Galaxy Level Fleet Management Screen

Never played MOO II so I don't have anything to compare it to but something like the colony list in the civilization manager screen only for fleets would be very helpful.

I know there's an underlying parsec (x,y) coordinate system because it's used to define the location of rally points as well as the destination of fleets/ships that are directed to empty space. The problem is that there is nothing that displays the current parsec (x,y) location of the cursor or other elements in the game. There is the sector (x,y) display at the top of the screen, but that's not real useful. Anyway if you could determine the parsec (x,y) location of planets, starbases or other destinations it would be easier to use a galaxy wide fleet manager.

A full Fleet Manager tab would also help with managing different ship classes (starbases vs. fleets vs. lone ships), and maybe even upgrade management for designs within a hull class.

Depending on how it was implemented, I think something like this could be especially useful for any other players who tend to give unique names (e.g. Star Trek, Farscape, etc. mods) to some units. (I don't tend to manually name ships until I build dreadnaughts, but I usually give fleets and mines names based on the silly story I'm telling myself about my current game.)

PLEASE! This would be so helpful, especially with larger games. Fleet management in this game is akward enough that I have had to simplify much of how I deal with ships, because it is just too much trouble to do otherwise (i.e. upgrading obsolete ships.)

Scincerely,
Scintor

I too find the current ship list implementation cumbersome. Though I don't really have any constructive ideas on how to upgrade it.

I dont use the current ship list either. Very rarely the planet list, mostly I mess with Colony Management screen. Same kinda window for fleets/ships would be nice.

Aye.

I agree, a different approach is needed for the fleets. I find it very difficult to keep track of all of them and find the one I'm looking for. Late in the game, I'll leave all of my fleets active (not placing them in sentry or guard mode) just so I can cycle through them each round. This becomes required during huge or gigantic maps sizes.

One upgrade I would like to see is better ship upgrading options, particularly in fleets. For example, regardless if I a have a mixed fleet or all the same ships in a fleet, the ability to select a group of ships for upgrade within the fleet would be a huge improvement. Right now (unless I'm a complete idiot) I have to manually upgrade each ship one by one, it's a lot of effort and is very time consuming.

I believe the current upgrade system is either one ship or all ships of that particular class are targeted for the upgrade. Sometimes due to money or other activities, upgrading all ships in that class is not the best option.

Also what I would like to get improved are the mini maps which are here and there in sub windows. Example when you press rally point button, what exactly the minimap window does in that particuclar window? That minimap only shows me the star systems, nothing else

Example in my mind colony screen could use a little minimap in some corner. Press a planet and the mini map would show where in the galaxy the planet actually is. Having a large map with many planets the names alone dont do alot of good, not atleast for me. I might name them Factory 1 etc, but in the long run, that too is poor solution.

Having same kinda window for fleets could be useful too. Name a fleet example Border Patrol 1. Click it on "fleet management" window, the minimap would show where it is on galaxy and you could issue orders for it. Might be bad idea, what do you think?

I too would like an interface improvement in this area.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks it's a little cumbersome to have to disband a fleet to upgrade the ships in it. I also use the colony management screen every turn and would love some way to tell where the planets are in the galaxy from that screen. After playing for months on medium and large maps,(I usually like quick games)I'm trying a gigantic and those small things are already looming a little larger in the bigger galaxy.

Uh, I can't even find the ship list...

I've been stuck zooming in on the map and hunting down any dots that look like my civ's color.

If nothing else, how about making objects in the galaxy map buttons twinkle or blink when they're clicked to "on?" Edit: Also, especially if not only, the icons should be much larger in huge or gigantic sized games... Might only be necessary when they "blink" or whatever, but currently, they're almost invisible... I have to wipe the specks of dust off my monitor screen and pull out a magnifying glass to find anything. Ah here's a good idea for it -- when an object button is clicked to on, disable the "ownership" button (maybe just for a second?), and make a big, red circle blink around all objects of that type. Woohoo! Oh wait wait -- make the circle around the object blink the color of the owner's civilization. I don't know what color to make the un-owned things blink... Maybe white, since that seems to be the default color, even though it's used by at least two civs (plus mine when I use a custom ).

But that's a bit off-subject. I don't know from MOO2 either, but I have found some aspects of fleet control to be difficult. Leaving ships in fleets while they're being upgraded could be troublesome -- it would be quicker, and provide defense for the ships being upgraded -- but can the fleet still move?

I agree entirely on DethAdder's suggestion for the colony management screen. Personally I use the single-Planet View screen, but I have the same problem -- it's difficult to see where the planet is. Simply moving the main window (the one you see when you close the planet screen... you know) to center on that planet would save me the time of hunting for it on the galaxy map.

Edit: Aha, and something kind of related to the original topic -- a fleet button on the map, of course.

I believe the current upgrade system is either one ship or all ships of that particular class are targeted for the upgrade. Sometimes due to money or other activities, upgrading all ships in that class is not the best option.

I can't agree more. Why oh why can't I upgrade ships at a starport instead?!