugly, unnecessary, or fundamentally flawed. If you like one bit but hate the other please be specific.
On the right the text is the same but represents desired speed in the pressed direction. The final desired speed is a range or probable speeds that maybe achieved on route to the target. A low minimum proable speed indicates that something may block your SPEC drive on the current course. The maximum speed is the fastest speed an ideal course to the target according to the autopilot.
In the middle between the text is are the thrust indicators green is vertical, red is horizontal, dark blue is heading, yellow is roll, cyan is pitch, and magenta is yaw. Most of the time thrust will be at maximum unless using a joystick mouse or if the buttons are recently pressed or released. The centre solid purple bar indication is the ideal intercept thrust. The dotted centre of each bar is the maximum thrust and vertical and horizontal may be made in proportion to each other. As mentioned to the left or top of every dotted line is the thrust indicator, but to the right or down of every doted line is the SPEC dilation field strength indication The higher the strength to maximum the closer to maximum is the SPEC dilation multiplier for that direction. The ship needs to be thrusting in the dilation directions for them to work their best and would do so automatically.
On the left is the graphical speed indicator for the ship. Though it may be confusing initially once they indicators start moving it should be very easy to follow. All of the indicators would use a logarithmic equation to make a scale from zero to infinity so that both very small and very large numbers can be indicated. The colours correspond to the thruster colours. Green vertical, red horizontal, blue heading, yellow roll, cyan pitch, magenta yaw. The graphical layout is similar to the thruster but the left and bottom bars wrap around to the top right of the VDU, and the pitch and yaw are in the corners which all indicate speed relative to their maximum. This maximum is infinity for liner speed and the governed maximum the crew can withstand for turning.
On the right in the Target VDU is the target speed indicators. These indicators are the same as the left indicators except that they show the targets speed relative to the players ship. The purple dotted indicators would show weather the ship is on a intercept path or an avoidance path.
Since there has been talk of slowing down ships to a realistic speed I figured the pilot could use some way to quickly intercept opponents while avoiding unnecessary thrusting. Though not shown, in the thruster indicators there can be purple doted line between the dots of doted lines of maximum thrust and in between the dots on maximum speed. This purple tinge would indicate the intended speed or the required thrust to intercept the current target.
On the HUD attached to the target on screen or off screen are intersept indicators. The white “X'” is the weapons estimated point for interception, and there may be more than one for each activated weapon. Weapon lock is the same but rocket paths may be estimated and shown in white when locked on target.
The purple "X" is off screen in this example but half its marker is shown to indicate its location off screen. It indicates the path the ship would need to take at current thrust to intercept the target. If close enough a trail would appear behind the ship that looks like a navy blue smear of the ship which disappears after a certain combination of visible length and time.
These blue lines would be the similar to the motion indicators such as the blue vector lines which are always relative to the set point of reference. These vector indicating lines would stretch logarithmicly the same as the speed indicators to some point out of sight so that if using space dilation speed multiplier there would almost never be a point where the HUD vector indicators are maximum length. For SPEC alcubierre warp additional lines would appear. In this example since the ship is moving forward slightly in SPEC, distant white lines would appear to slowly pass the ship as it moves forward in the SPEC Alcubierre bubble. This way the ship can move in one direction in warp space and another direction in real space.
This is where the idea and the picture is not quite finished yet. I would like to put some curved transparent bars in purple on the screen to show some information that would make the intercept path indicator more useful. I think that showing slip relative to the intercept path would allow the pilot to not need to look at or interpret any of the other indicators. The indicators would encourage the pilot to thrust to compensate for the relative slip whenever the ship is not pointed and moving toward the intercept point.
Okey so that was a large amount of information but hopefully it does not look like that much information when on screen and it simply gets used effortlessly. Does anyone else think this would be functional? I would like to ignore how difficult this would be to implement and focus first on what people think of it. Weather it would work, if it needs adjustments, if it's ugly, unnecessary, or fundamentally flawed. If you like one bit but hate the other please be specific.