Secondly, my main gripe with VS (after switching to cvs and thereby getting properly working load/save functionality) is the Navigation Computer and/or my inability to use it. Currently, I can fly around doing missions (which guide me by telling me the next jumpgate), my Navcomp records the systems I have visited, and if I know the sector (or search a lot), I can find a system, target it, set the map to "path only" and while(not there) { look for the next system in the path, jump there }.
However, that's already straining, mostly because the Map/Navcomp is so horribly modal.
Let me elaborate:
"Nav/Info" toggles Mode 1/2.
Mode 1: "Sectors" (and nothing else in this mode) uses "Target Selected", "Ship" and "Mission" are static displays, "Nav Comp" opens a new window, and "2D/Ortho/3D" has no function.
Mode 2a: "Path On/Off/Only" has no function, "Target Selected" is used, "Up" switches to Mode 2b, "Down" would switch back to 2a, "Axis Swap" and "2D/Ortho/3D" are each tristates affecting both 2a and 2b.
Mode 2b: see 2a, but "Path On/Off/Only" now works and is another tristate.
(Plus "Ship" works as 1a and "Mission" as 1b, meaning you'll possibly have switched between 2a and 2b when you hit "Nav/Info" again)
Confusing Description? Confusing dialog! So, I plead for
1) Reduction of modes.
2) Some clear display of which of the remaining modes I'm in
3) Removal of buttons that have no (or -worse- no visible) effect when pressed.
My ad-hoc redesign:
Make a modeswitch bar at the top (like the cargo/upgrades/info/ships/news/missions/save on planets):
"Info": faction stats and help text
"Mission": Mission descriptions (it would be nice if they were more verbose as well, like the comm talk sent to you when you launch; at least include payment
"Systems" (or keep "Sectors"): list of sectors with systems, like now
"Local": Mode 2a, i.e. system view
"Galaxy" or "Jumps": Mode 2b, i.e. jump topology view
"Route" (or keep "Nav Comp"): setting up of permanent routes.
["Quit/Load": guess what. Then do away with the Esc-Q thing and bind this dialog to Esc. Would place the help text a bit less intrusive than shoving it into user's faces while retaining it easily available. Unless there's a gameplay reason to force people to eject if they want to load, that is.]
"Systems", "Local", "Galaxy" all have on the right side of the screen the "Target selected" button [or better: areas reading "Current: Yzzellty", "Target: Yylletyzz", "Selected: Ytellyzzz" and a clickable arrow or something pointing from "Selected" to "Target"; then this would be useful for "Route/Nav Comp" as well].
"Local" and "Galaxy" then have a button below that toggling 2D/Ortho/3D and displaying the current mode as it's text. (But they are separate, i.e. you can keep "Local" in 2D and "Galaxy" in 3D and switch beween them by the top bar without either assuming the other's mode.)
Below that, "Galaxy" has a "Path On"/"Path Off"/"Path Only" button.
[Copying the planet's modeswitch bar has not only the advantage of being familiar for the user, but also of allowing the Navcomp to be placed somewhere on the planets, so I don't have to launch into space to plan where I'm going to travel
]Oh well, I didn't imagine this would become so long.
Am I making any sense? Or do you all think I'm babbling mindlessly and the current Map/Navcomp is fine? Hint: avoid encouraging me too much, lest I suggest improvements to the route setup screen and the graphical displays of "Local/Down" and "Galaxy/Up"
