Proposal: main viewscreen on bridge

captainkenny1 · December 2014

Hi there,

Before anyone starts ranting that it cannot be done, i know (2 maps cannot exist into 1)but hear me out.

Is it possible to change the main viewscreen picture or animation with a generic picture of the location where you are? for example if you are parked in ESD map, your viewscreen on the bridge shows a generic picture of ESD.
in sector space it should be just the starfield, in the nebulas it would show the nebula and so on...

it is a small change but i think a lot of people would like it.
any thoughts?

stoutes · December 2014

Your bridge is a seperate map/instance. It doesn't know where you're actually are as your location has been changed from "space" (f.e. ESD) to "ground" (your bridge).

This is what Tacofangs had to say about it;

The problem, as stated by others, is that your "character" is both a ship, and a captain, simultaneously. When you are in space, you are drawn as a ship. When you are on the ground, you are drawn as a person. So, when you are in sector space (as a ship) and go to your bridge (as a person), your ship ceases to exist in sector space. You are no longer there. You are ONLY on your bridge. When you leave your bridge, and go back to sector space, you become a ship again, and your captain (and the bridge) cease to exist.

So, there is no easy way to track you through sector space while you are actually on another map. Again, this is likely possible, but is not set up, and would require significant coding.

Whole article can be found here.

dgdolph · December 2014

In all honesty, please stop suggesting new things to cryptic. We have learned that cryptic is not able to handle this.

Instead, please ask to fix this broken expansion & lots of bugs and to balance the game. The Devs at cryptic shouldn't do anything else than repairing what they have broken.

cpc2011a · December 2014

I've been telling fleet mates that we should be allowed to stream videos on our view screens. But yes, something...anything but a generic star field would be nice.

duncanidaho11 · December 2014

stoutes wrote: »

Your bridge is a seperate map/instance. It doesn't know where you're actually are as your location has been changed from "space" (f.e. ESD) to "ground" (your bridge).

I'm sure that there is SOME way of creating a system log that tracks where you just were for another system to use in picking which viewscreen to display.

But I suspect that the work to payoff ratio would be rather high (ie. not much payoff for a bit of work). Unless there's a reason to be spending time inside our ships (ie. a ship interior revamp) I don't think situational viewscreens could ever been justifiable. Cool, no doubt about that, but not worth the effort.

captainkenny1 · December 2014

well if you log out to change character while you were on your bridge, the location underneath my character seems to know pretty well in which sector i was ?

when i proposed a barrel roll, everybody said it was impossible, well we know how that ended

stoutes · December 2014

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

I'm sure that there is SOME way of creating a system log that tracks where you just were for another system to use in picking which viewscreen to display.

As a programmer myself I say; there's always a way. As a STO gamer I prefer them to spend actual time cleaning up all the bugs littered in the game. There always going to be bugs, no doubt about it.. But lately it's kind of excessive. We had nerf after nerf after nerf, but defera, tides, layouts, upgrades, foundry, optionals, (some) sci thingies and traits are still broken.

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

But I suspect that the work to payoff ratio would be rather high (ie. not much payoff for a bit of work). Unless there's a reason to be spending time inside our ships (ie. a ship interior revamp) I don't think situational viewscreens could ever been justifiable. Cool, no doubt about that, but not worth the effort.

Which is only logical.

rhiwaow1 · December 2014

stoutes wrote: »

Your bridge is a seperate map/instance. It doesn't know where you're actually are as your location has been changed from "space" (f.e. ESD) to "ground" (your bridge).

This is what Tacofangs had to say about it;

Whole article can be found here.

although you can't track your movement through sector space, there already exists a way to track which sector/system you are in: it is accessed when you leave the bridge interior. this could be used to overlay a texture on the view screen, shouldn't be too much effort

stoutes · December 2014

rhiwaow1 wrote: »

although you can't track your movement through sector space, there already exists a way to track which sector/system you are in: it is accessed when you leave the bridge interior. this could be used to overlay a texture on the view screen,

rhiwaow1 wrote: »

shouldn't be too much effort

There ya go; you might want to use this and this

.

duncanidaho11 · December 2014

stoutes wrote: »

As a programmer myself I say; there's always a way. As a STO gamer I prefer them to spend actual time cleaning up all the bugs littered in the game. There always going to be bugs, no doubt about it.. But lately it's kind of excessive. We had nerf after nerf after nerf, but defera, tides, layouts, upgrades, foundry, optionals, (some) sci thingies and traits are still broken.

Indeed. Beard colors are broken, the vaadwuar and kobali weaponry shifts to default polaron visuals, mortar turrets having floating sensor components, and there's a dozen other things going on besides that I could rail on about.

BUT while I may want them to get their **** together (even at the expense of some new content) its not a point worth making when there's merely the question of adding new content since there's absolutely no way that we can assess whether or not this thing would interefere with QA.

vivenneanthony · December 2014

stoutes wrote: »

There ya go; you might want to use this and this .

I'm using this.

I was not happy with the whole expansion speculations months ago so I decided to learn more programming. So, I kinda realize what the person suggested could make sense but we know Cryptic. They are working on the fix to fix the fix of a fix.

Once I have something presentable I make share it with some others not on STO tho. Etc.

http://i.imgur.com/U18hba0.png

stoutes · December 2014

vivenneanthony wrote: »

I'm using this.

I was not happy with the whole expansion speculations months ago so I decided to learn more programming. So, I kinda realize what the person suggested could make sense but we know Cryptic. They are working on the fix to fix the fix of a fix.

Once I have something presentable I make share it with some others not on STO tho. Etc.

http://i.imgur.com/U18hba0.png

I've been looking around your channel, that's pretty darn nice there already! How long have you been working on it? I used to work a bit in Cinema4d, but those days are long behind me.

vivenneanthony · December 2014

stoutes wrote: »

I've been looking around your channel, that's pretty darn nice there already! How long have you been working on it? I used to work a bit in Cinema4d, but those days are long behind me.

For some months but I got really sick. So, I'm starting on it again. Since I don't spend much time on STO with all the DR nonsense. I have time to work on my own game project.

Also, I figured out a way to share it. Thank God! So, now if anyone wants to partake into adding or contributing on stuff it's possible. At least I can work on a framework the fundamentally designed for large scale universe ground and space design, ground up not ground down.

It's a good learning experience for sure. Love the sig! Delta Rising is the best expansion EVER!

tacofangs · December 2014

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

I'm sure that there is SOME way of creating a system log that tracks where you just were for another system to use in picking which viewscreen to display.

But I suspect that the work to payoff ratio would be rather high (ie. not much payoff for a bit of work). Unless there's a reason to be spending time inside our ships (ie. a ship interior revamp) I don't think situational viewscreens could ever been justifiable. Cool, no doubt about that, but not worth the effort.

Pretty much this.

I've discussed this at length in the past. I'm not going to get into the details again.

But here's a summary:

Possible? SURE! It's all code, I'm sure a way could be created for this to work. But that tech does not exist today. The work involved would not be trivial, but the results would be. See it as a failing of the initial design of STO, it would have been easier and better to implement it back then (ignoring the insane time crunch we were under), but it's not something we can just turn on. On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work.

If we had the tech, and turned it on tomorrow, people would go to their bridges a couple of times, marvel at the fact that it reflects the space their ship is in, and then promptly forget/ignore it for the rest of time. Bridges need a much larger overhaul to make them relevant, and there's no sense in adding something like this, before that overhaul.

captz1pp · December 2014

Wouldn't it be easier to have it so we can put buttons on the Origin bridge that could show an "out of/back to warp", or lets you see an energy beam, torpedo, probe or shuttle fly off?

shipbuster · December 2014

i think there should be tons of shipboard missions. just sayin, but the devs are missing a huge opp for new content without the large scale usually needed

duncanidaho11 · December 2014

shipbuster wrote: »

i think there should be tons of shipboard missions. just sayin, but the devs are missing a huge opp for new content without the large scale usually needed

That's how I'd like them to approach an interior revamp as well. Create standardized off-bridge interiors for the FED, KDF, and RR and use that space to structure repeatable mission assignments ranging between ship operations and tactical training scenarios to ST subplots (ex. visiting Betazed ambassador, crewman murdered, first contact mission, boarding action, ferengi scheme, ship disaster, ect.). Anything between a 1 minute set of menu interactions to small episodes (with a randomization factor to decide missions are selected and [as a suggestion] what boffs would be involed for contacts and plot points [to get those more involved with STO story content]).

Add to this some unique ship-board doff assignments (with rewards more similar to dyson sphere special contacts, as oposed to what we have in-ship ATM. Ie. marks, dil, and more Xp.) and maybe a special vendor or two (such as minor crafting/upgrade items, basic gear of a new sort, thinking along the lines of RR plasma reapons) and you might have something worth a season (and might be usable in subsequent FE's).

The trick however would be building in multiplayer content. Ie. providing players with the tools and motivation to bring other people into their ship missions.

wilv · December 2014

tacofangs wrote: »

Pretty much this.

I've discussed this at length in the past. I'm not going to get into the details again.

But here's a summary:

Possible? SURE! It's all code, I'm sure a way could be created for this to work. But that tech does not exist today. The work involved would not be trivial, but the results would be. See it as a failing of the initial design of STO, it would have been easier and better to implement it back then (ignoring the insane time crunch we were under), but it's not something we can just turn on. On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work.

If we had the tech, and turned it on tomorrow, people would go to their bridges a couple of times, marvel at the fact that it reflects the space their ship is in, and then promptly forget/ignore it for the rest of time. Bridges need a much larger overhaul to make them relevant, and there's no sense in adding something like this, before that overhaul.

What about replacing them with windows and moving stars, like the starter bridge?

buzz0942 · December 2014

wilv wrote: »

What about replacing them with windows and moving stars, like the starter bridge?

compromise: replace it with a flying toasters screensaver.

coupaholic · December 2014

shipbuster wrote: »

i think there should be tons of shipboard missions. just sayin, but the devs are missing a huge opp for new content without the large scale usually needed

There are a few, but I can appreciate why the focus is in space combat. It's just more fun.

Ground missions in general are fiddly due to mechanics, and in smaller maps with tight corridors and such the Boff AI struggles. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have full away teams every time you went anywhere.

Regarding the OP I'm not going to say the same stuff over, but perhaps an OK-ish compromise is to just have the option to choose from several different still images of stations or space views. Yes you'd have to take a few seconds to change it yourself, but it would be easy to add.

reximuz · December 2014

shipbuster wrote: »

i think there should be tons of shipboard missions. just sayin, but the devs are missing a huge opp for new content without the large scale usually needed

A big part of the problem with that is that there are so many bridges, and a decent amount of interiors, that 1 mission would need to be made for many many maps.

kayajay · December 2014

This would only work if EVERYONE in the game you were playing had to do it to, but imagine controlling your ship from the perspective of the captain's chair...seeing you crew at their stations, still able to fire your weapons in the same way, but your only range of vision be through the viewscreen

artaniscreed · December 2014

tacofangs wrote: »

Pretty much this.

I've discussed this at length in the past. I'm not going to get into the details again.

But here's a summary:

Possible? SURE! It's all code, I'm sure a way could be created for this to work. But that tech does not exist today. The work involved would not be trivial, but the results would be. See it as a failing of the initial design of STO, it would have been easier and better to implement it back then (ignoring the insane time crunch we were under), but it's not something we can just turn on. On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work.

If we had the tech, and turned it on tomorrow, people would go to their bridges a couple of times, marvel at the fact that it reflects the space their ship is in, and then promptly forget/ignore it for the rest of time. Bridges need a much larger overhaul to make them relevant, and there's no sense in adding something like this, before that overhaul.

since i don't know exactly how you have the game coded...
wouldnt you be able to just have a series of img (like jpg) files with the viewscreens calling a picture from the img database?
That way you could tag the viewscreen area as "display picture from" or something?

I know im horrible at explaining things

stoutes · December 2014

artaniscreed wrote: »

since i don't know exactly how you have the game coded...
wouldnt you be able to just have a series of img (like jpg) files with the viewscreens calling a picture from the img database?
That way you could tag the viewscreen area as "display picture from" or something?

I know im horrible at explaining things

Taco is the graph specialist, not a coder

. And probably there's more behind putting the pics on a screen then it may look.

If I have to be brutally honest; let the man do his job with fixing current graph or terrain bugs then to ask for something we would only glance to about 2 minutes in a week.

mackbolan01 · December 2014

too bad, i liked the star trek 25th anniversary ship combat, sitting on the bridge watching the viewscreen,being able to interact with the bridge crew, take a look at it on youtube, i think you may be amazed at how it looks.............

tacofangs · December 2014

artaniscreed wrote: »

since i don't know exactly how you have the game coded...
wouldnt you be able to just have a series of img (like jpg) files with the viewscreens calling a picture from the img database?
That way you could tag the viewscreen area as "display picture from" or something?

I know im horrible at explaining things

Like I said:

"On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work."

Putting one image on one viewscreen is trivial. Putting images for all of our (something like 300) systems, as well as sector space, and whatever else, on all of our (something like 50) bridges, is not trivial.

primar13 · December 2014

tacofangs wrote: »

Like I said:

"On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work."

Putting one image on one viewscreen is trivial. Putting images for all of our (something like 300) systems, as well as sector space, and whatever else, on all of our (something like 50) bridges, is not trivial.

Not to mention I'm sure if you went to your bridge on a foundry Map it would default to the Starfield, which would be the opposite of whats wanted.

#AgreeingWithTaco

castsbugc · December 2014

tacofangs wrote: »

Like I said:

"On top of that, there would be a tremendous amount of Art Team work to be done, taking screenshots of every system, converting all of those screenshots to usable textures, and then modifying/duplicating/implementing ALL of those textures on ALL of the viewscreens on ALL of the Bridges in the game. Again, not impossible, just a lot of work."

Putting one image on one viewscreen is trivial. Putting images for all of our (something like 300) systems, as well as sector space, and whatever else, on all of our (something like 50) bridges, is not trivial.

maybe now is time to propose an unpayed intern system to give that kinda work to, get some college and art skool kids in and make them do it all!...for science!...well ok for experience!
*waits for the xp nerf comments forthcoming...*

stoutes · December 2014

castsbugc wrote: »

maybe now is time to propose an unpayed intern system to give that kinda work to, get some college and art skool kids in and make them do it all!...for science!...well ok for experience!
*waits for the xp nerf comments forthcoming...*

Don't change the Intern system!!!! Who would be getting the coffee then?!?! How dare you! :mad::D

altechachan · December 2014

castsbugc wrote: »

maybe now is time to propose an unpayed intern system to give that kinda work to, get some college and art skool kids in and make them do it all!...for science!...well ok for experience!
*waits for the xp nerf comments forthcoming...*

I think that's a human resources thing... and considering the work I've seen done by unpaid interns... pass.

goodscotch · December 2014

They already explained that this can't be done. Also...if they did do this...this may make the game more like Star Trek...which I'm not sure they're interested in going in that direction.

Proposal: main viewscreen on bridge

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