Hey...

[Helium Pond]

Does the detail map just not work at all anymore? I just noticed this. I don't know for sure if it happened with the latest patch or not. Is it working for anyone else?

[Purple]

Can you be more explicit? In what way doesn't it work? And by detail map, do you mean the one associated with each base?

[Helium Pond]

The "Detail Map" is the name for the closer-in version of the map you're supposed to get when you click the right-hand button below the world map in the lower-right corner of the screen. You know how there's a small map of the whole world at the right side of the command console on the bottom of the screen? Ever pressed the two buttons under that map? The one that looks like a world will get you the world map, the one that looks like a closer-in view of a planet will get you the detail map. I'm sorry if you thought I was being unspecific, but the name of the thing is "detail map," it even says so when you right-click on the world map. And by "doesn't work" I mean doesn't work. When I press the button, it shows nothing whatsoever.

And for that matter, the "recenter this window here" menu option, when you right-click the world view doesn't work, either. And by "doesn't work," I mean it doesn't work: it does nothing.

Is this just me, or does anyone else have this experience?

[Googlie]

My detail map works as advertised in SMAX v2.0, but not in SMAC v4.0

(Must admit I've never used the detail map - in fact never really looked at it until now - only advantage seems to be you can dsee a tiny screen with another location detail while your big screen is centred on some other action)

Does anyone else ever use it? How and why?

Googlie

[Purple]

My experience is the same as Googlie's. I never use the Detail Map (maybe that's wny I didn't recognize the term, HP), because I don't see its usefulness. I can see why the designers might've thought it would be good to be able to see the map when it's obscured by one of the report screens, but that tiny window doesn't help, and I don't think (don't remember exactly) the view can be zoomed. And "recenter this screen here" has never worked for me in any SMAC/X version.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I use this window at times.

Mostly when I am making the decision to gift previously captured bases to submissives. My memory being what it is I often can't remember the names of bases captured or specific locale so in those instances when gifting the small window serves my purposes to find the specific base I want to give away without having to close down the faction communication windows/city listing windows.

Other than that I usually don't have need for the small detail map.

[WhiteElephants]

I used the detail map the same way Ogie does. If I click on it the map will move in the direction I've clicked (maybe it just recenters where I click) so if your seeing all black, maybe you just need to move it till you "see the light". This probably isn't the case, but who knows?

[Helium Pond]

The detail map isn't the most useful thing in the world, but it does occaisonally come in handy--especially when looking through the F2-F8 screens, when you may want to see more details on the area around a base.

I sure I'm not just on an undiscovered area of the map because a) when you're on an undiscovered area in detail mode, you still normally see the map grid (grey lines across the blackness) and b) the right-click menu, which normally gives you options to zoom in and zoom out, doesn't work. When you right click, nothing happens.

[Googlie]

That's what i get in Smac 4.0 - just blackness when I right click on the "map detail" button.

And, yes, OO and WE - I could see the usefulness of it in the situations you describe. I must experiment...I must experiment

G.

[Didymus]

My detail map works fine in SMAX 2.0 -- right up until the system crashes for no discernible reason. (sigh).

Maybe I should try SMAC 4.0, see if it's more stable. If that doesn't work, I'll just go play Diablo II ...


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John 6:68