Automated Intelligence Processing

Discussion in 'Backers Lounge (Read-only)' started by FunkOff, April 30, 2013.

  1. FunkOff

    FunkOff Member

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    A topic in the general discussion made me think of this subject. Automated intelligence processing is anything that collects raw information available to the player and displays it in a different way, usually to add ease of observing it or ease of assessing its importance.

    In most strategy games, there's usually only one form of intelligence processing: The minimap. The minimap summarizes, in a simple format, the information you could otherwise obtain by looking all around the map yourself.

    Other forms of automated intelligence processing might be useful.

    An example would be like the fellow did in the other topic:
    A bar chart showing several bars for every planet: Vision coverage, radar coverage, total friendlies present, total enemies seen.

    Each bar could be further split up: Intel could be split into vision/sonar/radar/omni coverage, and friendlies/enemies could be divided into sea/structure/land/air.

    Automated Intelligence Processing like this could greatly reduce the burden and complexity in managed multiple planets.
  2. Zoughtbaj

    Zoughtbaj Member

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    I'm in favor of this, as I said in the other thread.

    I don't know if it helps veterans, but by having a form of UI that provides the user data in a well organized manner, it can add to the experience of the game, and the effectiveness of the player.

    I think even something that simply indicates that enemies are present in some form could be helpful with so many planetoids at our disposal.

    I remember supcom had a feature that let you turn on and off the different range circles for weapons, intel, omni, etc. I think if the UI is organized in this way, where each "bar" or unit of data can be optionally displayed on each planet, or on a panel like in Sins, it would allow the user to customize the information to their own needs. For example, production rates and construction costs per planet could be useful to one player, while an effective military rating, both for your forces and for the forces previously seen from the enemy, could be helpful for the other.

    It's definitely something worth looking into.
  3. Cheeseless

    Cheeseless Member

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    Also make those settings somewhat persistent, so you don't have to set everything up every match.
  4. BulletMagnet

    BulletMagnet Post Master General

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    I don't think total vision coverage is a useful measurement at all... with the exception of 0% coverage and 100% coverage. I think you'd be really interested in where you do and do not have coverage. Hypothetically, a minimap that shows that would be very useful.

    The processing you propose obscures information; it makes it harder!
  5. FunkOff

    FunkOff Member

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    I include total vision coverage so that you can quickly estimate the odds that there is something there you don't see. If you have 0% vision on a planet, enemies could be there and you really have no idea. At high levels of vision, 80-100%, you can be quite certain that if you see no enemies, none are present. This is important because much high-level maneuvers and tactics occur based on things you don't see, rather only infer.
  6. Moranic

    Moranic Member

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    Well, I guess total vision coverage could work, but as someone said before, the where is more important I think. If you can see 90%, and there is a black spot on the map, that spot could have a base in it. Remember, planets are big, so 10% of the map could easily house a properly sized base.
  7. miturian

    miturian Member

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    hmm, I'm with FunkOff. Just knowing what level of info you have on a planet could be very useful. Perhaps combining how much you can see right now, and how long ago you saw everything. I think the people pointing out that stuff may still be hiding where you don't look, even if it's just 5% the planet that's oscured, are missing the point - these kinds of overview always leave out information. The important point is the trade-off. Is the information left out so crucial that the added clarity and ease of decision-making becomes useless? I don't think so in this case. Especially since this could just be a quick view that could be brought up, and not a minimap/chart always visible. In that case you could quickly hit a hotkey and at a glance see what the status of your intel-gathering is.

    I expect that with multiple planets (and the planets being, well, round) that people will forget to scout properly, because looking "everywhere" is much harder when you don't have a minimap to keep track of where you've been recently.

    this kind of data could even just be displayed below what ever style of minimap is chosen to depict planets. (so you'd bring up a maps-overview, with a short selection of statistics under each minimap of each planet).
  8. AfroSpartan

    AfroSpartan Member

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    Reminds me a bit of homeworld 2. It would show an up or down arrow on the strategic map to show whether units were winning or losing
  9. Pawz

    Pawz Active Member

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    Well, as long as they give the UI access to all the data from the sim from the player's point of view, it shouldn't be impossible to put together some kind of data aggregator overlay/screen.

    Assuming we can create overlays. Supcom never did let us do much in terms of putting stuff in 3d space.
  10. nombringer

    nombringer Member

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    Instead of a minimap, you could have a column of small mini planets (every planet you have a unit on) down the side of the UI that are completely rotatable, and able to be double clicked to zoom in in on.

    Think where FA storeted the icons for idle engies... Ect.

    These could be made opaque, hidden, or resized depending on player preference.
  11. smallcpu

    smallcpu Active Member

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    Fortunately for you PA will have this. Its not called minimap though, but split screen into many seperate game windows. You can have as many as you want(in theory, some restrictions may apply) and resize them, zoom to whatever level you want there, scroll and rotate as you wish. :mrgreen:

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