Improving the Map navigation with a Zoom in feature

from StarControl Forums

In both SC2 and SC3, the map took the entire screen, it was easier to click on a specific star to navigate to.   In Star Control Origin, it's much more difficult to do so.  Granted, this game has greater resolution, but I'm finding it difficult to use as is.

- If you wish to keep that navigation map to a small rectangle on the screen, why not use the space in the Search screen (when nothing is typed in) to show the Zoomed In area of the map where the mouse pointer is hovering ?   This would make it much easier to view, select a star.   I'm almost in my 50's and it's getting difficult with my eyesight to view something this small (clicking on a Starbase is difficult).  You already have something like this in Hyperspace in the upper right corner of the screen, perhaps that bit of code can be re-used for this.

- I find I often have to look at the ship's log to find a species home base but it isn't consistently recorded.  A species tab would be nice so I can easily go to the home worlds that I've discovered.     A Gas station tab would also be nice where I could see destinations where I've discovered I can get gas with the distances to get there.  (Pythagore theorem).   So could know if I can make it or not with my current fuel situation.

- Planets surveying:  It would be useful to display an icon next to a planet:  A circle with a question mark when I haven't visited/scanned it.   A yellow check mark if I've scanned it, possibly visited but not investigated Ruins/Ships because of defenses indicating I should return at some point and a green check mark if I've visited the planet, scanned it and there is nothing left interesting there.   I know in some cases items aren't on the planet until an event trigger it to appear, but the icon could be adjusted accordingly.  This would help avoid missing planets, once I've spent 15-20 minutes with a lander on a planet, it's easy to forget which ones haven't been investigated.  

- Some of the investigated features are still listed as:  "Unknown ruin" even when we've gone there and found out what they are.   One easy example of this is the Russian Probe in our solar system.  Even after we've gone down there, it still says it's an Unknown.   When this happens on other worlds, it causes several visits to the same world.  Once a feature has been investigated, there should be a description other than Unknown something.


3,895 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from StarControl Forums Top


In both SC2 and SC3, the map took the entire screen, it was easier to click on a specific star to navigate to. In Star Control Origin, it's much more difficult to do so. Granted, this game has greater resolution, but I'm finding it difficult to use as is.

Have you tried the mouse scroll wheel? Zooms in on cursor location, you can also pan the map as well.

A yellow check mark if I've scanned it, possibly visited but not investigated Ruins/Ships because of defenses indicating I should return at some point and a green check mark if I've visited the planet, scanned it and there is nothing left interesting there.

Its subtle, but there is a yellow/orange line under the planet name when you left click on it - this means you haven't scanned it yet. It turns green after you have completed the scan.

To your other suggestions - there is a marker function that you can place on stars of interest. I tend to use different colours for different items - red for aliens, yellow for fuel, purple for RU rich worlds.

I'd like to see an sensor upgrade for the flagship that provides more information on planets when you enter the solar system (like planet type, maybe resource types on planet, unknown objects, etc).

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

For the mouse scroll wheel it doesn't really work for me (I managed to zoom in exactly once).  Perhaps it's my mouse type ?  Anyhow it would be good to use the +/- keys to zoom in because not every one has a wheel on their mouse.

The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

>Its subtle, but there is a yellow/orange line under the planet name when you left click on it - this means you haven't scanned it yet. It turns green after you have completed the scan.

Why not make the circle of that orbiting planet around the sun a similar color ?   Yellow/orange orbit circle, not scanned, Green scanned instead of blue all the time.

The underline line under the name was so subtle, i didn't even notice it while playing.   

I did notice that with the new update, the names of the planets are now bold if unvisited and regular when visited.  It's  a nice improvement.