What’s the point of mode switching? It’s just an extra, unnecessary step.

[FatFreddysCoat]

I would understand if I selected combat mode and only saw combat oriented things when I scrolled through fire groups, or only saw navigation orientated items when I scrolled through these, but all mode switching seems to do is introduce a “Cannot be used in this mode” text line, meaning I need to switch modes.

If I’m in combat mode I want to flick through and not see things like the discovery scanner, collector limpet controller etc.

Weapons will always be combat fire group specific, DSS etc will always be exploration orientated and things like heat sinks can be both, so instead of only having fire groups set to primary and secondary (1 or 2), give us C1 and C2 for combat pri/sec and E1/E2 for exploration pri and sec, or add a second column into fire groups so each item can be set as combat or explore.

That way I don’t see an unusable DSS in combat mode for example, or an unusable laser in exploration mode.

 

[Sterling MH]

Ever played a combat flightsim?
You enter Air to Ground mode for reconfiguring your radar to ground mode rather than air mode, enable the A2G weapons and change the HUD to help bombing.
You enter Dogfight mode which puts your radar in a certain mode, sets up gunsight GUI elements and selects the short range A2A missiles.
Etc.

Because modes allow you to fiddle with the GUI knowing that you need these elements and not those elements for this purpose.

 

[VR Morgan Grimes]

Ever played a combat flightsim?
You enter Air to Ground mode for reconfiguring your radar to ground mode rather than air mode, enable the A2G weapons and change the HUD to help bombing.
You enter Dogfight mode which puts your radar in a certain mode, sets up gunsight GUI elements and selects the short range A2A missiles.
Etc.

Because modes allow you to fiddle with the GUI knowing that you need these elements and not those elements for this purpose.

We can fiddle with the GUI? Please elaborate.

 

[Sterling MH]

We can fiddle with the GUI? Please elaborate.

Yes. The title of the thread talks about "Modes". And how it changes the GUI.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

It's to help people recover from mode switching to get the missions they "prefer".

 

[Space Cowboy Blues]

Yes. The title of the thread talks about "Modes". And how it changes the GUI.

Oh God, he's back.

 

[VR Morgan Grimes]

Yes. The title of the thread talks about "Modes". And how it changes the GUI.

What the colour change and straightening of the brackets, not seeing the relevance as it's purely visual isn't it and doesn't actually help at all. Face facts, mode switching is poorly implemented and as the OP states (and as was brought up and heavily discussed in beta) it should not show modules that are irrelevant to the current mode, or there should be separated fire groups, right now it is nothing but an additional button to press.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

What the colour change and straightening of the brackets, not seeing the relevance as it's purely visual isn't it and doesn't actually help at all. Face facts, mode switching is poorly implemented and as the OP states (and as was brought up and heavily discussed in beta) it should not show modules that are irrelevant to the current mode, or there should be separated fire groups, right now it is nothing but an additional button to press.

The horror.

Personally I love it, but then I use an HCS Voice Pack.

 

[Factabulous]

Is this another Open-Only combat mode thread?

 

[C2306]

I have no issue with how the 2 modes work tbo. If I am combat oriented I would attach non combat items to a fire group...that simple. Takes 2 seconds to deselect certain weapons/scanners in the fire group screen.

I do however think it could have been done better, could have added some actual depth to the modes rather than just color change and restriction/permission.
Analysis Mode:
System hologram projects actual system
Planet hologram projects actual planet plus blips for locations
Info panel(top left): Displays some detail on targeted body (type/size/gravity/resources/ring compositions)

Actual immersion, as if maybe were were actually analyzing stuff.

Combat use info panel to list, info about target, ship/name/wanted status/bounty amount.

Right now both modes feel empty and generic. Maybe give us the ability to set both modes up to display what we want to see, whether that be very very minimal, or wall of text death screen.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

In reply to OP question.
Duel hud mode serves no purpose at all.
I would just have fire groups for combat and some for exploring or mining. I think most of us are bright enough to work what modules to put in each.

Maybe having twin sets of fire groups might reduce clutter, but don't disable modules, I might want to try fighting with a mining laser!

 

[Kitfox]

The implementation had been a wee bit fluffed up I think. I used to have the disco scanner on the same firegroup as the missiles on my Cobra. The scanner could work in supercruise or with the hardpoints retracted without the missiles doing anything. Firing the missiles would just be a brief pull on the trigger for the scanner.

I thought with the separate HUD modes I could retain this, and also have the probe launcher sharing the guns assignment, but instead keep getting the computer having a whinge about being in the wrong mode for weapons in analysis mode, sensors in combat mode.

So, a whole new firegroup needed.

 

[Sterling MH]

So, a whole new firegroup needed.

Or ignore the message. I do. Sure, file a bug report or submit a proposal to improve, but in the meantime, just ignore the message.

 

[Dagwit]

My theory is that the new FSS and the changed DSS both use multicrew turret gunner code to drive them, and the mode switching was necessary to allow this to happen without bugs. Then they added the Discovery Scanner honk and the Composition Scanner to the new mode to make it look like there was some consistent in-game reason for it rather than it being a programming necessity.

 

[moorison]

It hides the scanned planet overlay when switching to combat and used to hide the surface POIs I think, mining tools are now separate from weapons (if only the warnings ragarding wrong mode wouldn't show up).

It might be the bases for further changes and additions that will be revealed later. We will see.

 

[Arkadi]

I'll go shooting down rats with my utility mining lances from analyze mode now. I'll have my opposition analyzed to debries!

also I want a button to turn my planets back to normal visibility in analyze mode.

 

[VR Morgan Grimes]

It might be the bases for further changes and additions that will be revealed later. We will see.

It's about the only valid reason for it's continued existence.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Its basically to turn off the blue hud overlay from exploration probe mapping.

The fact that they limited functions to it is an unfortunate side effect.

If you do exploration mapping, the hud overlay is really in your face and needs to be turned off. That's a very valid use. During the beta many people thought it was bugged and complained you couldn't get rid of it...

 

[VR Morgan Grimes]

Its basically to turn off the blue hud overlay from exploration probe mapping.

The fact that they limited functions to it is an unfortunate side effect.

If you do exploration mapping, the hud overlay is really in your face and needs to be turned off. That's a very valid use. During the beta many people thought it was bugged and complained you couldn't get rid of it...

Alternatively they could just turn off when the DSS is not part of the currently active fire group as there is no reason for it to be on otherwise, so I still don't see it as a valid use.

 

[Dagwit]

also I want a button to turn my planets back to normal visibility in analyze mode.

I haven't yet been able to figure out why we need to see the planetary grid at any time when we're not actively firing DSS probes.

My best guess is that the quick and dirty way to program activation and deactivation of the grid was to tie it to the mode rather than the DSS, but I'm open to other suggestions.