Shield Ring Toggle

[Archived Post]

Hey guys -

I'd still like to suggest a toggle function in the UI options for the shield ring. I still think it's redundant given that I have that information on my shield power diagram. I'd like to be able to turn off the shield ring around my actual ship so I can look at how awesome it is.

[Archived Post]

I must agree because if you look at some screenshots it looks like completely different game.
For me its immersion breaker.

[Archived Post]

We nagged them about this in the Beta forums, too. Apparently they're keeping those rings off only for their own screenshots. :rolleyes:

Here's my /signed to the 'please make this happen so we can enjoy the pretty' thread.

[Archived Post]

/signed.

I want my ship-combat to look this awesome. :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmiKJrPXsb0

[Archived Post]

Apparently it's not a UI element (like your mini-map or power tray), so implementing a toggle feature is more complex than may be expected. Nevertheless, I'll /sign again for some kind of eventual workaround. I know you can do it, guys. The rings do nothing for me, except clutter my view, and look like @ss. Thx again.

[Archived Post]

The video I just posted proves it can be done.

[Archived Post]

The video I just posted proves it can be done.

I'm sure it could eventually be done. According to a dev, right now there is no system in place where shield rings could be toggled off selectively, without impinging upon the choices of others in the same instance. It's a kind of universal graphic that pops up for everybody.

[Archived Post]

Yeah its part of the Ship/Avatar mesh (essentially like a limb/arm/legs) so they could do it, it would be just like adding a 'null' armor/body piece to the respective characters/objects. But since its not part of the UI means it would have to have support added to the graphics engine (which obviously it already does) and the customisation design (like powers/items/etc.) and Then the UI.

But I'm all for getting rid of the toilet bowl seat around my ship, it does little (when it is useful) to nothing (most of the time) and is an immersion breaker (kind of like a lot of those screenshot loading screens instead of CGI animation scenes [Warping] loading/transition screens).

[Archived Post]

Apparantly the problem is that because it is part of the ship mesh, if you turned yours off, nobody would be able to see it. Kind of like how other games let you "hide your helmet" and then other players can't see your helmet. Basically they don't have anything built into the engine to allow you to turn off your shields and other people still be able to see them.

[Archived Post]

I agreed when this was in the beta forums, and I still agree now. Screen shots would be many times better without the bumper boat rings visible.

And that should not be under rated. Having a game that generates great looking screen shots helps attract people to the game.

So here is to wishing for that some day.

V

[Archived Post]

Apparantly the problem is that because it is part of the ship mesh, if you turned yours off, nobody would be able to see it. Kind of like how other games let you "hide your helmet" and then other players can't see your helmet. Basically they don't have anything built into the engine to allow you to turn off your shields and other people still be able to see them.

Actually that change isn't sync'd with other players/entities (as I recall - A heavy PvP player could confirm/deny this). You can see the effect when you Jam someones sensors (the ring and other stuff dissappears but not to everyone else who didn't get jammed). Also, the 'hide your helmet' was supposed to be shared (all it required was nulling the effect of modifying that portion of the mesh-graphical- without blocking the modification of the logical effect -statistical- ). Considering its supposed to be part of the HUD and therefore client specific, its not really a big issue for them.

Modern 3D graphics engines typically don't provide feedback from the GPU beyond a very limited capacity (or at least not always) - though it is possibly to set this up -almost always- the technical requirement make it impractical. So graphics have very little to do with the actual game logics functioning. Any effect the graphics engine has on logical function typically has to be determined 'Pre-Submittal' (to the GPU), typically in the Clipping engine (almost always done by the logical algorythim as greatly affects processing load and performance -not done in certain editing modes or with special effects that work a certain way [GPU dependant]) and possibly the render portions (depends on how there graphics engine works).

It does involve mutiple dev teams though and that takes time and makes it a bit difficult. Essentially, they need to make a 'Handle' for that specific part, register it with Game design (so they prevent it from conflicting/interacting with any other portion of the game -undesirably-) and then alter the UI to make it accessable to the User.

[Archived Post]

Actually that change isn't sync'd with other players/entities (as I recall - A heavy PvP player could confirm/deny this). You can see the effect when you Jam someones sensors (the ring and other stuff dissappears but not to everyone else who didn't get jammed). Also, the 'hide your helmet' was supposed to be shared (all it required was nulling the effect of modifying that portion of the mesh-graphical- without blocking the modification of the logical effect -statistical- ). Considering its supposed to be part of the HUD and therefore client specific, its not really a big issue for them.

Modern 3D graphics engines typically don't provide feedback from the GPU beyond a very limited capacity (or at least not always) - though it is possibly to set this up -almost always- the technical requirement make it impractical. So graphics have very little to do with the actual game logics functioning. Any effect the graphics engine has on logical function typically has to be determined 'Pre-Submittal' (to the GPU), typically in the Clipping engine (almost always done by the logical algorythim as greatly affects processing load and performance -not done in certain editing modes or with special effects that work a certain way [GPU dependant]) and possibly the render portions (depends on how there graphics engine works).

It does involve mutiple dev teams though and that takes time and makes it a bit difficult. Essentially, they need to make a 'Handle' for that specific part, register it with Game design (so they prevent it from conflicting/interacting with any other portion of the game -undesirably-) and then alter the UI to make it accessable to the User.

Thx for that. You could be the man who shot Liberty Valance.

[Archived Post]

/signed

those things are pretty annoying if you want to do clean screenshots with battles going on

[Archived Post]

I didn't realize a dev had stated that it was part of the mesh, that's very shortsighted of them.

Did they actually think we'd enjoy having permanent rings around our ships in combat? Actually, I guess they KNOW the rings look horrible, or they would actually advertise the game with the rings ON in all the videos and beauty shots. Yay marketing!

*sigh*

[Archived Post]

I have to say i agree. If your having a 1-on-1 fight the u can see ur shield info at the bottom of ur HUD and next to the enemy's shield information if they are targeting you. So then also having it around your ship seems a bit excessive and really does stop the cinematic feel of the game. Have played with a lot of the setting for the HUD but im not sure if they are actually working yet. Anyway heres my vote to have the option to remove the ship shield bumpers. Please...

[Archived Post]

Evidently this is not a universal issue. I do NOT see the shield rings everyone is talking about nor does my roommate although a good friend of mine does see them on his machine.

[Archived Post]

Evidently this is not a universal issue. I do NOT see the shield rings everyone is talking about nor does my roommate although a good friend of mine does see them on his machine.

Interesting.. Do you have an older computer with maybe limited graphics? Does the shield-"effect" with possibly other effects even fall under certain graphical low/high settings? Do you see the shield rings on other (enemy) ships? NPC or player?