MFD behaviours

[Diziet Sma]

Now that I've had a couple of days of extensive experience with the MFDs, I can see a couple of changes to their behaviour that might make them more intuitive to use.

Basically, I'd like it if they were more persistent. They keep getting turned off when I don't want them to be.

If you go to any of the F5-F8 screens, when you return to your in-flight view, any MFDs you have set up are switched off again, so you then need to set them up from scratch again. The same thing happens when you make a witchjump, and also when you dock.

I'd like it if Oolite would remember which MFDs were enabled, and what they were displaying, throughout all the above scenarios.. so when you return to the normal in-flight view, they were just as they had been beforehand.. truly "set and forget", as it were. That they'd stay set up just as you wished, until you manually changed the settings yourself.


Probably a pain to do, I know.. but it would sure would be nice..

Edit:
Almost forgot.. the other thing was, when the docking computer is active, I can still use the ~ key to check comms messages, but I can't toggle MFDs on or off, or cycle through them.. since computer-docking can take a while, it would be nice to have them available to use whilst awaiting one's turn to dock. It would seem to be the perfect time for reading "Extracts" for example.

[cim]

If you go to any of the F5-F8 screens, when you return to your in-flight view, any MFDs you have set up are switched off again, so you then need to set them up from scratch again. The same thing happens when you make a witchjump, and also when you dock.

I can't duplicate this at all - I put Spara's navigation MFD on the left slot, and my library MFD on the right, and then did all of those things without affecting the MFD at all. (It didn't even temporarily vanish in the witchjump case)

The only case that *should* lose your MFD settings is save-reload, and that's because there's no guarantee that the OXP will have set the MFD up again when you next launch anyway.

Which MFDs are you using?

Almost forgot.. the other thing was, when the docking computer is active, I can still use the ~ key to check comms messages, but I can't toggle MFDs on or off, or cycle through them.. since computer-docking can take a while, it would be nice to have them available to use whilst awaiting one's turn to dock. It would seem to be the perfect time for reading "Extracts" for example.

I've moved them into the "view controls" block with comm log, so you'll be able to adjust them while on autopilot now.

It won't help with your reading much, since as primable equipment controls (have to!) remain disabled under autopilot, you won't be able to turn the page, but there may well be other MFDs it's more useful for.

[Diziet Sma]

If you go to any of the F5-F8 screens, when you return to your in-flight view, any MFDs you have set up are switched off again, so you then need to set them up from scratch again. The same thing happens when you make a witchjump, and also when you dock.

I can't duplicate this at all - I put Spara's navigation MFD on the left slot, and my library MFD on the right, and then did all of those things without affecting the MFD at all. (It didn't even temporarily vanish in the witchjump case)

The only case that *should* lose your MFD settings is save-reload, and that's because there's no guarantee that the OXP will have set the MFD up again when you next launch anyway.

Which MFDs are you using?

I have Ship's Library, Trophy Collector, and Navigation MFD.

But since you don't experience this issue, I now suspect the problem is probably something to do with Norby's OXZ version of the Numerical HUD 3.

[Norby]

I now suspect the problem is probably something to do with Norby's OXZ version of the Numerical HUD 3.

You are right, MFDs are disappear with NumericHUD only, but I do not know why.
Moreover the position of MFDs are different from default HUD with the same code. It seems default HUD's MFDs are always aligned to the sides when I change the width of game window.

Code: Select all

	multi_function_displays = (
		{
			width = 198;
			height = 132;
			x = -156;
			y = -72;
			y_origin = 1;
		},
		{
			width = 198;
			height = 132;
			x = 156;
			y = -72;
			y_origin = 1;
		}
	);

[cim]

I would guess then that NumericHUD is a switching HUD, so it loads a new (or sometimes the same) hud.plist when you switch view / system / station. That will reset all the MFDs (because the new HUD might not have the same number, in the same place, etc.)

Looks like I'll need to make current MFD selection readable after all, so that switching HUDs can save and restore the MFDs in that situation.

[spara]

Don't know anything about the implementation, but if it's at all doable, I would like MFDs to be as persistent as possible. So would it be possible to keep users selection in memory over hud switches and restore MFDs if there are MFDs defined in hud?

[Norby]

keep users selection in memory over hud switches

This is a good idea: MFDs will be hidden in F5-F8 due to HUDs used in these screens are not define any MFD.

[cim]

Hmm... MFDs get hidden in F5..F8 anyway, defined or not.

I can probably transfer MFD settings over when the HUD changes, but if the incoming HUD doesn't define MFDs, when the next HUD with MFDs goes in, it'll get no MFD data.

So if you have a set of HUDs intended to be switched between, define the same number of MFDs for all of them, I think.

[Diziet Sma]

Moreover the position of MFDs are different from default HUD with the same code. It seems default HUD's MFDs are always aligned to the sides when I change the width of game window.

Hmm.. I simply made some changes in numerichudv3.plist to suit my 1280x800 laptop, and they stay properly in place, although I admit I only use full-screen, and don't use or change the window size at all.

Code: Select all

	multi_function_displays = (
		{
			width = 198;
			height = 132;
			x = -280;
			y = -72;
			y_origin = 1;
		},
		{
			width = 198;
			height = 132;
			x = 280;
			y = -72;
			y_origin = 1;
		}
	);

[Norby]

if you have a set of HUDs intended to be switched between, define the same number of MFDs for all of them

Ok, I will do this in next NumericHUD.

I simply made some changes in numerichudv3.plist to suit my 1280x800 laptop, and they stay properly in place

Yes, MFDs in NumericHUD are in fixed place as defined in the plist, but MFDs in default HUD has some mystic support to stick to the sides when the window width changes.

[Diziet Sma]

Yes, MFDs in NumericHUD are in fixed place as defined in the plist, but MFDs in default HUD has some mystic support to stick to the sides when the window width changes.

Ahh.. I see.. guess I misunderstood your original post..

[cim]

Odd - my default HUD doesn't do that.

If you want them to stick to the sides, play around with the x_origin parameter

[spara]

Hah. That's not the default hud over there, but my Aad-hud. It's a feature of that hud to clue the two MDFs to the top corners.

[Norby]

Thank you, I mixed up these HUDs, sorry.