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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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Make the "abstract" map layout use dotlan style
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Little Fawn
New Eden Reclamation
#1 - 2016-12-01 13:50:13 UTC  |  Edited by: Little Fawn
When you select the "abstract" layout in the new map, it simply flattens the Z axis, leaving a lot of systems squashed together and links unclear. A true abstract map layout would resemble the London Tube Map, a truly brilliant invention, and much more user friendly when trying to figure out connections.

It's the main reason that the Dotlan Eve Maps have been popular.

I realise that the 3D map needs to look beautiful for the "wow" factor, but it's a pain to use.

How about a compromise? When I select "abstract" layout, move the systems to co-ordinates like the ones used by Dotlan in its layouts, with every system clearly spaced out, and connection crossings minimized.

The programming shouldn't be that hard -- you already have all the UI -- you just need to use separate coordinates for the flattened layout.

Edit: Perhaps the Dotlan maintainers would be willing to share them with you.

Thanks!
Serendipity Lost
Repo Industries
#2 - 2016-12-01 17:05:46 UTC
Here's where I get confused. DOTLAN exists. players that like it use it. Why push game developers to side track resources to invent a wheel that has been used for almost a decade in game?

Just use a perfectly fine and functional DOTLAN and leave everyone else alone.

What advantage would any player gain by CCP coding DOTLAN into the game?
Little Fawn
New Eden Reclamation
#3 - 2016-12-01 18:25:55 UTC  |  Edited by: Little Fawn
It's a suggestion for an improvement to the game. If CCP thinks it's an improvement worth making for the cost, they can decide to take it. As a game developer, I can see that the cost for this might be very low.

The "sidetrack" argument is bogus. The "it exists" argument is also bogus. EFT and Pyfa exist, but they added a fitting simulator, and an excellent thing it is too, not least because new players won't have to seek out EFT and Pyfa to do basic things. The map is a very basic thing. What's more it's in "beta", which I assume means they want feedback.
Rivr Luzade
Coreli Corporation
Pandemic Legion
#4 - 2016-12-01 20:14:19 UTC  |  Edited by: Rivr Luzade
Serendipity Lost wrote:
Here's where I get confused. DOTLAN exists. players that like it use it.

Side note: I wish I could still use it. However, since the IGB is gone, core functionalities like set waypoint are inaccessible.

And the advantage? Well ... With their beta map, CCP showed that they are incapable of coding a map. If they implemented Dotlan into the game, we would have an actually usable map that displays data and not some fancy and useless animations or seas of indistinguishable orange blobs. Maybe that's an advantage? Ugh Granted, the abstract view would have its limits because its astrographically (geographically just in space) utterly incorrect and gives you completely wrong ideas on your locations in space in many cases, but the data display is more important than that in my opinion.

UI Improvement Collective

My ridicule, heavy criticism and general pale outlook about your or CCP's ideas is nothing but an encouragement to prove me wrong. Give it a try.