System map - Exploration Data Tab/Filter

[BACKER #-4112]

While doing Bulletin Board missions and jumping to different systems, I still come across systems I haven't yet explored.
This gave me an idea which I was going to post on the Suggestions & Feedback forum, since there is no similar suggestion
to date, but it occurred to me to ask the community what the general consensus is on the idea before I did.
-
I understand that not everyone is into exploration and studying the map, though I believe there are quite a few commanders
who wish the map had a few extra features, like a bookmark for an example, so we don't have to park Sidewinders in every
station that we need to find easily on the map...
-
The basic idea is to implement an "Exploration" Tab or Filter into the system map. From where you could see the systems
you have fully or partially explored. Using the players exploration data, place a coloured bubble around each system in the
map to indicate whether the system has been "fully explored" (green bubble) or "partially explored" (orange bubble).
Of course you'd be limited as to how many bubbles you can see, by means of having a low draw distance, as you move
around the map, the systems would only highlight within a certain range from the centred system.
-
By a "fully explored" system I mean that a player has travelled to a particular system and has scanned every astronomical
body in that system, while by a "partially explored" system I mean that a player has jumped to a particular system, scanned
the main star then jumped to the next system.
-
This would benefit the explorers, who want to explore everything within the populated bubble, and those who want to explore
every planet in each system. Originally I thought this would be useful to have only in the populated areas of space, but it could
also be extended to the whole universe. That way it would also benefit the long range explorers who venture out to Sag A or the
other side of the galaxy and want to return on a different route without going through systems they have already been in.
-
I have included a visual mock up of the idea, in an attempt to help illustrate of what I am trying to describe.
Is this something you (as an explorer) would find useful within the map? Also, would it be of any benefit to non-explorers?

Spoiler

 

[Cynaqq]

Nice idea, +1

Another useful addition would be the ability to exclude already explored systems from the map and the route planning. This way, you'll always have a path of unexplored systems to wherever you are going.

 

[Wobblin-Gobblin]

I would like to see on which planet I've landed already.

 

[BACKER #-4112]

Nice idea, +1

Another useful addition would be the ability to exclude already explored systems from the map and the route planning. This way, you'll always have a path of unexplored systems to wherever you are going.

I agree with this too, a lot of my return trips on a 100LY trips take me through the same systems I have already been in, it would definitely come in handy sidestepping systems already explored.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

I would like to see on which planet I've landed already.

Perhaps they could be included in the popup description when you hover the cursor over the planet?
Ie: Last visited (date/time)

 

[who?]

Good idea - some way of highlighting explored/partially explored systems would be great.

It *might* not be the easiest to implement though. It'd require pulling a lot of information back from the exploration database/datastore in order to highlight the exploration status of each system in the map. And there are over 1 million players who have entered exploration data for trillions of bodies. That might be too slow to display - even just bringing up the system map for one big system takes a long time now. And I'd guess that's because it's trawling the "1st discovered" status for each body in the system.

 

[BACKER #-4112]

Good idea - some way of highlighting explored/partially explored systems would be great.

It *might* not be the easiest to implement though. It'd require pulling a lot of information back from the exploration database/datastore in order to highlight the exploration status of each system in the map. And there are over 1 million players who have entered exploration data for trillions of bodies. That might be too slow to display - even just bringing up the system map for one big system takes a long time now. And I'd guess that's because it's trawling the "1st discovered" status for each body in the system.

Valid point indeed. The thought has occurred to me whether it would be possible to implement and since the info is already being fetched from the server, guess I was after a visual representation.
Having the map display only a few "nearby" systems at a time plus the ability to toggle the "bubbles" on/off not only for user preference but also for performance reasons.
Personally, I would trade a few extra seconds in loading times to have more information displayed when needed.

 

[CMDR Argent Steel]

I love this idea. To me more data means better planning. Having the data that I have already earned by exploring easily available to me would be amazingly convenient. I wouldn't have to write so much junk down anymore that I already do.

 

[BACKER #-4112]

I love this idea. To me more data means better planning. Having the data that I have already earned by exploring easily available to me would be amazingly convenient. I wouldn't have to write so much junk down anymore that I already do.

I am one of those who make notes as well, although I use a second computer with spreadsheet open, making notes of locations, trade routes et cetera.
I would welcome the idea of having "stickies" to go wit the system map, an icon above a system, where you could hover your curser over and have user notes come up about the system.
Something like the little stored ship icon we currently have, but an editable note.
I believe there are a lot of good ideas out there to improve the map system, which should be all compiled into a single post and put forward to the Suggestions & Feedback forum. Hopefully someone at FD notices it and implements a few of them in the game.

 

[Fen Harel]

I'd be delighted with an option along these lines. Presumably they have all the data, how quickly it could be processed after we hit the link, I have no idea. It would be very nice indeed to see spidery line arching out from the bubble showing where my exploration trips went.

A nice addition, if not the most pressing issues FDev should be working on.

 

[Daynen]

I endorse this line of thinking. It honestly baffles me to see which functions the game doesn't have; a way to better distinguish unexplored systems is pretty high on the list. I would even be willing to pony up some credits to improve my ship's onboard computer in some way. Perhaps a dedicated internal slot for our AI and database systems would let players decide how important it is to them. I would certainly use it, even when I'm not actively looking for new systems.

 

[CMDR_Amanath]

I voted no, but that is because i believe the current system map is pretty much a shocking solution and adding any further information to it would just make it worse. Imho, it should function in much the same way as the galaxy map, except at a system level.