[IDEA] Minimap

There are a lot of things to keep track of during the game. An alert system complete enough to replace the minimap would be spamming alerts all over the place.

Ok fine, ignore the alert system for now. That wasn't my main argument anyway. Let's just consider the information available on screen at any given time.

I agree that there are a lot of things to keep track of in this game. However I'd say, when we have more planets, most of that will be what is going on across the rest of the solar system rather than the current planet you are looking at. This is why I believe a system-wide mini-map or something would be more valuable than one for the the planet you're currently looking at.

You can already zoom out far enough that you can see a whole hemisphere of the planet in the main view, the rest of the planet would be quickly viewable with 180 degree turn hotkey. I can't see why people would want a small box displaying 50% redundant data, when there are lots of other planets that not even being being accounted for yet.

On a 5 planet map, the main view presents a lot of data for 10% of the system, a planet mini-map will give you another 10%. The idea of a mini-map is to give you a rough idea of the bigger picture. What about the other 80%? Granted, you can't give the same level of detail for the rest of the system, but this game is about high-level macro decisions after all.

This isn't a standard RTS, we all know that. Neutrino has already stated that a mini-map in a classic sense isn't appropriate for this game. I believe the reason isn't because it's hard to decide how a spherical world can represented in 2D. I believe it is because you need to keep track of more than one playable surface using (potentially) only one screen/a few viewports.

Well this really depends on the scope of the single match. It will probably range from single planet systems, single planet systems with asteroids and moons to full blown systems where players start on different planets.

Why can't you have both? Or 3?
We are basically looking at 3 wildly different camera behaviours.
1. Basic view with with no warped view. Zoomable.
2. Single planet projection where you can see the whole planet in 1 view. What people usually refers to as a minimap. It isn't exactly clear how zoom would work in this view.
3. System view. Where you can see the whole system and units travelling between planets. Zoom should be usable but as it is currently you can't watch the south side of the planets without switching to basic view and rotating the camera around the planet.

I can really see the advantage of being able to put up several different views that show the whole planets without the need for rotating the camera around the planets.

However you still might need to have a system view open where you can track interplanetary activity.
An asteroid or moon you control might not need to be monitored closely all the time but notifications when enemies arrive or if damage is taken could be necessary.

A system minimap could keep simple status report on several orbital bodes. Typical events that you need to know quickly from a glance is if enemies are spotted or was recently spotted on an orbital body and if any of your units are taking damage or took damage recently. Contested planets could be highlighted in blue for example as enemy units get spotted and they could flash in red when some of your units take damage.

For the same reason that you can want a minimap in SupCom even though you have strategic zoom.
Theoretically you are able to see 50% but you are actually never able to see that much. It will always be less. As it is currently you will waste most of the window viewing the empty void of space when you zoom out far anyway.

Well a warped minimap would be able to provide 20% of the total area of the planets. It effectively halves the amount of views you would need to view all the planetary surfaces not to mention it probably reduces camera micro far more as well.

Well if anything a warped planet view allows you to see more surfaces in less viewports.

Well you mentioned a transparent planet view earlier. I think it holds merit. Although it is fourth type of camera behaviour with far wider differences than "just" a warped camera view.

It should be fairly straightforward.
Look at these:




The are examples of 2 different forms of projection.
Zoomed out, you see strategic icons as usual.
Wherever you zoom, it, the camera zooms where your cursor is.

The game would still be a the same projection, keeping that window on whatever projection type you chose.
See how the middle of the projections are near perfect squares?
Wherever you zoom, the camera will take that as your focal point and recenter the map, just like in standad strategic zoom.

Your units will only have very minor distortion.

Yes but this isn't the whole range of issues you might face.
Like when you zoom in would the camera actually get closer to the surface or are you just magnifying the area around the focal area?
Take orbital units for example. Should their position on the warped view always correspond to their spot above the surface of the planet?
If yes then you are actually not going closer with the camera you are just magnifying the area around the focal point which might be a good thing.
Also how far should you be able to zoom out and what happens when you try to zoom out really far?
It could for example be that the projection are always the same but you are just magnifying it so that the planet surface might take up to the whole view or less than the whole view.

I can't answer the camera position vs zoom/magnify part.
I think that's best left to the tech wizards at Uber.

But at certain camera distance/zoom left, the user is clearly looking at ground units.
Orbital units shouldn't be seen past a certain zoom?
I think they should also be part of the warped projection.
Consider how the projection works, you essentially are cutting a single line, from North Pole to South Pole at a single line of Longitude.

The sim already knows how high the orbital layer is.
It already knows they move at X-speed and already does the work where they move faster x/y position on your screen if they near the mid.
And they move faster when they are at the edge of the screen because they are traveling further on the planet.
That's already in the game.

Yes, it should stay a projection I think?
Wherever you zoom, the camera re"spins" the planet to your cursor, so even when you zoom back out, it doesn't "jump" the camera.
Think of it this way, Normally, you look at the sphere through 1 camera.
Now you put in 3 cameras, then stitch it back together via projection.
Sure, some things are skewed, but wherever you look, it's barely skewed.



Somewhat similar to a fisheye effect when you crank up the Field of View settings in a FPS shooter.

• The big problem with the Azimuthal Equidistant Projection solution is that: It sort of assumes you won't go in some parts of the map. The distortion in some parts of the map is so extreme that a unit there wouldn't be recognisable.
• For the Equirectangular Projection, stretching the edges would have a major impact on many aspect. First, it's a big deformation from reality since scale is destroyed! Movement planification would be tedious since units at the edge of the map would.... move faster lol
• For that, the Robinson Projection is keeping ratio (so units move at a normal pace...) it is as less deformed as possible, and finaly, there is no Null and Void distorted region on your map.

I would, without hesitation, pick the Robinson Projection.

What about the pole...
an Azimuthal Equidistant Projection centered on the camera is the best option from my point of view.

just to complete the confusion, a Dymaxion projection is always nice, even if it is a bit hard to fit into a rectangular view port.

The way I see projection working, is that it is an entirely live view.
No fixed point on the sphere is the center of that projection.
You can just scroll, zoom and pan as usual.

Think of it as a bicycle chain.
You can just spin and spin, and it still stays the same shape.
But you can bring different points to you.

Including the poles.
That way, no single areas of the sphere remain distorted. Only what is on the periphery of what you are currently focusing on.