Suggestion: Scanning a ship seems like an annoying minigame, suggestion inside.

[juanitierno]

When scanning a ship, and it goes out of the 1km range or outside the reticule, have the scan fail like it does now (that's fine), but leave the scanning interface open for a few seconds and let it restart automatically if the ship comes back in the crosshairs again.

Trying to scan a fast ship, specially one that is evading, is a pain, not so much because it runs away, but because we have to juggle mouse clicks or shortcuts while maneuvering at the same time.

If you don't use the shortcut, trying to fly the ship while pausing for long enough to "right click -> scan" practically guarantees that the minotaur raider will be outside the scanner area.

To clarify: I think it's ok to struggle against an escaping/agile enemy, I do NOT think it's ok to struggle against the interface of my own ship.

[wizaerd]

Could not agree more...

[Buzz2005]

I do it using pause option

[Sandalpocalypse]

you can use a keyboard button while in scan mode to initiate a scan in 3.0

[GCU Grey Area]

If you don't use the shortcut, trying to fly the ship while pausing for long enough to "right click -> scan" practically guarantees that the minotaur raider will be outside the scanner area.

Just curious why you don't use the shortcut. Pressing a single key makes it very easy to scan a ship, even a fast one (assuming you're also in a fast ship yourself), so why use right click & scan when there's a much better alternative?

[juanitierno]

...

I'm normally using the keyboard to maneuver the ship, like holding or releasing the w key (set to forward) to stay a determined distance from the target.

I CAN use the shift+f hotkey, but it's kind of annoying, and there's no reason why the computer has to shutdown the command if it fails.

I udnerstand not scanning automatically, you could accidentally scan friendlies with a licence, etc, but this "you have one second to scan or it shuts down" makes no sense IMO.

[radcapricorn]

I've been repeating this for ages but no one (from the devs) appears to be listening. There is exactly zero reason to have two distinct scan modes. The long range scan does one, and only one thing: overrides one key to let you send a ping. The two scan modes can be unified to just "Scan Mode". In that mode, you get your normal station scanning highlighting etc, plus the ability to hit a key to either:
- send a ping if you don't have a target
- scan a ship if you do have a target

That key is more convenient than shift+f, especially when maneuvering (holding shift while strafing is awkward and triggers other hotkeys like saving). Such control scheme frees up a mode, and a hotkey (two, in fact: switching to mode, and the currently-dedicated scan-the-target key). Such control scheme is controller-agnostic (in fact, it'd be gamepad/joystick-friendly while not changing anything for keyboard players).

The freed up mode could be instead used as a "Match Speed" mode, which is currently a mode-that's-not-a-mode, i.e. it overrides the behavior of your ship but has no indication and is operated outside of the mode UI. Which is just inconsistent.

Sigh...

[csaba]

Or just be able to do it from let's say 5km for bigger margin of error? The pirates scan you from across sector anyway.

[tomchk]

I agree with radcapricorn: it would be best to simply combine the scanning modes. They already did this from XR to X4 with station scanning and scanning modes, right? This would hopefully not be too hard to do also...

[Imperial Good]

Seeing how scan progress continues when paused...

If anything scanning needs to be fixed first.

[Waltz9]

I never have issues with it.
I just select the ship I want to scan. Fly near it and then match my speed. "Shift + x" I think it was.
Then the only thing you need to do is scan and steer.

It shouldn't be to hard to do.

[GCU Grey Area]

I CAN use the shift+f hotkey, but it's kind of annoying...

Does seem annoying, so curious why you use that specific hotkey & haven't rebound it to something more convenient. I use NUM- (I'm left handed, so all the important stuff is located around the numpad) & have no issues at all scanning ships. Only circumstances where I use Shift+anything is for functions I don't want to activate accidentally (e.g. turning off the HUD), everything else is assigned to single keys.

[birdtable]

For the HOTAS user it is a frustrating experience, taking your hands off the controller to use keystrokes is not suitable and using info screen box (with HOTAS) which is not in the natural eyeline and then scrolling down is not suitable either... Then of course it is so easy to lose targeting....so you start again .... Overall scanning is possible but a pointlessly annoying experience.
Have they suddenly fixed "Match Speed" because it never worked properly in my game play
radcapricorn gets my vote.,,,,

[radcapricorn]

Have they suddenly fixed "Match Speed" because it never worked properly in my game play

The old "Match Speed" key needed to be held down to work. The new "Match Speed" context menu option (in 3.0) will set your ship to continuously match speed with target without needing to hold anything down. That's why I call it mode-not-a-mode: it's a fancy cruise control (which you can still override by throttling up/down).

I say "old", I should say "existing". The hotkey is not removed, so we get both. Which would just confuse new people.

[birdtable]

@ radcapricorn Just checked and .... yes "match speed" works .... I never had a hotkey press with X52pro ... just the target info screen and scroll down and then push button ..

[tomchk]

The hotkey does now stay active like a toggle, so you don't need to hold it down? I think they said they wanted it that way.

[radcapricorn]

No, the hotkey works as before. The "Match Speed" that you select from context menu stays active until you go through the menu again to disable it.