STO & Roccat Power Grid

cleevey

Check it out a video of it used in-game at Tom's Hardware Guide:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/smart-grid-gaming-software,3622-5.html

The Roccat Power Grid software is free and so is the Star Trek Online LCARS Grid.

tangolight

So I was reading Tom's Hardware and noticed they talking about an app that lets you do things with your PC using your mobile device. That's not really a new thing, but it's the level of customization they have available here short of doing a remote desktop or virtual keyboard that was pretty nifty.

Then, they showed their example. And they used STO for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Yj6cJb_Fo

You can see their full article here, including how to customize the free program (for both iOS and Android) http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/smart-grid-gaming-software,3622.html

Now, before this starts sounding too much like I'm just trying to give free advertising, my point is that after seeing that, I decided to give the program a try. I've seen posts in the past from people who wanted a more LCARS like interface with STO, and this app can provide something like that.

As a test, I made my own package for STO (since the one they use in the video above doesn't appear to be available anywhere). All the buttons work, but I'm curious if anyone has any good ideas of how to make it feel even more Trek like, or if there were other obvious functions to add in that I didn't.

The main drawbacks here is that space is limited as I'm not using a tablet, so I couldn't fit all my BO abilities on there, and I couldn't get the generic slash commands like "/GenSendMessage Root ShowPowers" to work. Which is too bad, because then I'd have a way to make it so that the 'Skills' button would always open the skills, no matter what your keybinds were. So instead, it's tied to keybinds, so my 'Emergency Power to Shields' button only works with ships that have that power set to Alt-7. On the other hand, it's not too hard to change the button to use a different input.

I was however, able to use my setup and took my Defiant out into combat and using only the app, successfully hailed a friendly ship, and blew up a few NPCs.

Here's what my layout current looks like:
Top half
Bottom half

I didn't label all the buttons, but the functions are, in order:

• Scan, Map
• Fire all weapons, Fire torpedoes, High Yield Torpedo
• Distribute Shield Power, Emergency Power to Shields, Hazard Emitters
• Throttle Down, Pitch Down, Throttle Up
• Bank left, Pitch Up, Bank Right

...and the rest are all labelled. I also made it so that if you tap on the 'Propulsion Systems' block, it will toggle full impulse.

Has anyone else tried making a grid for STO? Or is there a better app to use for this?

dirlettia

If I was going to log into STO why would I do it through a phone? From watching the video it seems to be able to only send key presses to the client. While you are unable to see the screen remotely for me this app is totally pointless for any legitimate usage.

tangolight

The idea isn't to remotely play STO, but to be able to control it using a more LCARS like interface.