Hey, quick suggestion. In most of the space-based games i've played its esier to keep track of where you are than in adanaxis. this is because there is debris, fog, or a large ship to use as a reference point. I think having some fog could help people "feel" their movements in space better. another helpful tool would be a W/X/Y/Z distance marker or some way, possibly by making the targeting circles bigger or smaller or adding some meter to targeted objects to see how far away they are in the 4th D, or a straight distance from you to the target in 3D. this is so you can tell how far an enemy is from you even if its shifted in 4D

Like I said in another topic, you can't tell how far something is to the left of you if it's too far to the left of you to see, so don't expect anything different in 4D! But yes, some form of map or radar would still be nice, though the scanner helps a lot with that. I don't know how debris would work. It's a fairly computationally expensive game as it is, I can't imagine what large quantities of particles or even fully-fledged models of asteroids and other whathavyous would do for that. Think about those parts where you're looking at a whole battle from a distance and you see 80 or so 4D models shooting 4D bullets and running their own AI routines constantly. Then add some 50,000 or so particles simply for depth reference. I, for one, would not risk running such a monstrosity, because I quite enjoy not fire.

I agree with the suggestion to have some way of determining your distance and relative position in the game.

What do you think about the target circles being different sizes; the larger the circle, the closer it is to you and the easier it is to lock it XY and dimensionally for a kill? The smaller the target circles, the farther away they are and, of course, the more difficult it is to get a correct firing solution in XY and Z dimensions.

Of course in the fisheye view, all target circles would have to be the same size.

Another solution, as already mentioned, would be a scanner or radar scope. If this is done, I suggest placing it on the bottom center of the game screen. I further recommend that it be the same as: the one in Ghost Recon (Tom Clancy FPS game), or the radar scope in X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter. The latter is an old game, but the scope was very functional and easy to read quickly in a fight. Moreover, I also recommend moving the damage indicators to the scope as well. Check out the scope in Mech Warrior as it shows relative damage to your mech (ship in this case) and where the damage is on your ship.

Well, that's my nickle's worth of input.

mhumm2 wrote (View Post): › What do you think about the target circles being different sizes; the larger the circle, the closer it is to you and the easier it is to lock it XY and dimensionally for a kill? The smaller the target circles, the farther away they are and, of course, the more difficult it is to get a correct firing solution in XY and Z dimensions.

Actually, because there's no locking (if I recall), you would just basically have a finer target to go by, and it would be easier than trying to position the target in the exact center.

Quote: › Another solution, as already mentioned, would be a scanner or radar scope. If this is done, I suggest placing it on the bottom center of the game screen.

But then it would have to be a 4D radar. You have to use a glome, not even just use a sphere, because you have full freedom. I would be VERY interested in using this, but if the goal is to make it easier on people from the lower dimensions, that'd likely be barking up the wrong tree.