Odyssey - Optimisation/Performance and UI (Galaxy & System Map) Feedback
Not much point in rehashing all the stuff that's been said. Suffice to say that the functionality of the new maps is a distinct downgrade from the old one, in terms of the effort required to retrieve information.
My control setup means sometimes using mouse/and or gamepad depending on what I'm doing (pad in ship or driving SRV, mouse for on foot or SRV turret). So I could be using either to control the maps.
My personal suggestions / gripes:
My control setup means sometimes using mouse/and or gamepad depending on what I'm doing (pad in ship or driving SRV, mouse for on foot or SRV turret). So I could be using either to control the maps.
My personal suggestions / gripes:
- once the left / right menus are open, they obstruct more screen space than the info panel did on the old map. I also miss the ability to quickly switch between tabs using the shoulder buttons.
- trying to hold-mouse-click on a star or planet results in it moving to the centre, which is just irritating
- Bookmarks are just clunky. You can bring up a list of bookmarked ports but can't plot a route to them from that list. To do that you have to go to "manage bookmarks". Please move that ability to the main list.
- Add in options for colour-coding a bookmark so we can tell them apart. Better search, sort and filter options wouldn't hurt.
- Please add in better distance measuring tools to the Galactic Map. At the least, show how far the cursor is away from our current location whether or not it's resting on a system. I've made other suggestions before about what I'd like to see.
- Turn the current location indicator at the bottom into a button to recentre back there. No need to make us dig down three levels to do that.
- Please add back in the hover info. I used that a lot, especially for Powerplay information.
- I'm not sure why you've gone for these icons down the edge rather than text - to make it easier to localise, perhaps? Until we learn them, some of them are a bit unintuitive, and that's not something an icon should be. Do not be afraid of text, this is not Tetris. Plus, you've reused the same design for some of the icons down the left and right sides, which you shouldn't really have done when the buttons do different things.
Ok: Galaxy map:
Why did it have to change? It was perfect before! Usability is way down, and click/hold should be OPTIONAL.
Specific issues:
Click and hold is just plain unpleasant to use for many (including me).
Suggested fix:
Click and hold becomes a toggleable option for those who desire it, being replaced by the original map's popup for those who toggle it off. (Or just bring back the old map?)
Oh, one more thing:
On the system map, when zoom in on a planet and the interface changes to the planet interface, there's nowhere showing what planet you are currently viewing, only system name (Xihe) and allegiance. Why not add the name of the current planet the bottom next to the light blue system name on the bottom or better yet near the orange system name on the top? Planet name definitely also should be on the Planet description menu on the left.
On the system map, when zoom in on a planet and the interface changes to the planet interface, there's nowhere showing what planet you are currently viewing, only system name (Xihe) and allegiance. Why not add the name of the current planet the bottom next to the light blue system name on the bottom or better yet near the orange system name on the top? Planet name definitely also should be on the Planet description menu on the left.
Attachments
Galaxy Map: maybe I'm missing something obvious, but you used to be able to bookmark an object in a system (such as a station or carrier) and then plot a course directly to that bookmark from the galaxy map, without having to go into the system map at all. This was a major time-saver, and I can't work out any way to do this any more.
Other than that, my only gripe, is that it's way too easy to de-select the filters you're navigating, for example when traversing bookmarks and trying to drill down to each option, it is very easy to unselect the entire lot and have to start again. Typically it takes me 3-5 goes to actually get to where I want to in the new system, due to accidental de-selection.
Other than that, my only gripe, is that it's way too easy to de-select the filters you're navigating, for example when traversing bookmarks and trying to drill down to each option, it is very easy to unselect the entire lot and have to start again. Typically it takes me 3-5 goes to actually get to where I want to in the new system, due to accidental de-selection.
Foreword
I set to write whole essay about new MAP UI but after I got used to i think its ok but with some flows
UI Feedback
1) In order to understand what every button means you need to point mouse on it.
----FIX (make a names of munu pops up if mouse come nearby)
EXAMPLE
Source: https://youtu.be/LdgpzECvj6M
2) it doesn't show what filter currently set (although there is an indicator)
SYSTEM MAP
Subjective meter!!!
1) to read system or planet info you need to find and press button. What was before our eyes now "hidden".
I used to read system and planets info just because it was before my eyes, it helps me build feeling about place where I am or where im heading.
I set to write whole essay about new MAP UI but after I got used to i think its ok but with some flows
UI Feedback
1) In order to understand what every button means you need to point mouse on it.
----FIX (make a names of munu pops up if mouse come nearby)
EXAMPLE
2) it doesn't show what filter currently set (although there is an indicator)
SYSTEM MAP
Subjective meter!!!
1) to read system or planet info you need to find and press button. What was before our eyes now "hidden".
I used to read system and planets info just because it was before my eyes, it helps me build feeling about place where I am or where im heading.
Overall thoughts
Odyssey is a wonderful addition and a great first step in spite of the issues which you're all working so hard to sort out, so thank you! My overall thoughts on the map UI are generally positive, I like the improvements and some of the new features that have been added - the bookmark manager is fantastic and the ability to search/autocomplete system names is a god send
That being said I have identified a few issues and some suggestions noted below.
Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
Suggested Fixes for the Issues – clear and concise, directly linked to the numbered issues above
Odyssey is a wonderful addition and a great first step in spite of the issues which you're all working so hard to sort out, so thank you! My overall thoughts on the map UI are generally positive, I like the improvements and some of the new features that have been added - the bookmark manager is fantastic and the ability to search/autocomplete system names is a god send
That being said I have identified a few issues and some suggestions noted below. Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
- Adding bookmarks - when editing the name, it now automatically removes the station/body/system name assuming you don't want it - so if you do then you have to retype.
- Removing bookmarks on Galaxy & System Map - it is now many more clicks to remove a bookmark using the bookmark manager, where as before we could remove a bookmark with one click after selecting the system or body/station.
- Removal of quick action buttons - it would be nice to see some of the quick action buttons returned when hovering over a system or body, e.g. Target, Plot Route and Enter System Map (if in GalMap) as these are the most used actions.
- Friend Markers - while we can still see if a friend is in a particular system on the Galaxy Map, there is no way to see who it is!
- If I enter the System Map directly from my cockpit (or HUD) and then want to go directly to the Galaxy Map, I have to use Back to leave the map then select the Galaxy Map from the cockpit or HUD.
- On selection of a station or settlement in the System Map, it doesn't auto display useful information, which is at odds with the behaviour when selecting systems in the Galaxy Map or planetary bodies in the System Map
- Planetary body information is now split over two different panels (Description & Information) which is a pain for explorers in particular who want to see all the information in one place.
Suggested Fixes for the Issues – clear and concise, directly linked to the numbered issues above
- Adding bookmarks - allow me to decide whether to keep the original name or not.
- Removing Bookmarks - make the Add Bookmark button dual function across the maps. So if you select a bookmarked system or object, the Add Bookmark button instead shows as a Remove Bookmark button. Allows for quick removal of bookmarks without needing to go through the Bookmark Manager.
- Removal of quick action buttons - add quick action on hover buttons for most used functions like Target, Plot Route and Enter System Map (from Galaxy Map)
- Friend markers - add friend names in the System Info panel as we had before
- Add a 'Go to Galaxy Map' button in the System Map UI as well as the Back button so that if I want to start my map flow from System Map, I can go to Galaxy Map without leaving the map UI.
- When selecting a station or settlement in the System Map, auto display the Feature panel so I can quickly see what services are available there.
- Combine all planetary body information from the Description & Info panels in to a single panel. That should then also be auto displayed when selecting a planet.
Overall thoughts
For background, I didn't participate in the Alpha, the UI changes came as a surprise to me. I play with a controller.
Since the launch of Odyssey I've been determined to learn the new UI and get the hang of it despite being a grump that doesn't normally react well to change. I've been playing Odyssey daily, it's been like a week now? Today before I found this post I'd actually given up and went back to playing Horizon because I didn't plan on doing any Odyssey missions and I find the new UI far more painful than the old one. It impairs my enjoyment of the game that much. The only positive feature is the "copy to clipboard", and that's the hardest thing to navigate to.
The old interface is just faster to navigate and less error prone, the new interface has too much going on, it's unintuitive and I make a lot more mistakes. Specifically, Outfitting and the Galaxy map are a disaster.
Specific Issues (all Galaxy Map related)
I often get stuck with the focus in the search bar or other controls when I expect it to be on the map. It's not clear where the focus is, I tend to press the back button hoping it'll take me to the map when map navigation controls aren't responding, but it doesn't take me to the map, it quits Galaxy Map then I have to go back in and start from scratch. Sometimes, this workflow repeats two or three times if I'm trying to do anything rather complicated in the Galaxy Map. I actually gave up exploring all the features of the new galaxy map because I was just doing Odessey things, and as such I didn't need some of the more advanced navigation features anyway.
Get rid of the "hold to plot course" thing. I preferred the context menu, tapping out a combo that you know will make it happen straight away is far more satisfying.
Intra-system bookmarks are broken, and this is the biggest issue for me at the moment. As a controller guy, I love my bookmarks. Having to go into the system map to plot a course to a station that I have bookmarked is unbearable, hence the fact I'm back to Horizons for now.
Suggested Fixes for the Issues
For background, I didn't participate in the Alpha, the UI changes came as a surprise to me. I play with a controller.
Since the launch of Odyssey I've been determined to learn the new UI and get the hang of it despite being a grump that doesn't normally react well to change. I've been playing Odyssey daily, it's been like a week now? Today before I found this post I'd actually given up and went back to playing Horizon because I didn't plan on doing any Odyssey missions and I find the new UI far more painful than the old one. It impairs my enjoyment of the game that much. The only positive feature is the "copy to clipboard", and that's the hardest thing to navigate to.
The old interface is just faster to navigate and less error prone, the new interface has too much going on, it's unintuitive and I make a lot more mistakes. Specifically, Outfitting and the Galaxy map are a disaster.
Specific Issues (all Galaxy Map related)
I often get stuck with the focus in the search bar or other controls when I expect it to be on the map. It's not clear where the focus is, I tend to press the back button hoping it'll take me to the map when map navigation controls aren't responding, but it doesn't take me to the map, it quits Galaxy Map then I have to go back in and start from scratch. Sometimes, this workflow repeats two or three times if I'm trying to do anything rather complicated in the Galaxy Map. I actually gave up exploring all the features of the new galaxy map because I was just doing Odessey things, and as such I didn't need some of the more advanced navigation features anyway.
Get rid of the "hold to plot course" thing. I preferred the context menu, tapping out a combo that you know will make it happen straight away is far more satisfying.
Intra-system bookmarks are broken, and this is the biggest issue for me at the moment. As a controller guy, I love my bookmarks. Having to go into the system map to plot a course to a station that I have bookmarked is unbearable, hence the fact I'm back to Horizons for now.
Suggested Fixes for the Issues
- Fix bookmarks first and foremost. Need to be able to plot a course to a bookmark simply by clicking the bookmark, and if it's an intra-system bookmark. I mean why else would you click it? If you want to edit it you have to go elsewhere anyway.
- The map itself should be the main focus of the Galaxy Map. "back" should take me to the map, only quitting the galaxy map if the map has focus and I then press "back".
- The best interface is the interface that gets out of your way. This one gets in the way too much.
- Organise things in tabs in the galaxy map again. Maybe keyboard/mouse people could live with the new style, but I'm playing with a controller and I can't stand having to d-pad around everywhere to do anything. If your UX people have a bee in their bonnet about the context menus for some reason, add more Interface keymapping options so we can spend more time on the map and less time in menus.
- Give us a bloody keymapping option for "copy to clipboard" and just revert to the old galaxy map. Here's a revolutionary idea for a key combination that might work, just putting it out there but maybe people might like to be able to simply Ctrl+V (I know, I know, I just said I'm a controller guy, but I have a keyboard too, and when I need to copy something it's to paste it into a website, so I'm going to be on the keyboard within seconds anyway).
- I have no idea what to say about Outfitting other than just revert it to the old interface. I'm not a UX person, but I don't see any redeeming qualities it actually reminds me of this Dilbert comic...
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Overall thoughts – please keep this brief (one or two sentences)
I like the general direction of the changes and can see the potential for the new UI to be better than the old one. But it's quite frustrating if all communication is just channeled through the CM team because it is never clear if a particular change is just a bug or 'by design' - I miss the old days when the devs themselves were actually available.
Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
I like the general direction of the changes and can see the potential for the new UI to be better than the old one. But it's quite frustrating if all communication is just channeled through the CM team because it is never clear if a particular change is just a bug or 'by design' - I miss the old days when the devs themselves were actually available.
Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
- 2D overlay for the maps on UltraWide displays is still broken - old bug, never fully addressed
- Sorting bookmarks by target category (system, planet, station, etc.) isn't helpful as most of mine are systems and a few planets
- Order of icons doesn't support common use cases, e.g. adding a bookmark or switching to SysMap of selected system which are buried at the bottom of the list
- Splitting the Info panel for planets into "Description' and 'Planetary Information'. Only benefit I can see there is avoidance of annoying scroll bars of the old UI
- Using just bare icons w/out text label reduces target area for mouse pointer, made worse by UltraWide bug above
- Automatic closing of panels increases number of UI actions required (more clicks bad)
- Plotting route from bookmark is buried deep in the 'manage bookmarks' panel
- Bug was reported, confirmed, and entered vote stage years ago. Fix it.
- Has been suggested copious times: User defined groups/sorting - something simple as Category 1, 2, 3 would suffice
- Reordering of icons. E.g. the old context panel (the one with Plot route/Select target/Bookmark/SysMap) was really good and could be recreated simply by shuffling around the equivalent right hand side icons
- Hard to tell as both old and new UI had problems, maybe combine them again and move some of the lesser used info further down?
- The text labels are already there, they just need to be made permanent. Would also help with visual navigation of the UI
- Let me decide when to close a panel
- Suggested a few times already: Allow 'press and hold' action to work on the bookmarks themselves (plus everything else that represents a valid target like the entries for missions)
UI Feedback
Overall thoughts – please keep this brief (one or two sentences)
Overall, a much needed overhaul, but missing some 'intuitive' must haves
Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
. Surface Conflict Zones Levels (Low, Medium, High) is not shown in the System View, crucial in determining Suit weapons & tactics
Suggested Fixes for the Issues – clear and concise, directly linked to the issues
. Show Surface Conflict Zone Levels (Low, Medium, High) and not the Threat Level, it needs to be consistent with how you show Conflict Zones with Low, Medium, High as seen in ship CZ's
Overall thoughts – please keep this brief (one or two sentences)
Overall, a much needed overhaul, but missing some 'intuitive' must haves
Specific Issues – clear and concise (bullet points are ideal)
. Surface Conflict Zones Levels (Low, Medium, High) is not shown in the System View, crucial in determining Suit weapons & tactics
Suggested Fixes for the Issues – clear and concise, directly linked to the issues
. Show Surface Conflict Zone Levels (Low, Medium, High) and not the Threat Level, it needs to be consistent with how you show Conflict Zones with Low, Medium, High as seen in ship CZ's
Issue1: Route planning gets lost
The planned works fine until I leave a planet. After changing to supercruise the selected starsystem is unselected and not available via the navifagation menu. I always have either to select the system manually in the Galmap, where the route is still shown as active, or I recalculate the route in route planning.
Solution1: Routeplanning has to remember the next waypoint, regardless of changing from planetary flight into supercruise.
Issue2: Route planning settings lost
After restart of the game all settings regarding the routeplanning are set to zero.
Solution2: The settings of the route planning tool are to be saved when changed.
When Galmap is started the first time after gamelaunch, the settings of the route planning tool are to be restored .
The planned works fine until I leave a planet. After changing to supercruise the selected starsystem is unselected and not available via the navifagation menu. I always have either to select the system manually in the Galmap, where the route is still shown as active, or I recalculate the route in route planning.
Solution1: Routeplanning has to remember the next waypoint, regardless of changing from planetary flight into supercruise.
Issue2: Route planning settings lost
After restart of the game all settings regarding the routeplanning are set to zero.
Solution2: The settings of the route planning tool are to be saved when changed.
When Galmap is started the first time after gamelaunch, the settings of the route planning tool are to be restored .
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Just optimize the thing. Please implement occlusion culling asapas that is the main graphics/framerate performance issue. You're not feeling anyone and it just gets more embarrassing every day. And maybe call this a beta already and stop with the PR theater...the truth will set you free...
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My problem, and yes it's just my problem, is that I'm not organized enough nor motivated enough to slog through the game writing down issues and giving suggestions. That's just not why I'm here. This is my "fun time" and I'm going to use it that way, to play the game and find stuff I can enjoy in it, while ignoring the rest. That's pretty much how I've played the game all along.
Making it worse is the sheer number of problems -- I'd have to stop every 3 minutes to write down or document some problem -- and most of them are not show-stoppers, just stupid stuff or annoyances or cosmetic problems or other "minor" stuff. But wow, it adds up.
The issue tracker is mostly useless, and it won't let me post or comment on more than 6 issues. I could find 6 things in 10 minutes, so what about the other 600 things I find?
I see this as FD asking us to do their job. They need to hire a few experienced QA people and do the work.
Making it worse is the sheer number of problems -- I'd have to stop every 3 minutes to write down or document some problem -- and most of them are not show-stoppers, just stupid stuff or annoyances or cosmetic problems or other "minor" stuff. But wow, it adds up.
The issue tracker is mostly useless, and it won't let me post or comment on more than 6 issues. I could find 6 things in 10 minutes, so what about the other 600 things I find?
I see this as FD asking us to do their job. They need to hire a few experienced QA people and do the work.
Thank you for taking the time to do this, this post really eased my anxiety over things haha
Overall thoughts
I Think the visual aspect is great and it brings a fresh fluidity to the UI with it all matching.
Specific Issues:
- Cannot plot route from bookmarks: previously i could plot directly to a bookmark from the galaxy map, now i need to dive into the system map and sometimes right down to planetary to plot my route.
-information is difficult to find as i need to spend time clicking around to gather all the info rhat used to be on 2 tabs in a single panel.
Suggested Fixes for the Issues
-add an option to "press _ to plot route" or something like that directly to the bookmarks themselves.
-add/return that little floating info panel that came up upon hovering over stars with basic info such as star class / govt types etc. Mostly I use this panel while exploring to see star class.
Conclusion
Overall, I believe i will learn to enjoy the new UI once i retrain my muscle memory and hopefully a minor touch up from your end. I am still enjoying myself and finding ways to make things function. Good luck and thank you again for hearing our thoughts o7
Overall thoughts
I Think the visual aspect is great and it brings a fresh fluidity to the UI with it all matching.
Specific Issues:
- Cannot plot route from bookmarks: previously i could plot directly to a bookmark from the galaxy map, now i need to dive into the system map and sometimes right down to planetary to plot my route.
-information is difficult to find as i need to spend time clicking around to gather all the info rhat used to be on 2 tabs in a single panel.
Suggested Fixes for the Issues
-add an option to "press _ to plot route" or something like that directly to the bookmarks themselves.
-add/return that little floating info panel that came up upon hovering over stars with basic info such as star class / govt types etc. Mostly I use this panel while exploring to see star class.
Conclusion
Overall, I believe i will learn to enjoy the new UI once i retrain my muscle memory and hopefully a minor touch up from your end. I am still enjoying myself and finding ways to make things function. Good luck and thank you again for hearing our thoughts o7
To me it boils down to this: if it ain't broke, why fix it. The UI has added extra steps for things basically everywhere. The outfitting particularly was already good, now it's more complicated.
My main complaint is with exploration. To see if a planet has already been scanned/discovered, I have to click the planet, find planet info and then click that to see. Additionally, it often doesn't tell me whether a planet has been scanned or not, with the only way to find out being to go there myself and crack open the DSS. This should be a one step process. I click the planet and it (reliably) tells me who discovered/scanned first straight away.
As I've said in other posts I'm not against change, or trying new things. Iterative design is almost a fetish for me. However the old galaxy map worked just fine. I play with an Xbox controller and had zero issues navigating it quickly or efficiently. Now I don't depend on it like exploers do, but I did earn my Elite Trade rank through actual trade. Over all the New galaxy map is clunky and pain to navigate. Not to mention unreliable when it comes to plotting a route.
As well when you start selecting things and the sub menus fold out and it hides everything.... Completely negating the whole point of it's minimalist look in the first place.
I understand and appreciate the effort of making it look cool, but it's a map. The only thing it has to do is work, and it worked fine till now. As the saying goes "If it ain't broke, dont fix it".
I wish Flash was still a thing. I'd prototype something.
As well when you start selecting things and the sub menus fold out and it hides everything.... Completely negating the whole point of it's minimalist look in the first place.
I understand and appreciate the effort of making it look cool, but it's a map. The only thing it has to do is work, and it worked fine till now. As the saying goes "If it ain't broke, dont fix it".
I wish Flash was still a thing. I'd prototype something.
What are these rather strange questions about, FDev? Are you 'playing for time', or what else are these questions for?
Anyway, here are my personal answers:
=============
1. Galaxy/System Map UI etc.: If the same information is provided as before (which is not to case atm), in an easy to access way as before (which is not to case atm), I do not care about how the menu looks like or any marker's colours, as I can get used to it (as I had gotten used to all changes in the game since 2014). Apart from several bugs or lousy coded parts, but that's a different topic.
The way it looks like, the ones coding the new UI have never seen the features and way-of-working of the old one. So why are you asking commanders for their input now? Literally, give these coders a free copy of old ED and let them find out what's in there and how it is ordered (and therefore should be in a new menu) by themselves, if you fail to provide this information to them!
=============
2. Performance issues: In Horizons with mostly High/Ultra settings and some tweaks in the Nvidia-controls I got 144 fps everywhere almost constantly, as I am running a 3090 GPU with a 5900X CPU at 1440p. That's what I expect from Odyssey - nothing more, nothing less.
Here too, what are these questions like 'what other apps are running in the background' etc. about? ED uses 10 - 15 % of my CPU and 20 - 30 % of my GPU - according to Windows performance monitor at Task Manager, so where are the frames, especially on ground and inside a base?
Anyway, here are my personal answers:
=============
1. Galaxy/System Map UI etc.: If the same information is provided as before (which is not to case atm), in an easy to access way as before (which is not to case atm), I do not care about how the menu looks like or any marker's colours, as I can get used to it (as I had gotten used to all changes in the game since 2014). Apart from several bugs or lousy coded parts, but that's a different topic.
The way it looks like, the ones coding the new UI have never seen the features and way-of-working of the old one. So why are you asking commanders for their input now? Literally, give these coders a free copy of old ED and let them find out what's in there and how it is ordered (and therefore should be in a new menu) by themselves, if you fail to provide this information to them!
=============
2. Performance issues: In Horizons with mostly High/Ultra settings and some tweaks in the Nvidia-controls I got 144 fps everywhere almost constantly, as I am running a 3090 GPU with a 5900X CPU at 1440p. That's what I expect from Odyssey - nothing more, nothing less.
Here too, what are these questions like 'what other apps are running in the background' etc. about? ED uses 10 - 15 % of my CPU and 20 - 30 % of my GPU - according to Windows performance monitor at Task Manager, so where are the frames, especially on ground and inside a base?
Can we please have a menu option to instantly select a target? Rather than being forced to use the 'hold to target' console-like system. I appreciate this may be attempt to unify the UI so it's a middle ground for all input devices, but minor optional changes like this would help. As someone else said, the UI looks very different on foot to on-ship and SRV gameplay, and it's a bit odd and probably very confusing to a new player. For instance the navigation tracker bar at the top on foot should be indentical in the SRV.
Oh yes and a quick word about performance. On a 980 ti and i5 3570k I can't even get 60fps at 720p! Also my GPU is at 90% or so but my CPU is at most 60%.
Oh yes and a quick word about performance. On a 980 ti and i5 3570k I can't even get 60fps at 720p! Also my GPU is at 90% or so but my CPU is at most 60%.
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