Why do we need Analysis Mode?

I love these new exploration tools, but I am a bit baffled as to why we need separate "Analysis" and "Combat" modes. The only thing I can think is that Analysis mode gives us the blue grid over planets we launch probes at. If this is all AM is, then it adds a tremendous amount of unnecessary complication to the system.

Why not instead just have the blue grid visible when the DSS is in our active fire group, and turn it off when DSS is not in our active fire group? As for FSS and "honk", these are totally separate things, so just let them work, no analysis mode necessary.

As it is, there are extra buttons to toggle between AM and CM (buttons being in short supply on my DS4 controller), and these annoying "Module cannot be used in this cockpit mode" messages. And then there's analysis mode in my SRV (???), but I'm hoping that's just a bug.

To quote another game I play, Frontier, "You're making a chicken out of a feather!"
 
I wouldn't mind having the two separate modes if they were to at least split fire groups between the two. As a multi purpose ship my Clipper now has 6 different fire groups. In Combat Mode I would have the weapons, FWS and KWS, in Analysis Mode would be the new exploration tools.
 
I don't get it too.
IMHO there's no need for a Combat/Analysis Mode simply because it's just an enabler, nothing more.
Analysis mode makes sense only if it can provide tons of information for stellar bodies like: terraformable, pristine status, type of planet, materials composition, landable, POI.
Then it makes sense you want to turn it on to see what's around you and then you switch it off to see where you're going...
 
I wouldn't mind having the two separate modes if they were to at least split fire groups between the two. As a multi purpose ship my Clipper now has 6 different fire groups. In Combat Mode I would have the weapons, FWS and KWS, in Analysis Mode would be the new exploration tools.

From what I heard, you can actually bind your fire groups in Analysis Mode separately from Combat mode. Someone had mentioned it in another post and said they tried it out and sure enough it was possible.

So try as a test to see if it does in fact work, and in Combat mode, make your 1st order fire groups weapons. Then in Analysis mode, change it to be scanners and see if it changes depending on the HUD mode you are in.

I'd try it, but I'm in deep space exploring for the past month or so, so I don't have any weapons to test it out, but it's worth a try...
 
From what I heard, you can actually bind your fire groups in Analysis Mode separately from Combat mode. Someone had mentioned it in another post and said they tried it out and sure enough it was possible.

So try as a test to see if it does in fact work, and in Combat mode, make your 1st order fire groups weapons. Then in Analysis mode, change it to be scanners and see if it changes depending on the HUD mode you are in.

I'd try it, but I'm in deep space exploring for the past month or so, so I don't have any weapons to test it out, but it's worth a try...

Even if this is the case (I'm not so sure), I'd rather it be the other way around. When we switch to our discovery tools fire group, then automatically enable "analysis mode", and then when we switch to our weapons fire group, automatically enable "combat mode", if separate modes are indeed needed. Why is is this better? Because I already have buttons mapped for switching fire groups :D

And for those who will pose the question, Frontier could implement a "lock" that prevents mixing weapons and discovery tools in the same fire group. It'll be just as easy, and way more logical, and kicking up this "Module cannot be used in this cockpit mode" message all the time.
 
Last edited:
There were many such threads during beta, and I agree. It could easily auto-select the mode for you, based on what you're doing, if it even needs 2 modes. Better would be to make the fire groups 'mode aware.'


Anyway, we had these discussions during beta but it went nowhere with FD.
 
In my eyes, the combat/analysis mode was a good basic idea, but not completely thought through and developed to the end.
.
I mean, i very much appreciate the "overlay" over things. In "combat" mode you see things normally, in "analysis" mode there's the pattern over them, which is used to show special features. That part is fine. Limiting some tools to one mode or the other also is fine. But the implementation, how fire groups, weapons, scanners and other utilities currently are connected, is terrible. It's just a wild mess and really needs cleaning up.
.
There were several different ideas going around, how we could have different fire groups for either mode. That would be the most luxurious and most reasonable solution. But I would also accept the quickfix of the game just not spamming us with error messages and stopping execution any more. (Mind you, the stopping execution was something i saw in the beta, i haven't crosschecked yet, if that's still true in the life game. )
.
So if merely only those things, which in the current mode can be used, will be shown and activated when pressing the fire button, while the others do not interfere with things and no error message is shown, we'd already be at a useable system.
.
Of course, having split groups in ther weapon group panel would be better. It would be easier to read, easier to understand and much easier to learn. So in the long run, it should be implemented, but just removing the error messages or just giving us the option to switch them off would help a lot.
.
 
From what I heard, you can actually bind your fire groups in Analysis Mode separately from Combat mode. Someone had mentioned it in another post and said they tried it out and sure enough it was possible.

So try as a test to see if it does in fact work, and in Combat mode, make your 1st order fire groups weapons. Then in Analysis mode, change it to be scanners and see if it changes depending on the HUD mode you are in.

I'd try it, but I'm in deep space exploring for the past month or so, so I don't have any weapons to test it out, but it's worth a try...
You can... if you're willing to be constantly spammed by "module cannot be used in this mode" messages while using a fire group that has both analysis and combat modules in it.
 
I love these new exploration tools, but I am a bit baffled as to why we need separate "Analysis" and "Combat" modes.

I get the feeling "modes" is intended to be something that could be expanded upon to provide more diverse functionality in future.
Something of a "shift key" for your spaceship.

Course, it already needs revising so that it simply ignores everything not associated with that mode instead of giving you a full choice of stuff and then telling you that half the stuff can't be used in a given mode.
That is just batpoop crazy and completely undermines any benefit to having "modes" in the first place.

Kind of surprised mining doesn't have it's own mode in the same way exploration does.
It'd be nice if you could bung mining stuff on a ship along with weapons and not constantly have to faff around turning modules on and off if your PP can't support your flight modules and mining modules at the same time.
Course, maybe it does and I didn't hear about it. [where is it]
 
Last edited:
From what I heard, you can actually bind your fire groups in Analysis Mode separately from Combat mode. Someone had mentioned it in another post and said they tried it out and sure enough it was possible.

So try as a test to see if it does in fact work, and in Combat mode, make your 1st order fire groups weapons. Then in Analysis mode, change it to be scanners and see if it changes depending on the HUD mode you are in.

I'd try it, but I'm in deep space exploring for the past month or so, so I don't have any weapons to test it out, but it's worth a try...
I've tried this but unfortunately without success. I may well be doing something wrong. So if it possible it's not very intuitive.
 
Last edited:
I love these new exploration tools, but I am a bit baffled as to why we need separate "Analysis" and "Combat" modes. The only thing I can think is that Analysis mode gives us the blue grid over planets we launch probes at. If this is all AM is, then it adds a tremendous amount of unnecessary complication to the system.

Why not instead just have the blue grid visible when the DSS is in our active fire group, and turn it off when DSS is not in our active fire group? As for FSS and "honk", these are totally separate things, so just let them work, no analysis mode necessary.

As it is, there are extra buttons to toggle between AM and CM (buttons being in short supply on my DS4 controller), and these annoying "Module cannot be used in this cockpit mode" messages. And then there's analysis mode in my SRV (???), but I'm hoping that's just a bug.

To quote another game I play, Frontier, "You're making a chicken out of a feather!"

he honk can be done as before. there is just a key for it in the FSS in case you forget to honk before going into it, or want to do the honk etc in one place. i prefer to D-scan while im lining up to scoop, then i peek at the fss if the system doesnt say sys scan complete and has a lot of bodies found. then if there are no ELW/Waters/amonias i usually jump out.

so Discovery being in the FSS is additional and not a replacement.
t
 
I love these new exploration tools, but I am a bit baffled as to why we need separate "Analysis" and "Combat" modes. The only thing I can think is that Analysis mode gives us the blue grid over planets we launch probes at. If this is all AM is, then it adds a tremendous amount of unnecessary complication to the system.

Why not instead just have the blue grid visible when the DSS is in our active fire group, and turn it off when DSS is not in our active fire group? As for FSS and "honk", these are totally separate things, so just let them work, no analysis mode necessary.

As it is, there are extra buttons to toggle between AM and CM (buttons being in short supply on my DS4 controller), and these annoying "Module cannot be used in this cockpit mode" messages. And then there's analysis mode in my SRV (???), but I'm hoping that's just a bug.

To quote another game I play, Frontier, "You're making a chicken out of a feather!"


More sim like. ^_^

I like it, plus I can keep my keybindings separated.
 
The reason may be quite simple. It is a base for upcoming extensions, i think.
This.

I quite like the mode switching. It also provides a use for the one button on my HOTAS that I’d yet to find a use for, so I’m quite happy with it.
 
Unless they have some Big Plan for future content, I largely concur. The ONLY difference I’ve noticed is that the blue “shell” around planets disappears in Combat Mode.
 
I could be wrong but it feels like about 95% of people across the numerous threads on this subject basically don't like and/or don't "get" the whole mode switch thing. The incompatibility between different modes and different controls across different fire groups is just plain and simple bad/ugly UI design. Imagine if an iPad had a "game mode" and a "utility mode" and only half of your app's worked in one and half in the other? BLEURGH!
 
Top Bottom