Persistent Navigation/Fuel Calc in Hyperspace

from StarControl Forums

Just like when I first got Star Control 2, I spent most of the day playing yesterday. The experience is great and I love the game. EXCEPT...

When I'm travelling through Hyperspace, and I have a destination plugged in, ANY interruption kicks me out of the navigation route (including, I believe, opening my menu) and I have to go back and figure out what star I'm going to and plug it back in. Normally, this would be just a nuisance, but last night it happened to me in Scryve space, and then as I went back to the Sector Map to put my coordinates back in, I kept getting attacked by Scryve ships (game doesn't pause when going to sector map.) This was a HUGE pain in the ass. 

Also: in SC2, when you selected a destination star on the map, it told you how much fuel it would take to get there so you knew if you could do it and make it back. In Origins, there's no such feature, so you're flying blind. I can't tell you how many times I ran out of fuel yesterday because of this. 

These aren't exactly bugs, but they strongly affect playability. Would love to see these addressed in the next build. 

99,650 views 25 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

If you don't run out of fuel, how are you going to hear the Tywom fan fic?

Reply #2 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Publius, reply 1

If you don't run out of fuel, how are you going to hear the Tywom fan fic?

Valid. Steamy stories about unzipping fanny packs aren't to be missed. 

Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from StarControl Forums Top

I wondered if I was just reading something wrong.  Yeah, I vote for adding the fuel calculator (back) in.  Among other things like crew manifest balancing (or rather, imbalancing!) and resource dumping to name a few.

Reply #4 from StarControl Forums Top


Just like when I first got Star Control 2, I spent most of the day playing yesterday. The experience is great and I love the game. EXCEPT...

When I'm travelling through Hyperspace, and I have a destination plugged in, ANY interruption kicks me out of the navigation route (including, I believe, opening my menu) and I have to go back and figure out what star I'm going to and plug it back in. Normally, this would be just a nuisance, but last night it happened to me in Scryve space, and then as I went back to the Sector Map to put my coordinates back in, I kept getting attacked by Scryve ships (game doesn't pause when going to sector map.) This was a HUGE pain in the ass. 

Also: in SC2, when you selected a destination star on the map, it told you how much fuel it would take to get there so you knew if you could do it and make it back. In Origins, there's no such feature, so you're flying blind. I can't tell you how many times I ran out of fuel yesterday because of this. 

These aren't exactly bugs, but they strongly affect playability. Would love to see these addressed in the next build. 

We are looking into the button-pressing-canceling-autopilot issue.  However, we already have a fuel range calculator.  If you open the Sector map, there's a circle that shows your fuel range.  Hope that helps!

Reply #5 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting pshaw, reply 4


Quoting ,
quoting post

Just like when I first got Star Control 2, I spent most of the day playing yesterday. The experience is great and I love the game. EXCEPT...

When I'm travelling through Hyperspace, and I have a destination plugged in, ANY interruption kicks me out of the navigation route (including, I believe, opening my menu) and I have to go back and figure out what star I'm going to and plug it back in. Normally, this would be just a nuisance, but last night it happened to me in Scryve space, and then as I went back to the Sector Map to put my coordinates back in, I kept getting attacked by Scryve ships (game doesn't pause when going to sector map.) This was a HUGE pain in the ass. 

Also: in SC2, when you selected a destination star on the map, it told you how much fuel it would take to get there so you knew if you could do it and make it back. In Origins, there's no such feature, so you're flying blind. I can't tell you how many times I ran out of fuel yesterday because of this. 

These aren't exactly bugs, but they strongly affect playability. Would love to see these addressed in the next build. 



We are looking into the button-pressing-canceling-autopilot issue.  However, we already have a fuel range calculator.  If you open the Sector map, there's a circle that shows your fuel range.  Hope that helps!


If you're on autopilot, and engage in combat - once you finish combat you should continue the autopilot as well.  Very annoying to exit combat and have to restart.

Reply #6 from StarControl Forums Top

What that fuel circle really needs is an inner circle for your halfway point as well. I'm generally less concerned with how far I can go vs if I can get back. 

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Reply #7 from StarControl Forums Top

So the circle IS the range!  I thought it was.  But I kept having to visit those interesting star systems along the way and explore those planets and use up fuel.

Reply #8 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting pshaw, reply 4


Quoting ,
quoting post
 

We are looking into the button-pressing-canceling-autopilot issue.  However, we already have a fuel range calculator.  If you open the Sector map, there's a circle that shows your fuel range.  Hope that helps!




Ahh. Didn't even catch that. Still, the numbers in SC2 were a help. Knowing it takes 500 units of fuel to get somewhere when I've got 1100 in the tank is kind of a big deal.

Reply #9 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Ahrashi75, reply 5


If you're on autopilot, and engage in combat - once you finish combat you should continue the autopilot as well.  Very annoying to exit combat and have to restart.

 

Literally EVERYTHING cancels autopilot, including opening the manifest or map. It's definitely starting to drive me nuts.

Reply #10 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting davidabc66, reply 6

What that fuel circle really needs is an inner circle for your halfway point as well. I'm generally less concerned with how far I can go vs if I can get back. 

Now this seems like an elegant solution.  It can be tough to guesstimate based on the circle alone.    No solution will be perfect, due to system flight and such using some fuel, but I am almost in always in favor of more information.

Reply #11 from StarControl Forums Top

Nah, this was a questionable solution even for Star Control II, let alone Origins.

Firstly, the second range circle is only good when you make a two-way trip. If you're in a resourcing raid, yu're likely to visit a number of distant stars with an undefinite number of planets around them. So, even a single circle is not accurate enough.

Secondly, there was only one fuel distribution point in Star Contorl II, but in Origin we can resupply at every homeworld and also some colonies. Therefore, the second circle would not be a circle but rather a very complex region adding a lot of clutter to the map (actually, for nothing, as there are way too many refuel points and also free hyperspace gates).

The last, and by far the most important point is that running out of fuel gets you home instantly with 100 bonus fuel units for free. Therefore, in terms of efficiency one MUST run out of fuel att all times. That's one of the core game mechanics, nothing can be done.

Reply #12 from StarControl Forums Top

Does running out of fuel get you home instantly?  I tried it and I thought it took a few days.  Also, I really don't care about how much time I spend in Hyperspace because time barely passes there it takes forever for 1 day to pass.

Reply #13 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

It's not exactly instant. You have to wait for the Tywom tug to show up. And then listening to the fan fic could seem like it took forever ...

Reply #14 from Stardock.net Forums Top

Well, except of course you can just skip through the fanfic. 

I stopped refueling elsewhere altogether once I figured out it wasn't game over when you ran out. The couple seconds to skip that dialog is just so much faster than any return trip for fuel, and it puts me right next to Earth for crew. Positives all around.

Reply #15 from StarControl Forums Top

Don't forget that you can buy fuel at a lot of places other than Earth so the round trip range is not as big of a deal as it was in 2.


That said.. having a note saying going to x star system will take 2000 units of fuel and  I only have 1500 units when I click on the link in the captain's log would be very useful...

 

 

Reply #16 from Stardock.net Forums Top

How about a 'resume autopilot' button? Easier than changing some but not all dialogues not to interrupt it ... and I would like (but not need) a 'round trip' fuel number for a given destination. I know we can 'run out' with impunity, but I prefer to avoid that when possible.

Reply #17 from StarControl Forums Top

Look for any Big Star for fuel. (Although they also may be dangerous.)

Reply #18 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting davidabc66, reply 14

I stopped refueling elsewhere altogether once I figured out it wasn't game over when you ran out. The couple seconds to skip that dialog is just so much faster than any return trip for fuel, and it puts me right next to Earth for crew. Positives all around.

The issue I have is that we aren't penalised as a player to do this. Fine to get sent back to earth, but it needs to cost us something in game. Time perhaps? I noted that you arrive at Earth in an instant.

Reply #19 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Inferno83, reply 18


Quoting davidabc66,
reply 14

I stopped refueling elsewhere altogether once I figured out it wasn't game over when you ran out. The couple seconds to skip that dialog is just so much faster than any return trip for fuel, and it puts me right next to Earth for crew. Positives all around.



The issue I have is that we aren't penalised as a player to do this. Fine to get sent back to earth, but it needs to cost us something in game. Time perhaps? I noted that you arrive at Earth in an instant.



Isn't the bad Fan-Fiction enough? Kidding aside, yes I agree, it should cost some kind of penalty. Time lost, or it helps give the location to the Scryve speeding them up? I don't know. Something though.

Reply #20 from StarControl Forums Top

they really should make the fan fiction non-skipppable

 

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting davidabc66, reply 14

ber 25, 2018 11:49:44 AM from Stardock Games ForumsStardock Games Forums

Well, except of course you can just skip through the fanfic.

I stopped refueling elsewhere altogether once I figured out it wasn't game over when you ran out. The couple seconds to skip that dialog is just so much faster than any return trip for fuel, and it puts me right next to Earth for crew. Positives all around.

Exactly why it should not be there to begin with !! :(

Takes away the realism and dangers of not planning well when travelling the universe

Reply #23 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Inferno83, reply 18


Quoting davidabc66,
reply 14

I stopped refueling elsewhere altogether once I figured out it wasn't game over when you ran out. The couple seconds to skip that dialog is just so much faster than any return trip for fuel, and it puts me right next to Earth for crew. Positives all around.



The issue I have is that we aren't penalised as a player to do this. Fine to get sent back to earth, but it needs to cost us something in game. Time perhaps? I noted that you arrive at Earth in an instant.

 

It should not send you back to earth at all, space is harsh in real life, so should it be in the game !!!!

Reply #24 from StarControl Forums Top

All the suggestions here are totally right from my PoV. But unfortunately, the fuel mechanics is part of the game core (design-wide). I mean, the campaign structure and pace depends on it and any changes will require a massive campaign overhaul. Plus, SC:O is a casual games, and casual games are renowned to be obsessively soft and kind to players.

How would you explain running out of fuel to that guy who has lost a lander on Venus, then lost another, then decided the game's broken? xD

Reply #25 from Stardock.net Forums Top

Quoting KMickle_2, reply 24

All the suggestions here are totally right from my PoV. But unfortunately, the fuel mechanics is part of the game core (design-wide). I mean, the campaign structure and pace depends on it and any changes will require a massive campaign overhaul. Plus, SC:O is a casual games, and casual games are renowned to be obsessively soft and kind to players.

How would you explain running out of fuel to that guy who has lost a lander on Venus, then lost another, then decided the game's broken? XD

 

I mean, the points talking about costing time are a reasonable alternative. Not in the sense of making you wait, but in game progress. This is a bit lacking because the related gameplay mechanics are a bit lacking, but if the Scryve expansion had a bit of an edge and was a real threat, they could progress to simulate you being out of commision while slowly being towed home.