QoL Request: Free Type Text on ships, modules, friends

NeilF · Nov 26, 2016

QoL Request: Free Type Text (notes) on ships, modules, friends

I've asked for this a couple of times... But here we go again.

It would be useful to have some free type text in a good number of areas in ED just to help us organise our thoughts...

Against ships: What's the current state of play with ship X? What's it for? Is it my exploration ship? Have I swapped out a module to use it for something else and want to remind myself?

Against modules: (Stored or in ship) Which of these X similar modules has what crafting? What's it aimed at, exploration? Piracy? A single sentence would help me pick it out. Be nice to see these easily on the list of stored modules for example. ie: Which is the one I modified in so-and-so way?

Against friends: Who is CMDR X? Oh yes, he's the one who helped me out with Y. Good chap! Now I remember!

Against CMDRs: Allow notes against a CMDR. For example on the contact pane you can view any notes you have on a CMDR, and have an option to "Amend" them. So if you see a CMDR on your scanner/contacts you can see if you've got notes on them (eg: "Helped me with X", or "Shot me for no reason!")

Against elsewhere? eg: Planets/stations etc? Bookmarks?

ps: I'm sure this could all be held client side, and therefore could be used/maintained by third party apps too?

NeilF · Feb 1, 2017

So with people having used stored modules for a while? And having engineered shed loads of modules/ships?

Note fields in a number of key places to help you keep track and differentiate modules/ships etc?

NeilF · Feb 15, 2017

NeilF said:
Against friends: Who is CMDR X? Oh yes, he's the one who helped me out with Y. Good chap! Now I remember!

I received some help from a CMDR the other day. He sent me a friend request, which in the end I declined because I knew in X months time I'd be wondering who he was.

Yes I could write it on a 3rd party note somewhere, but how much nicer it would be if some freetype text was simply intergrated/accessible/displayed in the game.

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE · Feb 15, 2017

Would love this. I am constantly thinking that I would like to be able to add a quick note to something, especially for stored modules as I keep forgetting which module is for which ship or for which purpose etc. I keep meaning to start a spreadsheet but I don't want to play the game with spreadsheets.

NeilF said:
So with people having used stored modules for a while? And having engineered shed loads of modules/ships?

Note fields in a number of key places to help you keep track and differentiate modules/ships etc?

Scruffman · Feb 15, 2017

Just buy a notepad & a pen and keep them near you whenever you play Elite.

NeilF · Feb 15, 2017

Scruffman said:
Just buy a notepad & a pen and keep them near you whenever you play Elite.

Ummm... So I have four pulse lasers I'm slowly engineering up. One for is woefully behind the others in the stats I'd like...

Let's consider two scenarios:-
1) When I look at the four lasers in the game (eg: in stored items), I can see one of them has a nice comment displayed in the list/on the screen, "Need to improve".
2) I go down to the shops, buy a notebook, buy a pen, get back home and write in it, as neatly as possible, "one of the four lasers needs improvement".

One of those works nicely... Once doesn't really work at all

Yes, writing on bits of papers, or maintain documents/spreadsheats can help in some/many cases, but not all. Overall using that approach is generally archaic, and not as friendly as simply having the information shown more immediately/automatically. eg: Against friends shown in game, immediately having any notes about them displayed/available.

I'm sure notes could be easily added in lots of the areas of the game so as to allow them to be viewed/amended against many key areas (modules, stations, systems, ships, friends). And these could all be stored client side too worst case (so no network/server issues).

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead · Feb 15, 2017

I'd love notes for various things.

Friends primarily.
I have loads of friends. But only a few I remember where and when, what we was doing when we met, and almost non that I remember any details about. Lol

Ships, I'd love to write short stories for them. And label them.

Bookmarks. I'd like to be able to write down the coordinates in game, for planetary thingies. Amongst other things.

Modules. I don't have any stored for his reason. I'd like to label them.

All client side, so no server clogging. But as an easily backed up file ideally. Just in case.

NeilF · Feb 17, 2017

Surely with the premise in 2.3 of being able to have nigh on strangers just jumping on board, or you jumping onto other strangers ships, be able to put notes against CMDR/friends name becomes all the more useful/important?

ie: When seeing a CMDR/friend on a list being able to see a short sentence giving you a reminder about them might be rather useful!

Bryan K · Feb 17, 2017

Being able to attach notes or labels to all my stored modules would certainly help with keeping builds organized. My Courier has a speed build and a combat build, and the only way I can currently keep the parts organized is by keeping them at separate stations.

NeilF · Feb 17, 2017

Bryan K said:
Being able to attach notes or labels to all my stored modules would certainly help with keeping builds organized. My Courier has a speed build and a combat build, and the only way I can currently keep the parts organized is by keeping them at separate stations.

Highlights the issue nicely. I have similar issues with modules for ships too... A small amendable notes field against each, shown on lists/outfitting etc would work wonders.

NeilF · Feb 18, 2017

Somewhere like this would surely be an obvious place to add/view CMDR based notes...

Deep Thought 42 · Feb 18, 2017

I dont need notes right now ingame

But i can see a time where ingame notes saved like the journal to the documents folder will be needed

NeilF · Mar 8, 2017

Doing some piracy recently I'd love to be able to put some notes against CMDR names such that I can quickly see it again. eg: On the Contact Detail pane any existing notes for a CMDR are displayed, and there's an Amend option there too!

It would be useful to keep a track of who you've had run-ins with before and what sort of "customer" they are?

BL1P · Mar 8, 2017

I so need this.
Notes, Bookmark Folders, Module categories, Save module loadout, Reload module loadout. etcetc.

But yes, Notes is a start that would improve QoL greatly.

NeilF · Apr 20, 2017

With multi-crew meaning some CMDRs might be encountering more and more (random) CMDRs, be nice surely to be able to jot some notes down on any you encounter, and store any information on them to remind you if/when you encounter them next time?

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead · Apr 20, 2017

Bit of a necro! I see what you did there. Lol

But yes, this is even more needed for me now. I have no idea who half my friends are anymore.

Andovar · Apr 20, 2017

Would certainly be helpful. Especially with stored modules.
I've started using the ship ID tag to identify a ships purpose, which works well. But with all the modules, and their potential for various states of upgrade, a personal 'comments' section would do wonders.

Magic Man · Apr 20, 2017

All sounds good to me. Should be part of an overall Commanders Log in game with all of these bits of information recorded in various sections but linked to and editable from the individual data items themselves as suggested.

Kaocraft · Apr 20, 2017

Yup. This is necessary now. Particularly for modules. Doesn't need to be saved server-side I'd be happy if it was something that just tapped into the journal file.

NeilF · Apr 30, 2017

Kaocraft said:
Yup. This is necessary now. Particularly for modules. Doesn't need to be saved server-side I'd be happy if it was something that just tapped into the journal file.

The lack of this on ships/modules is now causing me SERIOUS issues. The fact I have to keep third party notes is daft and clunky!