"USS scanning" - A new improved and fun USS mechanic

[starjump]

So i had this idea about finding USS'es. Please check it out and see what you think.
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Finding USS'es could be made real fun and with a true exploration feeling. The animated waveform we have for the sound we produce (where silent running is displayed in the UI) is great, and im thinking this could be used for finding USS'es as well. Im thinking of making an animated waveform that has fewer and thicker pillars that run upwards only instead of like the sound one that run pillars up and down from the center.
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The idea here is that USS'es arent marked as they are now where we easily see them all over, but instead you find them by having the activity in the "scanner waveform" (new addition to the UI) starts moving more when you are getting closer. It should be coupled with a soft ping perhaps that sound off with long intervals when far away and run faster intervals when you get closer to the USS. When in a rather close range you could add a static sound crackling with inaudible chatter that tells the commander that you have found an unidentified signal source and that its now not unidentified anymore as you found it and drop out of SC to enter it. When the chatter/static starts you see the marker as they look now in the current build of the game. The soft ping sound (or whatever you would choose in such case) could also come on only when your ship is facing the USS direction and die off when not facing it so you know what direction it is in. This coupled with the waveform animating more vividly. this is the "navigator" so to speak to actually find the USS.
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Break down of the feature:
- Animated "equalizer" styled waveform that simmers with low activity when far away from a USS.
- The waveform raises in activity coupled with a soft ping when getting closer. This gets the commander attention something is around him/her.
- The ping sound interval is getting faster when "homing in", moving in direction straight towards the USS, that we cant see with our eyes yet. But thanks to the ping and raise in activity of the waveform we know we are going in the right direction.
- When getting close enough to see the USS marker on our window we also hear static and inaudible chatter for the effect of it being actual activity there (immersion effect). Now you drop out of SC and enter it.
- The USS scanner is automatic. Its always "on" but simmers with low activity and no sound when not being near a USS, and it could be worked into the UI as it is today.
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Thinking it would look something like this in the UI, and it would be automatic as you come closer to USS'es. When far away it simmers/boiling at the bottom, constantly animating slightly and randomly.

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What do you think guys? I think looking for USS'es this way would feel like real exploration and good fun.
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PS. Idea gotten from sonar on ships and animal tracking (that we had in the real world for ages) which works really good, and it not "hard". Its just more immersive and fun than seeing markers of unidentified signals all over your window. They are unidentified which would mean you dont know anything about them and it would be neat if they werent slapped all over your cockpit and you actually had to use a ships electronic equipment to find them - the idea above.

 

[Bangfish]

This is a good idea... liking it a lot actually.

 

[Non Grata]

I like the idea too (and actually thought of the same thing a few days ago - have a feeling someone might have come up with it months back). The waveform should require interpretation - could be like a WWII radar.

 

[nexxo]

Limit Theory has come up with something like that. It looks pretty pimp.

 

[Bambi]

This will only increase the tedium as now you not only have to wait for them to appear, you also have to fumble around in the dark trying to figure out where the annoying ping noise is coming from. And all this before we take into account that going into one a big gamble to begin with.

No from me.

 

[Terrahawk]

Yes, this is similar to how Limit Theory works, and the dev is very pleased with the idea. I don't think nicking it while the game is still in development would go down well. Shame though, because it's lovely.

 

[Non Grata]

And all this before we take into account that going into one a big gamble to begin with.

No from me.

The shape of the waveform could be a clue as to whether the uss is a big ship, small ship, canister etc.

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Yes, this is similar to how Limit Theory works, and the dev is very pleased with the idea. I don't think nicking it while the game is still in development would go down well. Shame though, because it's lovely.

Several people have had this idea independently, so it wouldn't really be stealing. Also I bet limit theory has multiple elite features in it.

 

[Jezzah]

I Really like this idea the OP posted. Anything is better than the current system and this in fairness is something I'd imagine FD are thinking of .. least I hope they are they surely can't be happy with the current system themselves.

 

[starjump]

This will only increase the tedium as now you not only have to wait for them to appear, you also have to fumble around in the dark trying to figure out where the annoying ping noise is coming from. And all this before we take into account that going into one a big gamble to begin with.

No from me.

You dont have to fumble. Thats why you have the waveform and sound. This is used in the real world for tracking and it works really well. The immersion of seeing the scanner go live and hearing (the sounds is important as it creates the feel here) the ping and just follow the scanner/ping activity til you are on top of the USS. This isnt hard at all. No fumbling in the dark, but still better than completely visible unidentified signals all over. If they are unidentified you would think you couldnt just see them clearly all over the cockpit until they are very close. I wrote that as well, that you will see them as now (the target graphics we have now), but only when they are closer.
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The idea is to make it a little more funnier with more HUD action. But i know of course that there are strong forces that want to strip the game and make it "push one button to win". Im sure we never get this, i just wanted to write it off last night as i thought it was a cool idea.
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- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Yes, this is similar to how Limit Theory works, and the dev is very pleased with the idea. I don't think nicking it while the game is still in development would go down well. Shame though, because it's lovely.

Nicking it? When i wrote this i was thinking of animal tracking and sonar on ships... Please stop this "stealing ideas from games" talk. Ideas in games have already been made before or comes from the real world. There is no originality anymore in the world. I havent seen it in Limit Theory as i havent followed it super close. Its early stage and i cant buy it so i wont follow it until he gets further. This is something that has been used by MANY in the real world and probably in many games since its a real world thing. It was not invented by a game developer.

 

[jpaulwilson1982]

This is a neat idea in theory but in reality I'm not so sure how well this would work out in ED. In whatever way Frontier decides to handle the USSs, there needs to be a way to identify what's going on at the USS site before dropping out of super cruise. This may an interesting experiment for the Frontier folks and who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be the perfect solution. And I imagine that the sounds of a sonar would make the game feel more immersive, especially when you're out in deep space exploring by yourself. On the other hand this game already feels pretty eerie- hyperspace looks like something out of Event Horizon and the sounds themselves can scare the hell out of you if you're not expecting them (like when the servers or your internet is having connectivity issues during a jump to another system, and after two minutes POW BRZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz!).

 

[Slone]

I was thinking of something similar, a scanner you could activate, and it would send waves in front of you and you could see bumps in them etc.. I find the current gameplay around USSs a bit tedious and not very logical. I think a mini game is much required for this to be of any kind of interest. Your proposal is very good.