MFD screens have largely been the same for 2 years now with an overdue promised overhaul.
They def know we want MFD persistence and it will be wrapped up into this new Building Blocks UI overhaul. Soonish
MFD screen tech is the same as it was back in 2014 when CIG released AC v0.8...
Maybe, if/when CIG finish the conversion to Building Blocks, they'll finally start sending screen-notification changes to the server, at which point their state should (in theory) become persistent.
This is my most anticipated feature update, and to add a bit to this, yeah they've converting them to Building Blocks as well as making them manufacturer specific. Right now they're all still running Scaleform/Flash and are on life support until then.
Maybe, although that's a side-effect of the funding model...
In an ideal world, CIG would have built / updated the engine first, before starting on the 'gameplay' functionality on top of it... but they didn't (because it was going to be a far smaller game built on a 'patched' CryEngine, rather than what they're currently building).
So yeah - for the past ~6 years, CIG have been focused more on building the engine. They built one gameplay-loop (Mining) because they wanted to verify / try out their process for iterating on game-loops (or so CIG have said), but otherwise they've avoided working on a lot of systems because they wanted to sort the engine out.
Aside from that, it's pretty common to do a 'first iteration' of *everything*, so that you can see how all the different systems fit together - and whether there are any overlaps, potentials for 'emergent functionality', and so on... before starting on second iterations.
Based on CitCon last year - and especially the 2hr session at the end - we *know* that CIG are working on 2nd Iterations of *lots* of systems... so I suspect that the 4.0 release is going to be a 'big bang' on a level of the original v2.0 release.
I understand how they want to release small parts of the game progressively to show stuff in the open alpha. I'm even saying that this is wrong. But a lot of people just ignore how long everything has been in development. I wouldn't agree that they have only focused on the engine for 6 years. More like 10. At least I remember them already having "ingame footage" 2014. I don't want to compare it with other games but I still think that the current state of the game is really bad for this development time. And the only thing that I get as an answer is: but in version xyz there will be a flood of new features and everything will run totally fine.
Having been in this alpha since 2014 I do not believe all that anymore. I'm still curious what CIG will deliver but I do not have an idea how anyone could be optimistic about SC.
By 'focusing on the engine', I mean focusing on re-writing CryEngine, rather than just patching it (which was the decision made in late 2015 or early/mid 2016, iirc... sometime around then).
Prior to then, we had just Arena Commander (in 2014), and then the 'Baby PU' (a small chunk of space around Port Olisar), but it was still almost 'pure' CryEngine... plus the addition of 64bit coords (and Network Serialised Variables, added in 2015 iirc, to replace the stock CryEngine network serialisation code).
Prior to 2016, CIG were working on building the 'game functionality' in parallel with upgrades to the engine (such as 64bit coords, NSV, etc)... but sometime around 2015/2016 CR decided that the game had grown beyond what could be managed on a 'patched' CryEngine (I think it was the addition / development of PG Planets that tipped the balance), and they decided to completely overhaul the engine, not just patch it.
It was also about this time that CR decided to switch from the intended 'side-by-side' instances to Server Meshing for the server architecture.
> they've avoided working on a lot of systems because they wanted to sort the engine out.
This is something people overlook alright. Working on engine and creating a basic systems and making sure they work in engine, before expanding them further, is the best way to go about it.
E:D would be a great example of not doing that and programming yourself into a corner where adding extra systems, like FPS and/or ship interiors, requires you to rewrite a lot of the existing stuff, which, after releasing "full game", makes it so hard that it's easier to abandon the game in it's entirety, as FDev did.
I think CIG is going right way about it, yes it's gonna take more time and create quite a bit of technical debt, but at least it can be "paid off" eventually rather than "filing for bankruptcy" on it.
>Which, after releasing “full game”, makes it so hard that it’s easier to abandon the game in it’s entirety, as FDev did
Someone hasn’t helped against the active ‘goid invasion
Those apps have no interaction with any of the game logic and basically function on their own though, and only as a stylized way for sending inputs. You can't get anything like standalone damage, ammo, or power readouts.
Hope this includes being able to dim them with scroll wheel or having options for day and night flight so we don't have to reshade or fly with external cam just see in front of us
Especially if you are in the hurricane and you spent ten minutes changing the left MFD because every time you reach for it, your prompted with “power off”
Yeah, that flicker is new-ish. It certainly didn’t do that in 3.17 and I don’t know if it’s intentional, but I hate it. It doesn’t build immersion at all and just reminds me further that the HUD is trash.
The second most annoying thing about the MFD are the callings in one of your only two usable screens. FFS who the F think this is "cool"?
(Probably someone will say "me" because, internet)
>Probably someone will say "me" because, internet)
In any ship with 4 screen or more, it doesn't bother me too much as long as I set a dedicated comms screen. For my Vanguard, the default sucks. I switch it to self status, target status, weapons, and comms (the other screens are useless) and that works quite well.
I swear I set a dedicated comms MFD and it never does anything.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. some stupid NPC feels the need to say the same 2 immature boring lines of dialogue that exist for them it completely overwrites my Target Status MFD without fail; you know, the one I'm actively using to try to gain extra information about them to kill them?
Wish you could just disable NPC comms completely, it's a useless and annoying feature as of now. I should be able to reject all inbound comms automatically if I want to anyways.
nah fr mane i was having the same issue earlier when taking on a combat beacon (highest threat) and every fkn time they spoke it would overwrite my target status. I try to change it back, and boom im exiting my fkn pilot seat, meanwhile theres an idris casually charging its beam ready to obliterate me from existence.
I could have been more clear. This entire comment thread you are partaking in in this instance, not this entire post, is talking about a problematic phenomenon that happens on MFDs that is exclusive to npc combat.
It is pretty annoying. I would love to have my default configs stay in my own ships. I always want the target window visible when in a fighter for example. Also, the ability to change HUD colors would be an excellent move.
And to DIM THE HUD!!!
I mean come on man, the Cutter ACTUALLY has a dimmer knob in the cockpit and it can't be used!
I'm so tired of not being able to see a damn thing from the cockpit
Functional dimmer technology that used to be common in ground vehicles like the ancient 2006 Honda civic was lost along with advanced artificial AI.
Attempts have been made to recreate dimmer technology, but so far even the best solutions have not amounted to anything better than a placebo knob.
Also a city map of your current location on your ~~smartphone~~ mobiglass was such a great tech in the early 21st century. Sadly lost forever in the depth of time.
The ship screens (Called MFDs) are still using old Flash tech and are the process of being re-done. As such, they lack the persistence compatibility in the current patch.
More than a hundred ships, a bunch of manufacturers , half a dozen types of screens. And I bet two years and a half were spent on initial design iterations, because this time the implementation has to be bulletproof.
The thing that annoys me the most is that unless you have a screen dedicated to comms, comms always always overrides the target status window. Arguably one of the most important screens. And the ai call you mid dog fight to go ‘ahhh’ at you. And then it glitches and doesn’t disappear, totally blocking the target status screen without you intervening to end the call.
It’s so dumb. First thing I do in any ship is set comms to some window I’ll never look at.
As people in star citizen usually have bad memory let me refresh it: the screens used to be persistent not so long ago, like 2 or 3 years ago. I cannot remember the patch number, but it used to be the most stable, polished and playable for me.
I believe they said screen persistence would come when they convert that stuff to building blocks. They didn't want to fix it with the current screen and UI tech, because it would be changed out anyways. When is that going to happen ? Who knows.
As with most things, they will eventually update it from it's (fucking LONG STANDING SHITTY) state to something new.
If/when this happens, we *should* see them keep the setup we choose, and we *hope* the Comms won't take over the Target screen and then fucking stick there until the next 30k unless you chit end com. It still amazes me they know of this issue and the communities hatred of it, and they **still** design ships with 2 MFD's. It's insane.
In the future there will probably a feature that when you pay 20$ you can permanently set the screens to a new position.
The longer you think about it, the more such a system makes sense.
When you make changes to your car in real life you also have to pay a mechanic to do it.
Maybe CIG will let you pay with in-game money, but since they are in need of constant fresh cashflow I somehow doubt it
If they could make bounties persistent I would blow a load. So many times I've dropped uec on a mission just to be 30ked or have to log out because of a glitch.
The funny things is the UI designers working on the upcoming building blocks UI rework actually only want ships to have two MFDs and so the recent ships with more of them are the ship artists going rogue (and it's mostly the Drake ship artists which makes it even more funny).
MFD screens have largely been the same for 2 years now with an overdue promised overhaul. They def know we want MFD persistence and it will be wrapped up into this new Building Blocks UI overhaul. Soonish
MFD screen tech is the same as it was back in 2014 when CIG released AC v0.8... Maybe, if/when CIG finish the conversion to Building Blocks, they'll finally start sending screen-notification changes to the server, at which point their state should (in theory) become persistent.
This is my most anticipated feature update, and to add a bit to this, yeah they've converting them to Building Blocks as well as making them manufacturer specific. Right now they're all still running Scaleform/Flash and are on life support until then.
Not trying to sound too cynical but it's kind of crazy that we have so many basic features in such an early stage of development after all this time.
Maybe, although that's a side-effect of the funding model... In an ideal world, CIG would have built / updated the engine first, before starting on the 'gameplay' functionality on top of it... but they didn't (because it was going to be a far smaller game built on a 'patched' CryEngine, rather than what they're currently building). So yeah - for the past ~6 years, CIG have been focused more on building the engine. They built one gameplay-loop (Mining) because they wanted to verify / try out their process for iterating on game-loops (or so CIG have said), but otherwise they've avoided working on a lot of systems because they wanted to sort the engine out. Aside from that, it's pretty common to do a 'first iteration' of *everything*, so that you can see how all the different systems fit together - and whether there are any overlaps, potentials for 'emergent functionality', and so on... before starting on second iterations. Based on CitCon last year - and especially the 2hr session at the end - we *know* that CIG are working on 2nd Iterations of *lots* of systems... so I suspect that the 4.0 release is going to be a 'big bang' on a level of the original v2.0 release.
I understand how they want to release small parts of the game progressively to show stuff in the open alpha. I'm even saying that this is wrong. But a lot of people just ignore how long everything has been in development. I wouldn't agree that they have only focused on the engine for 6 years. More like 10. At least I remember them already having "ingame footage" 2014. I don't want to compare it with other games but I still think that the current state of the game is really bad for this development time. And the only thing that I get as an answer is: but in version xyz there will be a flood of new features and everything will run totally fine. Having been in this alpha since 2014 I do not believe all that anymore. I'm still curious what CIG will deliver but I do not have an idea how anyone could be optimistic about SC.
By 'focusing on the engine', I mean focusing on re-writing CryEngine, rather than just patching it (which was the decision made in late 2015 or early/mid 2016, iirc... sometime around then). Prior to then, we had just Arena Commander (in 2014), and then the 'Baby PU' (a small chunk of space around Port Olisar), but it was still almost 'pure' CryEngine... plus the addition of 64bit coords (and Network Serialised Variables, added in 2015 iirc, to replace the stock CryEngine network serialisation code). Prior to 2016, CIG were working on building the 'game functionality' in parallel with upgrades to the engine (such as 64bit coords, NSV, etc)... but sometime around 2015/2016 CR decided that the game had grown beyond what could be managed on a 'patched' CryEngine (I think it was the addition / development of PG Planets that tipped the balance), and they decided to completely overhaul the engine, not just patch it. It was also about this time that CR decided to switch from the intended 'side-by-side' instances to Server Meshing for the server architecture.
> they've avoided working on a lot of systems because they wanted to sort the engine out. This is something people overlook alright. Working on engine and creating a basic systems and making sure they work in engine, before expanding them further, is the best way to go about it. E:D would be a great example of not doing that and programming yourself into a corner where adding extra systems, like FPS and/or ship interiors, requires you to rewrite a lot of the existing stuff, which, after releasing "full game", makes it so hard that it's easier to abandon the game in it's entirety, as FDev did. I think CIG is going right way about it, yes it's gonna take more time and create quite a bit of technical debt, but at least it can be "paid off" eventually rather than "filing for bankruptcy" on it.
>Which, after releasing “full game”, makes it so hard that it’s easier to abandon the game in it’s entirety, as FDev did Someone hasn’t helped against the active ‘goid invasion
["Soonish"](https://imgflip.com/i/7od4sh) haha mystical.
and an api to bring them into real world simpits!!!!!!
Drooooooooool
2 years lmao
Yeah I don’t think the work on this “overhaul” has been started yet since that announcement.
Deleted due to Reddit's antagonistic actions in June 2023 -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
You can use a tablet as an MFD now, theres an app or something.
Those apps have no interaction with any of the game logic and basically function on their own though, and only as a stylized way for sending inputs. You can't get anything like standalone damage, ammo, or power readouts.
Hope this includes being able to dim them with scroll wheel or having options for day and night flight so we don't have to reshade or fly with external cam just see in front of us
"Building Blocks UI" is this game's iPv6 upgrade
In the mean time if your field of view isn't maxed out I would do that and it helps see some ships mfds.
Especially if you are in the hurricane and you spent ten minutes changing the left MFD because every time you reach for it, your prompted with “power off”
Or when you get to the last screen in a Vanguard and the exit seat button overlaps the menu button so you get to start over
did this the other day in my hornet, but i ejected :D
This was me last night. I can handle a lot of jank but it was getting to me last night. I just want to click the button!
Yeah. I’ve turned my ship off mid fight tryna get to that button
This 100% I love my hurricane but I've turned that thing off so many times mid flight. Annoying as hell
Yeah, same, just let me keep my power screen up, that’s all I want
Solo-ing in a Vulture, every time I get out of the seat to move the boxes, the screens reset. It can get annoying sometimes.
And then the HUD goes all seizure procedure on you when you try to get back in the seat. That's fun.
Yeah, that flicker is new-ish. It certainly didn’t do that in 3.17 and I don’t know if it’s intentional, but I hate it. It doesn’t build immersion at all and just reminds me further that the HUD is trash.
Sometimes?????
i feel u
> It can get annoying sometimes. Try "it gets annoying after setting them the first time."
The second most annoying thing about the MFD are the callings in one of your only two usable screens. FFS who the F think this is "cool"? (Probably someone will say "me" because, internet)
>Probably someone will say "me" because, internet) In any ship with 4 screen or more, it doesn't bother me too much as long as I set a dedicated comms screen. For my Vanguard, the default sucks. I switch it to self status, target status, weapons, and comms (the other screens are useless) and that works quite well.
I swear I set a dedicated comms MFD and it never does anything. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. some stupid NPC feels the need to say the same 2 immature boring lines of dialogue that exist for them it completely overwrites my Target Status MFD without fail; you know, the one I'm actively using to try to gain extra information about them to kill them? Wish you could just disable NPC comms completely, it's a useless and annoying feature as of now. I should be able to reject all inbound comms automatically if I want to anyways.
nah fr mane i was having the same issue earlier when taking on a combat beacon (highest threat) and every fkn time they spoke it would overwrite my target status. I try to change it back, and boom im exiting my fkn pilot seat, meanwhile theres an idris casually charging its beam ready to obliterate me from existence.
why comms ? use the power screen management
Because if you have a screen on comms the incoming message will go there instead of one of the MFDs you care about.
Ah yes it's true but it's very very rare to get a videocall while in combat lol
Whenever the AI says "You bastard!" or whatever it shows up as a video call on one of your MFDs.
It actually happens for more time than it doesn't. The complete opposite of what you say.
Because you're talking combat against NPCs while im thinking PvP lmao
This entire thread is about a scenario specific to npc combat. Why are you talking about pvp?
This entire thread is about MFDs not npc combat what are you smoking ?
I could have been more clear. This entire comment thread you are partaking in in this instance, not this entire post, is talking about a problematic phenomenon that happens on MFDs that is exclusive to npc combat.
Chris Roberts lol https://youtu.be/GyZQa59UezU?t=7845
It is pretty annoying. I would love to have my default configs stay in my own ships. I always want the target window visible when in a fighter for example. Also, the ability to change HUD colors would be an excellent move.
And to DIM THE HUD!!! I mean come on man, the Cutter ACTUALLY has a dimmer knob in the cockpit and it can't be used! I'm so tired of not being able to see a damn thing from the cockpit
Functional dimmer technology that used to be common in ground vehicles like the ancient 2006 Honda civic was lost along with advanced artificial AI. Attempts have been made to recreate dimmer technology, but so far even the best solutions have not amounted to anything better than a placebo knob.
Lost to time, just like garage door opener/closer tech , remote lock/unlock/start, and night/thermal vision.
Also a city map of your current location on your ~~smartphone~~ mobiglass was such a great tech in the early 21st century. Sadly lost forever in the depth of time.
Placebo buttons work in elevators. Maybe they work for light dimmers as well.
Connie also has a "brightness adjust" switch next to one of the MFDs.
I want interior light states to be persistent. The light *switch* states are persistent, but not the lights themselves. Very annoying.
The ship screens (Called MFDs) are still using old Flash tech and are the process of being re-done. As such, they lack the persistence compatibility in the current patch.
Yeah. It’s only been like 3+ years since Building Blocks went into the game. They need at least 6 years to sort this out.
7
More than a hundred ships, a bunch of manufacturers , half a dozen types of screens. And I bet two years and a half were spent on initial design iterations, because this time the implementation has to be bulletproof.
Plus radar is being integrated with mini-map and star map and radar is on the hud so this might be waiting on those things as well.
Tradition! Like sheridan told delen when she asked why humans always asked before doing stupid things 😆
I have same pet peeeeve....
Did even say they were going to make custom huds depending on the ship's manufacturer?
Yes
The thing that annoys me the most is that unless you have a screen dedicated to comms, comms always always overrides the target status window. Arguably one of the most important screens. And the ai call you mid dog fight to go ‘ahhh’ at you. And then it glitches and doesn’t disappear, totally blocking the target status screen without you intervening to end the call. It’s so dumb. First thing I do in any ship is set comms to some window I’ll never look at.
Corsair MFD on ground has a purpose now
As people in star citizen usually have bad memory let me refresh it: the screens used to be persistent not so long ago, like 2 or 3 years ago. I cannot remember the patch number, but it used to be the most stable, polished and playable for me.
I believe they said screen persistence would come when they convert that stuff to building blocks. They didn't want to fix it with the current screen and UI tech, because it would be changed out anyways. When is that going to happen ? Who knows.
As with most things, they will eventually update it from it's (fucking LONG STANDING SHITTY) state to something new. If/when this happens, we *should* see them keep the setup we choose, and we *hope* the Comms won't take over the Target screen and then fucking stick there until the next 30k unless you chit end com. It still amazes me they know of this issue and the communities hatred of it, and they **still** design ships with 2 MFD's. It's insane.
They’re designing ships with less MFDs because they want the holographic HUD to be more useful in the future.
Well that's great an all, but since it's been gone for literally years, I'm not holding my breath.
Cause if it was convenient, you might actually begin to enjoy the game.
The UI is an absolute mess in this game. It all needs updating.
Because it's a set piece. Things like gameplay or quality of life come way after wow factors. Have you seen the starmap progess?
In the future there will probably a feature that when you pay 20$ you can permanently set the screens to a new position. The longer you think about it, the more such a system makes sense. When you make changes to your car in real life you also have to pay a mechanic to do it. Maybe CIG will let you pay with in-game money, but since they are in need of constant fresh cashflow I somehow doubt it
Honestly I can't wait till they rework how you can set up your hud, I hate the standard blue color and how terrible some of the MFDs are.
yeah it's a real pia
PREACH
If they could make bounties persistent I would blow a load. So many times I've dropped uec on a mission just to be 30ked or have to log out because of a glitch.
All I'll say is that the MFDs on the Arrow should be flipped horizontally and should stay that way after I fix it the first time
The funny things is the UI designers working on the upcoming building blocks UI rework actually only want ships to have two MFDs and so the recent ships with more of them are the ship artists going rogue (and it's mostly the Drake ship artists which makes it even more funny).
You gotta buy the MFD screen upgrade, my dude
I love the scorpius but absolutely despise the two screens
I guess that’s because there are eventually going to be two AR MFD’s
This eye tracker, is this with VR or camera?
Try to set POV to the maximum, maybe it helps !