[Feedback] List of Potential Quality of Life Improvements (Updated 12/7/2018)

[Phoenixsui]

Nice topic thanks for collecting. Here is my imput.

-Trader need some sort of diagram for goods/Credits they used. I want to see for how much they purchased and sold. I sometimes feel like they steel my money
-Traders of my Station seem to sell only small amount of goods at once. For example (60 energy cells) They produce almost no money. So frustrating.
-My Station should buy Drones automatically, but it doesnt.
-What do Habitats and employess doo? My Station works without.
-While i am on the Landing pad of my PHQ. All my Traders and Miners dont start until i leave the station. Then they start all together and proceed with mining/trading.
-I added a Construction ship in the module change menü of the Station. It never came to build those modules but is still in the menü. Make it possible to exchange this idiot captain with a not so drunk one that will build my station. Currently i dont know how ot make it happen, that this station is not stuck in its building.

[Darius Sanguna]

-Traders of my Station seem to sell only small amount of goods at once. For example (60 energy cells) They produce almost no money. So frustrating.
-My Station should buy Drones automatically, but it doesnt.
-While i am on the Landing pad of my PHQ. All my Traders and Miners dont start until i leave the station. Then they start all together and proceed with mining/trading.
-I added a Construction ship in the module change menü of the Station. It never came to build those modules but is still in the menü. Make it possible to exchange this idiot captain with a not so drunk one that will build my station. Currently i dont know how ot make it happen, that this station is not stuck in its building.

That are all Questions for the Technical Support Forum, not the general one or at the very least not for this particular topic.
Did you give the builder money so that they can buy the stuff they need for construction, you should find the Construction Budget when you right click on the Station and choose "Manage Funds". In the Planning view there is also an option for that though i can't remember where exactly right now.

-What do Habitats and employess doo? My Station works without.

They increase the efficency with which your Production modules operate, meaning you get more endproduct for the same resource input.

[Phoenixsui]

They increase the efficency with which your Production modules operate, meaning you get more endproduct for the same resource input.

Oh thanks. And how many do you need? One L habitat can hold 1000 employees.

[Arze]

A list of potential QOL and UX improvements I would recommend as an expert of two decades on the subject. Feel free to reply with your own suggestions and I will update this list as I continue to play as well.

Overview
Hotkeys - easy to change
Interface - harder to change
Encyclopedia/Information - missing info most painful to the player
Tedium - subjective suggestions to save player hassle
Features - simple features that save player pain
BOLDED POINTS - low cost high value changes

Hotkeys
Summary: Players are mostly missing the ability to hotkey functions already available in the game

• Missing Hotkey Options:
  • Deploy Device (Civilian & Military like satellite, nav beacon, laser tower, etc.)
  • Target next object/friendly hotkeys
  • Target under boresight hotkey (mainly because "Target Object" is unreliable)
  • Clear target hotkey
  • All Sub-Menu Shortcuts (Logbook, Missioned Offered, etc.)
  • Left/Right Navigation hotkeys for menu sub-tabs (like in Missions, Information)
  • Map filter toggles (Trade Popups, etc.)
  • Station builder module rotation hotkeys
  • When trading/transferring wares, HOME/END hotkeys to move all
  • Player squad hotkeys (Attack my target, Follow me, etc.)
  • Hotkey options for context menu items (Scan, Remove All Orders, etc.)
• Hotkey behavior
  • Property menu hotkey (as well as all other menu shortcuts) should work from within map, as the mission menu hotkey does
  • Hitting "ESC" or "back" from the information view should go back to the previous view, as opposed to closing all map menus
  • Use of double-click functionality in map (eg. target / guidance)
  • Context menu on map is not navigable by keyboard
  • Allow use of SETA, Travel Mode, and Full Stop hotkeys to function with map open
• HOTAS / Joysticks
  • Sensitivity settings
  • Strafing: bind for switch between "normal" and "strafe" flying (and diagonal strafing for HAT switches)
  • Allow separate inversion settings between devices (Joystick, Mouse)
  • Allow combination buttons for binds on joysticks

Interface
Summary: Some views are trying to do too much, and would be better served as multiple, separate views

• Property management could be enhanced by an expanded property list placed at the same level as map in information hierarchy, allowing players to:
  • View additional property metadata in table format (current order/behavior, current action, current station, destination, etc.)
  • Sort, filter, and group property as empire expands (including fleet management and behavior)
  • Manage and review property in an expanded, full-screen view instead of in a small box (also allows bigger font)
  • The current property tab still serves its purposes as a selection list for orders and map-related tasks
  • Under the "Orders" section of context menu, there should be a quick and easy way to access "Default Behavior" to quickly setup auto-traders and miners
  • Missing "Asign to wing/fleet" in context menu for property
• Information
  • Single click for renaming expresses focus but does not actually grant it. Instead, single click should focus with current name filled (cursor at end), and a second click should select all text should user want to replace
• Personnel information and management are nested very deep in the information architecture
  • Let's trace a crew transfer action: 1) Get to info screen of ship, 2) Select "Information" tab, 3) Expand "Personnel" heading, 4) Expand "Crew" heading, 5) Expand "Full Crew List" heading, 6) Expand crew category heading, 7) Expand crew experience heading, 8 )Right click crew member for context menu
  • Instead, make a dedicated crew sub-tab for ship information
  • List of personnel lacks action links. A "Personnel" tab (perhaps as a sub-tab to an expanded property view) listing all personnel would make it easy for a player to view and manage NPCs, paving the way for additional features and modding
• Station Trade Menu should occupy more of the screen (probably most of it)
• "Landed Ships" list for stations (accessible through map)
• Empire tab sub-tables (Global Standing Orders, Hired Personnel, etc.) could use an indication that they exist. A bare minimum is using a right caret (>) to indicate!
• Logbook
  • Missing unread message highlight
  • Using relative time in addition to absolute (eg. "3 minutes ago, 1 hour ago, etc.). or simply real-world play-time would be much more informative than the absolute time that player has no reference for
  • Missing trade tab in filters (may be worth having dedicated trade history UI, see below)
  • Missing buy orders from auto-traders
  • Missing net profit/loss summary from trade message
• A "Trade History" tab (under Player Information) would be something any space trader would love, granting:
  • A clear view of every transaction conducted by the player's empire and subsequent impact on bank account
  • Analyze profit/loss over time by a variety of dimensions
  • The ability to measure the performance of any trader, miner or station over time
• Missions tab would be better placed one level above in information hierarchy (at same level as map), allowing players to:
  • Show current missions and missions offered in one-go, saving player clicks
  • Show all mission categories together (keeping categories as filters rather than sub-lists)
  • Show more mission metadata in table format (Mission destination, distance, etc.)
• HUD
  • Inventory Item drops and asteroids have the same HUD icon
  • Ship components damaged view on HUD
  • Missions offered, perhaps an icon with count badge with option for an expanded missions HUD, allowing the player to more easily leave a super highway when seeing a mission
• Map
  • Trade Overlays
    • Map station overlays (trade overlay) background transparency makes it hard to read both the station information as well as map content. Prioritizing the shown information and allowing the player to toggle with a hotkey is a superior approach
    • Map station overlays lack a clear visual connection to related station, a small arrow or line with dot would solve this
    • Trade Overlays tooltips may be better replaced with a list in table format, perhaps shown on the right side of the screen, with double-click actions centering and highlighting the related station. This would give players a cleaner overview of trade options, give space to provide more information without additional clicks, and prevent the confusion of chasing tooltips around the map.
  • Scale indicator for placement of satellites and an easy way to gauge distance on map
• Teleportation
  • When teleporting, the map should be closed as the player wants to do things outside of the map
  • When docked with a ship, item in docked menu to teleport to bridge of docked ship

Encylclopedia / Information
Summary: We clearly ran out of time in the crunch before launch. Here is a list of must-have information that is currently missing

• Weapon shield/hull damage description (and more detailed weapon stats)
• Software descriptions
• License descriptions
• Crew and personnel role descriptions
• Ship heat-management information as it related to weapon use
• Settings/options descriptions

Tedium
Summary: This list is subjective, and follows my opinion that in the space age mundane tasks should be automated

• Auto-pilot could be more automatic (saving player time and hassle)
  • Manual docking should be optional, not mandatory (without letting an NPC fly)
  • Travel mode should be used by auto-pilot
  • In general, auto-pilot should include all the behavior and functionality of NPC ships, since the player is a 5-star pilot
  • This would also include the ability to assign the player ship orders like any other NPC ship
• Walking in stations should be 100% optional. In my humble opinion, this experience is simply not the strength of X Universe games. Solved by adding to the station actions menu:
  • Station Traders - Surely in this space age station traders must have duty-free delivery to the gate! (Alternatively allow transportation from cockpit and add transport points by traders)
  • People & Comms - This includes faction reps and a list hireable crew with available skills and the ability to comms with them from the ship
  • Workshop (Crafting) - It can be quite a walk to that bench, it would be nice to know what the recipes are ahead of time
• In station ship-to-ship transfers

Features
Summary: Simple extra features that can save a lot of player time or pain

• Additional auto-save settings: frequency, on dock, on gate
• Trading & Mining
  • Ship behavior option for "trade illegal goods" (default unchecked)
  • Global sector blacklists for auto-traders and other NPCs
  • Global defaults for galaxy traders (wares traded) and auto-miners (ores mined, distance)
• Camera zoom
• "Favorites" for property. Favorites always appear on the property list, even if not in view on map screen
• Orders & Behavior
  • Flee sector order
  • Drone behavior toggle (automatic vs. manual hotkey)
• Settings
  • FOV Slider Setting
  • Toggle for clear all orders when taking command of ship (preventing ship leaving when going for spacewalk)

+ the ability to transfer wares from station inventory to build storage.
+ the game should use my building materials automatically without having to transfer them what do I have hundreds of drones for?
+ the ability to set minimum and maximum for specific wares manually.
+ the ability to set specific Seller and Buyer ships selling specific wares not the automated thing we have now.
+ the ability to set specific areas or at least sectors for ships to mine.
+ the ability to set up station chains with permanent transfer orders either Just in Time method or wait till full cargo hold.

[jonesskill]

Please add to this LIST a turret/drone control manangeer on XL/L ships.

Right now they only work in "defense mode"

[Darius Sanguna]

They increase the efficency with which your Production modules operate, meaning you get more endproduct for the same resource input.

Oh thanks. And how many do you need? One L habitat can hold 1000 employees.

depends on how many and what modules you got, the game will tell you how many employees you need, look out for the phrase "Peak efficiency at"

[Gorebane]

Great post OP. I agree with every one of your points.

[Varien101]

1. Give multiple ships the same auto trader order.

2. Let me put my miners in a wing and still mine.

3. Let me put my traders in their own wings and still trade.

4. Allow me to select multiple ships (of the same type) to retrofit at a station.

5. Put in export/import right click option on stations.

6. All places where faction rep's reside, have a crew lounge or a hiring center. Make it expensive, I don't care lol.

7. Let me rename multiple ships at once.

8. Copy/Paste orders, names, settings.

9. Personal information tab - We can see all our crew, let us show information/select that crew member/ship from that screen VS seeing it's on a miner. Then you have to scour through the crew lists on all your miners because you don't want to rename every single miner because your fingers are already bleeding from changing the orders on your 30 transports, changing there names because you changed there goods, and refit those 20 fighters one by one by one by one by one by one by one by one.

Edit: 10. Allow global ship settings by class. I want my fighters to attack pirates, not run away. otherwise I have to click on every fighter... e.v.e.r.y. one of them. Then change them to ignore the global settings one by one by one by one by one. Then set them to what I want there behavior to be one by one by one by one.

Please cut the living expense of band aids that has been added to my life. My fingers are swollen.

What were trying to say is: Whoever made your UI. Beat them. Then fire them lol.

[Viper185]

This Post needs to be sticked

[Zealoth]

Banning buying or selling of a certain ware by a station has to be split up.
Example:
I want my station to sell Refined Metals, but not buy them, no matter the price (Station will do that if its required up the chain, even if I'm already producing more than enough)

Allow me to set a ship to always forget orders if I take it's control manually. I often let the pilot ferry me around, but sometimes I want to go do my own thing. I then forget about his previous order and he ends up going to a station I told him to dock at hours ago :/

[oli4uk]

add in a "scan" hotkey for ship scanning, it's a real pain while in combat right now (Xenon spaceweed mission)

[Wou]

Maybe someone has already posted that somewhere, but I could really use a button I could hold when issuing orders on the map that would make that order the only one, clearing all of the queue.
Especially during combat.

[piffpaffjoe]

+1 for this post

[Varien101]

-Select multiple ships to eject cargo.

-Select multiple transports to trade goods. Parking my trade fleet outside a station and having them sell one by one by one by one by one is not fun. (Which brings me to mass eject)

-Select multiple ships to reassign.

-Select multiple traders to give the same trade orders.

-Copy/Paste behaviors

-I have a station where the first module put down was a pier, if I move or remove this piece, the entire station falls apart. This makes no sense.

-Show the Z and X axis in Plan Build mode to avoid the situation above.

-Wings/Combat ships fly at base speed to engage targets with the attack command from the other side of the sector. Let them fast travel if over a certain distance and stop under a certain distance from the target(s)?

-Ships added to the players wing don't really keep up.

-Global Behaviors based on type of ship. Fighters/scouts/tranports ect ect. Right now we set the global behavior to run or eject cargo for our transports. Then we have to change the behaviors on everything else we don't want to run and vice versa.

[ParGellen]

I "fixed" (yes in quotes lol) the issue with diagonal strafing with the HAT switch on the T.Flight Hotas X using an AutoHotKey script. You have to set the strafing options in the game to use the arrow keys on the keyboard (Up, Down, Left, Right) and the script will use them to strafe in all 8 directions on the HAT switch.

Here is the AutoHotKey script: https://pastebin.com/1ybGZVcp

Unfortunately I'm no AutoHotKey expert (please don't laugh at my script too much) and I cannot provide support for this script if it doesn't work for you. It works for me though so I'm stupid happy right now! I CAN FLY MY SHIP AGAIN!!!

Just a side note I'm pretty tootin' sure this would NOT be hard to code directly into the game itself without the need for AutoHotKey since it only combines keys that the game already recognizes and doesn't need any "under the hood" coding of the way the game itself works. Of course you'd have to translate it to whatever the game is written in but that shouldn't be too hard for people that wrote this great game to begin with. Hello? Devs? Please feel free to use this to fix the game if you would like to. You have my full permission!!!!

[Cisor]

I think the following two Map related QOL amendments have merit:

- Map sector/station persistence between closing and opening.

There are multiple occasions that one is forced to leave the map while doing something, and having to get back to that sector, that station, is a laborious process.

- Being able to set a waypoint on the Z-plane on the Map.

It is difficult to go to a specific point an the Z-plane, and nigh impossible to tell the the AI to do so.

[Cisor]

As it stands, escort fighters are not worth the loss of REP. Also, the player cannot realistically be expected to drop what they're doing, teleport to the NPC ship, do a scan on enemy, everytime they're confronted by a pirate.

If one gives your NPC pilot a Police scanner, it should be their default behaviour to scan said pirate as soon as they have are confronted. That way escort fighters can get reasonably get involved, and sector law can do their job.

[Cisor]

A collect wares in sector for player flown ship. Previous X games allowerd this.

[ParGellen]

Here is an AutoHotKey script for using a digital HAT switch to look around inside the cockpit. viewtopic.php?f=146&t=408653

[DeerStalker]

TL;DR

In 98% of all "load a savegame" scenario, it´s the latest savegame i´m loading.
It would be nice if this latest savegame would be cached to memory. Yes i know a savegame is unpacked about 250MB+, but at least 60% are XML overhead. In theory it should be possible to cache the data with under 150MB or less additional RAM ( more likely a lot less, if some optimization is done). Could be toggled off for low spec clients too.

Of Course this is a low priority feature for now.