Mission briefings: show distance from jump-in point to destination port

[Seamus Donohue]

In the mission briefing window for courier missions (or any other mission where the mission is specifying a destination body in the solar system), please show the number of lightseconds to the destination port.

If there's a game design reason why this number should not be shown for unexplored systems(*), then this distance should be listed as "UNEXPLORED".

(* I can't think of a reason. I'm generally talking about ports, here. People live there. People visit there. You're not giving away much by specifying the distance in lightseconds.)

 

[Lucius-Darcia]

If it's explored by you, you can check the system map. If not, you'll need to explore.
We have already what ypu are asking for if you are willing to do 1 mouseclick more :|

 

[Seamus Donohue]

Not quite. I have to click "OPEN GALAXY MAP", then mouseover the destination solar system, then click "System map". Sometimes, it takes as long as 5 or 10 seconds for the System Map to load.

Also, very frequently when looking at the Mission Board, I won't be checking one mission. I'll be checking all the missions. Having to go to the Galaxy Map and then the System Map for each mission is a significant slowdown.

Come to think of it, Frontier could even put the lightseconds in the Mission Index.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

+1 to showing distance in Ls.
But ONLY if you have the System Data. Other wise it should just say "No System Data" or Just nothing. Obviously wouldn't apply to "honky tonk" missions, where your mission doesn't even know until you honk the system.

 

[Pville_Piper]

It makes no sense of someone wanting you to fly some where's to do a mission that they wouldn't tell you where it is or have that information readily available if the system has already been explored and that means by anyone, not just you. What is the propose of selling cartographic information if it is never made available to the pilots? It's like asking a truck driver in New Jersey to deliver a load to Los Angles and not giving him a street address, just the name of the business.

You should be able to purchase that information prior to accepting the mission and adding the LS into the mission description is a no brainer. To have to carry an advanced discover scanner or to have to stop by the nav beacon to get directions when doing a mission is beyond ridicules when you have GPS and Google maps in our day. I have ship that can plot a 1000 light year voyage, scan an entire system from the main star but it's navigation system apparently is dwarfed by my cell phone.

 

[goemon]

there is actually a basic problem with it:

the distance from entry point isn't always the same. not all stations (actually nearby none) are orbiting planets which orbit the sun in a circle, as you might know from our very own solar system. to get this info into the screen like you want, the mission board would need to request the server for every station on the missions board to get its current position, like going to the galaxy map and open the system map does. i don't know about you, but i prefer the mission board not loading any slower, and especially not to request and let the server calculate the current position of a station up to 20 times for all potential missions...

of course a workaround could be to show minimum and maximum distance of the station, like "Distance from Entry Point: 700 ls - 850 ls" - if that info would be stored in some database (i suspect it isn't).

 

[goemon]

It makes no sense of someone wanting you to fly some where's to do a mission that they wouldn't tell you where it is or have that information readily available if the system has already been explored and that means by anyone, not just you. What is the propose of selling cartographic information if it is never made available to the pilots? It's like asking a truck driver in New Jersey to deliver a load to Los Angles and not giving him a street address, just the name of the business.

You should be able to purchase that information prior to accepting the mission and adding the LS into the mission description is a no brainer. To have to carry an advanced discover scanner or to have to stop by the nav beacon to get directions when doing a mission is beyond ridicules when you have GPS and Google maps in our day. I have ship that can plot a 1000 light year voyage, scan an entire system from the main star but it's navigation system apparently is dwarfed by my cell phone.

you do know that you can buy catographic data? it's a feature of the galaxy map.

 

[Allchemyst]

there is actually a basic problem with it:

the distance from entry point isn't always the same. not all stations (actually nearby none) are orbiting planets which orbit the sun in a circle, as you might know from our very own solar system. to get this info into the screen like you want, the mission board would need to request the server for every station on the missions board to get its current position, like going to the galaxy map and open the system map does. i don't know about you, but i prefer the mission board not loading any slower, and especially not to request and let the server calculate the current position of a station up to 20 times for all potential missions...

of course a workaround could be to show minimum and maximum distance of the station, like "Distance from Entry Point: 700 ls - 850 ls" - if that info would be stored in some database (i suspect it isn't).

Oh I'd much rather wait a few seconds more and have station distance at the ready, without a single doubt. Especially since I already alt-tab out of the game upon opening the mission board because of its load time...

If FD were to implement this, I would no longer also need to alt-tab away everytime I check for a station's info.

 

[Seamus Donohue]

+1 to showing distance in Ls.
But ONLY if you have the System Data. Other wise it should just say "No System Data" or Just nothing. Obviously wouldn't apply to "honky tonk" missions, where your mission doesn't even know until you honk the system.

I can live with that, though I'd prefer an explicit "No System Data" (or "Unexplored" which is a little shorter, and is also the term that the System Map uses).

there is actually a basic problem with it:

the distance from entry point isn't always the same. not all stations (actually nearby none) are orbiting planets which orbit the sun in a circle, as you might know from our very own solar system. to get this info into the screen like you want, the mission board would need to request the server for every station on the missions board to get its current position, like going to the galaxy map and open the system map does. i don't know about you, but i prefer the mission board not loading any slower, and especially not to request and let the server calculate the current position of a station up to 20 times for all potential missions...

of course a workaround could be to show minimum and maximum distance of the station, like "Distance from Entry Point: 700 ls - 850 ls" - if that info would be stored in some database (i suspect it isn't).

The workaround is fine, an approximate number that only gets updated once per patch (or something) is okay. The distances from the jump-in point don't change drastically on player-noticeable timescales. I don't care so much about the difference between 400 and 500 lightseconds as the difference between 400 and 400,000 lightseconds. A port that's 10,000 lightseconds from the jump-in point today isn't going to be 3,000,000 lightseconds from the jump-in point next year, or vice versa.

I promise up-and-down that I will not complain if a port that was reported as 620 ls is actually 684 ls away.

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

+1

i would be already satisfied if there was an extra button to open the destination system directly, without the need to load the whole galaxymap.
due to high jump ranges, the response time of the galaxymap is delayed several seconds,
then i have to hope that i don't missclick and have it focus on a completely different region of the bubble...

 

[Pville_Piper]

there is actually a basic problem with it:

the distance from entry point isn't always the same. not all stations (actually nearby none) are orbiting planets which orbit the sun in a circle, as you might know from our very own solar system. to get this info into the screen like you want, the mission board would need to request the server for every station on the missions board to get its current position, like going to the galaxy map and open the system map does. i don't know about you, but i prefer the mission board not loading any slower, and especially not to request and let the server calculate the current position of a station up to 20 times for all potential missions...

of course a workaround could be to show minimum and maximum distance of the station, like "Distance from Entry Point: 700 ls - 850 ls" - if that info would be stored in some database (i suspect it isn't).

Huh? Just give the distance that is shown on the System Map and forget all that tom foolery... If I have limited time I don't want to do a bunch of missions that are +100,000 ls... Hutton Orbital isn't my cup of tea when I only want to play for 45 minutes or have already been playing for a while. As it stands now I often skip these missions because the system information isn't shown.

you do know that you can buy catographic data? it's a feature of the galaxy map.

Yes, I do. But I guess you missed the fact that the information isn't always available. In fact, more often then not I can't buy that information at all. I think its ridicules that you fly into a system that is "unexplored" just to find out after you scan the system you find it has all kinds of stations and outposts circling "unexplored" planets and moons not to mention bases on those said "unexplored" bodies. In what universe does this make sense. This is just a placeholder mechanic to feed money to players and like most of the placeholders in this game it is poorly thought out and executed.

If a system is explored and in the bubble the data should be purchasable. If you desire to leave the honk and scan payout in the game fine, do so. But let us buy that information if we desire. If the system hasn't had a detailed surface scan and only an ADS scan then all it should show is planetary bodies and ports. In fact, make the information 3 times more expensive for purchasing just an ADS scan, triple the price on that if you desire the detailed surface scan information and double that for trade information (detailed information​ not the dribble that the system map shows) if you like... Just make it purchasable!!!

+1

i would be already satisfied if there was an extra button to open the destination system directly, without the need to load the whole galaxymap.
due to high jump ranges, the response time of the galaxymap is delayed several seconds,
then i have to hope that i don't missclick and have it focus on a completely different region of the bubble...

Yes, this makes sense, but only if you can get the sytems information.

 

[Duke]

Thats a request that I also opened - ages before. But no reaction 'til today

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...e-to-star-in-the-job-details-on-mission-board

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

Yes, this makes sense, but only if you can get the sytems information.

sure,
but i would know that i have the systems data or not right away on the mission screen, without any further clicks or interactions - since the button would be greyed out if i wouldn't have the data...

 

[goemon]

Huh? Just give the distance that is shown on the System Map and forget all that tom foolery...

the distance which is shown on the system map is calculated, when you open the system map (or jump into the system). as the distance changes all the time for stations orbiting bodies, which do not orbit the star in a perfect circle, to show this distance it needs to be calculated. that's no tom follery, but simply a fact.

let's assume you want to know how far a station orbiting earth is from the sun. depending of the time you jump in or request the distance, the station will be 146 million km from the sun in early january and 152 million km in early july.

to get this number a server request is necessary to calculate the position of earth at that moment. which is currently done when you open the system map.
now, while the difference of a station orbiting earth is pretty minor, a station orbiting pluto would differ between 24 603 430 Ls and 14 799 483 LS distance depending on time - that's allmost double the distance between furthest and closest point to entry. to request and calculate 20+ distances of stations on the mission boards would slow down the mission board a lot...

of course, and as said, you could show the average distance, or a min-max value - if such a table exists server side, which it doesn't as far as i know.

 

[Pville_Piper]

the distance which is shown on the system map is calculated, when you open the system map (or jump into the system). as the distance changes all the time for stations orbiting bodies, which do not orbit the star in a perfect circle, to show this distance it needs to be calculated. that's no tom follery, but simply a fact.

All I'm saying is that when I go to the system map it gives me a value in light seconds... THIS is what needs to be displayed in the map. I can get it from a 3rd party site like INARA so why can't I purchase this information? And why can't that information, THAT IS DISPLAYED ON THE SYSTEM MAP, (please note it is correctly shown in the image below) be made available in the mission text?

I don't care about calculating the true distance from the drop in point to the station as it is rarely a factor. I am seeking to avoid 90 minutes of travel to the station when time is short or I don't care to sit there for +30 minutes of watching space dust fly by.. The system map gives the distance from the star to the station, I want this in the mission detail.

 

[Seamus Donohue]

now, while the difference of a station orbiting earth is pretty minor, a station orbiting pluto would differ between 24 603 430 Ls and 14 799 483 LS distance depending on time - that's allmost double the distance between furthest and closest point to entry. to request and calculate 20+ distances of stations on the mission boards would slow down the mission board a lot...

of course, and as said, you could show the average distance, or a min-max value - if such a table exists server side, which it doesn't as far as i know.

Frontier Developments can create such a table of "constants"; it only needs to be approximately correct (within ±20%) and it only needs to be updated every so often (maybe once per downtime, or once per patch). At 250 Earth years, the orbit of Pluto is much slower than the schedule of game patches.

 

[goemon]

he system map gives the distance from the star to the station, I want this in the mission detail.

saying the same the third time now: this distance, shown on the system map, is calculated, when you open the system map. which is also the reason why 3rd party sites are not always correct on station distances, as those change over time.

and again: yes, FDEV could show average distances, or min/max distances - if there would be a table for it, from where the mission board could request it (as part of the station information). but it could not show the actual distance without the server calculating it first.

 

[goemon]

Frontier Developments can create such a table of "constants"; it only needs to be approximately correct (within ±20%) and it only needs to be updated every so often (maybe once per downtime, or once per patch). At 250 Earth years, the orbit of Pluto is much slower than the schedule of game patches.

that's true for pluto, but probably not for all the ~30 000 - 40 000 bodies orbited or settled by stations. i personally think, showing min/max values would be better than average values.

 

[GODofDUTY83]

Yeah. No.
Its fine the way it is. The information is all in game. If certain players are not willing to use what is there, tuff.

 

[Cucco-Master]

and again: yes, FDEV could show average distances, or min/max distances - if there would be a table for it, from where the mission board could request it (as part of the station information). but it could not show the actual distance without the server calculating it first.

Honestly, the only thing I would need is something like
<1000ls
1000-10,000ls
10,000-100,000ls
>100,000ls
I only would like to know if it will be 1. a nice and short trip, 2. a somewhat long, but still acceptable trip or 3. something I really don't want to do if not absolutely necessary.
I don't need to know the exact semi-major axis of the station or if it's closer to its periapsis or apoapsis. This is Elite, not Kerbal Space Program

(By the way, I just typed this - after smoking and doing some other things ... - while cruising from Gliese 171.2 B to Kondratyev Port (1,053,099ls) for a simple data courier mission )