Console UI for Star Trek Online

pwlaughingtrendy · May 2016

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"

jahnk · May 2016

I realize this is for the upcoming X-Box / PS release, but is this control and UI scheme going to be an option on PC as well? I have a PC controler I wouldn't mind trying this with.

xraiderv1 · May 2016

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?

an example being, the xbox one both supports a full sized usb keyboard, and offers as an optional accessory, a chat pad that plugs into the controller. 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.

nolicb · May 2016

I have to agrre with the above poster that this would be nice to use on pc as well like an option to turn it on or not I use a xbox 360 game pad on a lot of pc games so this looks to refine the game more to thoughs standards I would like to use.

alexraptorr · May 2016

Ditto. I wouldn't mind giving the PC version a whirl with a controller and the new UI.

dalolorn · May 2016

Not a console user, so I'm not affected.

That being said, it might be a good idea to have another radial menu (or several?) that players could populate on their own - a sort of extended quickbar. Dividing them up by categories seems potentially awkward under some circumstances.

allyoftheforce · May 2016

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.

comrademoco · May 2016

I wanna see the fleet UI....

I need a ps4 or x1 now...

meurik · May 2016

Those designs of the "menus" sure look snazzy. Perhaps we'll see a redesign for the PC version as well, to make it more LCARS:y?

sheldonlcooper · May 2016

Why do I feel that pc will be changed to something close to this too?

e1im · May 2016

sheldonlcooper wrote: »

Why do I feel that pc will be changed to something close to this too?

Probably not, since the console UI is built around fixed resolution.

LCARS font though... I hope they make LCARS font available for PC. Also, Wonder how Klingin and Romulan UI looks like on consoles.

captainoblivous · May 2016

As long as this stays on console, I'm happy.

#pcftw

sheldonlcooper wrote: »

Why do I feel that pc will be changed to something close to this too?

Because you're a pessim realist? :P

jarenriccar · May 2016

e1im wrote: »

LCARS font though... I hope they make LCARS font available for PC.

Agreed

iamynaught · May 2016

sheldonlcooper wrote: »

Why do I feel that pc will be changed to something close to this too?

Shush, you!

I hope they keep this "console" UI away from my PC version. It's fine if it's optional, but if this takes the place of what we currently have...

captennik1 · May 2016

the console changes seem good so far and what the showed us in my opinion is that the consoles will not have the same server with the pc!! While you did your best this game will not be the same with the pc version as people will not be able to use as many skill as in the pc version even if the wheel work it will still affect action that a player can do that would probably work back when skill had big cool downs. So you might need to change some of the difficulties in the game otherwise people will not be able to survive them. In terms of PVP if you still care about it passive heal will be enough to keep people alive if they can properly use their burst so you might need to do some more balancing there at least for the consoles players . Now if this changes come to pc you should make them optional I don`t believe that you will actually change something for pc except graphics. In conclusion the UI for the console is nice but you need to make sure that everything else will work with it. I will personally try it on Xbox one

smithdeck · May 2016

Okay, Loving the look of the Console UI.

My one issue about this is that it seems like the console is getting a-lot of attention (As it should), BUT why does it seem like the PC players are missing out on some of the refining features being made only available to console players?
Switching the PC UI off in-game grants a Massive increase in FPS, leading me to believe the PC UI is NOT optimised enough for lower end rigs.

Im running an AMD A8 QuadCore processor and a Nivida Geforce 650 TI overclocked version with enough ram to consider the RIG worthy for a game such as this, but my frames either sit at 10fps or 30fps with massive drops when doing the simplest of tasks (Walking).

I like this new UI look and it feels like it would be a worthy addition to PC as a toggle-able option of sorts, or give the PC players a new UI that IS optimized to give the best PERFORMANCE possible, and an easier way to navigate for players to once again explore something new, that's worth it.
And if this isn't something that can be done with the current engine, I would like to ask the dev team look for ways to either upgrade the engine or make the engine work flawlessly.

There are many things wrong with the PC game in it's current state, the graphical updates for one is nice but only if the UI can be optimized along with it too.

As for the console addition, I think it's a great project and players have been asking for it for a long time. I would very much like to be playing this version in the future (granted if I get a console to play on). Good Job

wilv · May 2016

Hmm.. It's nice looking and I'm all for making it an optional thing. Just hoping they don't cram it down our throats and force us all to learn to navigate a new UI.

cuchulainn74 · May 2016

I really appreciate the care that went into creating that new LCARS look. It's just fantastic looking! As for the new console controller interface, I can only say it looks promising. I think like most console games, either the control UI will turn out to be intuitive and fun, or will make the game unnecessarily difficult to play. I believe, and I sure hope that the dev team has managed to land on "intuitive and fun".
It's also pretty cool to have a backstage pass to the thinking and process behind all of this. Thanks!

shadowfirefly00 · May 2016

smithdeck wrote: »

My one issue about this is that it seems like the console is getting a-lot of attention (As it should), BUT why does it seem like the PC players are missing out on some of the refining features being made only available to console players?

If that is the case, that would be a foolish decision on their part; alienating your existing customer base in the course of pursuing a new one is generally not a viable long-term strategy. There is to my knowledge no good reason to not offer these new full-screen menus an option for the PC version.

Switching the PC UI off in-game grants a Massive increase in FPS, leading me to believe the PC UI is NOT optimised enough for lower end rigs.

I would be interested as to how long this has been going on, and whether it has been acknowledged to be an issue by the relevant persons. But then, I understand that the fact of certain 'skyboxes' doing bad things to framerates wasn't exactly promptly acknowledged.

frtoaster · May 2016

I can already see two problems with this UI:

the inability to see which abilities are on cooldown without constantly switching between four different radial menus
the inability to chain multiple abilities to a single button

Many players rotate between two copies of an ability by binding them to a single key; this reduces the amount of muscle memory needed. Some players even bind multiple abilities of different careers to a single key.

Captains may even cast multiple abilities in sequence this way if they keep the radial menu open, allowing them to fire off a quick burst of abilities easily – a crucial time-saver that could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

And what if the abilities they want to activate in sequence are located in different radial menus? What if they want to activate four or five abilities in sequence? I have a hard time seeing how this console UI can replicate what is currently available on the PC version.

I don't think you've successfully solved the problem of how to translate the PC UI to consoles. Until you solve problems 1 and 2 above, your solution remains incomplete.

roebotsixtyfive · May 2016

As long as the console UI stays seperate from the proper UI (current one), I won't mind. I've never had a desire to play STO with a gamepad (I have one) although an option for it would be nice for something different.

Changing the current UI would be downright crippling though, as while it's visually changed over the years in terms of layout and functionality it hasn't which is a good thing. I was fearing they would mess around with it when they made it more LCARS style but they thankfully kept it the same. Hopefully this console UI will be optional for PC.

smithdeck · May 2016

shadowfirefly00 wrote: »

If that is the case, that would be a foolish decision on their part; alienating your existing customer base in the course of pursuing a new one is generally not a viable long-term strategy. There is to my knowledge no good reason to not offer these new full-screen menus an option for the PC version.

I think not allowing the PC players the option to pick the new UI will be an issue, in my case, I like the new UI look ALOT more than the current UI, as I for one think the current UI is clumsy and removes some of the immersion that the game gives.

shadowfirefly00 wrote: »

I would be interested as to how long this has been going on, and whether it has been acknowledged to be an issue by the relevant persons. But then, I understand that the fact of certain 'skyboxes' doing bad things to framerates wasn't exactly promptly acknowledged.

This has been going on for a while now, and I also have friends that play this game experiencing the same issue as me, Though I haven't fully decided to make a thread on the forum for it as of yet, in the hopes it would improve. But I feel now might be a good time since the graphical update could lead me to having to spend money upgrading my RIG so that I can continue to play STO.

captpatrick01 · May 2016

Would you be posting a video of the radial menu in action soon?

frtoaster · May 2016

Regarding the new menu design:

All I have to say is make sure that it all actually works. Make sure that all the buttons, sliders, and other controls work. Make sure that the text is readable, updates correctly, and doesn't overlap with other parts of the UI. The PC version has many UI bugs of this nature. One of my criticisms of UI revamps in the past is that Cryptic didn't pay enough attention to hunting down the bugs. A UI is not just art and look & feel; it is a functioning piece of software and has to actually work.

smithdeck · May 2016

captpatrick01 wrote: »

Would you be posting a video of the radial menu in action soon?

I would very much like to see some cool game-play from the console version. Sooner than later.

quantumquantonum · May 2016

Looks great, but recommendation:
- less circles (like in the minimap and item selection
- in the character/ship loadout, show the inventory

jtoon74 · May 2016

Well as long as its not forced on PC players, the "console" radial thing is pants on Fallout 4, its not needed on the PC, if it is make it optional please.

smithdeck · May 2016

jtoon74 wrote: »

Well as long as its not forced on PC players, the "console" radial thing is pants on Fallout 4, its not needed on the PC, if it is make it optional please.

Well it's gonna have to be optional. Same with the control scheme, some players like to try PC controllers, whereas some people won't ever touch them. It's all about individual preferences.

breadandcircuses · May 2016

The UI looks great, though it still creates a few questions:

Why was Boarding Party under the Tac menu?
Where are the buff/debuff tags and timers displayed?
Is there an option or element to make things like EP2x rotations easier to manage?
- What I mean by this is that PC players can (if they choose to make use of the feature) make certain processes more efficient by using keybinds, whereas in the console game it looks like they'd need to click on every ability every time (and constantly click the R-Stick). Even ignoring the accessibility benefits, alternate methods of power management can make the game more about captaining the vessel and less about mircomanagement.
- "Tactics/Gambit" (Dragon Age/Final Fantasy versions) slots for your BOff stations? Maybe 1 for an Ens seat though 4 for a Cmdr seat, capable of slotting that seat's chosen BOff abilities or those of the Captain/ship for If/Then activation?
- Toggled auto-fire of abilities? Maybe only for specific abilities, like EP2x, etc.?
- Something clever and completely different from other management features in the industry?
I take it teammate selection is Left on the D-Pad?
- Maybe with a secondary input for quicker selection, like another Radial Menu or Hold Left + Tap <Button>?
Come to think of it, how does target selection work?
Will the PC be getting a similar UI design (maybe within an element with fixed dimensions so that it doesn't need to be coded for variable aspect ratios, etc.) and maybe optional use of that UI?
Will Keyboard/Mouse setups be available on console, and if so will there be a way of moving either the Chat or the Shield/Hull UI elements so that one doesn't obscure the other?
The two exemplars, for ease of comparison, show an identical captain/crew/ship/loadout. Does that mean that it's possible to transfer a character between platforms, and if so will this capability be made available to players some time after lauch (we already know this will not be available to players as of lauch)?

Anyway, thanks for the updated info. I'm rather interested in how you're going to get this to work, even if the segregation of our player accounts pretty much negates any interest in switching over. It's neat to see how you're tackling the issue of carrying STO over to a more limited array of inputs.

captaind3 · May 2016

FRToaster and Bread and Circuses touched on this, but how will macros and key binds work on the Console version? If this was a slower game or a single player game radials would be fine, but this game is blistering fast in combat, and macros and automatic initiations are kind of a must. I can afford to personally activate my beam fire at will, but if I miss Emergency power to shields in the cycle I could be a dead man.

The UI itself looks gorgeous, loving the LCARS and kudos to the art team, they nailed it.

stobg2015 · May 2016

I'll echo... don't want to see a radial menu forced on PC players.

Console UI for Star Trek Online

Comments