I never really used the ship designer in GalCiv2. This was due to it seeming really strange to use when I loaded it. With this being said - I gave this a try and fell in love with it. I can't compare the two because "something" in the last game turned me off from experimenting with it.
So - from a first time Shipyard user, here are my thoughts:
- I really like the rotation dials.
- I like that you can change the snap options for offset, scale, and rotation. I didn't realize this at first, and was frustrated with how much the dial jumped when I dragged the slider. I also didn't realize you could click the left and right arrows to fine tune these numbers.
- When inputting numbers on Offset and Scale, they don't commit if you click in space or hit tab. I had to click on another number to commit. I think committing by clicking anywhere on the screen would be better. Also when clicking on one of these numbers, I think it would be better to have the whole number highlighted rather than inserting the cursor. I think it'd be quicker to just type in a new number.
- Oscillation is fun!
- I love all the parts. This will be a lot of fun to play around in and create some pretty cool ships!
- I noticed that when I would place a part, the X,Y, and Z axis were dependent on the part in question. For instance, the Y axis might make the part go up and down, diagonal, sideways, etc. I think it would be easier to use if these axis' were universal - as in to space in general - rather than the part being used.
- I didn't really have any issues with hardpoints. I found that the offset dials negated this.
- This is probably a stupid suggestion, but when I made my ship, I was surprised how tiny it was. lol Maybe a button or something to show a overlay of a ship such as the scout or something would be useful to compare size.
- I almost think having up and down spinner buttons next to the numbers on scale and offset would be better. Or make the left and right arrows stick out a bit more.
That's it really. I have been having a lot of fun messing around in the shipyard!
Here is my pathetic ship:
