Turning in cartographic data- Hats off to the serious explorers

AgingGamer · Oct 16, 2016

I just finished my first ever 'novice' explorer run of 3,600 light years: a little trip by most standards, but huge for me.

I discovered some things, and was so proud and excited to turn in my exploration data! But then... I discovered the comically bad user interface for notifying us of discoveries. I... am just speechless. The attached video illustrates the cause of my inarticulate state:
[video=youtube_share;Sv8-5f3g3ns]https://youtu.be/Sv8-5f3g3ns[/video]

I can not imagine what watching this painfully slowly scrolling list for someone turning in the data from a real exploration trip must be like. I mean, I suppose there is the 'cancel' button, but you want to see your discoveries, right? And then after watching this one-character-at-a-time scrolling list, there is no apparent way to scroll it back and forth, or to save it... at least not on the Xbox.

And yes, this is on the Xbox- maybe this works wonderfully well on the PC? Regardless, please, someone tell me that there are plans to make this better. On the plus side- at least we get a list of our discoveries! [yesnod]

Panticus · Oct 16, 2016

AgingGamer said:
I just finished my first ever 'novice' explorer run of 3,600 light years: a little trip by most standards, but huge for me.

I discovered some things, and was so proud and excited to turn in my exploration data! But then... I discovered the comically bad user interface for notifying us of discoveries. I... am just speechless. The attached video illustrates the cause of my inarticulate state:
https://youtu.be/Sv8-5f3g3ns

I can not imagine what watching this painfully slowly scrolling list for someone turning in the data from a real exploration trip must be like. I mean, I suppose there is the 'cancel' button, but you want to see your discoveries, right? And then after watching this one-character-at-a-time scrolling list, there is no apparent way to scroll it back and forth, or to save it... at least not on the Xbox.

And yes, this is on the Xbox- maybe this works wonderfully well on the PC? Regardless, please, someone tell me that there are plans to make this better. On the plus side- at least we get a list of our discoveries! [yesnod]

You are working on the false assumption that FD give a damn about your gaming experience.

Major Klutz · Oct 16, 2016

The same on the PC, only most of the time you can't even see that window because if you have multiple pages, the "standby" spinner covers it when loading the next page.
IF, loading the next page goes faster than that list, (it usually doesn't) then I click close.

Also, I notice you scanned some asteroid clusters. You got first discovery bonus of 0 cr on top of the base value of 0 cr.
No reason to ever scan those.

Scoopy Doopy · Oct 16, 2016

It´s not so bad.

It is quite relaxing sitting there for an hour or so watching them scroll by

AgingGamer · Oct 16, 2016

Major Klutz said:
Also, I notice you scanned some asteroid clusters. You got first discovery bonus of 0 cr on top of the base value of 0 cr.
No reason to ever scan those.

Good eyes! Yeah, I scanned a few astroid belts. As I flew around the systems, I was using the navigation list to quickly target nearby objects. I 'discovered' the darn belts so I wouldn't keep clicking on them thinking they might be a nearby moon or something. I didn't expect to get anything for it... but was amused to see them show up in my "you discovered this" list, given that you don't get any credit in the system map for it nor do you get any money

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Scoopy Doopy said:
It´s not so bad.

It is quite relaxing sitting there for an hour or so watching them scroll by

The whole process of exploration is quite meditative for me: I rather enjoy it. But for whatever reason, the 'you discovered this!' list's comically slow scrolling speed and clicky-click sound effects have quite the opposite effect on my mood

Anuranium · Oct 17, 2016

Heh, I know exactly what you are talking about. Add on top the periodical crashes to desktops that happens after a couple of pages and your exploration experience is complete

In all seriousness though - It has been worse. Back in the early days (just after launch) we couldn't sell exploration data by pages, but only by 1 system at a time- and every system sometimes took up to a minute to sell.

Here's a video I managed to dig out of youtube - I became a bit nostalgic for a moment

[video=youtube;YsSx7lS5RyY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsSx7lS5RyY[/video]

There exists several video's of people just sitting there selling exploration data for hours and hours like this one:

[video=youtube;fAECTFU69g4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAECTFU69g4[/video]

I've also seen twitch-streams dedicated to selling data only too... (although I haven't sat through them and watched, just popping by).
So yes - I would love to see a "sell all" button - and the option to at least click away the never-ending stream of "congratulations you have just discovered" messages.

At least you have taken the step out to explore the galaxy and I for one welcome you! I hope you enjoyed yourself and took loads of nice screenies?

iain666 · Oct 17, 2016

AgingGamer said:
And yes, this is on the Xbox- maybe this works wonderfully well on the PC?

Well, on PC you can at least script something to make the mouse keep moving to and clicking in the right places then you can go to bed and leave it running...

I've got 18.5k systems worth of data on board right now, and with what I'm trying to do that could well be close to doubled before I sell any of it. I may well be automating the process.

ThomasWJames · Oct 17, 2016

That's weird I don't remember my Xbox doing this??? I mean my first trip was about 1000 light years out but I recall the systems just all showing up at once. Huh. Well maybe cause I did one system at a time and not sell all data.

Section47ABH · Oct 17, 2016

AgingGamer said:
Good eyes! Yeah, I scanned a few astroid belts. As I flew around the systems, I was using the navigation list to quickly target nearby objects. I 'discovered' the darn belts so I wouldn't keep clicking on them thinking they might be a nearby moon or something. I didn't expect to get anything for it... but was amused to see them show up in my "you discovered this" list, given that you don't get any credit in the system map for it nor do you get any money

Use the filters on the navigation list to show everything but asteroids. It makes it actually useful for selecting the next stop in a full system survey.

Ziggy Stardust · Oct 17, 2016

[- CLOSE -]?

gooddoc · Oct 17, 2016

Ziggy Stardust said:
[- CLOSE -]?

Quite right Ziggy, once the [CLOSE] button appears it gets hit & on to the next page. Iv got the 'first discoveries' anyway, so for me it doesn't need to scroll through the list - but others may want to look.

It's a lot quicker than the early days of only being able to sell 1 system at a time, or even earlier this year when a page of data was 20 systems - which was fine, unless you'd been to Beagle Point & back, which a lot of us had.

But now it is a lot quicker - I can't complain

Freebird · Oct 17, 2016

I'm hoping that the new Journal feature has a section that outputs your 'First discovered' so that you can look through it at your leisure.

*wanders off to the third party tool thread

Lucien Trask · Oct 17, 2016

You think that's torture? Try plotting a route near the core for a truly agonizing experience.

Mengy · Oct 17, 2016

Believe it or not but the whole process is a lot better than it used to be, lol. Man selling lots of data a year ago could take you literally days to do, it was terrible. It's still not great mind you, but it's much better than it was!

But yeah, exploration could use a lot of QoL changes, for certain. Us explorers are like the red-headed step children of Elite!

...

... [sad] ... [cry]

Satsuma · Oct 17, 2016

I've always thought of the exploration data screen as a nice little incentive to get back out there. "I'm back in the bubble!" (hours later) "God, will this hell ever end? I'm getting out of this place..."

Mengy's right, though, it's better than it used to be. Just the same, I'd love a "sell all" button. Even if I have to hit it and then go out for dinner because my game is locked up for an hour.

Kenneth McGrew · Oct 18, 2016

AgingGamer said:
I just finished my first ever 'novice' explorer run of 3,600 light years: a little trip by most standards, but huge for me.

I discovered some things, and was so proud and excited to turn in my exploration data! But then... I discovered the comically bad user interface for notifying us of discoveries. I... am just speechless. The attached video illustrates the cause of my inarticulate state:
https://youtu.be/Sv8-5f3g3ns

I can not imagine what watching this painfully slowly scrolling list for someone turning in the data from a real exploration trip must be like. I mean, I suppose there is the 'cancel' button, but you want to see your discoveries, right? And then after watching this one-character-at-a-time scrolling list, there is no apparent way to scroll it back and forth, or to save it... at least not on the Xbox.

And yes, this is on the Xbox- maybe this works wonderfully well on the PC? Regardless, please, someone tell me that there are plans to make this better. On the plus side- at least we get a list of our discoveries! [yesnod]

hey at least it don't cash after selling one page, its an improvement but needs more work for sure!

AgingGamer · Oct 19, 2016

Hah! I love the comments from folks who experienced real hardships turning in discoveries in earlier releases

I am very happy that the UI is much improved versus times past. Sure, it could be improved more, and yes, it was a bit frustrating; but if I'd lived through the 'one system at a time' UI, I think I'd be very pleased with how it is now. I think my preference regarding the UI would be to separate out the 'what you have discovered' list into a separate process, maybe something you can do without turning anything in e.g.: via the statistics UI. Removing this from the exploration turn in process itself would then be easy/logical.

And many thanks to Section47ABH for the suggestion to use filters to hide the astroid belts- I will definitely look at that!

My next trip out will probably be a bit further, but I haven't settled on a destination yet. I definitely see the attraction to exploring, though

iain666 · Oct 19, 2016

AgingGamer said:
I haven't settled on a destination yet. I definitely see the attraction to exploring, though

We gots another one

who? · Oct 19, 2016

Weirdly (I'm a weirdo explorer), when coming back from Distant Worlds after about 6 months away, watching screen after screen of those messages pop up was one of the things I was really looking forward to. I'd done the time, now I could just kick back, count all my lovely tagged bodies, think of the credits, wait for the rank upgrades......

I do agree the UI is muck though. Slow. No way to save/export. No way to review discoveries. etc. etc.

Section47ABH · Oct 19, 2016

who? said:
(I'm a weirdo explorer)

There's another kind?

We are talking about the kind of people who, on sighting the most dangerous astronomical phenomena in the universe, mutter "ken SCORE" and go get close to them. And take selfies.