A simple, excellent improvement suggestion

I second!


(just figured that the support as is would be enough ;))


PS Guess stellar cathography got really interesting to research if it gave this addition.

Sounds like a reasonable request. Bring this suggestion back up once the devs get back from working on the political machine.

It would certainly make things better. The truth is that the UI in this game shows a lack of good planning. While the game is defiantly fun, most data could have been on the main map with layer toggles like most other games.

Please assist. How is the game "Defiantly" fun? It defies you to have fun? You have fun in defiance of the probabilities? You play from the bridge of the Defiant?

LOL.

Seriously, it sounds reasonable. I always seem to have a blind spot where the mini-map is concerned and just go blindly exploring, usually scoping for anomalies rather than planets.

Yeah I wondered why this feature was absent, particularily after the stellar class has an impact on the presence and quality of the planets in the system.

Seems weird that stellar cartography provides hints as to the amount of planets in orbit of the star but no hints as to its stellar class. I strongly remember playing MOO2 with this in mind and always racing to explore the stars that lended themselves to habital planets.

I'm reminded of this everytime I see a purple star and start throwing money at getting a colony ship there first even if I have not confirmed the quality of the planets in orbit. I know there will be at least one extra juicy planet.

Edit: yay the edit function is back. Actually I reminded why I thought Stardock implemented the game this way after I hit post. The AI doesnt make very good decisions about which planets to set up a colony on and will usually go for the closest and work their way out.

I've seen them race a colony ship to a system to grab a class 3 while a couple of sectors away a class 20+ is waiting. Giving the player access to the location of all purple stars could be abused and the AI would not provide challenging opposition in the race for the hugely influential and powerful high class planets.

Very good point Silphius. It might be too much of an advantage to the player.

Sentient species taste better...

Is this game a 4X or an XX_x_X?

Seriously, i do need the extra challenge to boldly go where no one has known before!

Although i'd give a new color to the Fog_of_War, if of course, it is actually meant to be a Foggy condition no matter how efficient ship sensors are or could be.

Hey, my daringly slow but costly Colony ship just got lucky... just by going an extra tile - it could exploit the hidden PQ21 instead of rushing onto the PQ12 right near IT. Constructors do need to find a precious resource(s), first - too, i gather.

And, so on.

I'm not sure what you mean by needing the extra challenge. Are you saying that you like having to squint and study the minimap to figure out where to go? My suggestion essentially turns the main map into a bigger minimap which is easier to see. You aren't being given any FOW info that isn't already on the minimap. You can just analyze it faster and easier, giving you more time to focus on the many other things which the game requires.

The minimap itself isn't made redundant because it's still the best way to see the big picture.

I see it kind of two ways.

On the one hand, with today's technology, we are already able to identify (what we think are) planets around stars. So, logically speaking, by the time we are actually colonizing them, I would think that we would be able to see planets, at the very least, in the local group. And since the mini-map reflects this, why not show it on the larger map.

On the other hand, if the mini-map represents what our stellar cartographers can descern, and the main map represents "actually going there" then I can understand why the planets/stars would not show up on the main map, until we actually go there.

In the end, I don't see this as a Huge thing one way or the other. Initially I thought it was a good idea. Now, I am like, it probably wouldn't change the way I play the game and therefore the bonus is on the small side. If you want to be able to see stuff like planets, at a distance, use the mini-map. If it got implemented, fine. But I would say that it should not be a priority over something like the Tech tree bug. I wouldn't even say it was anything more than a nice to have (IMHO).

Kind of forgetting its a game not a simulator. I'm all for realism but gameplay should always be a consideration.

I think theres something about that jolt of excitement when you stumble across a huge class 20+ planet that just would not be the same if you knew where it was from the start and even discovered some enterprising fellow had set up a food court and a gift shop in anticipation of your colony ship.

At that point there would also be less decision making on the part of the player as there would be a logical sequence of which planets to settle first.

I'm confused. Wasn't the idea to only show the stars (and their colors) along with planets that all looked like a single white circle until explored?

I was referencing my earlier post about how purple stars almost always have a class 20+

Therefore anything that indicates the presence of a purple star indicates (almost certainly) the presence of a very high quality planet.

Then the main map would give no indication of the star being purple. It would merely be a generic, round star symbol until the player moves within range. The generic symbol would be no more informative than the star symbols in the minimap, which we already use to see where the stars are, anyhow. It's just easier to see for those of us who want to spend our game time planning strategy, rather than squinting.

edit: wow. This forum doesn't do nested quotes very well. There doesn't appear to be a preview button either. Unless I'm missing something.

I do agree that it would be a good thing if the information of the minimap were shared with the main map. I do see no reason why it should make a difference if i maneuver my ships by clicking on the minimap in microscopial scale or if i am able to see planets and stars(only their location)on the mainmap when stellar cartography has been researched. It just makes orientation easier and does not affect gameplay very much in my opinion.

Try highlighting the text of the post you want to quote first.

testing

Transference of minimap data would be fine I suppose. Its not a big thing for me but I can see how others would find it preferable.

Personally when I want to send a ship towards a star in unmapped territory I send it by clicking on the minimap.

The way ive always understood it the mini map was never intended to show more than the the star and the number of planets .carthography only gives you the sun and how many planets orbit that sun!! You have to physically explore that system to find out the type and quality of those planets.I personelly prefer it that way this is a 4x game and explore is an integral part of this type of game.

Yet stellar cartography tells you the actual, exact location of the stars and planets on the minimap. You know that there are two stars to the north and two close together planets by the left one, and so forth. You just have to squint to get the info. Why bother with that extra work? The game has enough amazing aspects that you don't need to be distracting yourself with needless efforts like that.

On turn one, for example, imagine dragging a circle around your homeworld to see where the best concentration of stars are. Coupled with the big picture of the minimap, it just makes things easier on you. There's no cheating involved. You aren't seeing anything you wouldn't already be able to see. You just save yourself from aching eyeballs. Am I not writing clearly? I'm not seeing the problem here.

Out of curiosity what size and resolution are you running at? What galaxy size? A larger monitor or more advanced use of the minimap may be a solution to the problem.

You may have forgotten or overlooked the fact that you can zoom in on the minimap if needed - you certainally do not need to see the entire universe during the colonisation phase, especially on the larger galaxy sizes.

I never find a need to squint but perhaps that has to do with my 22inch LCD Widescreen running at 1680x1050. It really does show a very sharp and distinct picture and I remember how blurry CRTs are. As somebody who wears glasses I highly recommend getting a LCD if you are still using a CRT and find yourself squinting.

By preference I have planets switched off on my minimap as it produces clutter and can confuse which are the stars and which are the planets. Now while that may seem to be a point in the favour of transferring the information to the main screen, I really think it has more to do with the progressive nature of the initial phase.

Zoom in to begin with and turn planets on if you so desire. Zoom out and turn them off when they are redundant data to display and the whole of the galaxy requires your attention.

That's a nice monitor you have. We can't all afford such a large one. I have a 17" LCD, myself. I am aware that the minimap has zoom levels and I use them. Sharing the minimap info with the main map might render the mimimaps closest zoom level practically unnecessary. More saved work. Was there some other advanced minimap technique that you had in mind?

Again, I'm not understanding your reservations. It just sounds like you want to work extra hard. Personally, I'd rather spend the extra effort tweaking my social construction, or planning my research path or colonizer/constructor shipbuilding schedule.

My reservations are about information overload. But its not the only reservation.

After patient study on other aspects of GalCiv2 that did not immediately make sense or made me wish it was implemented differently I have, almost without fail, discovered there were very good reasons for why the game is the way it is.

These things are not always apparent or simply require some time to become accustomed to. As I mentioned earlier I'm completely happy with the current implementation but I do remember a time when I also found the interface restrictive and nonsensical in places.

So I'd rather explore ways at helping you out that does not require the team being pulled away from other aspects of the game that need attention to address something that may not even be an actual issue.

As I said earlier I'm completely happy with the current implementation. I dont find it hard work, quite the opposite infact.

As for advanced minimap techniques... no? I believe you are arguing for the presence and number of planets in uncharted territory. I get that at a glance from the minimap. I can't really see any further potential for complexity in that.

Squinting is defeated by zoom functions. As for work - clicking one button? once? twice? per game? Thats hardly work in my book. Compared to the hundreds of clicks per game managing the economy sliders? Hell the dozens of clicks just to get the economy slider window?

You lost me. 1-2 clicks per game? That doesn't sound like work to me either, but what are you referring to, exactly? I'm talking about 1-2 clicks turn after turn in order to zoom in, followed by close scrutinization to see where the planets are, guesstimate what tile to send your ship, which will reveal all the planets without spending unnecessary movement points, which can then be spent heading to the next star. And then zoom back out again of course in order to see the big picture again.

It sounds like you glance at the minimap, think "Ok. There's some planet out that way, somewhere.", vaguely click on a destination in that general direction, and then check back every couple turns to see if your ship got there yet.

Some of us prefer not to use such a lackadaisical approach. I for one would find it much easier to pick a destination tile on the main map than on the minimap which, despite constant clicking of the zoom buttons, still requires squinting and super precise mouse placement, for those of us who can't afford ginormous monitors.

This debate has gotten silly. Are there really so few of us who see the advantage of having all known star and planet locations on the main map? Am I the only one who is incapable of understanding what the gripe against that position is? If so, then apologies. I'm done, and please forget that I spoke up.

I think it's a good idea.

I would like it too, please implent it if it's possible.