Author Topic: Controls layout  (Read 953 times)

Grouchy

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Controls layout
« on: September 14, 2016, 01:36:15 pm »
I would like to suggest few changes to control panels.
As they are now, some of the controls seem a bit all over the place in my opinion.
I would prefer to have them more organized, like e.g. power controls all grouped together and separated from steering controls (as much as possible of course - can’t do that with azimuth thrusters).

I also think that every ship should be equipped with:
  • some form of precise power setting indication (like rpm gauge for example)
  • fuel quantity and usage information (percentage alone is not very helpful)
and maybe:
  • digital turn-rate gauge

To illustrate what I mean, I'm attaching images with my suggestion for Stena Hollandica and Granit.

I put mooring and anchor buttons together and outside of the panel. That makes more sense to me. If you don’t like that, could you at least put anchor button farther away (safer) from other controls, like power lever or horn?
In digital gauges I made fractional digits smaller to make numbers clearer (making decimal point bigger would be ok too, I guess).
I was just trying to quickly rearrange things within existing shape. Making the panels from scratch could probably give better results.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2016, 10:21:51 pm by Grouchy »

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dinther

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2016, 06:18:51 pm »
Yeah man, thanks for the effort you put into the pictures. I like your suggestions. Sounds like you know a thing or two about ships.

Here's the cool thing, all of your suggestions are possible today and I fully intend to make more realistic ship control panels. Or in fact, I am keen to find people such as yourself able and keen to build their own ships.

Right now I am feeling my way through this and I don't want to scare away potential players with too many controls or abbreviations they don't understand.
for example: For you and I "SOG" Speed over Ground is perfectly sensible but your average user won't know what that is.

The ships2career game engine is fully parametric and Scenarios, ship physics and control panels can be fully customized and attached to any of the internal simulation parameters right down to fuel flow per engine. Obviously such realistic panels will require much more space and at that stage we should be looking at a multi screen layout.

Maybe a ships2career Pro version.

fjunior

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2016, 09:32:12 am »
How about a community customizable ships and missions ? That would be awesome.

dinther

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2016, 04:11:42 pm »
That is totally my intention. I am certain much more elaborate panels can be created as there are literally hundreds of simulated parameters inside the simulation engine that could be displayed.

fjunior

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2016, 08:20:17 am »
Nice to hear that, keep up man, and take your time.

dinther

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2016, 05:59:51 pm »
Time is something I am running out of. Tourist season is starting here in New Zealand so I be back on tour with visitors in a few weeks.
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Matilda

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Re: Controls layout
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2018, 02:51:10 pm »
Im a lifelong boater and 25 yrs in the yacht repair and manufacture industry. Im here if ya need...