More useful galaxy map.

[Dread Quixadhal]

So, I sat down to play Elite today, on my xbox for a change, and quickly discovered that it was frustratingly difficult to tease any useful information out of the in-game map interface. When playing on the PC, we have quick and easy access to multiple third-party web sites to perform routine tasks that really SHOULD be doable withing the game client, but are not.

For example: on my xbox account, I had a Type-6 kitted out for mining and about a million credits in the bank. Rather than mining, I felt like I wanted to so some passenger missions to remember the systems around my area and make a bit of money. So, I needed to purchase some passenger cabins. WHERE do I find those?

On the PC, I'd cheat by pulling up eddb in a browser, type in 5E Passenger Cabin in the station search, type in Yan Masu as my origin, and BAM, a nice list of stations which have recently stocked that item, sorted by distance. Why is this information NOT available in the in-game galaxy map? When playing on the xbox, I don't have that luxury unless I keep walking back and forth across the room, trying to remember the system name so I can type it in a a destination.

There are other examples. Why can't we set up a trade route where we pick a destination system and have it attempt to find transport/trade/passenger missions along that path? Without resorting to third party data sites, or making a giant list of systems on a pen-and-paper notepad, we can't really do this either.

I don't want to automate things. I just want the data to be available, at my fingertips, IN GAME. All of this would reasonably be in any ship's computer, and even if some data were out-of-date (current prices, mission lists, etc), even today's computers would track all this and make it accessible.

 

[Winterwalker]

Except you are, kind of asking for mission pick ups to be automated.

Information tooltips have been adding bit by bit since day one, and it's way better now than it was. I think it's reasonable for help hints to follow changes to the game though, otherwise FDev would constantly be changing those, as well as the game.

Looking for high population, high tech outfitters is kind of logical but I don't disagree tips are helpful. If you want to know what exact modules are in stock at a particular port though, I think you should have to have visted the place before. That's where the CODEX comes into it's own of course.

 

[Braandlin]

There is an argument that many of the tools that 3rd party developers have built should be in the game. However, the fact that these have been developed by people other than Frontier means that we get those tools PLUS all the things Frontier have developed. If Frontier had spent tim ebuilding those tools we would have less in game development. In effect Frontier have outsourced some development to the commuity and allowed them to design tools that they find useful. Its actually a very good way of working.

So we can complain the tools aren't in the main game or we can celebrate the fact we have them.

Yes, it would be better if there was easy access to those tools when we play the game on consoles. I play on xbox. Sometimes i sit with my lap top or phone when i need to use a tool. Often I don't need to. The biggest issue with this is typing complex system names on the xbox - but that is an issue for the microsoft platform and the controller.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

What i do when playing is i have my laptop or phone out in front of me when playing ed to use eddb.io or inara. Most people who are playing ed on console should have access to one of those 2.

 

[Winterwalker]

What i do when playing is i have my laptop or phone out in front of me when playing ed to use eddb.io or inara. Most people who are playing ed on console should have access to one of those 2.

It's also worth saying it is possible on your own. I've done fetch and return missions since Galmap was revamped, using the commodity and market filters only. You just need to build up some local knowledge eg. visit one of each major station type nearby, to get instant access to 90% of market prices. Availiability isn't listed but that's the entrepreneur's game, you win some, you lose some. Pretty soon you'll know who has what though, at least 99.9% of the time.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

It's also worth saying it is possible on your own. I've done fetch and return missions since Galmap was revamped, using the commodity and market filters only. You just need to build up some local knowledge eg. visit one of each major station type nearby, to get instant access to 90% of market prices. Availiability isn't listed but that's the entrepreneur's game, you win some, you lose some. Pretty soon you'll know who has what though, at least 99.9% of the time.

It is possible to do on your own but you cant find ships or modules without eddb unless you have all the economies memorized

 

[Dread Quixadhal]

It is possible to do on your own but you cant find ships or modules without eddb unless you have all the economies memorized

This is kindof my point. I play games to relax, not to have another job.

I don't have a laptop (I have a very nice desktop, across the room from my xbox and comfy chair), and trying to browse the web on my tiny phone screen doesn't sound like much fun either. Not asking for automation here, just for the kind of sensible information a ship's computer would already have. Think about this.... TODAY, you can pull up the web site of many stores like Walmart, Target, etc... and find out which store has a particular item in stock before you decide to drive there. Why would this NOT be a given in 1000 years, with FTL communication and travel?

I'm not complaining just to be complaining here. I'm not sure where the mindset of never criticizing comes from, but how can the developers know about a missing feature or issue if everyone just keeps quiet and heaps praise upon them? I see a feature I think really should be in the game, so I suggest it. They're free to ignore me, or tack it on the bottom of a very very long list of nice ideas that might be done by 2030, as they see fit.

Thanks for the discussion guys, that's what the forums here are for.

 

[Braandlin]

This is kindof my point. I play games to relax, not to have another job.

I don't have a laptop (I have a very nice desktop, across the room from my xbox and comfy chair), and trying to browse the web on my tiny phone screen doesn't sound like much fun either. Not asking for automation here, just for the kind of sensible information a ship's computer would already have. Think about this.... TODAY, you can pull up the web site of many stores like Walmart, Target, etc... and find out which store has a particular item in stock before you decide to drive there. Why would this NOT be a given in 1000 years, with FTL communication and travel?

I'm not complaining just to be complaining here. I'm not sure where the mindset of never criticizing comes from, but how can the developers know about a missing feature or issue if everyone just keeps quiet and heaps praise upon them? I see a feature I think really should be in the game, so I suggest it. They're free to ignore me, or tack it on the bottom of a very very long list of nice ideas that might be done by 2030, as they see fit.

Thanks for the discussion guys, that's what the forums here are for.

I'll try again.

FDev deliberately allow 3rd party developers to create apps through their API so that the community has a much wider range of tools without tying up FDev resources so they can concentrate on the main game. This is a deliberate development approach. It's why FDev provide and maintain an APi for the developer to extract the necessary information from the game.

So, because of your particular circumstances and the fact you complain you have to walk from your desktop to your sofa you think FDev should change their development model, stop all their current development and recreate all the 3rd party aps within the game?

Utter nonsense.

 

[space voyager]

There were several suggestions made to integrate the external tools into the game. So far the answer is no.