2019-06-27 Star Map Cities, Star Map Search, Star Map XML Nerf

[Haxus]

Star Map Cities
After a solar system is explored by an empire, the star map supplies information about the cities there forever. This enables the empire to remotely monitor every system they have ever explored.

When star map information is sent to a client, information about cities is only sent if the following conditions are true.

• The city's solar system must be explored by the client's empire.
  
• One of the following must be true.
  • Empire or friendly city or base is in the system.
    
  • Empire or friendly spacecraft is in the system, not in deep space.
    
  • Empire or friendly airport terminal or base air terminal is within 17.32pc of the system.
    
  • Avatar is in the system when the star map request is made.
    

Empire or friendly refers to the city empire's stance toward the client's empire.

Spacecraft presence in a system is based on their position reports, which may lag their actual location by as much as 10 minutes.

17.32pc is the diagonal distance across a sector, which is 10x10x10pc. That seemed to be a reasonably close range for general space traffic, using the spaceports in the area, to be familiar with "nearby" cities.

Star Map Search
A tool for searching the star map is needed, which addresses the requests posted in the previous forum thread.

The star map now has a search tool for finding solar systems. You can access it using a button on the star map tool bar and also by right-clicking on a system in the star map view window.

Star Map XML Nerf
Now there is a star map search tool. The XML exporter can go.

Star map XML exporter was removed, hopefully for the last time.

[Deantwo]

Enemy or friendly

Is that a typo?

[Haxus]

Is that a typo?

Fixed.

[Vectorus]

So if I'm reading this right, is there no such thing as emissions and detections at all anymore? I'm wondering if there should be a way to keep track of established neutral locations - if you've actually visited a city surely that city should always remain in your map: possibly even after it's ceased to exist, unless you visit again? Does this update mean my star map will forget places I've been to like the Hazeron system or Babylon etc.? I suppose in some cases I'd remember the names.

Also, we may now need new ways to track down griefers and nomadic empires. Perhaps there should be some ways to follow spacecraft at a greater distance and for a longer time after they've left the system.

I've yet to look at the star map search but thanks for getting that together so quickly. It might be useful to download some of the third party tools yourself to see what kind of thing people have been doing with them?

[Haxus]

emissions and detections

Emissions and detections did not change. The signal emitted from those systems should still be there. You just can't see a list of the cities if you don't "know" they are there.

[Deantwo]

Star Map Cities
...

That is definitely one way of doing it.
I liked the idea of timed probes better. But I guess this will do for now.
See: (Suggestion thread) Fog of War

I am guessing that system emissions are unchanged. So having a huge observatory still lets us see where everyone is, we just won't be able to tell them apart from each other without extensive notes.
So in short the issue still exists, it is just a gigantic pain to sort through. Unless they are attacking everyone indiscriminately.

Star Map XML Nerf
...

I think this this is a bad idea.
This combined with the other changes are just making the game harder to play. Making it harder to keep track of your empire. And that is all this is gonna do.

[Haxus]

This raises a challenging diplomatic question.

• Empire A is friends with empires B and C.
  
• Empire B is friends with A but enemy of C.
  
• Empire C is friends with A but enemy of B.
  

When B requests a star map update, does empire A report the locations of empire C cities it knows about?

1. If it reports them, it is siding with B.
   
2. If it does not report them, it is siding with C.
   

Present code will report them.

[Deantwo]

This raises a challenging diplomatic question.
...

I guess friend of my friend is my... is an easy target? huh?
I hadn't even considered something like that, I just assumed only take your friends.

The issue here is that we already have no idea what an empire's diplomatic relationship is with anyone else.
On the ladderboard we can see see who is allied/vassaled to who, but that is litterally all we can see.

[CaptObvious]

Without the ability to export XML data on resources from the starmap, my time in Hazeron is over I feel like.  The ingame star map is much too cumbersome to use to find resources.  Haxus - I propose an experiment.  Spend an afternoon survey scanning a bunch of systems.  When you find a high quality resource (Q240+), note down the name of the resource and the quality but NOT where you found it and carry on exploring.

When you get bored of exploring, try using the star map to find where you found that resource.  It'll take you forever, that's why we need XML exports.

[Haxus]

Obviously, you have not tried the new search tool.