Why is the Contacts Tab so useless for the purposes of scooping materials?

Miko

M
This has to be one of the most annoying issues in Elite. I say one of...

You're in a combat zone, wishing to scoop some materials, only to have to endure a constantly updating contacts list, where none of the materials closest to you or most relevant show in any kind of nearest first order. It's clustered to hell, and what's worse, the list jumps around all over the place. It's an abomination of design. Get this sorted tonight... Yes, tonight! Haha.

Is a sub tab for materials too much to ask?
 
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Llandrenel

Llandrenel
Well,

1; If you're in a combat zone, you should expect the contacts list to be constantly updating as ships enter/leave range + get blown up
2; Collector limpets. Always. :) If you're planning to collect the mess after each ship when you're in a combat zone, take your limpets, only way to really get it done with any kind of success.
3; It's more that it's useless for that purpose in a combat zone, otherwise it works well. Granted they're still not organised by distance, never bothered looking to see what sorting method it used, probably alphabetical, but when you don't have dozens of other ships fighting for your radar, it does work. :)
 

Pug

Pug
What about targeting an object kills your limpet?
Why Can't I just highlight the things I want in a static menu, one way to do this would just be to flip the contact list upside down (make it flippable). OP
then your limpet would grab the bits you want and leave the parts you don't.
I know I can ignore items, but knowing myself I'll forget to unignore it when I start to need them again.
Pug
 

Vahnkiljoy

V
Ships are exploding and jumping in all the time in a combat zone, what the hell makes you think your contact list SHOULDN'T be changing to accomodate it?
 

Pug

Pug
Vahnkiljoy said:
Ships are exploding and jumping in all the time in a combat zone, what the hell makes you think your contact list SHOULDN'T be changing to accomodate it?
Click to expand...
I get that, It totally and unequivocally should show the new ships jumping in to Combat Zones.

and you could have it that way or hit a small tab at the top of the list which would show the closest objects first, then hit the little tab again. Pew...Pew...
Don't know about you but I usually trundle over to somewhere near the mats before releasing my collectors.
Pug
 

Jmanis

Jmanis
Pug said:
What about targeting an object kills your limpet?
Click to expand...
That's deliberate design though.

When using a collector limpet, you can either:
  • target an item, which fires a collector limpet moving significantly faster than usual to get that specific item, or;
  • don't target anything, which fires a slow-moving collector limpet to just gather whatever is nearest first.

That speed difference is significant, and is often the difference between getting a limpet shot down by PDs and it surviving to return the goods to you in a hostile situation; such as:
  • ninja-looting mission cargo in a threat 4 USS
  • Nabbing a Sensor/Probe from under the nose of a Thargoid Interceptor
  • Scooping jetted cargo from a hijack target which you can't destroy

Basically, you use targeted in hostile situations where speed and time is critical, either to recover things before someone else does, or you're under fire, or you need to evade limpet countermeasures such as PDs.

You use untargeted when you're free to collect whatever you need.
 

Pug

Pug
Jmanis said:
That's deliberate design though.

When using a collector limpet, you can either:
  • target an item, which fires a collector limpet moving significantly faster than usual to get that specific item, or;
  • don't target anything, which fires a slow-moving collector limpet to just gather whatever is nearest first.

That speed difference is significant, and is often the difference between getting a limpet shot down by PDs and it surviving to return the goods to you in a hostile situation; such as:
  • ninja-looting mission cargo in a threat 4 USS
  • Nabbing a Sensor/Probe from under the nose of a Thargoid Interceptor
  • Scooping jetted cargo from a hijack target which you can't destroy

Basically, you use targeted in hostile situations where speed and time is critical, either to recover things before someone else does, or you're under fire, or you need to evade limpet countermeasures such as PDs.

You use untargeted when you're free to collect whatever you need.
Click to expand...
Why can't I just set it to Fast all the time then, or after it's deposited said item it waits for your next command. Why go dead?
Pug
 

Miko

M
Vahnkiljoy said:
Ships are exploding and jumping in all the time in a combat zone, what the hell makes you think your contact list SHOULDN'T be changing to accomodate it?
Click to expand...

It would be more useful if they put a sub tab in where we have a list of materials only, compiled by distance - nearest first. As it stands the list is a mess in the case of an active instance causing it to jump all over the place.
 

Pug

Pug
That would work too, yep show ships, show mats as an option.
I'm not sure how it's set but the materials are usually always at the bottom and seem pretty static, for me they could just make the list invertible.
Pug
 

d8veh

d8veh
Miko said:
This has to be one of the most annoying issues in Elite. I say one of...

You're in a combat zone, wishing to scoop some materials, only to have to endure a constantly updating contacts list, where none of the materials closest to you or most relevant show in any kind of nearest first order. It's clustered to hell, and what's worse, the list jumps around all over the place. It's an abomination of design. Get this sorted tonight... Yes, tonight! Haha.
Click to expand...
I know and undestand the problem. I agree 100%. It needs a freeze button so that you can select what you want, then let it unfreeze to update. The worst thing is when you're trying to put cargo that you've ejected on the ignore list so that your limpets don't pick it back up. Everything is jumping about in the list so you can't see it, and by the time you do, the limpets have brought it back again, and you have to start all over.
 

Pug

Pug
d8veh said:
I know and undestand the problem. I agree 100%. It needs a freeze button so that you can select what you want, then let it unfreeze to update. The worst thing is when you're trying to put cargo that you've ejected on the ignore list so that your limpets don't pick it back up. Everything is jumping about in the list so you can't see it, and by the time you do, the limpets have brought it back again, and you have to start all over.
Click to expand...
Abandon the cargo bud, don't just drop it unless you want it back.
Pug
 

Jmanis

Jmanis
Pug said:
Why can't I just set it to Fast all the time then, or after it's deposited said item it waits for your next command. Why go dead?
Pug
Click to expand...
Because it's a game, and that's the tradeoff... rapid, individual collection or slow, large-volume collection. Just a game choice

If you want an RP reason, maybe the faster speed is produced by overloading the limpets componentry, meaning it's rendered inoperable by the time it returns with whatever you targeted. Maybe the launch force required to send off the limpet at that speed causes irreperable damage, causing it to critically fail once it returns to the ship.

Failing that, something something telepresence... there's not much point in mythical "what if's" in this domain.
 

Pug

Pug
Ok I can accept that as your take on it as it makes sense, it could also be that the targeting sensor in the limpet expires after one targeted use as that is how the manufacturer made them to promote profit. Maybe we could 'Jail Break' them :) Hypothetically speaking.

The OP was expressing his frustration with the jumpy list, it was I who digressed regarding the limpet.
Pug
 

Lightspeed

Lightspeed
It's not that big a problem. Forget the list if it is a problem to you, and select the white blobs in front of you on your radar. Honestly, it's just a simple matter of point, scan .... and scoop.

But in a Conflict Zone, don't expect to be left in peace for long, unless you want to be left in pieces :p

The worst problem (for me) is forgetting to close the cargo scoop when I chase off after another ship :D
 

Mrc_NorthEast

Mrc_NorthEast
I agree being able to sort the contacts by type (ship, canister type, or material type), and then by range would be a huge bonus. I do not want to give up the space for a cargo rack, and collector limpet controller in place of hull and module reinforcements when doing combat, so I manually scoop. The contacts page is not useful as at all. I point, click, and ship, by using the target whatever is highlighted and scooping that. And like lightspeed above, I now know that if I cannot boost, and my pips are set ok, so I should be able to boost, close the 'adjective keeps getting deleted' cargo scoop. Mats are good, mats are your friend, and you will need them, millions of them. :) Happy Hunting
 

Mohrgan

Mohrgan
If you check the Materials by going backwards through the list of contacts, you will avoid all of the ships and rocket contacts buzzing around. Personally, I don;t waste time with materials in a CZ or RES collecting mats. I scoop them up after Assassination missions though. But, I have been playing for a long while, and I have had enough time-in to not need to be so diligent .

Cycle backwards through the contacts list. I will help. Items are sorted alphabetically. All of the Materials will be together.
 
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