Extend the Ground Height Map Display

[MadDogMurdock]

Currently, the scanner displays a ground height map if you are below a certain altitude (500m I think) with your Landing Gear deployed.

Please extend the range and remove the Landing Gear limitation.

 

[varonica]

Currently, the scanner displays a ground height map if you are below a certain altitude (500m I think) with your Landing Gear deployed.

Please extend the range and remove the Landing Gear limitation.

I consider the ground display as an aid to finding a flat landing spot, I can't see any reason for it's use otherwise and it seems thus sensible to have it activate when landing gear is extended. Extend it to high and it will interfere with the POI indicators. However it's no problems to me if you want to start it at 1km without landing gear, at that height it won't affect POI display, although I don't know what FDEV have in mind for exploration in Q4 of beyond where they are enhancing the planetary search sensors so it is probably best to leave it to FDEV to decide.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

I consider the ground display as an aid to finding a flat landing spot, I can't see any reason for it's use otherwise and it seems thus sensible to have it activate when landing gear is extended. Extend it to high and it will interfere with the POI indicators. However it's no problems to me if you want to start it at 1km without landing gear, at that height it won't affect POI display, although I don't know what FDEV have in mind for exploration in Q4 of beyond where they are enhancing the planetary search sensors so it is probably best to leave it to FDEV to decide.

Currently, it can only be used as an aid to finding a landing spot.
I'd like to extend it's use to also be an aid for low altitude flight.

I don't see how it would interfere with POIs:
- I'm not asking for 2.5km
- Circles can quite easily coexist with the heightmap. In fact having them combined might go someway to resolving that useless mechanic.

 

[askavir]

I would love if the middle section of the HUD could simply be toggled between ship scanner or ground scanner using a button/key.

 

[varonica]

Currently, it can only be used as an aid to finding a landing spot.
I'd like to extend it's use to also be an aid for low altitude flight.

I don't see how it would interfere with POIs:
- I'm not asking for 2.5km
- Circles can quite easily coexist with the heightmap. In fact having them combined might go someway to resolving that useless mechanic.

Poi's are visible from around 1.8 kms high, I don't really see how you can combine them since poi's show up over 6kms away. As I said I am happy with up to 1km but i don't really see how it can possibly be an aid for low level flight, maybe you would like to expand on that.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Poi's are visible from around 1.8 kms high, I don't really see how you can combine them since poi's show up over 6kms away. As I said I am happy with up to 1km but i don't really see how it can possibly be an aid for low level flight, maybe you would like to expand on that.

When you are high speed canyon running for example, the height map would be extremely useful, especially in darker places.
The current 500m limit with forced landing gear down means that you can only go slow, and frequent height map variations make it pop in and out of view.

POIs are just circles on the ground - I don't see what would be hard about overlaying that circle on the height map when it's visible.
It's a moot point because the range limits make them mutually exclusive anyway.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I would love if the middle section of the HUD could simply be toggled between ship scanner or ground scanner using a button/key.

This. I'd love to be able to toggle the mode.
Radar height map is really useful for low level flying in the dark.

And sometimes I like to see the normal radar while landed so I can see what ships are whizzing about.

 

[Komemiute]

Currently, the scanner displays a ground height map if you are below a certain altitude (500m I think) with your Landing Gear deployed.

Please extend the range and remove the Landing Gear limitation.

Best would be to have a swithc that we could use to select the sensor to display- landing scanner ( the ground) or Area Scanner (the normal scanner).
It would also be immensely helpful with the Situational Awareness when taking off inside the Stations...

I would love if the middle section of the HUD could simply be toggled between ship scanner or ground scanner using a button/key.

Oh, I was ninja'd. Heh! +rep.

 

[askavir]

Radar height map is really useful for low level flying in the dark.

True. For flying in the dark, my favorite solution would be same as in Evochron Legacy. Press a key to enable low-light vision mode (basically a green-tinted night vision mode). Clean and simple, no need for cosmic floodlight night-nerfing like in ED.

(look in the 1:05 minute mark - pay attention as it goes by fast...)

[video=youtube;2hW1cUDArkg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hW1cUDArkg[/video]

And sometimes I like to see the normal radar while landed so I can see what ships are whizzing about.

Yeah, same here!

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Alternate viewing options would also be good - not just for the night vision use case.
Mineral density views inside rings would be another good one.

 

[varonica]

Alternate viewing options would also be good - not just for the night vision use case.
Mineral density views inside rings would be another good one.

Oh yes I can see an advantage to having an alternative view mode for instrumental flight, when it's to dark, having frequently dropped into canyons when exploring on really dark bodies (and occasionally running into walls), I personally don't think the current landing display is very useful for that since it obscures your view when you have the ship backed up up to a canyon wall, I think a togglable night view wireframe mode would be much better.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Oh yes I can see an advantage to having an alternative view mode for instrumental flight, when it's to dark, having frequently dropped into canyons when exploring on really dark bodies (and occasionally running into walls), I personally don't think the current landing display is very useful for that since it obscures your view when you have the ship backed up up to a canyon wall, I think a togglable night view wireframe mode would be much better.

Obscures your view of what - I still don't get that part?

 

[Para Handy]

..........
And sometimes I like to see the normal radar while landed so I can see what ships are whizzing about.

You do still see them - even in the SRV sensor display as well on the ship one.

Currently, the scanner displays a ground height map if you are below a certain altitude (500m I think) with your Landing Gear deployed.

Please extend the range and remove the Landing Gear limitation.

I like the idea of this, fully support the suggestion.

[up]

 

[varonica]

Obscures your view of what - I still don't get that part?

Grab a couple of pics for you to make it easier to explain;

This first pic I can see cliffs in front of me through the canopy, but because I am backed up to the cliff face the ground in the ground height map display is obscuring them, so I can't see in the display what I can see out of the canopy.

Spoiler

This second pic I climb higher in my ship without moving forward or back, once I am at ground level I can see the cliffs on the ground height map display.

Spoiler

Ideally a night view mode should always show you what you could see through the canopy, in deep canyons the ground height map won't always do that so it's far from ideal for the purpose.

 

[Eidolon]

I'll also throw a +1 to the OP.

The other idea about toggling seems sensible to me too. It would really help out with some situations.
I always miss the 3D scanner at takeoff as well, even in a station or surface port. Often just feels like I'm rolling the dice as to wether or not I have a collision.
Nice Qol changes if they were added.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Grab a couple of pics for you to make it easier to explain;

This first pic I can see cliffs in front of me through the canopy, but because I am backed up to the cliff face the ground in the ground height map display is obscuring them, so I can't see in the display what I can see out of the canopy.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/9CWiME0.jpg

This second pic I climb higher in my ship without moving forward or back, once I am at ground level I can see the cliffs on the ground height map display.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/252vfbc.jpg

Ideally a night view mode should always show you what you could see through the canopy, in deep canyons the ground height map won't always do that so it's far from ideal for the purpose.

Gotcha - part of that blocking is because the ground height view is limited to such a short range.
Extending it would mitigate that to a degree, but the way it displays could also be improved - maybe be reducing the filling around the edge or making it more transparent.

 

[Para Handy]

Grab a couple of pics for you to make it easier to explain;

This first pic I can see cliffs in front of me through the canopy, but because I am backed up to the cliff face the ground in the ground height map display is obscuring them, so I can't see in the display what I can see out of the canopy.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/9CWiME0.jpg

.........

Surely increasing the scanner range would overcome the issue in the first image.

 

[varonica]

Surely increasing the scanner range would overcome the issue in the first image.

No because the view is blocked by the ground, only increasing your height above the height of the ground blocking it will allow you to see the cliff in front of you, the closer you are to the cliff behind you the more your vision is obscured. I intentionally included two pictures only changing height to demonstrate that very problem, the cliffs in front of you are already in range of the ground radar but you can't see them. It doesn't matter how much you increase the range, until you can draw a straight line between your POV and what you want to see you won't be able to see it, so any ground around the canyon you are flying through has the possibility to obscure your view at a sudden sharp turn.

Because your POV is not from the pilot seat there is always going to be situation where you won't be able to see clearly, which is why I say it's not an ideal solution.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

No because the view is blocked by the ground, only increasing your height above the height of the ground blocking it will allow you to see the cliff in front of you, the closer you are to the cliff behind you the more your vision is obscured. I intentionally included two pictures only changing height to demonstrate that very problem, the cliffs in front of you are already in range of the ground radar but you can't see them. It doesn't matter how much you increase the range, until you can draw a straight line between your POV and what you want to see you won't be able to see it, so any ground around the canyon you are flying through has the possibility to obscure your view at a sudden sharp turn.

Because your POV is not from the pilot seat there is always going to be situation where you won't be able to see clearly, which is why I say it's not an ideal solution.

One way to resolve this would be to center the ground height map mode of the scanner above your ship rather than exactly on it, and perhaps angle it a bit differently.
There doesn't have to be only one solution - there are independent merits for improving the ground height map and night-vision modes, I'd like both.

 

[Para Handy]

No because ..........

As a matter of interest, I had a play with this situation and it seems that the radar scanner display range is not adjustable when the ship is showing the ground contours. Just something else I was not aware of.