After taking a closer look at the screenshots, I noticed a few other things.
Where are the buffs and debuffs shown? I don't see any on the target or above the player's ship-and-shield tray.
What does that targeting reticle actually do? Is there no tab-targeting? I can see how a targeting reticle might be useful for cannon users in chase-cam mode, but those screenshots weren't taken in chase-cam mode. It's not clear to me what function that reticle serves.
After taking a closer look at the screenshots, I noticed a few other things.
Where are the buffs and debuffs shown? I don't see any on the target or above the player's ship-and-shield tray.
What does that targeting reticle actually do? Is there no tab-targeting? I can see how a targeting reticle might be useful for cannon users in chase-cam mode, but those screenshots weren't taken in chase-cam mode. It's not clear to me what function that reticle serves.
Good question. As I understand, on the ground the shooter mode will be the only console option, and there targeting happens with a reticle, but will that also be used in space? It might be there is an equivalent of tab-targeting (tab isn't on a console controller ), but the reticle is what replaces the mouse pointers.
Kinda academic for me, I will stay on the PC. But still interesting (as academics often are ).
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Well to be honest I was waiting for console version of this game for long time now...
From what I can see so far, it's going to look great, but I'm still a bit skeptical how the new UI and console controller would affect the gameplay and the speed of the controls. But again, we'll have to see it in action before we can judge it.
I own xbox one and I think there is one feature that not many games take advantage of. Xbox Smartglass Companion App (I would guess PS4 has something similar). This is an app for your smartphone or tablet, that gives you option to connect your device to your console and either run a companion app for the currently playing game, or control the console in general.
For a game complex like STO, which uses so many menus and which has so much depth, additional screen would be awesome way to control parts of the game. Now this would be even better addition to consoles as we will loose some multitasking when most menus will be full screen.
Having menus full screen will (if not prevent you) limit your ability to use menus while flying, or any other multitasking.
Now as most (I'm pretty sure 99%) of players have either smartphone or a tablet and that would be a good thing to have. As it might give players some advantage during combat, it could be limited to non-combat menus and commands.
This really seems like a crippling lack of functionality (radial menus, lack of keybinds, etc.) To me, using a keyboard is half of what makes this feel like being at the helm of a starship in the first place. Heck, I'm not happy about having to use the mouse for anything in-game (because it breaks immersion), and wish it could ALL be hotkeyed. (Seriously, they never use a mouse on the Enterprise, just buttons on TOS, TAS, ENT and the movies, and touchscreen buttons on TNG, DS9 and VOY. Well, there was that silly joystick in Insurrection, but still...)
If you want to clear some rubbish off the interface, get rid of the pop-up docking dweebs at ESD, DS9 and Drozana, and just give us a docking button immediately on arrival in system, as at new Romulus.
I'm sorry, but to me, this UI looks like the equivalent of trying to cram the Encyclopedia Britannica into a fortune cookie - you are going to lose critical functionality for whimsy. I certainly hope this NEVER comes to PC - or if it does, that it remains optional.
Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them.
This better not be something we're forced in to on the PC. I have no issues with the way it is. If it ever comes to PC, keep it optional. The devs track record with the UI is far from stellar.
Why on earth NOT A DESIGN based on VOICE COMMAND ?
Every captain use it all the time .... it is authentic star trek experience
1)held down a button ( activate voice command )
2)say a word or sentence like: "Computer, frite all potatos " or "Chicken noodle soup! Hot! "
LOL
Well I dont know jack about UI design but I would also make some sort attack patterns
no STO pattern but a sequence of STO captain's abilities and feed into the Computer before battle
and only use voice to activate that particular serie of attacks or heal combo.
Doing that would eliminate a lot of things for the players
and you can basicly add increditable amount of abilities to STO
my fat clumpsy fingers can not select abilities on a circle menu
I really really thought you guys were doing the voice command thingies with consoles....
any chance to change it at last minute?
or you guys are doing it at secret ?
or CBS said no to voice command
or I have to do it myself? I cant do it because I can only code Hodor.
Hodorrrrrrrr Hodorrrrrrr
There is no game with vocie commands that, you know, fckn work.
No game.
I've got voice commands set up for STO thinking I couldn't manage everything. As I've been playing I have completely weened off of voice commands and use my controller only at this point.
Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them.
Yknow.. i hope you guys FIX that issue with powers miss firing.....
and good luck having an ordered menue of the like 30+ things people are gonna have to slot.
Perhaps you should finally do the rational thing, and allow all players to use a simople drag and drop to slot powers into macro packs that get all activated at once.
There it is. I call it the ship's computer. Automated ship functions. Frankly with FTL computers this is canon.
Never seen a good console menue with more than like 5-6 things. It get cramped and in the heat of battle, things get recket.
There more you have to fiddle around ,the more horrible it gets.
Macros. Inbuild, user friendly macros. Do it. Trust me on this. You UI problems will go poof never to be heard of again.
THe X box controller has 4 action buttons, and yo ucan assign the 2 shoulder and 2 triggers towards shifting through sets of those buttons. You easily get 4 sets of action buttons readily available for the palyer.
Radial menues sck.
Radials are fine when they can freeze gameplay which is impossible in an MMO.
After taking a closer look at the screenshots, I noticed a few other things.
Where are the buffs and debuffs shown? I don't see any on the target or above the player's ship-and-shield tray.
What does that targeting reticle actually do? Is there no tab-targeting? I can see how a targeting reticle might be useful for cannon users in chase-cam mode, but those screenshots weren't taken in chase-cam mode. It's not clear to me what function that reticle serves.
Good question. As I understand, on the ground the shooter mode will be the only console option, and there targeting happens with a reticle, but will that also be used in space? It might be there is an equivalent of tab-targeting (tab isn't on a console controller ), but the reticle is what replaces the mouse pointers.
Kinda academic for me, I will stay on the PC. But still interesting (as academics often are ).
Tab targetting could be assigned to the shoulder buttons (L1 & R1).
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
I don't know if anyone has asked yet...
there are those of us that play on pc that have consoles, is there a possibility that there will be a beta for console that we will have access to help test for the devs? and will it be starting fresh or cross platform?
I don't know if anyone has asked yet...
there are those of us that play on pc that have consoles, is there a possibility that there will be a beta for console that we will have access to help test for the devs? and will it be starting fresh or cross platform?
I think there's another thread on the forums asking this
Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them.
This better not be something we're forced in to on the PC. I have no issues with the way it is. If it ever comes to PC, keep it optional. The devs track record with the UI is far from stellar.
The battle UI in space shouldn't be changed for PC, but the user interfaces such as ship equipment status etc would look awesome with LCARS design on the PC for sure.
"Everything about the Jham'Hadar is lethal!" - Eris
Original Join Date: January 30th, 2010
One mans "removing the clutter" is anothers "dumping down for inferior controls". Its nice for consoleros I guess but the PC gamer in me goes on red alert by seeing the console UI screenshots.
I'll echo... don't want to see a radial menu forced on PC players.
Agreed.
And before I get the console hater branding: I have consoles; but they are for console games. Beat-em-ups like Street Fighter and such. I would never play those on PC regardless of the controller being PC plug & play ready.
Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them.
> @pwlaughingtrendy said: > Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them. > > One of our first goals in bringing Star Trek Online to console was to take a look at the UI. > > ~Morrigan "LaughingTrendy"
I think that you guys should use nicer consoles and weapons for your brouchers. A new B'rel with 5 tac consoles would be nice too.
I have a VERY good question. bearing in mind both consoles either support/offer their own peripherals like chat pads and or full sized keyboards, will functionality be included that takes advantage of either option?
Good question! I've played a few console MMO's (and MMOish games) over the years and while I usually did most of the activity with the controller, I usually had a keyboard hooked up as well and did some things with that. For example, I used keyboard control for "some" abilities and "Rest and recover" function in FFXI
I like what I'm seeing with the console ui, but there are going to be more than a few players who will prefer options other than the radial menus.
Or options in "addition" to the radial menus, which do tend to work fairly well and quickly once you get used to them.
Fallout 4's menu isn't radial, it's a tabbed menu, much like Oblivion's actually. You know what radial menus are right? Round ones with selections in a ring? Sometimes called Pie menus?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_menu You'll notice the statement in the comparison section on how Pie menus are faster and use muscle memory. It also says how they work best when options are laid out by humans and have logical groupings. I would think that Science, Tactical, Engineering and Captain make logical groupings.
There is a good reason I've played this "PC game" all these years--I can't stand console games (design, interface, button mashing, etc.). If you guys mutate this game into a glorified console game, dumb'ing it down, I'm outta here!
It never was intended to be a "PC game" it was intended to be on multiple platforms from the start. In fact, when Cryptic took over development, they listed it as PC AND console title. And in 2010...SIX years ago, they stated that they ALREADY had it working on consoles but decided against releasing it at that time:
"I'm going to be blunt about this, PC gamers in general aren't any different from console gamers. They make "think" they are more cerebral or "better", but most of them are not any different from some Madden player on Xbox.
That includes MMO players. Whether it is FFXI, WoW, EQOA, DCUO, LOTRO, Freerealms, Runescape, Onigiri, TESO, STO, Defiance, you get the same sorts of player types and behavior. You think those EQOA players, playing on the PS2 back in 2003 didn't talk about builds and min-maxing just like people do here? (Also you could play EQOA on PS2 entirely with a keyboard if you wanted.)
Yeah, I know how PC guys get a bit perturbed when "their" game goes cross-platform...you should have seen the whining in the Diablo 3 forums. And I know you're worried that the PC version will get "slighted", but that doesn't usually happen. There's still a PC version of Diablo that only supports keyboard and mouse, and DCUO, and TESO, and War Thunder, and Onigiri"
my second concern...is how are accounts going to be handled? can we sign in and share progress between pc/console, or are we going to end up forced into starting from scratch, or worse, given the choice to migrate one way to console?
Why on earth NOT A DESIGN based on VOICE COMMAND ?
Every captain use it all the time .... it is authentic star trek experience
I was wondering that as well. "Helm! Impulse to 100 percent!" "Helm, Full stop" "Helm, Warp Speed...Engage!" (to leave sector), "Evasive Action" "Hazard Emitters!":"Science Team on Player 2" "High Yield Torpedos on my mark"
There is no game with voice commands that, you know, fckn work.
No game.
I have console games within 10 feet of me that have voice commands that work. The first of which was released 14 YEARS ago.....on the PS2 (The game manual mentions it uses technology/libraries from Dragon Naturally Speaking!) I also know that there's going to be a console strategy game released next week that uses voice command very similar to how a Star Trek captain would...not only that but one of the game's voice actors is Wil Wheaton!
And of course you can use your voice to control a PS4 in the first place. Taking screenshots, starting games, etc etc.
Maybe voice control "doesn't work" on PC because game developers don't actually implement where they could?
Anyway, I'm hoping they also use the ability to HOLD a button to enable multiple functions. For example, tapping left on the d-pad in TESO changes weapon (and the skill bar assigned to that weapon), but HOLDING it puts the current weapon away. Or the touch pad. tapping it brings up the map, but holding it summons the mount.
They can also use the touchpad as multiple buttons. In Diablo 3 tapping the left side brings up inventory, but tapping the right side brings up the skills menu.
There is also the option of modifier buttons, a button has one function used by itself, but ANOTHER function when another button is held down. Diablo on the PSone used this to great effect with it's "Combo button" feature. (for example L2+R2 toggles the map and R2+ square brings up inventory) as does Sacred 2 on the PS3. In fact shift buttons are used to enable multiple skill sets in Sacred 2 allowing you to have up to 12 quickly available.
Maybe voice control "doesn't work" on PC because game developers don't actually implement where they could?
Voice commands work just fine on PC. Windows even has a program that allows you to customize your own voice macros. Unfortunately STO blocks the windows commands and a third party voice control program has to be used.
Comments
Kinda academic for me, I will stay on the PC. But still interesting (as academics often are
From what I can see so far, it's going to look great, but I'm still a bit skeptical how the new UI and console controller would affect the gameplay and the speed of the controls. But again, we'll have to see it in action before we can judge it.
I own xbox one and I think there is one feature that not many games take advantage of. Xbox Smartglass Companion App (I would guess PS4 has something similar). This is an app for your smartphone or tablet, that gives you option to connect your device to your console and either run a companion app for the currently playing game, or control the console in general.
For a game complex like STO, which uses so many menus and which has so much depth, additional screen would be awesome way to control parts of the game. Now this would be even better addition to consoles as we will loose some multitasking when most menus will be full screen.
Having menus full screen will (if not prevent you) limit your ability to use menus while flying, or any other multitasking.
Now as most (I'm pretty sure 99%) of players have either smartphone or a tablet and that would be a good thing to have. As it might give players some advantage during combat, it could be limited to non-combat menus and commands.
If you want to clear some rubbish off the interface, get rid of the pop-up docking dweebs at ESD, DS9 and Drozana, and just give us a docking button immediately on arrival in system, as at new Romulus.
I'm sorry, but to me, this UI looks like the equivalent of trying to cram the Encyclopedia Britannica into a fortune cookie - you are going to lose critical functionality for whimsy. I certainly hope this NEVER comes to PC - or if it does, that it remains optional.
Every captain use it all the time .... it is authentic star trek experience
1)held down a button ( activate voice command )
2)say a word or sentence like: "Computer, frite all potatos " or "Chicken noodle soup! Hot! "
LOL
Well I dont know jack about UI design but I would also make some sort attack patterns
no STO pattern but a sequence of STO captain's abilities and feed into the Computer before battle
and only use voice to activate that particular serie of attacks or heal combo.
Doing that would eliminate a lot of things for the players
and you can basicly add increditable amount of abilities to STO
my fat clumpsy fingers can not select abilities on a circle menu
I really really thought you guys were doing the voice command thingies with consoles....
any chance to change it at last minute?
or you guys are doing it at secret ?
or CBS said no to voice command
or I have to do it myself? I cant do it because I can only code Hodor.
Hodorrrrrrrr Hodorrrrrrr
There is no game with vocie commands that, you know, fckn work.
No game.
I want that UI for my Personal Computer !!! Let 'em know PLEASE TRENDY !!! PLEASE PLEASE with a KNOT of BACON on TOP !!!
This!
Put that reference back in it's box.... that was a sad day... Bloody good Episode tho
I've got voice commands set up for STO thinking I couldn't manage everything. As I've been playing I have completely weened off of voice commands and use my controller only at this point.
There it is. I call it the ship's computer. Automated ship functions. Frankly with FTL computers this is canon.
Radials are fine when they can freeze gameplay which is impossible in an MMO.
Tab targetting could be assigned to the shoulder buttons (L1 & R1).
there are those of us that play on pc that have consoles, is there a possibility that there will be a beta for console that we will have access to help test for the devs? and will it be starting fresh or cross platform?
I think there's another thread on the forums asking this
Edit: http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/discussion/1215807/so-uh-any-news-on-a-console-closed-beta
agreed
Original Join Date: January 30th, 2010
Agreed.
And before I get the console hater branding: I have consoles; but they are for console games. Beat-em-ups like Street Fighter and such. I would never play those on PC regardless of the controller being PC plug & play ready.
What i find annoying is this is a big question from PC users and PWE/Cryptic just ignores it. Why won't they just answer it and be done with it.
I agree. If this will be the pc UI too, then I am out the next day. I nearly bought the TA pack. I am most certainly holding off for now.
> Star Trek Online is a game that offers a deep and complex experience for its players, allowing them to not only explore strange new worlds on foot but also fly and fight through the spaces between them.
>
> One of our first goals in bringing Star Trek Online to console was to take a look at the UI.
>
> ~Morrigan "LaughingTrendy"
I think that you guys should use nicer consoles and weapons for your brouchers. A new B'rel with 5 tac consoles would be nice too.
All the best.
Good question! I've played a few console MMO's (and MMOish games) over the years and while I usually did most of the activity with the controller, I usually had a keyboard hooked up as well and did some things with that. For example, I used keyboard control for "some" abilities and "Rest and recover" function in FFXI
Or options in "addition" to the radial menus, which do tend to work fairly well and quickly once you get used to them.
Fallout 4's menu isn't radial, it's a tabbed menu, much like Oblivion's actually. You know what radial menus are right? Round ones with selections in a ring? Sometimes called Pie menus?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_menu You'll notice the statement in the comparison section on how Pie menus are faster and use muscle memory. It also says how they work best when options are laid out by humans and have logical groupings. I would think that Science, Tactical, Engineering and Captain make logical groupings.
Steve Ricossa already said "no", 13 days ago, why do people keep asking this question? Let me find the link where the response was stated
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/05/12/star-trek-online-explores-strange-new-worlds-on-ps4/#comment-1157611
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/05/12/star-trek-online-explores-strange-new-worlds-on-ps4/#comment-1157612
Oh I get it now, Playstation Blog. Some of you are PC partisan types so wouldn't have seen that.
It never was intended to be a "PC game" it was intended to be on multiple platforms from the start. In fact, when Cryptic took over development, they listed it as PC AND console title. And in 2010...SIX years ago, they stated that they ALREADY had it working on consoles but decided against releasing it at that time:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/star_trek_online/news/star_trek_online_on_console_scrapped.html
And as I said in a different post:
"I'm going to be blunt about this, PC gamers in general aren't any different from console gamers. They make "think" they are more cerebral or "better", but most of them are not any different from some Madden player on Xbox.
That includes MMO players. Whether it is FFXI, WoW, EQOA, DCUO, LOTRO, Freerealms, Runescape, Onigiri, TESO, STO, Defiance, you get the same sorts of player types and behavior. You think those EQOA players, playing on the PS2 back in 2003 didn't talk about builds and min-maxing just like people do here? (Also you could play EQOA on PS2 entirely with a keyboard if you wanted.)
Yeah, I know how PC guys get a bit perturbed when "their" game goes cross-platform...you should have seen the whining in the Diablo 3 forums. And I know you're worried that the PC version will get "slighted", but that doesn't usually happen. There's still a PC version of Diablo that only supports keyboard and mouse, and DCUO, and TESO, and War Thunder, and Onigiri"
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/05/12/star-trek-online-explores-strange-new-worlds-on-ps4/#comment-1157611
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/05/12/star-trek-online-explores-strange-new-worlds-on-ps4/#comment-1157612
I was wondering that as well. "Helm! Impulse to 100 percent!" "Helm, Full stop" "Helm, Warp Speed...Engage!" (to leave sector), "Evasive Action" "Hazard Emitters!":"Science Team on Player 2" "High Yield Torpedos on my mark"
I have console games within 10 feet of me that have voice commands that work. The first of which was released 14 YEARS ago.....on the PS2 (The game manual mentions it uses technology/libraries from Dragon Naturally Speaking!) I also know that there's going to be a console strategy game released next week that uses voice command very similar to how a Star Trek captain would...not only that but one of the game's voice actors is Wil Wheaton!
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/05/23/there-came-an-echo-hits-ps4-on-may-31/
And of course you can use your voice to control a PS4 in the first place. Taking screenshots, starting games, etc etc.
Maybe voice control "doesn't work" on PC because game developers don't actually implement where they could?
Anyway, I'm hoping they also use the ability to HOLD a button to enable multiple functions. For example, tapping left on the d-pad in TESO changes weapon (and the skill bar assigned to that weapon), but HOLDING it puts the current weapon away. Or the touch pad. tapping it brings up the map, but holding it summons the mount.
They can also use the touchpad as multiple buttons. In Diablo 3 tapping the left side brings up inventory, but tapping the right side brings up the skills menu.
There is also the option of modifier buttons, a button has one function used by itself, but ANOTHER function when another button is held down. Diablo on the PSone used this to great effect with it's "Combo button" feature. (for example L2+R2 toggles the map and R2+ square brings up inventory) as does Sacred 2 on the PS3. In fact shift buttons are used to enable multiple skill sets in Sacred 2 allowing you to have up to 12 quickly available.
Thusly, I'm not too worried about the UI.
Voice commands work just fine on PC. Windows even has a program that allows you to customize your own voice macros. Unfortunately STO blocks the windows commands and a third party voice control program has to be used.