In game Communication Improvements

[amaranthineApocalypse]

Atamus' ingame name is Stan Beezlebub

[atamusvaleo]

Atamus' ingame name is Stan Beezlebub

Yep!   See you there!

[Ultimate Shrek Fan]

I would love a system where you could submit a request to a department and a worker in that department could flag it saying they are working on it

[Nnystyxx]

I would love a system where you could submit a request to a department and a worker in that department could flag it saying they are working on it

yepperoni, same here (reiterating some things I already said but this encapsulates it, the oddjob system)

[Sundance]

An extremely rough draft at what I feel could be done with the PDA if it's been given a rework (and pda's are long due a rework)


First off, less navigating. There is no main menu, the above system encourages a far easier response. The system has now been replaced by buttons at the top and the main "forum" takes up most of the screen.
Getting into the buttons:
1. MAIL 
Mailing has changed slightly. Clicking the mail button will bring up something like this:

As you can see, it's assorted now into each department, which you like the previous function, you can mass mail a department. This is slightly revealing, as you'd know who's in what department, but only the crew manifest would state what their specific job is. This way is much easier to navigate.

2. Light. Pretty straight forward. Click to turn on. Click again to turn off.

3. The scan function. It's its own independent button now, so if your pda has multiple scanners installed, clicking this button will bring up the menu to change the scanner.

4. Cargo. As it's part of the system, it has its own independent button. This will hopefully encourage people to use cargo more (or if the station becomes a little less item heavy, that'd encourage too I guess)

5. Alert. Again having this on the top will encourage people to use the alert system. I was thinking that perhaps the alert button doesn't need to have 3 different alerts, perhaps if you remove engineering alert (which is never ever used) and amalagamate medical and security, it'd just be a general alert. I also think it'd be funny if there was an accident that you'd get an officer instead, or if it was a traitor that you'd get an unarmed MD.

6. Cartridge. This would basically be "file browser" but with what's on the cartridge. Eg: Robustris, Sec Records, Medical records, ticketing system, etc.

Below all of this is the forums. For simplicity, I feel it should be split into 3:
NEWS: This is controlled by some telecaster doo-hickey, a reporter room of sorts like dions was explaining.
SECURITY: This can be changed in security. I was thinking by some sort telecaster doo-hickey too. One interesting aspect is putting out arrest warrents, taking pictures with the camera and then uploading it.
JOB REQUESTS: Here is where job requests are put. Again they can be fairly basic, but it'd be mainly stuff like "can you help me out with this" or "telescience adventure needed"


And finally open forum where things can be posted. I feel again it's probably best to leave it as open messages rather than threads and stuff like "weed party in botany" and stuff.

Thoughts?

[Frank_Stein]

I'm definitely a fan of the simplified tabs at the top and the more organised messenger.

I think keeping the forums simple should be fine, but I feel like there should be some kind of tagging system for at least the jobs so people could tell at a glance what kind of work it was. Basic concepts like repair, deliver, manufacturing, protection. Or just have tags based on which department you're asking to do this.

Icons, maybe colors?

[Nnystyxx]

I like the tab stuff. This is nice. It feels more like a future-y donkish PDA than just a set of lists and headers. Somebody with more graphical skills should mock that stuff up!

[atomic1fire]

Idea: group texting

group text would work like regular messages between PDAs, but allow you to denote more than one person for conversation. Maybe even let you encrypt the conversation so that only an enterprising hacker (e.g some lame passphrase) can listen in.

Also I know these suggestions are mostly for communication but I kinda want a dedicated PDA flashlight button/command.

[Frank_Stein]

Idea: group texting

group text would work like regular messages between PDAs, but allow you to denote more than one person for conversation. Maybe even let you encrypt the conversation so that only an enterprising hacker (e.g some lame passphrase) can listen in.

Also I know these suggestions are mostly for communication but I kinda want a dedicated PDA flashlight button/command.

Would it be possible to have writing messages occur in the PDA window rather than another window popup?

You could have add person buttons, and a leave conversation thing.

Ohh, and maybe a block thing for PDA spam that people occasionally do

[babayetu83]

alphabetize the pda name list

[atamusvaleo]

I like the tab stuff. This is nice. It feels more like a future-y donkish PDA than just a set of lists and headers. Somebody with more graphical skills should mock that stuff up!

Did someone say UI design? Time to put my gd skills to use.

[Ultimate Shrek Fan]

alphabetize the pda name list

I felt this way before I saw them organized by department. By department is way better

[Nnystyxx]

alphabetize the pda name list

I felt this way before I saw them organized by department. By department is way better

I agree. Early on, you might need to PDA people based on what job they have, and you can remember who someone is much better by relating them to their department. Alphabetical within departments, maybe, I dunno.

[Ultimate Shrek Fan]

I agree. Early on, you might need to PDA people based on what job they have, and you can remember who someone is much better by relating them to their department. Alphabetical within departments, maybe, I dunno.

Alphabetical within department is great. Departments are small enough that once you know what the person does, finding them on the list will be e-z.

[Nnystyxx]

The "Light" button can serve as an all-purpose module button, since there's also the T-Ray scanner. I hope in the future more modules exist, though I wouldn't know what they'd be (use your PDA as a builtin multitool? dunno).