Horizons Can I get a longitude latitude grid overlay on planets?

[Chaparral]

So - I can get grid coordinate displays as I approach a planet - so some sort of grid system is clearly coded. I can see orbit lines and gravity boundaries when I toggle them on.

But I can't put a pin in a specific grid coordinate and fly there on a planet surface, and I can't see a longitude and latitude map superimposed on the planet surface. Seems like this should be available tech for the time period.

I'm really not looking for tips on how to spool the grid coordinates in the right direction, I'm more curious about the rationale to make this navigation more clunky than seems to be logical.

 

[MagicTofu]

Displaying a grid is a feature distinct to simply computing your current coordinates. It is certainly doable, and would probably please a vast majority of players (including me) if available, but it requires a bit of work (to add the logic and some thought on how to display it without cluttering too much the HUD), and if it is being considered by FD, it's probably very low priority right now.

The ability to define a single waypoint on a planet's surface by providing coordinates would probably be easier to do and would certainly do the trick for most cases.

 

[Ezren]

It's been asked for before, the ability to plot or highlight a specific set of coordinates. It would be a nice feature but the method to plot it out would probably be manually entering in, which might be cumbersome.

 

[Chaparral]

It's good to know other folks have asked for this or a similar feature. I would personally have no problem typing in a coordinate to set a waypoint and would rather do that than fly about watching those tiny numbers on the HUD. I pretty much do that with driving directions in my car right now. It would make for easier meet ups and finding already discovered features. Thanks guys!

 

[Iskariot]

We definitely need better planetary navigation tools.
In the future this will become even more important when we get access to more planets.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Here, try this:

http://www.hotdoy.ca/edbearing/

gives you a bearing from your location to your destination. I wouldn't mind having it in-game.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Displaying a grid is a feature distinct to simply computing your current coordinates. It is certainly doable, and would probably please a vast majority of players (including me) if available, but it requires a bit of work (to add the logic and some thought on how to display it without cluttering too much the HUD), and if it is being considered by FD, it's probably very low priority right now.

The ability to define a single waypoint on a planet's surface by providing coordinates would probably be easier to do and would certainly do the trick for most cases.

This isn't nearly as difficult as you make it sound, and often gets included in games in which grid coordinates on a map are completely useless and serve no purpose other than looking technical.

Mass Effect 2 resource probing, anyone?

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

This isn't nearly as difficult as you make it sound, and often gets included in games in which grid coordinates on a map are completely useless and serve no purpose other than looking technical.

Mass Effect 2 resource probing, anyone?

Ye, you could only rotate the orb on axis, but the indicator used spherical mathmagic to determine the bearing when it calculated the shortest way.

 

[Klab]

The easiest way to navigate around a planet is to stick to the 4 compass directions North,South,East & West. They are 0, 180, 90 and 270 degrees. If you are traversing along in these directions, one number will remain 'steady' allowing you to get to the correct latitude or longitude. From there do a 90 degree turn and find the other one. It's a longer route there, but faster imo because you are not flying around in circles. Hope this helps Edit: Just read your OP again, maybe this tip will help newbies.

 

[Tryst]

Displaying a grid is a feature distinct to simply computing your current coordinates. It is certainly doable, and would probably please a vast majority of players (including me) if available, but it requires a bit of work (to add the logic and some thought on how to display it without cluttering too much the HUD), and if it is being considered by FD, it's probably very low priority right now.

The ability to define a single waypoint on a planet's surface by providing coordinates would probably be easier to do and would certainly do the trick for most cases.

Check the mods board, someone is already doing this.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/241252-Sneak-Peek-Surface-Navigation

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Ye, you could only rotate the orb on axis, but the indicator used spherical mathmagic to determine the bearing when it calculated the shortest way.

Sphere's aren't mathmagic, they're a mathematical constant that's incredibly well and easily understood and given the amount of higher mathematics and physics that are already in the engine I'm sure someone at FDev knows what spheres are. There's only a trillion or so of them in the game.

It's not hard. I played DOS games in the 90's that could display X and Y coordinates on the mouse cursor, FDev can do it too. And while they're at it they can allow us to place bookmarks on specific points on a planet's surface. That'd be nice too.

 

[Chaparral]

Here, try this:

http://www.hotdoy.ca/edbearing/

gives you a bearing from your location to your destination. I wouldn't mind having it in-game.

That 's awesome!!! thanks!

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Check the mods board, someone is already doing this.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/241252-Sneak-Peek-Surface-Navigation

And this is insane! Holy cow sign me up!

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Sphere's aren't mathmagic, they're a mathematical constant that's incredibly well and easily understood and given the amount of higher mathematics and physics that are already in the engine I'm sure someone at FDev knows what spheres are. There's only a trillion or so of them in the game.

It's not hard. I played DOS games in the 90's that could display X and Y coordinates on the mouse cursor, FDev can do it too. And while they're at it they can allow us to place bookmarks on specific points on a planet's surface. That'd be nice too.

I think you missed the point.

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That 's awesome!!! thanks!

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And this is insane! Holy cow sign me up!

IKR, so simple, so useful.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

I think you missed the point.

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IKR, so simple, so useful.

No, not at all.

You can only rotate the orb on it's axis in ME2. Soooo.....?

What does the camera have to do with longitude and latitude? Absolutely nothing. It's just a camera and has nothing at all to do with the rendered object.

X, Y and Z coordinate maps exist for every object that is placed in an engine, it's one of the most basic, vital tools that a game designer relies on in just about every task they do. Displaying said coordinates is childs play. There is no difference in centering a coordinate readout on your ship as it enters orbital cruise and putting one in the galmap that reads from the exact center of your screen.

Or would you like to tell me that lightning doesn't strike twice and this stroke of genius FDev pulled with coordinates in our ships can't be repeated?

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

No, not at all.

You can only rotate the orb on it's axis in ME2. Soooo.....?

What does the camera have to do with longitude and latitude? Absolutely nothing. It's just a camera and has nothing at all to do with the rendered object.

X, Y and Z coordinate maps exist for every object that is placed in an engine, it's one of the most basic, vital tools that a game designer relies on in just about every task they do. Displaying said coordinates is childs play. There is no difference in centering a coordinate readout on your ship as it enters orbital cruise and putting one in the galmap that reads from the exact center of your screen.

Or would you like to tell me that lightning doesn't strike twice and this stroke of genius FDev pulled with coordinates in our ships can't be repeated?

Jeez, you are like overthinking it. The limitation to the axis just suggested to the user that it was a planar projection and that the indicator would work accordingly. However it didn't, because it was actually a spherical projection. No need to start some overblown argument about it.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Jeez, you are like overthinking it. The limitation to the axis just suggested to the user that it was a planar projection and that the indicator would work accordingly. However it didn't, because it was actually a spherical projection. No need to start some overblown argument about it.

I.... What?.....

What kind of monitor were you playing ME2 on? If it was anything other than a chalkboard or etch-a-sketch it should have been plain as day that the spheres were 3d renders.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Maybe if I ignore him he'll stop ranting and we can go on topic again.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Maybe if I ignore him he'll stop ranting and we can go on topic again.

Ignorance is indeed bliss.

"Mathmagic". That was the term you used for an everyday graphic design necessity.

I promise you that XYZ coordinate readouts are already built into both the galaxy and system maps as debug tools. 100% of the effort behind implementing them as a player feature would be from the Artists putting it in the UI and giving it a spit polish.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

"Mathmagic" was a play on words.