Combat / Analysis Mode

[Franc Kaos]

If I'm in one mode don't permit the other to show up greyed out when I scroll thru my firegroups, seems kind'a pointless to have split them up to then do that. If I press the combat mode I expect the ship to be combat ready, not still having scanners selected that don't even work in that mode.

I've basically got all combat options on one firegroup and all <non combat> scanning options on another*, to whit, having all my scan options on one fire group I know the xeno scanner won't have anything to do whilst I'm scanning ship wakes so I don't need a pop up EVERY time to tell me I'm in the wrong mode (even tho I'm not).

It actually feels like a bug - should I report it?

* Combat Mode: Firegroup 1, B1 fires pulse lasers, B2 multicannon
Analysis Mode: Firegroup 2, B1 does the system discovery scan, B2 scans wake, xeno, data etc
Firegroup 3, B1 fires off limpet, B2 does deep surface scan

 

[Quantis Trap]

Yep. Typical half implemented feature like all the others in Elite Dangerous.

 

[Boff'in]

+1 (to the op)
multiplied by 3 for all the other times this has come up.

 

[Micha]

This has been mentioned and discussed MANY times ever since FDev introduced the modes.

The current implementation IS broken. There have been MANY community suggestions on how to fix it.

Unfortunately FDev have been dummyfying the interface ever since the console ports were introduced so we get all these ridiculous gameified popups everywhere and no option to turn them off. The fact that some of these popups don't play nicely with existing or new features doesn't seem to faze them.

In general it would be nice to be able to turn some/most/all of these popups off. Yes, debatably useful for casual/new players, a source of great irritation to long-term players.

As specifically regards modes and firegroups, firstly there's no need for modes when you have firegroups. And secondly, if you must have modes, then hiding incompatible equipment when within a mode would be my preferred solution. If an entire firegroup only contains incompatible equipment, then hide that entire firegroup (in the HUD; not in the firegroup menu).

 

[Riverside]

Unlike the OP I combine firegroups, and see the big 'INCORRECT MODE PRESS [JOY x] TO SWITCH' message a lot.

A more elegant solution would certainly be preferred.

 

[Mr T]

I have a question. Why did cockpit modes get implemented in the first place? It doesn't make sense to me to have this feature at all.

 

[Micha]

Why did cockpit modes get implemented in the first place?

That question has been asked and (afaik) was never answered.

 

[Mr T]

That question has been asked and (afaik) was never answered.

Ok. That explains why I can't find an answer to the question then

Could a reason have been, for example, you don't get in trouble by security if you scan wakes around the station in Analysis mode? I noticed you still get the hardpoints deployed warning, wasn't sure if anything more happened after that as I haven't stuck around long enough to find out.

 

[avow555]

Dumb UI for consoles at fault, simple really...

 

[Micha]

Ok. That explains why I can't find an answer to the question then

I think there was talk about eventually having more cockpit modes. Again, not sure why unless it fundamentally changes the cockpit layout or functionality. For example, a USEFUL reason for mode-changing would be to have (some of) the sensor data displayed directly on the HUD (for example, the frequency display of the FSS).

But as it stands, the current implementation is a bit of an annoying mess..the only other thing I can think of (apart from the colour change and "weapon" enabling) that happens when you mode-change is that the surface-scan planetary grid pattern is toggled on and off. But again, it would be far better if that was only displayed inside the Surface Scanner module, not in the cockpit.

OVERALL the cockpit instrumentation and HUD design is pretty damn good. Unfortunately there's been feature/message/popup creep ever since release which hasn't always integrated nicely with the original design. It would go a very long way to cleaning it up if we could disable some of the messages and alerts.

It is what it is now, and going by past records, highly unlikely to be changed anytime soon, if ever.

 

[varonica]

I have a question. Why did cockpit modes get implemented in the first place? It doesn't make sense to me to have this feature at all.

Because of the limited number of controls available to players on consoles, sometimes it's necessary to use the same control for two different purposes and mode switching allows that to work.

 

[Micha]

Because of the limited number of controls available to players on consoles, sometimes it's necessary to use the same control for two different purposes and mode switching allows that to work.

Interesting; never knew this and I can't recall noticing different control bindings between the modes when playing on PS4... mind you, it's been a fair while since I last played it on console!

So what controls get switched between cockpit modes on console? And again, why couldn't it just be achieved by the existing firegroups?

 

[Sylow]

Yea. There's so many suggestions around, how to turn this "looks broken or unfinished" into an actually useful implementation. Merely removing the message is the most crude and simple solution, but even that would already help a lot.

More sophisticated solutions usually propose one or another way of having seperate fire groups for either mode. This indeed would be more elegant, especially as its functionality would be much more obvious and intuitive to the player.

Anyway, i would be very happy about ANY solution. About anything would be an improvement and i just don't get it why FD refuses to even go for the most simple and primitive of them all, if they really can't wrap their mind around doing it properly.

 

[Winterwalker]

I don't care about this. I play on PC and have plenty of double bound groups that exploit the mode switch, getting the 'error' message all the time .. which I completely ignore .. so I can cut down on the number of firegroups!

You can just as easily avoid it by putting combat and analysis modules into seperate firegroups.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

IMHO :

- the separate Analysis Mode inhibiting Weapons to fire or Equipment to operate normal was completely unneeded

Instead, it should have been a mere display mode and inclusive in nature (similar i.e. to Night Vision), still allowing all Equipment to operate normally and regardless of mode.

I mean, why would a Composition Scanner not work in Combat Mode? There's virtually no reason, other than to artificially give Analysis Mode some reasons to exist.
And a KWS or a Laser has no reason no to operate in Analysis Mode either. Separating undesired combinations was always the responsibility of the CMDR via creating of Fire Groups.

I'm no friend of having a mere Display Mode make critical/reactive onboard Equipment go cold and be rendered inoperative, especially if there's virtually no sane reason.
The super annoying (and useless) HUD Message spam when combining Combat/Analysis Mode Equipment or Normal Space vs. SuperCruise Equipment into a single Fire Group is mere icing on the cake of a clearly sub-par design.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

I'm on console and I have never seen any benefit to this.

 

[Old Duck]

"Modes" should just be removed from the game, period. Instead give us a switch on the right panel that lets us toggle "Tron planets" and other HUD clutter tied to analysis mode (ridding those terrible Tron planets being a huge motivator behind my "immersion mod").

 

[Sylow]

"Modes" should just be removed from the game, period. Instead give us a switch on the right panel that lets us toggle "Tron planets" and other HUD clutter tied to analysis mode (ridding those terrible Tron planets being a huge motivator behind my "immersion mod").

Nah. I do see how they, if used properly, could really add something to the game. It's not the idea which is faulty, the problem is the "barely minimal" (I would rather use another word, but the language filter would eliminate it ) implementation.

 

[Franc Kaos]

...
It is what it is now, and going by past records, highly unlikely to be changed anytime soon, if ever.

Well, I'm kind'a hoping the Odyssey release will see a bunch of UI improvements so probably worth adding a bunch of idea's into suggestions

Like, multiple limpet types coalesced into one,
Ability to change ship UI colour thru' a menu
Reworked economy and buyable mats / engineering
Combat / analysis mode that makes sense

 

[Clarion-Z]

If I'm in one mode don't permit the other to show up greyed out when I scroll thru my firegroups, seems kind'a pointless to have split them up to then do that. If I press the combat mode I expect the ship to be combat ready, not still having scanners selected that don't even work in that mode.

I've basically got all combat options on one firegroup and all <non combat> scanning options on another*, to whit, having all my scan options on one fire group I know the xeno scanner won't have anything to do whilst I'm scanning ship wakes so I don't need a pop up EVERY time to tell me I'm in the wrong mode (even tho I'm not).

It actually feels like a bug - should I report it?

* Combat Mode: Firegroup 1, B1 fires pulse lasers, B2 multicannon
Analysis Mode: Firegroup 2, B1 does the system discovery scan, B2 scans wake, xeno, data etc
Firegroup 3, B1 fires off limpet, B2 does deep surface scan

I'm glad other people think that cockpit modes are currently just silly. There really should be different firegroup sets for analysis and combat mode instead of this half- mode swap.