Mission Control Center Screen - Poorly

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.

Moderator: MOD_BuzzAldrin

User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

Mission Control Center Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

The "Mission Control/Control Center" screen during the missions is so poorly implemented!

I can live well with the cutscenes - but otherwise...

No high tech to see.
No control panels, no blinking buttons, no parables somewhere on the wall, no "rushing" screens.

No countdown in Russian language at the start of Sputnik.

Where is the atmosphere of great events?
How should atmosphere come up this way?

Disappointing! [:(]
User avatar
Nacho84
Posts: 689
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:40 pm
Location: Brighton, UK

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Nacho84 »

Hello Templer,

Welcome to the forums. We have been prototyping some ideas in order to make the MCC screen more exciting last month, but at the moment we're focusing on other equally important stuff (widescreen resolution support, mix-and-match of rockets and payloads, etc), so the improvements in that screen will have to wait for a while. They will be done at some point, so don't worry. Make sure you check the changelog from time to time to see which new features have been added.

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
jjknap
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:42 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by jjknap »

I agree that the mission control screen in BARIS was neat to see with the small pictures of tracking radar, spacecraft, astronauts etc shown on the screens. I would like to see even the main graphics on a smaller "screen" in mission control with the option to view it in full screen after the mission.

I understand you have a lot on your plate....I hope Slitherine/Matrix gives you some more resources to work on the game now that a major new campaign has been added.

I have said this from the beginning: it is so refreshing to see a game developer have so much contact/discussion with fans of the game!

User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

I would like to stay each time in mission control, so exciting, so nerve wracking, as fingernail biting as possible! [8D]

Find ways to build up nervous tension!
User avatar
AbeSimpson
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:30 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by AbeSimpson »

I only can agree. For me the Mission Control is the focus point, where all my management decisions come together. BARIS did it in a great way.
Small videos and/ or pictures of the activities, perhaps some audios like "Houston, we've had a problem." and stuff like this. That would be really great.
I think I understand what military fame is; to be killed on the field of battle and have your name misspelled in the newspapers.
William Tecumseh Sherman
User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

ORIGINAL: AbeSimpson

...the Mission Control is the focus point, where all my management decisions come together. BARIS did it in a great way.
Small videos and/ or pictures of the activities, perhaps some audios like "Houston, we've had a problem." and stuff like this. That would be really great.
Absolutly!

The MCC room is the place where all unhealthy tension builds.
There we see the result of all the countless hours of hard work, deprivation, cigarettes and alcohol und sedatives.
Cheers or nervous breakdown?
Was it all worth it?

The MCC is the climax of the drama!
Try your very best to implement all this.

User avatar
nats
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 4:34 pm
Location: York

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by nats »

Yes and also the fact that the launches are left to be implemented after you choose next season - its as if they are relegated to be carried out between seasons. I would like to see you be able to launch a mission and see the results manually even if it has to wait till in the next season. But carrying out these launches without any further player interaction is not very good. They are the most important part of the game, you should see a rocket waiting ready on the launch pad and be able to manually control whether you wish to progress with the launch. Also there should be a way of seeing exactly what launches you have scheduled because at the moment its impossible to find this out other than looking at your command crew assignments. It should be very obvious when missions are getting ready and then ready to launch.

And I certainly agree with the need for more immersion whilst in the missions - seeing the rockets moving to the launch pads, a view of the control room, possibly an onboard camera of the astronauts, possibly a timer showing mission time and distance/hieght etc.

Would be nice if all of this took part on the TV screen of the control room and it looked like you were actually watching it all take place from the control room itself.
"Its life Jim, but not as we know it"
User avatar
nico7550
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 3:44 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by nico7550 »

In fact you ask for a HD Baris control room with even more details (multi angles animation, step by step mission control, mission step detail, mission timer) ?
I'm also adding "clickable FC to got advices, humors, feelings, etc... (even fame or money)".

Regarding onboard camera animations, I'm fully agree with you. It's really missing.

But adding all this (even if fully possible) will take a lot of time and that's the main problem. Wait and see.
User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

ORIGINAL: nico7550

...multi angles animation, step by step mission control, mission step detail, mission timer...
Yes, yes, yes and yes!

Immersion, I am all for it!
User avatar
nats
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 4:34 pm
Location: York

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by nats »

ORIGINAL: Templer

Yes, yes, yes and yes!

Immersion, I am all for it!

Well it should feel as if you are in the control room watching the mission rather than just playing it on a big video player. So yes I am also for as much immersion as possible. I used to love the Microprose flight sim games of old and those games excelled at immersing the player in the game. And this game is pretty good already at that its just really the mission control room that is a bit lacking and that should be the most exciting place to be in the game.
"Its life Jim, but not as we know it"
User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

ORIGINAL: nats
I used to love the Microprose flight sim games of old and those games excelled at immersing the player in the game.
I know exactly what you're talking about! Good old time and a fantastic company!
User avatar
nico7550
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 3:44 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by nico7550 »

Something like this point of view ?

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/9071 ... pictures/3
User avatar
Templer_12
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Templer_12 »

I push this thread up as a reminder. [:)]
User avatar
nico7550
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 3:44 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by nico7550 »

And I support you ;-)
User avatar
wolf14455
Posts: 1179
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:32 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by wolf14455 »

+1 [:)]
SwedeWolf

I was called Lill Sputnik (Little sputnik) as a baby in 58-59
jjknap
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:42 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by jjknap »

Any thoughts on making changes to the mission control screen based on the comments on this thread? I think this would be fantastic!
User avatar
wolf14455
Posts: 1179
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:32 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by wolf14455 »

ORIGINAL: jjknap

I agree that the mission control screen in BARIS was neat to see with the small pictures of tracking radar, spacecraft, astronauts etc shown on the screens. I would like to see even the main graphics on a smaller "screen" in mission control with the option to view it in full screen after the mission.

I understand you have a lot on your plate....I hope Slitherine/Matrix gives you some more resources to work on the game now that a major new campaign has been added.

I have said this from the beginning: it is so refreshing to see a game developer have so much contact/discussion with fans of the game!

Hear Hear [:)]
SwedeWolf

I was called Lill Sputnik (Little sputnik) as a baby in 58-59
jjknap
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:42 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by jjknap »

You know, even the mission control scene in the movie at the start of the game would be a great background for the Mission Control during launches.... You would have to display small thumbnail pictures like you do in the movie...
User avatar
Nacho84
Posts: 689
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:40 pm
Location: Brighton, UK

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by Nacho84 »

Hello all,

We will implement some changes to the Mission Control screen before the final release. Yesterday I went to Slitherine's HQ and we have been bouncing around some ideas. Let us finish support for PBEM and the single player campaigns first and we'll tackle the UI afterwards.

It's all coming, so bear with us [:)]

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
jjknap
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:42 pm

RE: Mission Control Screen - Poorly

Post by jjknap »

You guys are great! [&o]
Post Reply

Return to “Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager”