Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Yes + friendly bump

Come on CCP, you have to admit that this is really cool looking.

This shouldn't be forgotten.

For the awesomeness of this topic, there definitely is too little support/posts.

Although it probably is not quite the most original effect, it definitely is a nice one. Or at least nicer than what we currently have. There probably could be bit more room for experimenting, but in general I support this.

Just to clarify: Looks Star Trek-ish. I like Star Trek, but I'm not exactly a fan. Don't mind it, though. Would like to see some alternative effects, however.

Tracking Warp Trajectory / Warp Signature

Before I trail off to my own ideas, let me address the commonly pointed issue: "How do I track the warp trajectory of the ship?" (as in, "where the hell did it warp to?"). There are quite few possibilities, as a matter of fact. Most of them mentioned.
- From the purely visual standpoint: Making a trail that lasts for a moment. Be it an ionic trail or an echo after-image of the ship.
- Tactical: There could be a tactical visualisation of that. However, for that we most likely would have to wait until CCP actually delivers some improved iteration of the tactical overlay, instead of just graphical mock-ups (which were great!).
- Scanner Overview? This could probably create an overlay on your scanner view thingie, like the signatures that pop up when you enter the system/bring up the overview. This should be just a 'blip', no longer than the initial scan of the signatures in the area. It could logically be defined as scanner picking up a uncloaked warp signature nearby.

I might create some mock-ups myself later in the day. And I think more people should do so, too. To bring more ideas forth, and not just support. There's much more room to expand on it, people! Give CCP something more to work on.

Compensating for Rubicon warp acceleration and deceleration changes

In my opinion, there are two ways of approaching the way the 'animation' should work. I'll start with the more Rubicon-friendly one.

• Rubicon/EVE Friendly way - Upon 'perfect align' and the 'hit warp', the ship does not yet enter the FTL speeds. It merely creates the warp bubble, which takes over as a propulsion. From my understanding, we should not really be able to see the ship when it gets inside the bubble (timespace getting distorted and stuff), but huh, we do, so that's how it is, period. Now, to the 'flashy' animation. It should be played the moment the ship actually transcends the speed of light, perhaps justified by the 'warp bubble' enshrouding the ship completely (sub-FTL it is still in phase of forming). When it forms completely, wooosh! Flash! Bzzt! Stuff. The same for the deceleration: the ship appears as a beam/flash until it drops out of FTL speed, when the bubble starts dropping the ship into normal space
Pros: The in-game mechanics of representing the ship warping in and out stays unchanged; Purely a graphical aspect; Does not affect D-Scan
Cons: Not every ship would disappear in a flashy style, as the slower ships would reach their actual FTL-speeds outside the grid they are leaving.

• Less Friendly way - As seen in those Star Trek clips. The ship 'spools up' its drive. The bigger the ship, the longer it takes. Basically, how I would translate it for the in-EVE lore: The acceleration of the ship is transformed to the spool-up time of the drive. The ship actually enters its top warp-speed (near)instantly, travels at FTL speeds, and drops to the sub-light speeds as near-instantaneously as it entered it.
Pros: Looks more Sci-Fi-ish and flashy, which these times tend to revolve around.
Cons: Currently, the moment the ship 'hits warp', it begins its acceleration into warp. Basically, even then, it warps off. However in this model it stays on the grid until the drive spools up. You can see the ship "preparing to leave the grid", while by the current game mechanics, it already did and is as such invulnerable; Because it hits its max velocity instantly, it slightly affects the way we should be reading D-scan.

• Absolutely EVE unfriendly way - Beats me. I guess I kinda merged that into 'less eve-friendly way' and forgot what I wanted to put in here.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that there are few ways of approaching it.
- Leaving the core mechanic as-is and merely applying visual effects
- Change [visually] how the ships warp-off, creating misleading "window of opportunity" (the ship appears to be spooling its drive and waiting to warp off, while technically it actually left the grid already)
- Change the way the Warping mechanics work. Again in a such short period of time. To adapt for the 'spooling up time' of the drive and remaining on the grid until then. Many more questions arise then: What happens to the align time? Does the ship need to align prior begining spool up? Or can it spool up and keep aligning at the same time? Does it need to move? Can it move?

So. Yeah.

If I can start having such debates with my own mind because of a simple suggestion to how warp-off and warp-in could or should look like, imagine the careful position the devs are at. Maybe they haven't seen it the thread at all. Maybe they did, but are asking themselves such questions, whether this could be just a small change, or perhaps it's time to make chain of changes. I could definitely understand their hesitation to comment on this, even if this were a "maybe".

In the meantime

Yes, in the meantime, people, keep the thread alive. Don't only support this, but perhaps try to add onto it. I would love to see more mock-ups, perhaps even different alternatives. Post, or describe, your vision of how the tactical should look like, how we should perceive it. How could we use it for intel. What other benefits and drawbacks there could be.

And I'm running out of characters for this post, so. Discuss, keep it alive, and fly safe!

Friendly bump and support for the acceleration thing, and the trail thing that still leaves an indication of where the ship went.

Please give us feedback on this CCP.

If CCP needs more reasons, imagine the noobs that more eye candy brings in. Which might translate to at least a few subs.

This topic needs to stay on the first page.

Should stay visible, yes.