The worst about USS for me, is that they kill the immersion effectively and immediately after spawning. Not only I know is a bubble -I could get over that part- but the fact that is a bubble ONLY VISIBLE FOR ME makes me go bonkers.
Did I mention finding biowaste, there seems to be a lot of it floating around![]()
orrery view
Players should also be able to create their own signals, whether intentional or not.
If I drop out of SC for any reason, there should be a signal left with a strength according to how much heat I am generating.
Players should also be able to create their own signals, whether intentional or not.
If I drop out of SC for any reason, there should be a signal left with a strength according to how much heat I am generating.
That would be pretty tight. Though it could even be more straightforward - if you open fire, you create a Weapons Discharge source. Blow something up, you create a High Plasma Levels. Turn on your SOS (or get attacked with Report Crimes turned on), you create a Distress Signal.
That is exactly what the system view should look like... what we have now is horrible in the extreme compared to this. Yes, there will be problems fitting some of the more outrageous systems into one screen area, but we can still pan and zoom and we have to do that anyway.
I like the OP's idea of having all the USS's established in a system. I hate getting interdicted right before getting to a USS, submitting, getting back in SC to find the USS gone. It makes more sense that way. I'm not sure if it's a great idea having all the USSes in a system be visible immediately (say 1000-5000 ls range). I wouldn't mind if you still have to travel around to find them, but they should be clustered near places that make sense.
I like the OP's idea of having all the USS's established in a system. I hate getting interdicted right before getting to a USS, submitting, getting back in SC to find the USS gone. It makes more sense that way. I'm not sure if it's a great idea having all the USSes in a system be visible immediately (say 1000-5000 ls range). I wouldn't mind if you still have to travel around to find them, but they should be clustered near places that make sense.
Yesterday, on my way to the high intensity war zone in BD+03 2338, I mis-calculated my trajectory and was dropped off of SC as I got too close to the rings of the planet.
While I just floated through space, waiting for my FSD to cool down, so i can jump back into SC, 2 pirates randomly dropped out right in front of me, and immediately started shooting.
I wondered that if my suddenly dropping out of SC, caused an USS for the AI to lock onto.
Weird experience, and it freaked me out as I was alone at first. I killed them both quickly and went on my way as normal.
I like the idea of being able to see ALL signal sources in a system, on the same scale at which ships are visible. That seems sensible to me and would make them feel less random.
I think the main way they could be improved, though, would be to ditch the name "Unknown Signal Source" and actually identify them - not explicitly, but something a LITTLE more descriptive like "Distress Signal," "Weapons Discharge Detected," "Trader Broadcast Signal," "High Radiation Levels," et cetera. That way you at least have some idea of what you're pulling over for, even if it's vague, and even if it's a pirate pretending to broadcast a distress signal so he can take your booty.
I may have just had a genius idea for how to improve the system map.
There shouldn't be one.
Wait for it...
You should just be able to keep zooming in on the galaxy map and you should get to a nice 3d orrery. You could then have the USS and everything properly represented there and select navigation targets there. To get back to the galaxy map, just a quick zoom out.
As for the Weddings and Funerals at USSs- I actually wouldn't mind their existence if disrupting the funeral or wedding service cause some kind of effect on that system. I mean, there's lots of folks who are involved in the administration of any given inhabited system's affairs. Among all those people, I could imagine their relatives (children, siblings, friends) getting married and dying steadily because, well, that's life. That creates an opportunity for players: if you see a wedding ship, and it belongs to a faction A, then destroying that ship or disrupting the procession should result in crackdowns, lessened influence, increased violence, etc. Same with funeral ships; if you attack the funeral ship of a decorated officer, that sends a message and demands a reaction. It would be another way for players to influence how things happen in the Elite universe (so long as the chances for such encounters decrease to take into account that lots of folks would begin looking for such opportunities). Make any sense? Sound like a decent idea? I mean, FD could chunk it if they so decided, but I'd rather they find a more creative way to use what they already have in the game.
Like google maps street view.