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[bowman]

Once you finish the campaign and get the janus device for the fleet it would be nice if there was an additional tab on the normal sector map view which would give you the same display as the intel screen's Gate mode. Same vein as the "Display fuel range" and "Exploration" modes.


Obviously the intel screen gate mode exists already but putting that in the normal map would be a nice convenience since I find myself tabbing to the normal map then realizing I can use gates/need to make sure there aren't any unactivated ones near me which I saw earlier in the playthrough, and tab back to the intel view. Part of the benefit here is that the map view would just save its toggle setting, which I wouldn't really change around, while I do tend to tab around in the intel view. As well, since you use the map to, well, route yourself around since it's the map it makes sense to have Gates, which greatly affect your pathing, be directly visible once they're applicable.

If this were added, I think it's important that this tab would not show up until after the player acquires the janus device since just having the intel tab for gates is already suggestive of their future importance, while having a tab on the map view basically says "you'll eventually be using these!" to a new player, imo.

At the end of the day this is really a super small QoL thing in that it saves me like 2 seconds for maybe every hour of play time so y'know, still be nice though.

[Wyvern]

Honestly, it'd be nice to be able to enable specific categories of intel icons on the starmap in general - a lot of time when I'm going somewhere, my current flow is 'go to intel screen, right-click on icon of mission I'm doing to make sure I'm headed to the right system, switch to map, switch to star-system map, select the specific planet that has the exclamation mark icon'.

Being able to do all that from the map directly would be nice.

Edit: But if a general solution isn't applied, then a specific one for just gates would still be better than we have now.

[prav]

This would save me a lot more than 2 seconds per hour.

[JUDGE! slowpersun]

Seems reasonable for player to get/use such a function after main storyline complete (at least up to current endpoint, wouldn't be surprising if further story eventually added).  So Bump +1, since otherwise a notes function would basically accomplish the same thing anyways...

[Nick XR]

Agreed here, it's pretty game changing once you complete that part of the story and it would be helpful in most workflows that require traveling (which is probably all of them!) to be able to figure out what gates you'll path through.

[pairedeciseaux]

Yes, makes senses: map is used to travel, gates are used to travel, gates should be on the map.

I would really love to see a global solution as suggested by Wyvern. For bounty hunting, here is what I do: open intel screen, click on various bounties to see details, right click on the system where the target fleet is likely hiding, open map screen, view system map of the system where the target fleet is likely hiding (if system was already explored), check whether appropriate planets are there as described in bounty details, if yes then right click on such a planet. And sometimes back and forth between intel screen and map screens (global/system) is required. The switch to from intel screen to map screen is annoying and seem unnecessary.

Over the years, some improvements have been made to both intel screen and map screen, but some additional usability improvement would be welcome. I've written in the past that they should be merged. Other suggestions:

2016-02: https://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10742.0
2019-08: https://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=16095.0
2020-08: https://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=19022.0
2020-11: https://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=19348.0

[Cyan Leader]

Moreover, I'd argue that when clicking a star system the game should automatically direct your fleet to a gate if the gate path is shorter and more efficient (toggleable).

[Supraluminal]

Why are there separate intel map and regular map screens at all, anyway? I'm constantly switching back and forth between them to do discrete bits of various tasks. It feels like they're crying out to be unified in a single interface.

[Wyvern]

Why are there separate intel map and regular map screens at all, anyway? I'm constantly switching back and forth between them to do discrete bits of various tasks. It feels like they're crying out to be unified in a single interface.

As I understand it, this is mostly a matter of screen real-estate: the map interface is meant to show the map, using as much screenspace as it can, while the intel interface is focused on intel items with the map as a secondary thing.

However, for me, running the game at 2048x1152... well, at that resolution, the intel screen actually just flat out ignores a good chunk of the available resolution - if it actually used the full space available (rather than leaving empty black bars all around it), it'd work fine for a map/intel combination.

And even without that resolution, both screens already have multiple tabs to them - sector vs system for the map, and intel/planets/factions for intel.

Why couldn't we get one screen with, say, tabs of sector/system/planets/factions, and use 'w' in the first two tabs for, instead of 'show fuel range' like it is on the current integrated intel map, toggling on and off whether you've got the intel detail sidebars active or not?

[mymfj2rul3]

+1
I was going to suggest this.

[goduranus]

Yeah intel screen seems redundant with the main TAB map. Maybe display intel on the main map with buttons lined on the right side to filter each type of of intel item?

[Megas]

I spend too much time flapping tabs in intel from random intel (like bounties or hostile activity) to gates then back old intel.  Once unlocked, I use gates all the time, and I want them shown on the map without blocking all other intel.  Gates should be promoted from intel only to general.