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Any plans for an LCARS Interface?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
Are there any plans to introduce an proper LCARS Interface or overlay to Star Trek Online sometime?

The existing blue interface is acceptable and it would fit to any other science fiction game.
But this ist Star Trek Online. It would be so great to have a real LCARS Interface ingame, like we are used to from Michael Okuda. Indeed i was a little bit confused to read, that Mike and Denise Okuda assist the Star Trek Infinate Space Team while STO still needs LCARS.
Of course, this would take some time, but a Star Trek MMORPG without LCARS Interface? Even the free Browsergame Star Trek Infinate Space will have LCARS.
In addition, it would be nice to have the option to choose whether to have the TNG/VOY/DS9 LCARS or the Nemesis LCARS.

I'm pretty sure, a proper LCARS Interface for federation side would bring STO some new players.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Totally agree. Little things like this make all the difference.

    EDIT:- Also, How did you make that avatar your using?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    halfchance wrote:
    EDIT:- Also, How did you make that avatar your using?

    Adobe Photoshop
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I like the blue LCARS. It's the future (well the future's future).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Tgai_Spock wrote:
    Adobe Photoshop

    Wow, That must have taken hours, Kudos. I don't have photoshop, Wonder if I can use MS Paint? lol
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    LCARS is really only for looks and is a very very poor UI in practice.
    Keep in mind, a lot more people than just die hard trekkies play this game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    come on, what we have now is one of the "poorest" solutions for an interface i ever saw in a mmo.
    It's simple blue, you can't edit or scale it. It's ok, if we consider the situation at launch, but it could be done many times better.

    And you can't seriously mean, that more than a very small amount of strange people would prefer this if they could have real LCARS.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    You might want to take a look at sto-advanced.com. They have an LCARS offerring albeit "unoffical"
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    you mean the console mod, that changed the blue consoles into more similar to lcars looking ones?

    This is not bad and i'm using it, but the problem is, that you can't change the resolution of the pictures in there. So, the consoles will always look diffuse.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Alexraptor wrote: »
    LCARS is really only for looks and is a very very poor UI in practice.
    Keep in mind, a lot more people than just die hard trekkies play this game.

    I have to agree on this one.

    LCARS is not a userfreindly layout. Even startrek.com stopped using it after a while, because it's visitors found it confusing... now before you object: lets think about who visits startrek.com ...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Tgai_Spock wrote:
    come on, what we have now is one of the "poorest" solutions for an interface i ever saw in a mmo.
    It's simple blue, you can't edit or scale it. It's ok, if we consider the situation at launch, but it could be done many times better.

    And you can't seriously mean, that more than a very small amount of strange people would prefer this if they could have real LCARS.

    Yes, you can edit, move and scale individual UI elements. Not all, but most of them.
    What do you propose as an LCARS GUI for this game? Have a photoshop mockup around?

    As for the blury LCARS textures, well they are low resolution. You can't expect a 200x100 pixel texture sections, stretched over half the screen to look sharp. This extremely low res method was not that appearant on the monochrome texture.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I agree with the OP.

    The UI at the moment is both unpractical and ugly, so they might as well work on both reskinning it and give it a more "show/movie" look since thats a defining feature of Trek lore. Same as with ships, Cryptic might impose their own design originally but soon they discover people want the established stuff first and foremost. No amount of in game excuses like "the blue interface increased the efficiency blah blah" is good enough wheh the monochromatic UI is another byproduct of its rushed release.
    LCARS is really only for looks and is a very very poor UI in practice.
    Keep in mind, a lot more people than just die hard trekkies play this game.

    Not sure what you mean here. How LCARS is any worse than the UI we have now? Maybe compared to other UIs out there is not AS functional, but in reality what we have in game is a single colour LCARS that is very glitchy and has outlived its usefulness, especially once you hit VA with all the abilities and skills. At worse, we can at least have it recoloured, to make it more pleasant to the eye.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    You might want to take a look at sto-advanced.com. They have an LCARS offerring albeit "unoffical"

    Thanks, I hadn't seen that site before. The LCARS iPad interface is impressive but I wouldn't want to use it to steer my ship. Using it for impulse control and combat abilities would be a lot of fun though. Also, devs, the colored icons he's using should be added post haste si vous plait.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I thought this had been brought up a long time ago. I think the answer was they couldn't because of licensing agreements on the use of LCARS interface. That's why we have the all blue one.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Hmm, i think you misunderstood, what i meant.
    I would only change the design and color of the ui, not the complete layout or something.

    If this would really be a problem for anyone, why not give the option to change the color of the interface and make the lcars ui kind of optional or self editable?

    Honestly i really have no problem with the ui, but it is NOT fitting to Star Trek. Much more to stargate Atlantis or something like this. All sto playing people i know, are star trek fans enough to love LCARS.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Why do so many people keep talking and thinking in terms of "Its either This or That"?

    Ever heard of a "Third" alternative? Such as the devs revamping the UI into a new and better UI superior to both what we have now and LCARS?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I thought this had been brought up a long time ago. I think the answer was they couldn't because of licensing agreements on the use of LCARS interface. That's why we have the all blue one.

    Yap, that's what i thought too. I only don't understand, why a mmorpg star trek game is not getting the licens, while all other star trek games got it? Even a free to play browsergame
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Alexraptor wrote: »
    Why do so many people keep talking and thinking in terms of "Its either This or That"?

    Ever heard of a "Third" alternative? Such as the devs revamping the UI into a new and better UI superior to both what we have now and LCARS?

    Thought about, but never read about it. That's why i started this
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Alexraptor wrote: »
    Why do so many people keep talking and thinking in terms of "Its either This or That"?

    Ever heard of a "Third" alternative? Such as the devs revamping the UI into a new and better UI superior to both what we have now and LCARS?

    Because Star Trek is about THIS and THAT like any other IP. Why do people have problem understanding that?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Pendra37 wrote: »
    Yes, you can edit, move and scale individual UI elements. Not all, but most of them.
    What do you propose as an LCARS GUI for this game? Have a photoshop mockup around?

    No, i didn't try to change the ui yet. You think, this is possible?
    I mean, i would be very happy if it would be possible to change the background to black and make the font orange and so on. every step in lcars direction would be great.

    I will see, if i can get some examples of what i mean with photoshop

    Btw: Great work so far on star trek online advanced.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Yes it is possible to some extent. I'm looking for ways to finalize the change.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    thanks for the great news
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Because Star Trek is about THIS and THAT like any other IP. Why do people have problem understanding that?

    Why do people have a problem understanding that LCARS is a very poor and inferior UI?
    I mean there is a reason why the majority of trek games out there does not use it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Alexraptor wrote: »
    Why do people have a problem understanding that LCARS is a very poor and inferior UI?
    I mean there is a reason why the majority of trek games out there does not use it.

    I believe people are asking for an LCARS skin over the existing UI. That is very doable, but I agree that using LCARS for a computer GUI would be a horrible decision.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Alexraptor wrote: »
    Why do people have a problem understanding that LCARS is a very poor and inferior UI?
    I mean there is a reason why the majority of trek games out there does not use it.

    Well, i think star trek fans like lcars because it belongs to star trek and because it looks good. That has nothing to do with poor or functionality. It's a design or a skin, not a program or system. you still need a logical system behind it if we are talking about a website or a program. You can't just set up some like lcars looking buttons and hope, that everything will be good.
    To use the example somebody gave above:
    StarTrek.com never had a good layout. I didn't like it with or without lcars because of the nonfitting frames right and left.

    http://www.gtjlcars.de/index01.htm

    This page, when you click on lcars, is wellmade in my opinion (ok, it's a little bit too much sounds and blinking^^)

    BTW: Elite Force 1 & 2 uses LCARS, Bridge Commander, Birth of Federation, Generations, Armada....
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    check out the thread of mine
    http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=206256
    it talks about Real Life LCARS that's used in Real life and i also use LCARS on my PS3 and on few items. :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I back this idea as an overlay cause I like the LCARS look but not the function. Let's deepen the star trek experience. I've been saying the same thing about startrek.com and their boards but the administrators don't care.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    I would also love to play STO with an more trek-like userinterface
    the one in the game do fine.. but it dont look and feal like Star Trek

    i read the great news that someone is working on a "better" solution
    and cant wait to have it in my hands :D

    Greetings
    and
    live long and prosper :cool:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    what functions do you mean?

    But overlay is a good word, maybe it can prevent misunderstandings. I will change the title right now
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    if we are talking about options i think some soft cannon should be implemented to like the lcars from star trek phoenix! :) it looks epic! i would love to see the ship to!

    But a new interface would be great love the idea
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2011
    Why do people have a problem understanding that LCARS is a very poor and inferior UI?
    I mean there is a reason why the majority of trek games out there does not use it.

    Repeating the same thing does not make you right, it only serves to show that you are just set in your opinion and that is fine. As others have pointed the reskin has nothing to do with functionality, its all about the looks (open jackets anyone?). Star Trek had the LCARS than interface and thats that. If you have "better" ideas then this has no bearing on THIS IP. The current UI is terribad and needs changing anyways. Dont argue functionality with us like this is a marketing on utility. This game sells on established assets.

    As for the comment on the "most star trek games dont use LCARS" I say you pul that one out of the TRIBBLE that cannot be named.
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