Star Map Needs Some Enhancements... Suggestion

[magusat999]

There has been some changes as a result of U14 that makes it less convenient to find "pick up games" using the star map. You also do not have the resource list - essential for deploying Extractors. [EDIT: There IS a Resource List, just not at the Solar level of the Star Map - I suggest adding this list to the top of the star map when hovering over a planet - and allowing us to deploy Extractors from there, instead of having to open the planet up to find out what resources are there.].The way it is designed, players can no longer tell how many or if there are squads at the planets or mission levels. We used to be able to get information abut the number of squads and the list of resources by simply hovering over the planet. The current map is nice aesthetically, but the functions need enhancement.

 

1. Give us information at the solar level when hovering over the planet. Currently all hovering does is highlight the planet to indicate it is selected (or could be if you then click on it). There is plenty of non-competing room at this point to show us the planetary stats and the squad numbers (see pic below).

 

2. At the mission level, we should be shown the squads in that mission, that we can join. An improvement over U13 could be that the mystery of whether we can join a squad can be erased. Show us the OPEN SQUADS in that mission. 

 

3. I'd go so far as to add giving us the squad's make-up and mission completion %.

 

4. For each mission area, how about a story - a short synopsis of the area? If there are special / unique resources just in that area, how about listing it per area?

 

To clarify, this information can and should be incorporated into the Star Map, as a part of the process of finding a mission or resources - the Codex is a story library, not the Star Map - it MAY BE in the Codex, but that doesn't help make the navigation and squad finding less convenient - so before anyone says it, no, the codex is not good enough to fulfill this function, and when we are in the codex we are not in the Star Map...

 

 

Notice Here I am highlighting Jupiter - why not give us info about the planet HERE, instead of me having to click on Jupiter first? This is where we could have the total number of active squads and resources (sneak peak / pop-up). We can get deeper info once we actually open the planet. Right now this is all you get - the name of the planet only...

 

This kind of contextual information adds to the richness of the game. The informational resources (functions) help to simplify the process of finding areas, people to play and play with. Clicking on an area and "waiting for a squad" is boring and frustrating - the whole process can be more predictable and help people move to their objective quicker and without confusion.

Edited July 26, 2014 by magusat999