Combat UI and equipment additions

[Mets is Narcoleptic]

Okay, just joined forums so hello. I saw the post on suggestions on steam so I figured I do just that.

The main issue that I feel could be improved is the simple UI/Hud used in game (particually the aiming reticule currently used). This may have already been brought up, but their are a few other ideas that I have relating to this. The current aiming system is highly difficult to see and thus use, especially when using for long range firing and even more so for coaxial weapons. I suggest an improved combat hud be implemented, with a clear crosshair that is not effected by distance of target (which it is in the current system, the reticule literally is rendered ON the target, that's why the reticule gets smaller the further away the target is). Adding a zoom window for the crosshair would also be a good idea (think the zoom used in mechwarrior). The crosshair could work much like mechwarrior actually, as those games have the crosshair unbound from the vehicles movement, which is actually already fairly similar to avorions current aiming. I would also make the crosshair automatically not render the players ship within the bounds of this zoom window as a background effect, thus allowing for aiming through your own ship (which currently blocks your line of sight when aiming). This could be dissabled when player controlled weapon groups are turned off.

The current hud system could be retained as, say, a simple system for players that don't like a more technical hud, but it should probably still be improved for visability.

Adding to this, I feel that some of the equipment that is currently underused due to being almost pointless in their effects could be reworked too, with more of them having multiple effects much like, say, shield boosters do, to give them better incentive to actually be used. For example the scanner equipment could have extra effects, like giving lead indicators on target to better make use of projectiles (which without this are sub par compaired to hit scan weapons frankly), perhaps with the range this works at being tied to quality (legendary could be, say 25 or 30 km). It could also show target info like weapon types etc and maybe at close range could show the targets integrity coverage, to enable more tactical firing for disabling etc. It should also have it's current scan range buffed too (as currently, it works on % of base scan which is just 1 km so you have to practically hug the target even with high quality scanners).

To be honest, I think that having a seperate set of support equipment slots for ships could also be a good idea, as currently you're best just stacking turrets, shields etc so other more indirect equipment just isn't anywhere near as viable. Radar, scanners, traiding and others that don't directly effect combat, hp, cargo etc could be off loaded to this. It could also be bound to computer core blocks to give these blocks more reasons to actually be used, with a limit ratio of secondary slots in relation to normal slots (e.g. 1/3).

 

Anyway, that's just a few quick ideas I had. Thank you for reading.

[Silent00]

I vote for this. I had a hard time aiming enemy ships that are thin or small or simply too far, or mine was simply too big that block my view but the issue is the hotkeys are already used that close to each fingers