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[silentstormpt]

Im sure this will sooner or later be implemented but now that, most mod and vanilla systems are packed with "max size icons" you dont know if the fleet is just a big fleet or a HUGE fleet or a MASSIVE fleet, so, its probably the right time (before releasing the next hotfix) to add this, since "its not that hard" to include and helps the player alot when judging fleets at mid to end game.

heres a example:

Code

{
FleetIcons:[
{"name":"fleetIcon1", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image1.png", "FP":50},
{"name":"fleetIcon2", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image2.png", "FP":100},
{"name":"fleetIcon3", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image3.png", "FP":150}
]
}

Is expandable/merge-friendly and simple to add new ones, specially for modders without messing around on the code.

EDIT:

If you want to add possible faction based ones:

Code

{
FleetIcons:[
{"FactionId":"player", "name":"fleetIcon1", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image1.png", "FP":50},
{"FactionId":"independent", "name":"fleetIcon2", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image2.png", "FP":100},
{"FactionId":"independent", "name":"fleetIcon3", "imageDir":"data/graphics/icons/image3.png", "FP":150}
]
}

In case its to be used by all factions (vanilla), just add a "FactionId"="all" or leave it empty or check if its not there.

Theres also the possibility of connecting a custom icon to a specific fleet (fleet id found on the factions.json). Lots of ways to go around this

[Cosmitz]

Also if that medium fleet has a few hounds and a destroyer or multiple destroyers and cruisers. Or if that small fleet is a lone hound or four frigates.

Regarding.. i saw ZERO fighter-only fleets. I don't know how that got solved, code-side, but i'm happy not to chase 15 burn single-fighter fleets. (DAMN YOU UOMOZ AND YOUR BOUNTIES!)

[Megas]

I would like to see level 5 or even level 6 triangles.  I used 200+ DP fleets (that still appear as level 4 triangle on the map) that dwarf many level 4 enemy triangles.

[Tartiflette]

Yeah that was part of the idea... More fleets level!

[SafariJohn]

Yeah, I use 200+ DP fleets, too, and wish there were bigger triangles to represent that.

Your pictures don't have an obviously obvious progression, Tartiflette. I see that it's 1->2->3->4 and so on, but they strike me as ugly for some reason. I'm not sure why.

I think it might be that they break the "natural" progression of shapes. Triangle-Diamond-Trapezoid-Triangle-Weird Shape-Hexagon-etc. is ew. Then the triangles filled in in different ways on top is also weird.

 

[Wyvern]

Hm.  Actually, instead of (or in addition to?) the original suggestion, I'd suggest that fleets be allowed to manage their own icons; I could easily see a mod wanting to use unique icon sets for each faction.  (Plus, this'd help for things like a color-blind mode.)

[SafariJohn]

Hm.  Actually, instead of (or in addition to?) the original suggestion, I'd suggest that fleets be allowed to manage their own icons; I could easily see a mod wanting to use unique icon sets for each faction.  (Plus, this'd help for things like a color-blind mode.)

I like this idea, it would be very thematic for the Hegemony and Tri-Tach to have different fleet icons. And I know a person who is completely color-blind, so that's a very valid point.

[Cosmitz]

Tartiflette> That's pretty cool, but it's not easily recognizable in a mess of things. 'What are my threats, how big of a threat.' That's what the player's thinking. Circles, Triangles, Squares. Add some bars on them or under them or other secondary visual cues to differentiate between classes and power of them.

Seeing a Triangle in a stack of Circles is easily recognisable, and then you see it has only one bar so it's probably one cruiser with some destroyers and frigate cover, you move on to the circles to fight something less and you see a circles with varied number of bars under them, nail down the circle without any bars, 1-3 frigates most likely and off you go, but watch out for the circle with three bars, dangerously close to multiple frigs and a destroyer, which you might have a hard time of, but still manage to dunk.

Eg: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/Ammonra/homeworld_symbols_test.jpg

The current system works up to a limit, both lower and upper. Just needs to be refined.

On the other hand, if fleet generation actually can assign individual icons per fleets, we'd have so much freedom. Mod a 'carrier' fleet, and then assign a large capital C in a square for it. Mod a small carrier fleet and mod a capital C in a circle. A frigate fleet only of the same point level would be a F in a square say.. and this can go on.

[Tartiflette]

Fair enough, how about

[gladius2metal]

how about a triangle with a number ranging from 1-9 in it? Because those small and huge icons on the map usually just obscure all other stuff... it looks nice, but it is pretty annoying sometimes to target a planet/station.

[Tartiflette]

Probably not a good idea because if several fleets stack on top of each other you won't be able to tell their size but for the one on top. If there was more intermediary icon sizes between large fleets and small ones, that should reduce the clutter a bit.

[Debido]

Very distinct and easy to discern, this is a must have.

[Cosmitz]

Tartiflette> Stacking icons doesn't work. Here's why:

Power levels need to be classed, like they are now, but just a bit more layered.

[SafariJohn]

I don't know, Cosmitz, I think I achieved 80% correct identification on the size of the fleets in that jumble, and I only glanced over Tartiflette's images.

Speaking of: I like the middle row, the bottom row has the issue that screens are wider than they are tall, and the top row (although much better) is still a bit eh. Maybe if the one's on the top row were horizontally symmetrical in addition to being vertically symmetrical.

I like the hexes!

[Histidine]

I tried doing something rather different, with more information. Probably solves problems that don't exist while not solving the ones people are actually complaining about (and adding new ones). Meh.

Crude mockup:

Spoiler

Here we have a player fleet with Dominator as the largest ship or flagship, a lone Tri-Tachyon Paragon, and an independent fleet of unknown composition (too far away). The two non-player fleets are moving towards the planet, the Independent fleet being faster.

The arrowheads represent other ships (doesn't count the ship in the icon). Small arrowhead represents 1 destroyer equivalent (= 2 frigates, 0.5 cruisers or 0.25 capitals). Big arrowhead can be 1 cruiser equivalent or 5 destroyer equivalents, haven't decided which. If it acts as cruiser equivalent, it will be used for cruisers and capitals in the fleet; the smaller arrowhead will be used for frigates and destroyers.

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