Player Features and Ideas Discussion

The newly formed team Game of Drones is somewhat surprisingly not going to work on drones (for now at least), but instead we're going to take a stab at improving the inventory management UI in EVE. In an attempt to get it right, we're interesting in collecting feedback before we get our hands too dirty so it would make us happy as hell if you could list the biggest beefs you have with the current inventory UI. I was thinking about a format like this:

ISSUE: Explain your issue
FIX: How do you suggest we fix it?

Example:
ISSUE: The huge pile of windows that you end up with when performing simple inventory management tasks
FIX: Make it possible to manage your inventory through a single window that lists all the accessible inventory locations as well as making it easy to browse and drag items between them

Oh, and I'll fix lag while I'm at it, so no need to explicitly request that

Thanks in advance.

there is a lot of crossover with other suggestion threads here

let me just bring some of the things i read in other threads, copypasta or altered in my mastermind doesnt matter as long as you fix stuff ;)


ISSUE: owning lots of stuff = a huge mess, using containers to sort stuff is not a really cool option (cant start industry from them iirc)
FIX: Folders, Tags, Hangars, something like that, i prefer a tag funktionality since items can have multiple tags but can not be in multiple folders at once, an option to automatically tag specific items based on name or attributes would be awesome

ISSUE: Meta level is hard to see
FIX: small icon on the item to indicate which meta level you are facing

ISSUE: Bookmarks, copying and transferring bookmarks takes ages
FIX: make it faster

Issue1: Managing roles to hangers doesn't allow a lot of granularity. There are only 7 divisions and you can't build from cans ,

FiX : Moar divisions! And / or allow hangers to be sorted into cans like is done now but allow those cans to be used. For example let me put all the bpc's in cans to keep hanger clean but allow members to build from the cans instead of having to take it out . Maybe make a form of station can that can't be removed without emptying and can't be emptied while there are active jobs addressing it.

Fix 2: allow an option on a can where i can right click on it and assign access by title or role maybe? That way I can give someone read access to a hanger but take from a can within that hanger.


2) Fix the corp interface for assigning roles / accesses to inventory. The biggest problem at the moment is that half the time the managment window for assigning access to hangers doesn't even format properly or the lables don't show up. We need a much more streamlined interface.

issue 2: Load time of hangers.

Fix : some method or indication of loading on a hanger. As it is I click open on one of my tabs and it just sits there stupid and empty till a minute or so later my assets suddenly and magically appear :)

Issue: You don't get a good view of your stuff as it is. containers makes it even worse.

Fix: I'll have to wash my eyes and brain with bleach after this. A certain game have/had a somewhat good solution to this layout problem. Like this http://www.zybez.net/img/genimg/bankspace/bankorganization.png
With that lay out you get a good grip of what you got and where.
it's mainly a use of tabs and smaller icons.

Now I'll deny any rumors of me ever playing that game and go and see if i got any of that sulfuric acid left...

I'd like to be able to create and delete 'folders' or divisions within my personal hangar. I can then put things in different folders in the same way that I'd organize files on my computer.

Then I could have a folder for things like salvage, blueprints, stuff that might be useful one day, modules that I swap out on my ships a lot, ammo, stuff I'm buying and relisting at higher prices at fucktest prices to get money from my alliance mates, etc.

I have used cans in the past but inevitably one day I'll be looking through all the rubbish I have in the hangar and absentmindedly click 'repackage all' and OH GOD MY CANS REPACKAGED AS WELL AND NOW EVERYTHING IS TOGETHER IN MY HANGAR AGAIN!

Also have an option to list ships and items together in one list, I may want to put a faction fit t2 rigged Rifter I got for Christmas in a folder with any other curiosities I acquire, rather than having it in the same list as normal Rifters

ISSUE: Station Containers are a poor solution to personal hangar organisation problems.

SOLUTION: Tags (or at least folders, but tags are better as there can be a many tag to one item relationship) to sort your items within a station, discard Station Containers as a concept entirely.

Tags/folders must be:
*Both tags and contents MUST be searchable via the asset search
*Nameable

Tags should be:
*No size limit
*Expand/collapsible in the standard interface (ie. Plusses/minuses like windows explorer)
* API integrated
* Possible both in station and in ship
* default when dragging is to copy the tag and move the items.
* accessible, changeable, and generally fully useful at range using the assets window

Tags should not be:
* repackageable
* items themselves

'Windowfying' Eve

Solution:
Major discussion required for refinment well beyond what is mentioned here.

Merging Assests, Hanger Items, Ships into one convient window would be a godsend in my opinion
Managing to shove market and contracts into this as well a bit iffy but if can be done in a simple concise manner should be pursued none the less.

Objectives
Greatly reduce eve redunancy have one covientient know it all command center window.
Increase player power by giving them additional tools to work with.
Increase visibility
Reduce Lag?
Moderinizing Eve UI


Layout/
Tab Bar On Top
Ribbon window right beneath contains global tools
Left Subwindow beneath the ribbon window contains browsing trees.
Middile subwindow beneathing the ribbon window and right of the left subwindow contains the major browing events.
Right Subwindow (collaspable to a neocom like bar) Contains buttons for special tools.

Tab Bar
Contains the tools to switch from (Assest all), Market, and Contracts tabs. These change all items below and layouts.
Default view is Assest window.

Ribbon Bar
In this area would contain 'global' configuring tools such as:

Filter creator which allows players should be allowed to create thier own cusotm 'filters' that are saved locally. IE Show Only Ammo, Current Station ect ect. Seperate prompt window suggested to get 'maximus optimus' with types of filter a player can create.

A list of default filters
Commodities (ie everything else that isnt one of the below)
Modules
Ammo
Ships
Blueprints

Search bar conviently located and large enough to drag and drop items from any source into the string box.
Allow Smart Searching, allow multiple term smart search as well.
IE Smart search autocannons, small, tech 2 would only pull up the self explainitory.

Search does not autostart to prevent real time fetching thus lag.

Then the help button linking to current tabs infomration assistance.

Left Side Subwindow
Collaspable to show a symbolized version of the browsing tree, mousing over brings up a tool tip of each lcoation.
This will be our browser tree, Style it up like market browsing.
Location Names will header off each catagory thus the root tree of each.
Active Ship will always be on top of the list as a location list. Its leaves are defaulted to her various bays.
A creative pilot can create a special leaf to only display ammo thier ship guns can use, would like this as default though but I think its a bit hard to autodect charge types accepted by all fitted slots.
Filters will populate as leaves for every tree.
Inidividual items WILL not be listed here to reduce double redudancy fetching.
However number of items can be listed here by each filter with a (#x) notation so Hel (1337) would indicate 1337 items in the hel system.

Canisters with items in them might be listed as leaves here.
If you go with this option allow cans to be managed from this window, right click leaf and be able to rename the can or reboot it (clear the annoying 4 months log event)

All leafs should be modifyable now that I think of it like change the filter that leafe was doing previous before, such as change ship leaf and make it into assembeled ships only leaf.

Once a tree's leaf is selected then it will load the items in question into the middile subwindow.
By default the currently docked station all items view will be autodispalyed and loaded to mimic current functions.

Works with search function, if a string is put into search it will display all of trees and leaves qualifying for that string and nothing else.

Sort options via icon or right click by name, number of items, or distance from person. Default arragement will be distance so the station you docked it will be listed first for new players. This will be in the header of the left subwindow.

Either a double click or a all item filter will be available as well to assist finding something at a location whatever is more convenient and less annoying.

Middile Subwindow
Current Item view window transplanted here all of its current viewing options will be in the header of this window and in detail mode similar arrangements will be allowed. Could also look into making special coulmns for certain filters such as ME and PE in the blue print view.

Header of this window while in market view will contain drop and select views current to all tabs in current market such as journal and transactions. The other side containing the simplified controls for it such as page over and filter.

Right Subwindow
Collaspable window
This window should contain specal shortcut functions such as quick sale, repackage, create contract, sort all, repair all.

Well, let me say I don't tend to end up with a ton of inventory windows everywhere because I use the "Merge Ships and Items With Station Window" option - this keeps my items window nice and tidy on the side - however...


ISSUE : corporation hangar, ship hangar, drone bays, fuel bays all get all insane as you open th em, and really inconsistent when you open one, and it opens the new window as a new tab instead of its own separate thing, then you have to split it out so you can drag stuff over, and then you want to stack certain inventory windows to make more space, but then you have to split them apart again to move stuff. Windows mini-games!!!

FIX : A unified system is appealing, but I think it can also be limiting, and not very scalable eventually. I have 45 ships, and equipment in over 10 stations (some people hundreds) - It also can be very deceptive to the new player that all this stuff is in "one place" And they might try and drag things between stations. Also, corp hangars are a conundrum in a unified system. Challenges, but not impossible to overcome.

I think idiot proofing the inventory system with icons rather than text would be a start. "BPO Filter" would be a BPO icon, etc. Too much reliance on typing would slow the system down and make it more difficult for newer and slower players to learn the curve.


Whatever you do - and don't pretend you don't have ideas CCP! - please keep the ability to merge ships and items /inventory management into the station panel - I never use anything in the station panel except as an inventory manager (or very rarely) and it would make my whole station panel a waste of space (seriously, i'd minimize it. I don't use agents, I don't need it for the fitting screen, sidebar does that, I rarely need to screw with my medical clone, I rarely switch between CQ/ships, I rarely go into the LP store, I rarely insure a ship...) I also don't want my inventory management to have to be forced into my middle screen to do things, because sometimes I have to do it in the middle of a fight and I can't have a massive screen in my face to do things.

Many times we need to be able to interact with inventories in space and around us and I don't know how a unified system could handle that clearly and without being an obstruction to itself off hand.


Main things to keep from a unified system :

• Allow merging with station panel
• Sorting Assets by Jump Distance
• Making it easy to move things around
• Allowing me to work with the scale of icons that I want (don't force me to use line entries)
• Making sure that it's all scalable to an n-th degree, if dealing with 45-100 ships in the inventory becomes cumbersome, then it will be unhappy time.
• Allow multiple windows to be open so people who want multiple windows can still have them for their usage. Don't force only one window.

Issue: Search - particularly if an item is in a cargo-hold or container.

Fix: search should display all items in your assets with some kind of suffix like - (Ship), (Container), (Cargo-hold) to give a more accurate description of what you have.


Issue: Huge scrolling lists of items.

Fix: More filtering options, for instance an option to expand/collapse an item into groups such as item type, slot, charge, etc.


Issue: no visual cue for damaged items.

Fix: add something to item icons to indicate that the item is damaged.



A would be nice feature: estimated value listed on the item, including contract items - it just saves a bunch of extra clicks - maybe add it next to the "view contracts" or "view market" buttons.

Audit Log Containers a Pain In the Ass

ISSUE - When configuring audit log containers the decision to lock items when dropped into the container is stored Client side and very difficult to work with. When you want a container to not lock items, other people drop items in and they get locked because their client container defaults to "lock". If you have locked items, then you can't stack them, even if locked. Very frustrating if you want to run a "locked security system" but keep things organized. Also, right click menu for lock and unlock is very cumbersome.

FIX - Store configuration information on the Server, and locked items can stacked. Add icon on the item itself "lock symbol" that can be clicked on to immediately lock and unlock an item without right click menu input.

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Looking at the mac window interface (and using it regularly) - which has been claimed to be the closest parallel to the new UI for Inventory...


The main things that the OSX system allows is it allows you the flexibility to work the way you want. If you want multiple windows with large icons, you can STILL do that. So don't force people into one system, build in that flexibility.

Then, if you want to work with one "branch" like system, you can do that as well. Folders make sense, but containers are still useful as "physical" containers that you can move around or share with other people that is a persistent "Grouping" beyond a personal folder structure. So, those should stay, but for specific uses.

I'm excited but I'm also a bit nervous with the unified system - if it becomes like Trauma Missiles, where listening to the players' input on why Trauma is both a stupid name and why all missiles should not just share the same name, because they're NOT THE SAME THING... then this can be very disruptive to everyone's day to day game play.

I think we're going to lose some functionality which we're used to such as sorting assets by jump, merging into the station panel, and so on.