Fire-groups and Cockpit modes: trying to make sense.

[Strangepork]

I've been trying to make sense of my fire groups, which are pretty finely tuned - minimal even, and the new Cockpit modes.

It's a bit of a mess.

I'm wondering why I'm being forced to cycle through fire groups, and utilities and weapons I can't use in certain cockpit modes.

I have got used to being able to mix and match fire groups, where I will have multiple modules/weapons sharing groups where they don't conflict, i.e. a Data Link, Wake and Manifest Scanner never conflict.

And then there are the MASSIVE messages in the info panel saying, "MODULE NOT USABLE IN THIS COCKPIT MODE!!!", only to see it once more in normal type as the MASSIVE message disappears.

Please stop spamming the UI FD!

As an initial proposal I would suggest fire groups may be assignable to cockpit modes, as an additional request I would like to see each cockpit mode remembering the last fire group selected while returning to that mode.

In this way I believe fire groups would be no less manageable under the new changes.

I wonder if any other CMDRs have proposals or experiences of complications or excess difficulty here?

 

[DaggerSnake]

I've been trying to make sense of my fire groups, which are pretty finely tuned - minimal even, and the new Cockpit modes.

It's a bit of a mess.

I'm wondering why I'm being forced to cycle through fire groups, and utilities and weapons I can't use in certain cockpit modes.

I have got used to being able to mix and match fire groups, where I will have multiple modules/weapons sharing groups where they don't conflict, i.e. a Data Link, Wake and Manifest Scanner never conflict.

And then there are the MASSIVE messages in the info panel saying, "MODULE NOT USABLE IN THIS COCKPIT MODE!!!", only to see it once more in normal type as the MASSIVE message disappears.

Please stop spamming the UI FD!

As an initial proposal I would suggest fire groups may be assignable to cockpit modes, as an additional request I would like to see each cockpit mode remembering the last fire group selected while returning to that mode.

In this way I believe fire groups would be no less manageable under the new changes.

I wonder if any other CMDRs have proposals or experiences of complications or excess difficulty here?

I do think that since there are now TWO modes in the cockpit, there should be seperate tabs in the firegroups set up that only shows modules appropriate for that mode and have a matching UI color

Flying in Analysis Mode? UI is default blue on the hud. Look to the right panel on Firegroups, it should also be blue and only show relevant modules with annotation showing that you are looking at Analysis Mode firegroups.

 

[Para Handy]

Yes I do agree that only appropriate firegroups be active depending upon the mode. At the moment, reverting to "Combat mode" means I have to cycle fire-groups to appropriate ones, going to analysis does the same in reverse. Definitely make life easier if in whichever mode I select, only appropriate firegroups are "in play". This is going to get worse with the mining stuff no doubt (not watched that stream yet).

 

[Wyldwiisel]

Do all the analysis from supercruise and you wouldn't have to change firegroup FSD interdictor is prime example of how it could have been done
No mode change needed

 

[Strangepork]

Do all the analysis from supercruise and you wouldn't have to change firegroup FSD interdictor is prime example of how it could have been done
No mode change needed

Can you analyse planet surfaces in normal space?

 

[Kaocraft]

I've been trying to make sense of my fire groups, which are pretty finely tuned - minimal even, and the new Cockpit modes.

It's a bit of a mess.

I'm wondering why I'm being forced to cycle through fire groups, and utilities and weapons I can't use in certain cockpit modes.

I have got used to being able to mix and match fire groups, where I will have multiple modules/weapons sharing groups where they don't conflict, i.e. a Data Link, Wake and Manifest Scanner never conflict.

And then there are the MASSIVE messages in the info panel saying, "MODULE NOT USABLE IN THIS COCKPIT MODE!!!", only to see it once more in normal type as the MASSIVE message disappears.

Please stop spamming the UI FD!

As an initial proposal I would suggest fire groups may be assignable to cockpit modes, as an additional request I would like to see each cockpit mode remembering the last fire group selected while returning to that mode.

In this way I believe fire groups would be no less manageable under the new changes.

I wonder if any other CMDRs have proposals or experiences of complications or excess difficulty here?

Honestly if they stopped spamming the UI I'd be pretty OK with the rest of it.

 

[WorldsGreatestForumDad]

I've been trying to make sense of my fire groups, which are pretty finely tuned - minimal even, and the new Cockpit modes.

It's a bit of a mess.

I'm wondering why I'm being forced to cycle through fire groups, and utilities and weapons I can't use in certain cockpit modes.

I have got used to being able to mix and match fire groups, where I will have multiple modules/weapons sharing groups where they don't conflict, i.e. a Data Link, Wake and Manifest Scanner never conflict.

And then there are the MASSIVE messages in the info panel saying, "MODULE NOT USABLE IN THIS COCKPIT MODE!!!", only to see it once more in normal type as the MASSIVE message disappears.

Please stop spamming the UI FD!

As an initial proposal I would suggest fire groups may be assignable to cockpit modes, as an additional request I would like to see each cockpit mode remembering the last fire group selected while returning to that mode.

In this way I believe fire groups would be no less manageable under the new changes.

I wonder if any other CMDRs have proposals or experiences of complications or excess difficulty here?

Yes, I was stuck in explorer mode and I couldnt switch to gri... I mean Combat mode when I seen someone in supercruise.

I thought I made the changes at the very bottom.

But the real place to make this change is in the middle where the Modes options are. Its at the very bottom of that sublist. And not in the new stuff at the very bottom of the main list.

The grief that got away. Shame, it was a vette too.

 

[the100thmonkey]

If you select the discovery scanner, it kind of heavily implies that you want to be in analysis mode. I don't see any reason for there to be an analysis mode switch in the first place.

 

[Strangepork]

If you select the discovery scanner, it kind of heavily implies that you want to be in analysis mode. I don't see any reason for there to be an analysis mode switch in the first place.

I quite agree man, I'm finding I have to scrabble around clicking 3 options before I can respond to a enemy.

And those huge messages in the UI, top right. When did tutorials enter the games HUD and why?

 

[kolAflash]

I'd say the new "cockpit mode" is a nice example of "overengineering".

With "fire groups" there has already been an existing feature more powerful than "cockpit modes", because you can define as many "fire groups" as you like. So I'd prefer to just remove cockpit modes again.


If ED keeps the cockpit mode, it should be brought in harmony with the existing "fire groups" feature. There are two alternatives I see for this:

Variant A: hide modules and don't warn
Hide the modules from the HUD which aren't available in the current cockpit mode and don't display a warning that you can't use them. Instead, place a medium sized indicator somewhere in the HUD, which shows in which mode you're currently. Additionally, in the "fire group" configuration menu, indicate in which cockpit mode a module is available (e.g. by a small icon or by color).

OR (not and) Variant B: separate fire groups
Provide the ability to configure separate fire groups for each cockpit mode. (actually I like variant A more, because it gets along with less configuration stuff)


Apart from that I like the 3.3 update! Especially naming fire groups with letters instead of numbers helps to avoid some confusion I think.