I've been playing Odyssey and I have a few questions about the interface. This is not a comprehensive list, but it seems that there are some inconsistencies.
For instance, let's talk about low temperatures. I get warned a lot about low (or high) temperatures and I haven't yet figured out how that really impacts my gameplay, though I read something that indicated it might drain the battery faster. Okay, that's nice.
Does that warrant the following messages (I slightly cropped the pictures, forgive me):
Exhibit 1: Note that I see the same icon twice, including the "center HUD" message that usually indicates something really important.
Exhibit 2: Note that I also get an informational message in the upper right occasionally, which is where I'd actually expect this message to go. It doesn't persist long.
So far that's THREE places I get told about the temperatures (and an audible warning every single time I walk outside). That's a whole lot of info for a non-crucial gameplay element.
Let's contrast that to a security scan from a guard, which, if I don't stop moving immediately, can quickly - and without mercy - lead to an entire settlement turning hostile to me and trying to kill me, which is very, very important to the game.
Exhibit 1: An informational pop-up in the upper-right and a moment of NPC dialog.
I submit that these should be reversed. There should be a small pop-up for the temperature (and a single audible), after which it's a known event, and there should be a center-HUD pop-up with a loud system warning about a scan, because the first bit of information is incidental but the second is vital.
Okay, still with me? Let's shift gears a little bit. Let's talk about those weird pop-ups.
Exhibit 1: Okay, I booked a shuttle - but what is this pop-up? That's... a new method of displaying information in Odyssey, which is weird because we have the information panel in the upper-right for that sort of thing.
Exhibit 2: Okay, my shuttle arrived, and I have a new pop-up that says I have 5 minutes. Then it disappears. This is a perfect thing to have in the upper-right information bar, with a persistent countdown timer!
Now I've also seen this when plotting a route in the galaxy map, too. It's - and I hate to use this phrase - really immersion breaking.
Still with me so far? Let's take another stab at something. Why do some events pop up an on-screen menu, and some don't? For instance:
Exhibit 1: The elevator. This button only takes me one place, my ship. On the flip side, coming from the landing, the button only takes me to one place: the concourse. Interestingly, the button to Apex Interstellar or Frontline Solutions doesn't have the pop-up but when you return it does!
This would be a perfect thing for a "screen" or some information display within the environment to show next to the button, not an (inconsistent) pop-up.
What's even more curious is why that's a pop-up, but something like a keypad (on a locked container) is done entirely with my keyboard, and doesn't have a pop-up where I can use my mouse.
Exhibit 1: See this? It's a flurry of keystrokes to interact with it!
Now, like I said, this list is not at all comprehensive, but Odyssey sure does seem inconsistent in the manner in which information is displayed - and the prioritization of information. What would it take to get someone to take another pass at these?
For instance, let's talk about low temperatures. I get warned a lot about low (or high) temperatures and I haven't yet figured out how that really impacts my gameplay, though I read something that indicated it might drain the battery faster. Okay, that's nice.
Does that warrant the following messages (I slightly cropped the pictures, forgive me):
Exhibit 1: Note that I see the same icon twice, including the "center HUD" message that usually indicates something really important.
Exhibit 2: Note that I also get an informational message in the upper right occasionally, which is where I'd actually expect this message to go. It doesn't persist long.
So far that's THREE places I get told about the temperatures (and an audible warning every single time I walk outside). That's a whole lot of info for a non-crucial gameplay element.
Let's contrast that to a security scan from a guard, which, if I don't stop moving immediately, can quickly - and without mercy - lead to an entire settlement turning hostile to me and trying to kill me, which is very, very important to the game.
Exhibit 1: An informational pop-up in the upper-right and a moment of NPC dialog.
I submit that these should be reversed. There should be a small pop-up for the temperature (and a single audible), after which it's a known event, and there should be a center-HUD pop-up with a loud system warning about a scan, because the first bit of information is incidental but the second is vital.
Okay, still with me? Let's shift gears a little bit. Let's talk about those weird pop-ups.
Exhibit 1: Okay, I booked a shuttle - but what is this pop-up? That's... a new method of displaying information in Odyssey, which is weird because we have the information panel in the upper-right for that sort of thing.
Exhibit 2: Okay, my shuttle arrived, and I have a new pop-up that says I have 5 minutes. Then it disappears. This is a perfect thing to have in the upper-right information bar, with a persistent countdown timer!
Now I've also seen this when plotting a route in the galaxy map, too. It's - and I hate to use this phrase - really immersion breaking.
Still with me so far? Let's take another stab at something. Why do some events pop up an on-screen menu, and some don't? For instance:
Exhibit 1: The elevator. This button only takes me one place, my ship. On the flip side, coming from the landing, the button only takes me to one place: the concourse. Interestingly, the button to Apex Interstellar or Frontline Solutions doesn't have the pop-up but when you return it does!
This would be a perfect thing for a "screen" or some information display within the environment to show next to the button, not an (inconsistent) pop-up.
What's even more curious is why that's a pop-up, but something like a keypad (on a locked container) is done entirely with my keyboard, and doesn't have a pop-up where I can use my mouse.
Exhibit 1: See this? It's a flurry of keystrokes to interact with it!
Now, like I said, this list is not at all comprehensive, but Odyssey sure does seem inconsistent in the manner in which information is displayed - and the prioritization of information. What would it take to get someone to take another pass at these?
