Read in the front page news that beam weapons are finally implemented, so thought i'd give the game another attempt..
..it's going REALLY badly so far, though..
Instead of listing all the problems individually, i'll just summarise:
• Every single thing about the UI that deviates from standard FE2/FFE is terrible, broken and unusable. The entire UI should begin by simply copying the basic layout and functions of Frontier: Elite, and THEN maybe think about trying new ideas, if they don't break the basic game. Right now, it's unplayable.
Example: To try and get to the new beam weapons, i've being doing missions from the BBS. Because by default you start out with pulse cannons, any kind of combat-oriented missions are unplayable (projectiles are dumb, retarded, stupid, moronic, idiotic, pointless, a complete waste of time and effort on every level - THERE IS no 'combat' using 'pulse cannons', full stop.) So i've been doing lame cargo runs instead.
Finally got enough dough to buy a beam weapon.. but how to fit it? The right-hand side of the 'equipment' screen only shows a class 3 hyperdrive. Clicking on it automatically removes it, without any confirmation or warning, and you lose money refitting it. No other equipment's listed. Clicking on the 'pulse cannon' listed on the left-hand side simply throws up the message "Your ship is fully equipped". Clicking on "1 MW Beam Laser" gives the same useless message. There is no option to remove anything. There is no option to fit anything. I've spent the last hour trying - for the life of me - to swap out the idiotic pulse cannon for a possibly-useful beam laser, without the slightest morsel of progress. Is the pulse cannon an irremovable, integral part of the Sinonatrix? Is the hyperdrive the only component that can be changed? None of this makes any sense...
The rest of the 'ships manifest' and 'loadout' screens make no sense either. How come i have a 30t fuel tank but only 9t of cargo space? What's that extra 2t of hydrogen fuel i see, above the 9t of hydrogen fuel i keep rebuying? It's utterly bizarre. All of it. The whole thing makes no sense whatsoever. I'm totally discombobulated here..
All i wanna do is earn some bread, kit out the ship and go find me some furballs, Elite style-e.. and it's SO not happening..
The cluttered new circular HUD thingy is horrid - can't we at least have the option to disable it? We need ironsights and vector reticles in the center of the screen, and speed / altitude readouts in the lower corners. Nothing else needs to clutter the HUD. The FA-on/off key/icon should also toggle AP in the same sequence. The F7 (or whatever) key should mirror the icon function. Instead, i have to move the mouse pointer in great sweeps around the screen, from this corner to that, selecting the AP function from the drop-down widget, then down to the bottom of the screen to select FA-off to disable AP when i want manual control..? In Frontier: Elite you just hit F7 to cycle through these functions quickly and efficiently..
The time-acceleration auto-reduces when near massive bodies, thus chaotically speeding up and slowing down the gameplay with no control!? Can't this be disabled?
The two external view options keep resetting their zoom levels every time you switch between them, wasting critical, confusing seconds trying to work out which view mode you're in (esp. when coming under attack!).
I'm gonna stop now before i really start going into one.. listing all the issues here, i'd be up all night. First things first, we need simple, clear, COHERENT UI controls, and 'buy / sell' icons next to equipment listings (with confirmation clicks before any equipment changes are implemented). If instead 'add / remove' functions are going to be split between left and right-hand sides of the screen (needlessly duplicating listings, but whatever), then it needs to be implemented CONSITENTLY, so ALL 'fitted' equipment is listed on the right-hand side, and all 'for sale' kit on the left-hand side. Better, however, just to list it all once, with 'buy/sell' or 'add/remove' icons next to each listing, per Frontier: Elite..
FWIW i'm an 'ace' Frontier: Elite pilot. If i can't control this thing, good luck garnering anyone else's enthusiasm..
Back to FFED3D for me... :(
How to change equipment?
Re: How to change equipment?
While I agree with most of your complaints, I will try to help with the current UI. Please note that people are working on improving the UI already, and they will keep this feedback in mind.
I agree everything you said about pulse cannons and combat. It is garbage.
In the equipment tab, the menu on the left lists the equipment being sold at the station, the list on the right shows your currently fitted equipment. If you click on an equipment on the left-side menu, you will buy it (if you have enough space, slots (space and slot is different) and money). If you click on an equipment on the right-side menu, you will sell it.
(So if you want to install a beam laser on a Sinonatrix you will have to sell the pulse cannon first)
The equipment that requires a better tech level than the station's tech level will not be listed on either side, and you will have to fly to a different station to trade it.
The fuel tank is the propellant source that your Newtonian thrusters use. You use that fuel to fire your thrusters and fly around. The hydrogen in your cargo hold can be used for hyperspace jumps or for trading. You can pump fuel between your cargo hold and fuel tank if you need, by going to the cargo tab (the one with the shopping cart icon) in the F3 menu.
The auto-reducing of the time accel is a safety feature, both for the player and the computation of stuff. Unless you are in combat, you can force time acceleration by Ctrl+Left Click.
If you requested a time-accel higher than available (but not force it), it will glow and auto-increase the time accel at first opportunity.
Another thing, I actually find it better reading the speed and altitude near the reticule, so I will disagree with that one. I have more than 35.000ly travelled and more than 100 kills in Pioneer (52 with pulse cannons alone), so this game has it's fans too, just so you know~
I agree everything you said about pulse cannons and combat. It is garbage.
In the equipment tab, the menu on the left lists the equipment being sold at the station, the list on the right shows your currently fitted equipment. If you click on an equipment on the left-side menu, you will buy it (if you have enough space, slots (space and slot is different) and money). If you click on an equipment on the right-side menu, you will sell it.
(So if you want to install a beam laser on a Sinonatrix you will have to sell the pulse cannon first)
The equipment that requires a better tech level than the station's tech level will not be listed on either side, and you will have to fly to a different station to trade it.
The fuel tank is the propellant source that your Newtonian thrusters use. You use that fuel to fire your thrusters and fly around. The hydrogen in your cargo hold can be used for hyperspace jumps or for trading. You can pump fuel between your cargo hold and fuel tank if you need, by going to the cargo tab (the one with the shopping cart icon) in the F3 menu.
The auto-reducing of the time accel is a safety feature, both for the player and the computation of stuff. Unless you are in combat, you can force time acceleration by Ctrl+Left Click.
If you requested a time-accel higher than available (but not force it), it will glow and auto-increase the time accel at first opportunity.
Another thing, I actually find it better reading the speed and altitude near the reticule, so I will disagree with that one. I have more than 35.000ly travelled and more than 100 kills in Pioneer (52 with pulse cannons alone), so this game has it's fans too, just so you know~