Quality of Life Improvement: Input LAT/LON Co-ords and have a Surface Waypoint appear, similar to the surface scan mission Waypoint.

[Stealthie]

Because it is not the way it works when it comes to other navigational solutions, i.e. Galaxy Map and System Map, not mentioning Surface Map, where waypoints are perfectly operational whenever surface missions are involved. Sure thing, let's make every functionality of the game and every aspect of spaceship's operation require specific modules. Though in such a case, let's start with Galaxy map and System Map because both offer the kind of functionality the OP is asking for without any additional modules. Let's make it consistent.

"Realism" of lack of thereof is not something to dismiss so easily. It makes the difference between a game made to be mocked and a game made to be engaging the audience.

Last time I checked, you don't fly down to a location on a planet by twiddling with the galaxy map or the system map.
You do it by waggling your joystick or twiddling your game-controller or mouse.

If you're upset about the lack of "realism" in ED, you must spend your entire time raging about the arbitrary "gamey" compromises that you're constantly forced to make in pretty-much EVERY aspect of the game.

 

[Chaparral]

I support the OP 100%. Reliance on a third party tool for basic game functionality points to a weakness in game features. So much game content is effectively locked behind lat lon navigation that is literally 100 years old by our own earthly standards. Setting a lat lon point in your navigation computer for a planet of known radius should be sufficient information for the HUD to display at least a highlighted heading on the compass.

 

[DHMeyer]

Last time I checked, you don't fly down to a location on a planet by twiddling with the galaxy map or the system map.
You do it by waggling your joystick or twiddling your game-controller or mouse.

If you're upset about the lack of "realism" in ED, you must spend your entire time raging about the arbitrary "gamey" compromises that you're constantly forced to make in pretty-much EVERY aspect of the game.

Last time I checked you plot your route using the Galaxy Map. Typically by using search feature (or filters) to find the system you're after and then you twiddle with the Galaxy Map using HID of your choice and place a way point on the map. What the OP is asking for is being able to do the same thing with the surface map.
You say it's challenging and fun for you the way it is, I say: good for you, you'd be totally free to have your fun whichever way you want. Whips, floggers... ED Surface navigation. Complete freedom. And just think about how superior will you feel when doing so, compared to all those namby-pamby softies who are not playing your self-invented mini game!

You say: we have this feature demand a module dedicated only to this functionality. I say: YES! Bring it on, FD! We need modules for every functionality we want from our ships. It's a reasonable request, surely? I mean why should we get the Galaxy Map without some sort of a trade off? It makes the game too easy. Down with all the dumbing down of Elite that's been going on! In short: I totally agree with you, so what are you still on about?

 

[Ralph Vargr]

I support the OP 100%. Reliance on a third party tool for basic game functionality points to a weakness in game features. So much game content is effectively locked behind lat lon navigation that is literally 100 years old by our own earthly standards. Setting a lat lon point in your navigation computer for a planet of known radius should be sufficient information for the HUD to display at least a highlighted heading on the compass.

And it did, at least in 1986.

 

[Falcon_D]

I fully agree with the OP. I've gotten pretty good at hitting the correct Lat/Lon, but I would really like to have the ability to bookmark a location on the surface of a planet. Somewhat like how we can book mark surface installations. No engineering, no special modules, just a QoL improvement.
If anything then engineering the DSS should allow us to find things like geysers or barnacles on planets.

Have fun, fly safe. o7

 

[Stealthie]

Last time I checked you plot your route using the Galaxy Map. Typically by using search feature (or filters) to find the system you're after and then you twiddle with the Galaxy Map using HID of your choice and place a way point on the map. What the OP is asking for is being able to do the same thing with the surface map.
You say it's challenging and fun for you the way it is, I say: good for you, you'd be totally free to have your fun whichever way you want. Whips, floggers... ED Surface navigation. Complete freedom. And just think about how superior will you feel when doing so, compared to all those namby-pamby softies who are not playing your self-invented mini game!

See if you can come up with an argument that doesn't create a doble-standard when applied to the docking computer.

I don't mean that glibly, or antagonistically.
You could say exactly the same thing about the DC.
Let's make the DC part of the "navigation system" too.
After all, you navigate TO a station in exactly the same way you navigate to a surface POI.
So, why does your ship stop "navigating" when you arrive at a station?
Why do you need a separate module for that last little bit of your journey?
Why couldn't it just be built into the navigation system?

Well, that's already been answered.
It's because there's a trade-off between convenience and ship payload capacity.
You want convenience, you have to sacrifice some payload capacity.

ED has already shown us, in a heap of different ways, that if you want the best of one thing, you have to sacrifice the best of something else.
If you want the best shields, you (usually) have to sacrifice payload capacity.
If you want the best weapons, you have to sacrifice ease of use.
If you want the best ship agility, you have to sacrifice ease of control.
If you want the best jump range, you have to sacrifice survivability.
If you want convenience of docking, you have to sacrifice payload capacity.

All of those compromises could be removed.
We could demand that every ship had 2 slots of the biggest size.
We could demand that every weapon came in fixed, gimbaled and turreted versions.
We could demand that the FA system allowed much more agility.
We could demand that jump-range wasn't affected by weight.
We could demand that the DC was integrated into the navigation system.

ALL of these things would improve "QoL".
Anybody who had made an effort to develop these things could continue as they currently are if they wished to.
The only difference is that their efforts would gain them no advantage over somebody who wasn't prepared to make the same effort.

Do you think that'd be a good thing?

I don't.

Which is why I think there should be some kind of trade-off rather than just an arbitrary "dumbing down" of an existing system.

 

[Cmdr Tel]

You have my vote OP, can barely read the numbers anyway and I would much rather be looking for other POI on route. Manual route plotting in the galaxy map as well whilst they are at it.

 

[Cosmo]

Can we get official response from Frontier?

Such a waypoint system would be great for making custom race tracks.

 

[LeoBartlet]

If you're upset about the lack of "realism" in ED, you must spend your entire time raging about the arbitrary "gamey" compromises that you're constantly forced to make in pretty-much EVERY aspect of the game.

Well lets be clear here it is a game first and foremost.

Just like orbit lines Frontier could make planetary markers optional so that those wanting to get to a destination quick can do so and for those wanting to be space Magellan for 5 minutes can continue to do so.

happy?

 

[JacoTheBad]

Now that we have more things in the game that require us to navigate to specific coordinates, a way to set coordinates for navigation purposes is needed... The current manual way of doing it makes the whole concept of why we are doing it feel like it was thrown in the game as an afterthought, instead of a well thought through and planned way to usher in such fundamental content to our upcoming additions.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Now that we have more things in the game that require us to navigate to specific coordinates, a way to set coordinates for navigation purposes is needed... The current manual way of doing it makes the whole concept of why we are doing it feel like it was thrown in the game as an afterthought, instead of a well thought through and planned way to usher in such fundamental content to our upcoming additions.

Like, all other Frontier "features"?

 

[CMDR Pugwash]

This is one of those features I'm sure will be on a list somewhere. Every update they improve things a bit, maybe this will be on the next.

P.S. Can I mention a Sextant?

 

[Mostly Hamless]

So, has this simple, unanimously popular improvement found its way into the Beta?

Or has it been utterly disregarded in favour of a load of guff no one asked for or wanted?

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

So, has this simple, unanimously popular improvement found its way into the Beta?

Or has it been utterly disregarded in favour of a load of guff no one asked for or wanted?

That's a bit harsh and is likely to make the entire thread/suggestion/request be ignored.

Given that there has been no response to this thread (which may be down to a number things, including the sheer number of threads), there are basically 4 possibilities...

1) It has not been added in this simplistic form, for whatever reason.

2) It has been added.

3) An alternative but equivalent facility has been added.

4) Nothing like this QoL improvement has been added in 2.4

The only thing which can be done is to continue discussing this one QoL request here, and also to wait until we see the 2.4 beta patch notes, which will settle the question one way or the other.

 

[gooddoc]

I can't agree more, there is nothing more annoying than eventually finding your way to an alien structure, even though you know the co-ordinates but can't bookmark them, only to find that you've left your SRV hanger back at your station.
So you have to go back to pick it up (or go to the nearest station to buy another one), then you have to go back to the alien structure having the same difficulties in finding it as you did the first time.......AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Come on FD! let us bookmark some waypoints on planets.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

I can't agree more, there is nothing more annoying than eventually finding your way to an alien structure, even though you know the co-ordinates but can't bookmark them, only to find that you've left your SRV hanger back at your station.
So you have to go back to pick it up (or go to the nearest station to buy another one), then you have to go back to the alien structure having the same difficulties in finding it as you did the first time.......AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Come on FD! let us bookmark some waypoints on planets.

It's not so much bookmarking them, it's more to do with getting the game to mark their position as a waypoint - so what's being asked is a simple input of LAT/LON such that this happens.

THEN, perhaps in the future, we can get bookmarks, which are basically a store of LAT/LON coords, rather than what's being asked for here as a first step.

Regards

 

[gooddoc]

It's not so much bookmarking them, it's more to do with getting the game to mark their position as a waypoint - so what's being asked is a simple input of LAT/LON such that this happens.

THEN, perhaps in the future, we can get bookmarks, which are basically a store of LAT/LON coords, rather than what's being asked for here as a first step.

Regards

Either would do for me, anything to improve the way we can land at a specific pre-determined point on a planet more efficiently than we can atm.

 

[Tony.W]

The reason I have only completed a couple of 'tip off' missions and only visited a couple of Guardian and Thargoid bases is because it is a MASSIVE PITA to navigate using lat/long coordinates

PLEASE, please include this small QoL improvement soon I really would like to enjoy the rest of the game

 

[Ralph Vargr]

It's not so much bookmarking them, it's more to do with getting the game to mark their position as a waypoint - so what's being asked is a simple input of LAT/LON such that this happens.

THEN, perhaps in the future, we can get bookmarks, which are basically a store of LAT/LON coords, rather than what's being asked for here as a first step.

Regards

We called them "waypoints". Built into 1977 designed equipment.

 

[Crank Larson]

The present CG should remind anyone involved just how much we need this. A simple feature that would make planet navigation so much easier.

Please FD... Chuck us a bone...