Oolite Bulletins

We need to update our Reference Sheets.

Sheet 1 (Keyboard Guide) :
I'd like to add in the new commands:

? Filter Market (6 options)
/ Sort Market (6 options)
ctrl-; Cycle MFD backwards
ctrl-: Select last MFD

I'd like to rewrite some others to make them more comprehensible to a neophyte:
eg: References to Space Compass might be changed: Cycle ASC Compass Forwards/Cycle ASC Compass Backwards

I'd like to introduce 2 new sections for Optional equipment & OXP equipment (to generally distinguish between Standard Equipment, Optional Standard Equipment and Optional Optional (OXP) Equipment: to give the poor neophyte a hope of working it all out!).

It might be more logical if External Views were moved to beneath F4

Fast Action buttons: Will Milo's code https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20668 (#13) for adding [, ], shift[ & shift] be implemented to v.1.92? (Nb: The link to his personal tweak no longer seems to work).

Maybe add controls for the Expansions Manager as well

I assume that I might have to reduce font size by a point.

Sheet 2 (Heads Up Display) :

I'd like to squeeze (HUD) into the page title
And add the Precision Mode Indicator for Joysticks

Sheet 4 (General Information) :

If someone can tell me what Gamma is supposed to be I'd like to add in some words of explanation as to what is being adjusted

Joystick controls may also need adding to (but implementation of my suggestions https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20818 would necessitate a rewrite).

Sheets 3, 5, 6 & 7 (Economics & Law, Observer's Guide, Commander's Log) :
These seem all right to my untutored eye!

Any Comments?

And, by the way, whom do we have to thank for updating the Oolite.org website? Some of the pictures on it have been very evocative!

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:50 am

Some of the pictures on it have been very evocative!

Some of the screenshots, especially those with text, seem to be slightly out of focus. Or is it my Mk 1.5 eyeballs? Don't think it is!
And the start screen Cobra Mk III is far too white! White? WTF?

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:11 pm

We need to update our Reference Sheets.

Sheet 1 (Keyboard Guide) :
I'd like to add in the new commands:

? Filter Market (6 options)
/ Sort Market (6 options)

Using 'f' and 's' makes more sense to me and more easy to use.
To do so, remap "Music docking off" to shift+'s' ('S') as "FPS" is already shift+'f' ('F').

I'd like to rewrite some others to make them more comprehensible to a neophyte:
eg: References to Space Compass might be changed: Cycle ASC Compass Forwards/Cycle ASC Compass Backwards

ASC for a neophyte is not clear enough.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:11 pm

Sheet 1 (Keyboard Guide) :
I'd like to add in the new commands:

? Filter Market (6 options)
/ Sort Market (6 options)
ctrl-; Cycle MFD backwards
ctrl-: Select last MFD

These would require some additional space in the page. Luckily enough, we seem to have some space in the leftmost column, but barely enough. Maybe the last two could fit in.

I'd like to rewrite some others to make them more comprehensible to a neophyte:
eg: References to Space Compass might be changed: Cycle ASC Compass Forwards/Cycle ASC Compass Backwards

I think you are right, it should probably be mentioned that the compass controls in the sheet refer to the Advanced Compass, not the basic one.

I'd like to introduce 2 new sections for Optional equipment & OXP equipment (to generally distinguish between Standard Equipment, Optional Standard Equipment and Optional Optional (OXP) Equipment: to give the poor neophyte a hope of working it all out!).

Can you elaborate a bit more here please? What exactly do you want to include in each section? Note that no specific OXPs should be mentioned in this document.

It might be more logical if External Views were moved to beneath F4

Maybe, but I'm afraid it may mess up the layout of the page.

Fast Action buttons: Will Milo's code https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20668 (#13) for adding [, ], shift[ & shift] be implemented to v.1.92? (Nb: The link to his personal tweak no longer seems to work).

I don't think this proposal will move forward. IMO two fast activation keys are enough and even if we do add more, it's only a matter of time before more equipment OXPs will make adding even more fast activation keys necessary.

Maybe add controls for the Expansions Manager as well

Do we really need those? I can only think of 'x' and that is laid out in plain text when you access the OXP info screen. Same goes for list filtering keys, they are all mentioned in text when they can be used.

I assume that I might have to reduce font size by a point.

I think a lot more than just that will be needed for all those changes. Probably a whole redesign of the layout of the sheet, to be honest.

Sheet 2 (Heads Up Display) :

I'd like to squeeze (HUD) into the page title

Disagree. This would be inconsistent with the overall page design, unless you are planning to change the page design altogether.

And add the Precisi
on Mode Indicator for Joysticks

That will require editing of the sample image. Certainly doable.

Sheet 4 (General Information) :

If someone can tell me what Gamma is supposed to be I'd like to add in some words of explanation as to what is being adjusted

Gamma, in very simple terms, refers to adjustments in screen and color luminance. It probably does not need any explanation, because almost every game out there has this and they all use the same terminology. If you want to learn more about gamma, you can check https://poynton.ca/notes/colour_and_gamma/GammaFAQ.html,

Joystick controls may also need adding to (but implementation of my suggestions https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20818 would necessitate a rewrite).

In order to incorporate all of the above changes, a rewrite of the entire document seems unavoidable.

There is a lot to digest here. It looks to me that to get all those changes in, a document redesign will be needed, I really cannot dedicate any time into this, but if you want to take this project on, the source file for the reference sheet is a Libre Office Write document and can be downloaded from here.

Gentlemen, thank you for your comments!

I'll rejig pages 1,2 & 4 and repost them so you can see what I'm talking about!

Standard Equipment is what Cdr Jameson starts off with.
Optional Standard Equipment is what is purchasable in the Vanilla Game: ASC/Docking Computers/Lasers/STE etc (ie E, c, C etc)
Optional Optional (OXP) Equipment are the MFDs and Special Equipment controls (ie N, B, ;, : etc)

When I joined the jolly junta some months ago, I printed out the RS because it was so confusing & detailed.

I didn't (for example) buy an ECM etc for quite some time, and the included details in the first section were confusing. It was obvious that the oxp's were optional. Not so much the ECM and the other optional regular equipment listed on the first sheet.

I hope that makes sense!

Edited much later to add:
Attempts to rejig the first page in OpenOffice proved unbearably fiddly. Project abandoned unless I can find a better way to do it! Sadly, my version of Quark Xpress is now over 20 years out of date...