The PowerPlay update added a "Galactic Powers" button to the left UI panel and the Engineers update added a "View Engineers" button to the right panel. Both locations seem to have been chosen more because they were a prominent and convenient place to put a button rather than because of any relationship with the existing functions in those panels.
In 2.1 there is also increased use of the message inbox in the comms panel for mission updates from minor faction contact NPCs. This is a logical place for those updates, but it's very small and hard to read in VR.
I'd suggest merging the PowerPlay window, Engineer window and possibly also the message inbox into tabs of a large window (similar to the current Engineer window or the station services menu) that's launched from a single button which could be called something like "Contacts", "Address Book" or "Relationships." Future updates that add new NPC relationship-related features (passengers in 2.2, and perhaps whatever NPC minions we might someday be able to hire?) can be added as new tabs in this window rather than further cluttering the left and right panels.
As of 2.1 this would be a net removal of only one button (two removed, one added) from the cockpit UI panes, but I imagine the savings would add up as future updates add more NPC relationships to manage.
In 2.1 there is also increased use of the message inbox in the comms panel for mission updates from minor faction contact NPCs. This is a logical place for those updates, but it's very small and hard to read in VR.
I'd suggest merging the PowerPlay window, Engineer window and possibly also the message inbox into tabs of a large window (similar to the current Engineer window or the station services menu) that's launched from a single button which could be called something like "Contacts", "Address Book" or "Relationships." Future updates that add new NPC relationship-related features (passengers in 2.2, and perhaps whatever NPC minions we might someday be able to hire?) can be added as new tabs in this window rather than further cluttering the left and right panels.
As of 2.1 this would be a net removal of only one button (two removed, one added) from the cockpit UI panes, but I imagine the savings would add up as future updates add more NPC relationships to manage.
