Suggestion: a fully realised "three dimensional" model of weapon and scanner fire group allocation to account for combat and analysis modes
A while back, Analysis vs Combat Mode was introduced for fire group, to allow more advanced exploration and scanning. To me, this was a neat idea but seemed like an opportunity that was ever so close to being something truly revolutionary, and I propose taking the concept and making it even more robust and flexible.
I think of the current setup in three dimensions:
First dimension is the choice between primary and secondary fire, or no binding at all, something present since day 1.
Second dimension, introduced with the exploration revamp, is the choice of "fire mode" that these are used: combat or analysis, into which the weapons or scanners are allocated primary or secondary fire within a single fire group.
Third dimension is the number of "fire groups" you can have per ship, again something present since the beginning.
Here's how a fire setup might appear:
A current problem is that some equipment can only work in combat mode, and some only in analysis mode, while a few work in both, with no clear distinction over which works with which particularly in the grey areas of mining weapons and kill warrant / manifest scanners. Attempting to use the wrong one in the wrong mode brings up an error message and advice to switch modes. At present the fire group selection panel only allows you to select between primary and secondary fire, and the mode they end up with just happens as it happens.
My suggestions:
1) Clearly state the activation and allocation restrictions on weapons and enforce them, so that some can only operate in combat mode and some only in analysis mode, and some in both modes. Weapons are a tricky area as nominally they operate in combat mode only, but may be necessary for self defence - but in this case one may simply switch to combat mode and break off any analysis being done, remembering that some scanners could also be used for combat mode.
Now, it would be too easy to suggest that you put labels over which equipment can be used where, but this can be taken so much further:
2) Overhaul the fire group allocations system into "fire mode groups." Currently, to change just one weapon over while keeping the others the same on the fly, you would have to create an entire new fire group file that is identical to the current one save for the swapped around weapon, which is inefficient and wasteful of fire group slots. Instead, split each fire group into a separate combat mode group and a separate analysis mode group, both of which are independent of each other and not bound to a single unified fire group file under the current system.
To that end, on the fire groups panel, choose which weapons belong to which mode, either as primary or secondary fire, and allow different groups within each mode. There shall then be separate controls, one to select a combat mode group, and one to select an analysis mode group.
(My original idea was to have some equipment as "both" modes per fire group, but with my proposal to physically split fire groups into independent combat and analysis mode group reels, this might be a redundant feature.)
Furthermore, allow the possibility of pairs of mode groups to be linked, just like in the current system, especially if you have a pairing you use a lot. This might then produce a 4th dimension to proceedings, of separate mode groups vs linked mode groups (ie the current system) for added flexibility.
Here's how it might look:
Bonus suggestion:
3) Suggestion for a third operation mode: Extraction Mode, designed purely for mining equipment including lasers and missiles and the various scanners.
Potential effects:
A) Equipment is only used when it needs to be. Potentially the most significant effect of this. Any equipment not active in a certain mode is powered down and stowed away. For example, if you have a fire group with plasma accelerators in combat mode but data scanners and composition scanners in analysis mode, going into analysis mode will power down the plasma accelerators and stow them away, while activating the other scanners. This will result in significant alterations in how power is managed and may have implications for future builds. The caveat is that powering up weapons you need will take as much time as is usually needed, but there is potential for engineering fast activation weaponry as a "quick draw" effect.
B) Weaponry is holstered appropriately. If you only need to use a scanner to scan wakes and other things without looking threatening and getting the text message of "please put away your weapons" within no fire zones, it is now possible to do so. This can then lead to the possibility of NPCs reacting to you simply opening up your weapon hardpoints (in the same way NPC people do in Odyssey) if you are reckless.
C) Efficient and bespoke chop-and-change on-the-fly firing suites across the fire groups and modes. Because combat and analysis modes would now have their own sets of fire groups, you have more space for a whole variety of equipment combinations. During operation, you simply have to go down the rank (mode) and file (group) to choose the right combination of equipment instead of having a limited choice of fire groups with an unsatisfactory choice of equipment for the current situation. Linking pairs of combat and analysis modes for commonly used tasks should also be an option.
Sounds complex. Any thoughts?
A while back, Analysis vs Combat Mode was introduced for fire group, to allow more advanced exploration and scanning. To me, this was a neat idea but seemed like an opportunity that was ever so close to being something truly revolutionary, and I propose taking the concept and making it even more robust and flexible.
I think of the current setup in three dimensions:
First dimension is the choice between primary and secondary fire, or no binding at all, something present since day 1.
Second dimension, introduced with the exploration revamp, is the choice of "fire mode" that these are used: combat or analysis, into which the weapons or scanners are allocated primary or secondary fire within a single fire group.
Third dimension is the number of "fire groups" you can have per ship, again something present since the beginning.
Here's how a fire setup might appear:
A current problem is that some equipment can only work in combat mode, and some only in analysis mode, while a few work in both, with no clear distinction over which works with which particularly in the grey areas of mining weapons and kill warrant / manifest scanners. Attempting to use the wrong one in the wrong mode brings up an error message and advice to switch modes. At present the fire group selection panel only allows you to select between primary and secondary fire, and the mode they end up with just happens as it happens.
My suggestions:
1) Clearly state the activation and allocation restrictions on weapons and enforce them, so that some can only operate in combat mode and some only in analysis mode, and some in both modes. Weapons are a tricky area as nominally they operate in combat mode only, but may be necessary for self defence - but in this case one may simply switch to combat mode and break off any analysis being done, remembering that some scanners could also be used for combat mode.
Now, it would be too easy to suggest that you put labels over which equipment can be used where, but this can be taken so much further:
2) Overhaul the fire group allocations system into "fire mode groups." Currently, to change just one weapon over while keeping the others the same on the fly, you would have to create an entire new fire group file that is identical to the current one save for the swapped around weapon, which is inefficient and wasteful of fire group slots. Instead, split each fire group into a separate combat mode group and a separate analysis mode group, both of which are independent of each other and not bound to a single unified fire group file under the current system.
To that end, on the fire groups panel, choose which weapons belong to which mode, either as primary or secondary fire, and allow different groups within each mode. There shall then be separate controls, one to select a combat mode group, and one to select an analysis mode group.
(My original idea was to have some equipment as "both" modes per fire group, but with my proposal to physically split fire groups into independent combat and analysis mode group reels, this might be a redundant feature.)
Furthermore, allow the possibility of pairs of mode groups to be linked, just like in the current system, especially if you have a pairing you use a lot. This might then produce a 4th dimension to proceedings, of separate mode groups vs linked mode groups (ie the current system) for added flexibility.
Here's how it might look:
Bonus suggestion:
3) Suggestion for a third operation mode: Extraction Mode, designed purely for mining equipment including lasers and missiles and the various scanners.
Potential effects:
A) Equipment is only used when it needs to be. Potentially the most significant effect of this. Any equipment not active in a certain mode is powered down and stowed away. For example, if you have a fire group with plasma accelerators in combat mode but data scanners and composition scanners in analysis mode, going into analysis mode will power down the plasma accelerators and stow them away, while activating the other scanners. This will result in significant alterations in how power is managed and may have implications for future builds. The caveat is that powering up weapons you need will take as much time as is usually needed, but there is potential for engineering fast activation weaponry as a "quick draw" effect.
B) Weaponry is holstered appropriately. If you only need to use a scanner to scan wakes and other things without looking threatening and getting the text message of "please put away your weapons" within no fire zones, it is now possible to do so. This can then lead to the possibility of NPCs reacting to you simply opening up your weapon hardpoints (in the same way NPC people do in Odyssey) if you are reckless.
C) Efficient and bespoke chop-and-change on-the-fly firing suites across the fire groups and modes. Because combat and analysis modes would now have their own sets of fire groups, you have more space for a whole variety of equipment combinations. During operation, you simply have to go down the rank (mode) and file (group) to choose the right combination of equipment instead of having a limited choice of fire groups with an unsatisfactory choice of equipment for the current situation. Linking pairs of combat and analysis modes for commonly used tasks should also be an option.
Sounds complex. Any thoughts?
