I hate the message backlog

[Falcrack]

I hate how messages get stored up to display only after I close the map. I'm sitting here for like 20 minutes with map closed so I can clear out that seemingly endless backlog. I turned off all but the most critical notifications, but old notifications that happened before I turned off these notifications still show up.

There really needs to be a way to show current messages on the map. Not storing a backlog to wait until I am out of the map. I'm sure Egosoft could find a solution that wouldn't cover up too much of the map but still display these messages while in the map or other menus.

[Scoob]

I feel the same way. I've turned off most notifications, retaining important ones about attacks and ship destruction. However, I still lost a whole Fighter group due to not being notified until several minutes after the event...

My ships, just guarding a Station Build Plot of mine, had wandered into a hazardous region and were being melted. I'd not long assigned them, and I was in the map screen managing my empire for a few minutes. I exit the map screen - no notifications yet and do some other bits. A few minutes later still, I check on my build plot and see that the ENTIRE fighter group were destroyed. A few minutes after that, up pop the notifications lol.

If there was some problem notifying us when the map screen is open, so they get queued up, well, that's not a good solution. All it means is that the player is NOT notified when a notification might actuall be of use and enable to player to change the course of events. I debated reloading after those ship losses, but my save was a little older than I'd like and I'd done a LOT of empire management stuff.

How could this work better do you think? There's obviously some issue here. I mean, I can get Video notifications when the Map is open - which helps with some incidents - however I have to close the map to be able to interact with them. I.e. Video expects me to press "f" to respond and select an option, but is unresponsive to "f" until I exit the map.

My game is approaching two days old, and the universe is getting busy. Lots of calls for my attention and I've not even started major Military fleet movements yet...

[Alan Phipps]

Just to clarify, I don't think that anyone is seriously asking for the game to be paused whilst the player is in map or menu - that would be too cheesy or inefficient IMO. We just want a better real-time notification system with a method to identify where/what the problem is and enable an quick and focused response to it, no matter what we were doing in-game at the time of incident - I think.

[Scoob]

Just to clarify, I don't think that anyone is seriously asking for the game to be paused whilst the player is in map or menu - that would be too cheesy or inefficient IMO. We just want a better real-time notification system with a method to identify where/what the problem is and enable an quick and focused response to it, no matter what we were doing in-game at the time of incident - I think.

No, nothing like that. Though currently manually pausing when issuing orders via the map screen is a good way to work-around the issue. Not always practical though of course. Reckon I'd have 25% less game time if I paused every time I used the map.

A better real-time system is certainly all I'm asking. I mean, missing ships taking damage and ultimately being destroyed is sorta serious lol.

[vvvvvvvv]

Just to clarify, I don't think that anyone is seriously asking for the game to be paused whilst the player is in map or menu - that would be too cheesy or inefficient IMO. We just want a better real-time notification system with a method to identify where/what the problem is and enable an quick and focused response to it, no matter what we were doing in-game at the time of incident - I think.

Well, sometimes notifications are displayed on top of the map, that would be the way to do it.

[adeine]

The best way to do it would be to have a persistent message ticker/bar at the bottom of the screen across menus.

Something like this


Then clicking (anywhere) on a notification while in the map interface could directly take you to it on the map. Simple and convenient.

[Baconnaise]

I'd also like to add that the UI being at an angle is also an issue. I use flatUI mod since the angled UI is mid. It would've been nice if EGO had options for more granular UI settings. The old messages displayed have been quite the nuisance for years. I've developed habits of closing the map and just walking away until it clears out. I am kind of surprised nobody has attempted to address this with mods. I'm assuming there is no easy to correct this oversight. Most of my mods are all tweaks or QoL types heh.

[oddgit]

In late stage games, i have almost all of what is show there turned off. I believe it is now just rep loss, something under attack/harassment or destroyed.

[Duncaroos]

The best way to do it would be to have a persistent message ticker/bar at the bottom of the screen across menus.

Something like this


Then clicking (anywhere) on a notification while in the map interface could directly take you to it on the map. Simple and convenient.

Is that a mod? Share please if so

[adeine]

The best way to do it would be to have a persistent message ticker/bar at the bottom of the screen across menus.

Something like this


Then clicking (anywhere) on a notification while in the map interface could directly take you to it on the map. Simple and convenient.

Is that a mod? Share please if so

Sadly no. It's a mockup I made a couple of years ago petitioning for UI/UX improvements.

[taztaz502]

Apparently it was a requested feature (By who god knows), i've just turned off all notifications it got far too annoying.

[adeine]

Apparently it was a requested feature (By who god knows), i've just turned off all notifications it got far too annoying.

Requested in the sense that people do not like being blind while in the map screen (or build screens, etc.) and missing vital notifications. No one asked for this 'solution' where it just jams up the notifications altogether.

[azaghal]

I hate how messages get stored up to display only after I close the map. I'm sitting here for like 20 minutes with map closed so I can clear out that seemingly endless backlog. I turned off all but the most critical notifications, but old notifications that happened before I turned off these notifications still show up.

Just wait until you miss-configure an alert

At some point I was experimenting (via mod) with using the game hints/help to show a message when managing things on the map or designing stations. I used it primarily for notifications from scout ships when they wrap up their orders, but was thinking of extending it to alerts etc as well. It would basically show me a hint for a limited period of time (that can also be dismissed). That tidbit of code died in an accident (it was a hack on top of some mod that added tickbox to alert player when order has been carried out), but it was fairly simple.

I really wish we had some kind of notification area with list of messages, comms etc, with scrolling/history where we could easily click to get to relevant map position and issue the necessary orders etc - and that would be visible no matter where you are in the game. I have often found the harassment reports from pilots to be kinda useless because I never knew what kind of danger is accosting them, or how easy would it be for me to intervene. Quite often I have dumped cargo only to realise that I had some major assets in vicinity that could have taken care of the pirate instead.

P.S.
And no - the logbook/messages screens are really not fit for this purpose - I usually find them useful only for some kind of post-mortems only.

[Y-llian]

Another solution might be to have a ‘high priority’ toggle in the message settings. When a player selects this the message will display even if the map is open.

I like Adeine’s ticker idea… With the ‘high priority’ toggle stuff the player chooses as HP can then display in the ticker. Failing that, just bring up the message box for HP notifications. Everything not deemed HP can “queue” in the normal manner until the map closes again.

Like Scoob, I’ve lost assets because I wasn’t told stuff and when I was eventually told, it was too late. After all, my minions dying, especially the trained ones, is kinda a big deal.

[adeine]

Another solution might be to have a ‘high priority’ toggle in the message settings. When a player selects this the message will display even if the map is open.

I like Adeine’s ticker idea… With the ‘high priority’ toggle stuff the player chooses as HP can then display in the ticker. Failing that, just bring up the message box for HP notifications. Everything not deemed HP can “queue” in the normal manner until the map closes again.

Like Scoob, I’ve lost assets because I wasn’t told stuff and when I was eventually told, it was too late. After all, my minions dying, especially the trained ones, is kinda a big deal.

I think there's no need to limit it to high priority or anything like that. If you have a ticker bar you can just instantly update it with notifications as they roll in, and use the scroll wheel (when on the bar) or some button(s) to cycle back through past messages if necessary.

The notification settings we already have ought to be enough in that case.

[taztaz502]

Apparently it was a requested feature (By who god knows), i've just turned off all notifications it got far too annoying.

Requested in the sense that people do not like being blind while in the map screen (or build screens, etc.) and missing vital notifications. No one asked for this 'solution' where it just jams up the notifications altogether.

That's why egosoft require people to be extra specific, did you include a save game file with your request?

[Split-knot]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear before the update that came with Timelines, most if not all of the notifications would appear even when you were on the map screen. I only noticed the backlog when I played the beta.

[Virtualaughing]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear before the update that came with Timelines, most if not all of the notifications would appear even when you were on the map screen. I only noticed the backlog when I played the beta.

I have an i3570k CPU (2012). Before the current version I had no experience of the issues above. The game advanced quite a bit in optimization. This is the first setback I can remember.
Maybe the worst thing is when you hire the builder from the building menu. The "mission success" sound also comes with a delay.

[PersonyPerson]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear before the update that came with Timelines, most if not all of the notifications would appear even when you were on the map screen. I only noticed the backlog when I played the beta.

Correct. It was changed in 7.00 Beta 5 if I recall. This has been a regular complaint for a while now, ever since it was changed. Here's one example that was close to the time it was changed: viewtopic.php?p=5231121

I had no serious issues with the ticker before then. Loved the fact that all of them were in real time. If I wanted to know if a ship was lost that I didn't catch through the ticker, I'd simply check the logs. I'm fairly sure it was changed to make it so players who didn't regularly do this to now know definitively that a ship was lost, because that was a complaint that some players made.

Problem is that the solution was at the expense of the rest of the utility of the ticker. The queuing of all the messages pretty much made it useless to me. The backlog can build up to such a degree if one doesn't cut down significantly on the type of notifications you receive, that if you're viewing the map for long periods of time that it's impossible to get real time notifications anymore, and that includes everything from alerts to trade transactions to even the intended purpose of the change, ship loss notifications.

I've said it multiple times now on threads like these, but I hope the changes that were made then get either reversed or made to be optional. It's probably the only thing that makes me properly mad in the game and makes me constantly question "Why did they do this?".

[charlie1024]

The real limitation is from the limitation of the checking message in map. If the user can check the message in the map itself then the messages have no any reason to be queued.