Suggestion: 3 things to up situational awareness for combat

[starjump]

3 suggestions to improve situational awareness in combat.
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1. Sub system name displayed by our crosshair (fades away fast when you stop cycling sub systems "Y").
2. Sub system module health bar. This is placed right above the sub system target box.
3. Shields "flash" with a visual effect when recharged.
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Sub system name:
Right now we have to keep looking down right in our targeting panel when cycling sub systems which lowers your awareness during combat. You often sit and cycle, miss your sub system and have to keep cycling, and all of the time you have to keep your eyes away from the ship you fight. And you have to stay safe from other ships to not crash.
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Module health:
The module health bar is small and non intrusive plus fit right in with current design. Like above this would remove your need to keep looking away from your enemy to see when its module is destroyed. I added an alternative module health bar above the radar. Just some ideas of trying to get the idea across of having some of these vital systems better placed for more awareness and less "looking around" to understand whats going on.
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Shield recharge effect:
With the shields not showing any sign of being recharged (other than all blue lines are "full") i feel to get better awareness during combat that something indicates they are charged up completely. One idea was to use the ship voice telling us this, but i think a more elegant and non intrusive way would be a single or double flash. It cathces your attention in the peripheral vision and you can redirect the pip's without having to first look at the shield.
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We are in advanced ships, and i take the ideas from other games/simulators/real combat aeroplane HUDs where you have smarter functions/designs to keep the player aware and in the fight without having to look away too much and "fumble" because of it. Outside of combat our systems work ok. However in combat you could have more focus on your target with these 3 additions. I do a lot of combat in ED and i feel these 3 would make it much better, and make it feel more like an advanced ship that gives me more focus on my target.
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The design on the sub system name etc is up to FD. Just a mockup below:

 

[dementia]

Not bad suggestions really. I'd have the sub system health bar under the name though as it is tiny in the mock up the OP has created. I know for a fact that will be very difficult to read for those on lower resolutions and especially Oculus users.

 

[starjump]

Not bad suggestions really. I'd have the sub system health bar under the name though as it is tiny in the mock up the OP has created. I know for a fact that will be very difficult to read for those on lower resolutions and especially Oculus users.

Indeed. The design is up to FD as i wrote. I just feel these 3 things would make combat feel more natural and give more awareness not having to look down on panels constantly. Maybe the sub system health can be a thin line but bigger (longer) than what i did in the pic above. That way it wont take up much screen and fit well with the design, but its up to FD. I just hope they actually look at these suggestions and take just a small amount of time thinking if its good or not.
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Btw the sub system name does not stay on screen after you cycled to it. Thats the idea to keep it clean. You see the names as you cycle, but when you stop cycle the name fades away. So the sub system module health bar can not be "under" the name. But it can be placed smartly somewhere.
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EDIT: added another sub system health idea. Anything to keep you from looking down left. As long as its placed somewhere on the "window" and fairly straight forward around your view its good enough. You can quick glance at it. With large monitors and even triple ones the target panel we have where subsystem name and health is shown is rather far down left.

 

[Derinahon]

I really like the sub system name and health bar on the reticle. Not sure about shield idea though as it's easy enough to glance down. A shield percentage idicator and bar would be more beneficial to me.

What I'd really like is a current target turn indicator on the outer edge of the HUD when the target is out of sight - not sure how this would work though as the entire canopy displays info.

 

[Andi]

Could imagine a player addon doing that.
They're asking what the API should be able to deliver, right? This would be a great example.

 

[starjump]

I really like the sub system name and health bar on the reticle. Not sure about shield idea though as it's easy enough to glance down. A shield percentage idicator and bar would be more beneficial to me.

What I'd really like is a current target turn indicator on the outer edge of the HUD when the target is out of sight - not sure how this would work though as the entire canopy displays info.

Indeed its easy, but the change from slightly full to full is very hard to see and a quick small flash that indicate its full feel natural to me. In any other game i can think of you have some visual cue for systems going back to full/restored. Audio (sound or voice) or/and visual cue. It wouldnt hurt anyone, just give better SA.
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Its not really a "suggestion" or something i have come up with. Im used to these things from combat flight sims and other games. Smart design in an advanced ship to give the pilot more situational awareness. It feels like ED is behind in regards to this since their ships are over 1000 years into the future as well. I would think you would even have a fully detailed helmet visor HUD that give you info no matter where you look. But i think these 3 smaller changes would make combat feel much better.