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Running out of space GUI ability buttons!!!
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Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
With all the new ability consoles recently entering STO, I am now now finding that I cannot use them due to insufficient space GUI button slots to map them with. The base GUI only gives me 30 button areas to map, and I easily need about 35+ to use my ship effectively. At this pace, a 4th button row needs to be introduced to keep up with so many extra ship and BO abilities.
If there's already another thread on this issue, please link it here so that I may sign it.
If there's already another thread on this issue, please link it here so that I may sign it.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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-fireworks
-MVAM Console -- 3 button mapping needed to fully use
-Photonic Shockwave torp console
-Thunderchild's point-defense turret
-Gladius Console's escort thruster module
-Borg Set tractor beam
-Breen Set power siphon
How about adding a 4th row of buttons, thereby expanding the available button grid from 3x10 to 4x10?
Also recently there were some changes to the space GUI. A 4th option was added so you can show Icons of the BO's assigned to your stations, as well as 3 additional slots. THis may help solve the not enough GUI problem.
Just my thoughts.
Yes, well aware of it... tends to cause problems when I click the wrong spot during heavy combat. I already use the new display mode that shows BO's with their abilities in addition to the 3x10 main GUI, but it requires a lot more mouse cursor travel, which translates into delayed BO ability activations.
Cryptic, please address this GUI design flaw before F2P goes live. Thanks!
honestly, i pvp with a lot of keybinds and i have 15 slots in the gui still empty, i really don't see how you'd POSSIBLY need 30 + 12 boff stations
what i use:
4 transwarps
diplo immunity
quantum slipstream
borg tractor
battery
6 captain skills - brace, evasives, alpha, tac initiative, FOMM, GDF, tac fleet
fleet support, ramming, self destruct
i rly don't think u'd need more...
add 3 mvam separation slots and 2 pay-to-win consoles...
thats still 8 or 7 free slots left...
i always have empty buttons (and i use only 2 rows + BOff row)...
i am sure something can be done about that without cluttering the UI further
for example i have out of combat powers (transwarps / pets etc.) on row 10 and press the down arrow besides row 1 when i need any of that.
also IF more icons on the Power bar, i'd rather have them go left and right instead of further up into the field of view.
Here are some tips:
Move your QSS, Transwarps, Fireworks and any not essential abilities to the 4th bar and go to it when you need it. (This includes worthless abilities like: Abandon Ship, Ramming Speed and Fleet Support.) Remove your weapons from your main bars, they have their own window, use it.
I hope this helps.
PS: Here is my setup on a Tac/Escort build: http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5625/screenshot2011112417264.jpg
I can't post a screen shot at the moment, but here's what I typically use on my 3x10 button array:
Row-1: Dist Shields, Dampening Field, AP-Omega3, CRF2, CRF1, TSS2, HYT3, Red Matter Capacitor, BFI3, Tractor Beam
Row-2: EPS1, EPTS2, HE1, MVAM-A, MVAM-B. MVAM-G, Tac-Team1, Tac-Team1, Sci-Team2, Engine Battery
Row-3: Sensor Scan, Subnuc, Science Fleet, Photonic Fleet, Fleet Support, Evasive, Ramming Speed, Impulse Capacitor, Quantum SlipStream, Transwarp ESD
Currently not mapped: Borg Set Tractor Beam
I typically do not use the BO portrait button mappings due to the amount of extra mouse travel required to get to them. I prefer to simply hit buttons 3 -> 7 for quick alpha strike set-ups, and manual mouse clicks for rows 2 and 3. A 4th button row option, or extending the row length from 10 to 12, would definitely help. Yes, I could relocate the Officer Trays closer to the master 3x10 tray, but that still requires extra mouse movement that delays user reaction times.
Another viable option: create a new tray that automatically contains mappings for consoles, batteries, and set-powers.
it really seems redundant that in order to use the space bridge officer skills we HAVE to put them on the main tray to use them.
Why not is it possible to make the BO station bar its own tray? with separate key binds. that in itself would clean up the UI by a metric truck-ton
because i for one do not like clicking things
This whole issue goes with the horrible UI that this game has. I have always hated the UI and it needs a full overhaul, starting with the powerbars and ship/player health bars.
The BO abilities have to be on the tray somewhere, but they don't have to be on a bar that you see. You could put all the abilities on bar 9 or 10, and you could still click them.
If you want to use hotkeys (which is what I do), I have all my BO abilities on Bar 3 (the default), with the couple that don't fit on bar 2. I put the tray into mode 4, and look at the actual BO abilities to determine cooldown time remaining, and just use the hotkeys for them, and have my 3 actual bars on top show bar 1, 2, and 4 (which all have hotkeys assigned to them within the default UI setup.) If I wanted to create new keybinds, I could have even more abilities, but this tends to be enough for me.
Doesn't this seem just even the teensiest tiniest littlest ittiest bittiest bit wrong? Why give one the option to bind keys and have UI support for it without giving the player the option to use it because the GUI doesn't support it?
Personally, I use the BO display so I can keep their skills off the bar. Having to use the mouse doesn't bother me, but I can understand people who are far more dexterous that I with a keyboard wanting more spaces available for key binds.
I also use the weapons console so I can keep those icons off as well. Plus, I put the ones I hardly use on bar 10 or 9.
When players have dream up new ways cross wire things to make up for the short falls of the User Interface, then that is clear sign that the system needs to over hauled.
That being said I would like to see some very basic things included in new and improved User Interface of STO.
(1) Being able to easily keybind ANY key on our key board without the need for cumbersome DOS like commands.
(2) To have the player have the options of a vertical or horizontal control panel.
(3) To have the ability to fully control our ground officers abilities via easy access from the keyboard or mouse.
The game should easy to use for both key board users and mouse operators alike.
A comprehensive yet streamlined User Interface is always the most efficient.
I leave it to the players on this forum who are far wiser then I to either run with this or toss it out.
In your screen you have your Officer Tray above your Ship Tray. How do you move those elements around. I'm new to STO, only 1 week in, I have just got the Galaxy Cruiser, and my officers abilities are stacked and unusable. They over lap my ship abilities. I play at 1680x1050 too. I've searched the Wiki, google, and these forums and find nothing. Your screen shot verifies it is possible. I can't start my own thread as the red text above says I can only post.
If you press F12 you can move around all of the boxes on the UI, and even hide some of them (such as the level bar at the top or Bridge officer slots). Also if things seem to big, press Escape, go to settings, then in the general tab, it has Interface scale, alter it downwards slightly, no less than 0.7 or it gets ridiculously small and hard to click hope it was helpful
benj2293, thank you thank you thank you! Can finally move the Lesser Mission buttons too, they would always overlay my Inventory, and I'd click an item but end up beaming menu. Wow so many elements to tweak, thank you again!
This extra ability tray can be expanded so you can have 60 in total + your bridge crew icon tray.