Ship ETA

[cdcool]

Any way to tell how long a ship or ships will reach its destination?

[Kayoz]

Nope.

Why do you want an ETA? If your purpose is to coordinate multiple fleets arriving at a target, I think your best option is to set them to assemble some place close to but outside the target system, then move them in all at once.

[marion61]

What would be even better would be when you clicked on a ship or fleet, it had a line to it's destination. Especially colony ships, since when you start sending a bunch out you forget where the planet is lol. I have Return of the Shak, so I'm not sure if the later games in the series have this or not. It would be nice.

[scotten_usa]

Nope. Would love this feature, maybe in Shadows?

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: meklore61

What would be even better would be when you clicked on a ship or fleet, it had a line to it's destination. Especially colony ships, since when you start sending a bunch out you forget where the planet is lol. I have Return of the Shak, so I'm not sure if the later games in the series have this or not. It would be nice.

I believe that Vectors were added in Legends, I thought it was earlier but apparently not . . . anyway, that feature is in the game, just fyi.

[cdcool]

Would make the game more realistic., knowing what time your fleets or ships arrive at a destiantion.

[cdcool]

Nope, I have all the expansions

ORIGINAL: ScottenChi

Nope. Would love this feature, maybe in Shadows?

[cdcool]

You need need it, from a stategic level, I have all the expansions

ORIGINAL: meklore61

What would be even better would be when you clicked on a ship or fleet, it had a line to it's destination. Especially colony ships, since when you start sending a bunch out you forget where the planet is lol. I have Return of the Shak, so I'm not sure if the later games in the series have this or not. It would be nice.

[cdcool]

Vectors or lines are in the game, but no ETA.. I hope it's added at some point.

ORIGINAL: meklore61

What would be even better would be when you clicked on a ship or fleet, it had a line to it's destination. Especially colony ships, since when you start sending a bunch out you forget where the planet is lol. I have Return of the Shak, so I'm not sure if the later games in the series have this or not. It would be nice.

[Plant]

ORIGINAL: Kayoz
Why do you want an ETA? If your purpose is to coordinate multiple fleets arriving at a target, I think your best option is to set them to assemble some place close to but outside the target system, then move them in all at once.

...
Surely it is obvious why you would want an ETA if your purpose is to coordinate multiple fleets arriving at a target?
That way you wouldn't need to "set them to assemble some place close to but outside the target system, then move them in all at once"

Not to mention that you have some idea where to focus your attention to when you do know how long it takes to travel.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: Plant
Surely it is obvious why you would want an ETA if your purpose is to coordinate multiple fleets arriving at a target?
That way you wouldn't need to "set them to assemble some place close to but outside the target system, then move them in all at once"

Not to mention that you have some idea where to focus your attention to when you do know how long it takes to travel.

Yes, the intent of the OP is obvious. That's why I wrote, "... your best option" - it's the best that can be done considering the game design.

And yes, I do agree that vector lines and ETAs should be and can be implemented. Hopefully it has made it into Shadows.

[cdcool]

All military and tactical operations are based on a ETA. It would be beneficial and more realistic to have that information incorporated on the game.

[Plant]

If I remember, supreme commander had a beautiful system where by ctrl clicking onto location, the units would set ready and leave at the right times to arrive at that location at the same time.

[TanC]

ORIGINAL: Kayoz
And yes, I do agree that vector lines and ETAs should be and can be implemented. Hopefully it has made it into Shadows.

Vector lines are currently in DW Legends. 2nd button along the top of your minimap that is sitting at the bottom right corner. [:)]

ETA would be a nice thing to have though I have 1001 other stuff to think about than ETA.

[Numdydar]

Well historically ships and other forces were all assembaled at locations near the actual CZ before being committed in order to make sure everyone was prepared and ready before combat. Imagine sending a TF of troops from Pearl Harbor to attack Tarawa and something happened and it sank or did not get there after the other forces were committed. So gathering fleets and forces at a nearby loacations makes a lot of sense to me. So no ETA is needed here [:)]. Ater all, the DDay effort was all assembled at the 'planet' England before attacking the 'planet' France lol.

Why would you want to try and send fleets/ships piecemeal and try to arange them all to get there at the same time? Send everything you want to a single place and it does not matter when the ETA is. Since whenever you feel ready, you commit. Just my 2 cents worth anyway.

[Mansen]

ETA is a very important aspect of realtime strategy games - just the other day I had an enemy strike fleet flying straight at me, couldn't see how far they'd gone half the time so I wasn't sure if my defensive fleet would make it in time or if I needed to build more defenses in the meantime.

Tiny feature - huge effect.

[Buio]

Hope it gets added as an option. Should be easy to implement.

[Numdydar]

ORIGINAL: Mansen

ETA is a very important aspect of realtime strategy games - just the other day I had an enemy strike fleet flying straight at me, couldn't see how far they'd gone half the time so I wasn't sure if my defensive fleet would make it in time or if I needed to build more defenses in the meantime.

Tiny feature - huge effect.

Why should you know their ETA? Do you have a ship in scanner range or someone following them. Are you even sure they will actually end up going where you think they are/ They could easily change to a different target than the one you think.

While I respect your view that an ETA is important, I think there are many other things the game should have before this gets implemented. Personally, I would love to see a 'fog of war' option where you do not see any other races ships on the map unless you have a ship with scanners and within scanning range before an ETA was implemented. But hey that is just me [:)]

[Mansen]

Why would I need to have them in scanner range? During the time they are visible "I" receive the following information.

Their numbers (unique ship signatures)
Their location
Their speed
Their course (Remember how you're actually warned if they head for one of your systems?)

This is more than enough to plot an estimated arrival time. But of course their course could change en-route as you mention - in that case the estimated ETA (and "drawn line") stay visible until the ships should have arrived and then vanish.

If they re-appear elsewhere on a new heading, a new estimate is drawn. Quite simple really and completely common in simulator and strategy games where you have as much overview as you have here.

TLDR: It is a very easy thing to implement considering. The data is there, the lines are there - it isn't an entire new feature - it is an interface change.

(And yes - I too would like a visual fog of war effect on the universe map. I've grown so accustomed to having fog wherever I don't have vision in all of my 4X and strategy games)

[Numdydar]

Without some type of 'hidden' movement system, why is there even any scanner tech in the game at all? I mean I have never researched it so may be it does some good. But if I can see everything already, why bother?