User Interface Suggestions

This forum supports the Early Access Program for the PC for Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager (SPM). iOS, Android and Mac releases are still in development. SPM is the ultimate game of space exploration. It is the mid 1950s and the race for dominance between the US and the Soviet Union is about to move into a new dimension: space. Take charge of the US or Soviet space agencies - your duty is be the first to the moon. Carefully manage your budget by opening programs, spending R&D funds on improving the hardware, recruiting personnel and astronauts and launching space missions in this realistic turn based strategy game.

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stilicho410
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:45 pm

User Interface Suggestions

Post by stilicho410 »

Hello,

I've completed my first game as far as 1979, getting all the Mercury/Gemini missions done, and several probes to other planets. I'm looking forward to the next pass, with the revised reliability and research model.

Below are a few suggestions for improving the user interface. Others may have differing opinions, of course.

1. BASPM Configuration, Graphics Tab: Can this be modified to remember settings from the previous time?

2. When displaying a list of personnel when hiring new recruits, have buttons to sort list by any one stat.

3. During missions, have a "Forward Skip" button to jump to the Success/Failure of each step. The videos are nice, but after several repeats, players would probably appreciate being able to skip. Also, the green/red bar graph used for successful/failed steps in BARIS would be a great addition here.

4. If astronauts are still in Basic Training, they should not be included in the available astronauts count at the bottom of the screen.

5. In the GSA Headquarters screen, I'd like a couple more items in the left hand shortcuts bar.
- I'd like a new shortcut to the "Manage Programs" list. It could be right at the top.
- I'd like the current shortcut to the solar system to go all the way to the solar system picture.
- I'd like a new shortcut to go to "Program Categories" list for the current planet. It could have a planet icon.
As it is, when you click on the solar system shortcut, you currently go the "Program Categories" list for the current planet, but most planets only have one "Program Category" anyway.

6. For multi-season missions, I'd like to default to assigned Flight Controllers from the previous season.

7. If multiple Astronaut skills are involved for a given mission, they should all be highlighed green during selection process. For example, the X-15 playback shows that Leadership, Piloting, and Fitness are involved. All 3 skills should be highlighted green when selecting a pilot for an X-15 mission.

8. The icons on the "Mission Configuration - Mission Control Layout" have no obvious relationship with the skills displayed when hiring
Flight Controllers. I would just as soon have the applicable skills listed, rather than those icons. The boxes look big enough.

9. When selecting a Flight Director, no skills are highlighted. Which skills are important?

10. I'd really like to see somewhere a list of missions that are scheduled to be either launched or continued for the current season. Perhaps the list could come up when you click the Vehicle Assembly Building.

11. Where does the "EVA Suit" skill for SET's come in? I never saw EVA suit as a researchable component for Gemini.

12. For continuing missions in progress, once "Assign Flight Controllers" is complete, we might as well jump straight to the mission execution, rather than jump back to the "Mission in Progress Dialog", where the player can do nothing except "Resume Mission".

13. I really appreciate the "Auto-Assign Best Candidates" button for Flight Controllers and Astronauts. How about another one for SET's when you're selecting researchers?
Thanks,
Stilicho
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Nacho84
Posts: 689
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:40 pm
Location: Brighton, UK

RE: User Interface Suggestions

Post by Nacho84 »

Hello stilicho,

Many thanks for the feedback. I will take notes of all this comments, as I believe they all make sense. Some of them are relatively straightforward to implement, others not so much, but I'll see what I can do [:)]
ORIGINAL: stilicho410
4. If astronauts are still in Basic Training, they should not be included in the available astronauts count at the bottom of the screen.

Yes, I've noticed this one this morning. I'll fix it for the next build, as I think it's more of a bug.
ORIGINAL: stilicho410
9. When selecting a Flight Director, no skills are highlighted. Which skills are important?

The Flight Director is the average of all five skills.
ORIGINAL: stilicho410
11. Where does the "EVA Suit" skill for SET's come in? I never saw EVA suit as a researchable component for Gemini.

It's true, I need to add the EVA suits as a mission component in the spreadsheet and tweak the scripts.

Once again, thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated!

Cheers,
Ignacio Liverotti
Lead Developer of Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager
Polar Motion

www.polar-motion.com
spm.slitherine.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolarMotion
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