Contracts window: difficult to navigate, needs a "sticky" option

[Kerano]

So after a day playing KSP 0.24, the main thing I'm noticing is that the contracts window is extremely difficult to navigate once you get past the first few missions. I have perhaps 20 active contracts at any one time, and the contracts window simply does not cope adequately with this. It's particularly frustrating in the VAB when the contracts window can't even be resized.

Some suggestions:

- Allow the contracts window to be resized in the VAB, not just in flight. (✓ v0.25)

- Allow the contracts window to be expanded to the left, as well as down.

- Provide an option to "sticky" contracts you want to focus on for the current flight (so they're always at the top of the list). (Still needed as of v0.25!)

- Contracts which are irrelevant for the current flight (e.g. no relevant part installed) should be hidden from view or placed at the bottom of the list. (Still needed as of v0.25!)

Another option would be to have a dialogue box open when you click on the contracts button in the VAB, which would list all your available contracts along with a checkbox next to each. In this screen you would be able to look at the available contracts, tick the checkbox on the ones you want to try to complete on this mission, and untick the ones you want to leave for a later mission. Ideally you could also drag and drop contracts to reorder them here. If you later decide during construction that you want to add another contract to your "to do list" or remove one - no trouble, just click the contracts button for the dialogue box prior to launch, then tick/untick the desired contracts.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Kerano

[vexx32]

Moved to Suggestions.

[Northstar1989]

Sorting through contracts is currently a pain in the rump. I agree 100%

Combined with options to sort entries in the contracts window, I think this would make the interface much more manageable. And there's no reason for the devs NOT to implement this- it improves the UI without changing the actual gameplay at all!

I'm surprised this wasn't included in 0.24 on release, considering how much time the devs said they spent tweaking and polishing 0.24 with tester feedback. Then again, maybe the addition of the Contracts window itself was an addition that wasn't originally present in the first version of 0.24...

Regards,

Northstar

[Kerano]

Edited this post into the first.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Kerano

[Ouroboros00]

I'd just like to say I agree with all of this.

I accept just about every contract that nets a significant amount of funds or science, and things can get unorganized in a hurry. The one thing that tends to annoy me the most is how you can minimize a contract in the window, but as soon as any condition is met it automatically expands again. This is extremely frustrating when you're trying to monitor a specific contract and it keeps getting moved by expanding contracts. Hiding irrelevant contracts from the window during flight is a great idea. I would even be happy with having it so minimized contracts stay minimized.

[MKI]

I accept just about every contract that nets a significant amount of funds or science, and things can get unorganized in a hurry. The one thing that tends to annoy me the most is how you can minimize a contract in the window, but as soon as any condition is met it automatically expands again. This is extremely frustrating when you're trying to monitor a specific contract and it keeps getting moved by expanding contracts. Hiding irrelevant contracts from the window during flight is a great idea. I would even be happy with having it so minimized contracts stay minimized.

This and i feel a simple solution would make all the contracts move able between each other. So the contract you care about for this flight can be moved to the top, or with other contracts that you need to pay attention to.

Just being able to ORGANIZE THEM is important. Removing or not displaying valid contracts gets sticky real fast. Regardless the whole menu needs to be more fleshed out. In its current form its pretty basic and i hope the next update brings at least a few basic changes.

[Superfluous J]

I opened a suggestion thread that asked essentially for what you want, but I'd rather throw my hat into this ring and make one bigger thread than multiple smaller ones. So here's what I put there:

Once I've completed a contract, I don't care about it any more, especially after I've clicked the trashcan icon. Therefore, I would like the game to not show it to me any more in the list of contracts, or at least shunt it down to the bottom of the list so it's out of the way and I can have more important contracts there.

Also I'd love to be able to drag and drop the contracts in that list so I can order them the way I want them rather than the way the game has decided I should see them.

[goduranus]

yeah I like this

[zhollett]

I'd like to add my support to this as well.

[M3tal_Warrior]

jepp, some sort of customizable 'mission objectives' window for the flight or sorting/expanding/moving of the contracts window would be really nice.

[Kalakian]

I've made a start on a mod that will let you better organise your contracts. It's only the basics just now, but any constructive feedback will help me get it to a reasonable and usable state (at least as a placeholder until Squad update their contract app). If you're interested, please head over to the Contract Manager thread, try it out, and let me know what you think.

P.S. I was planning on making a different mod, found this thread while doing some research, and decided to make this mod first. So, each of the suggestions here have been added to my to-do list

[FERCONEX]

Support it.

[Wanderfound]

Another vote here; the stock contracts window is a UI nightmare.

However, the one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet here, and that none of the mods have sorted so far: LARGER FONTS! The defaults are undersized to the point of complete illegibility for me unless I get up and stick my face right into my screen. Not good when you need to check them mid-flight.

[EnderSpace]

I support this idea

[DBowman]

I also find the inflight contracts list painful. As suggested above excluding 'un-fullfillable contracts' from the in-flight list would be great, as would 'sticky-ing' ones goal contracts for the flight.

[Xaiier]

I support this as well.

Hiding contracts that can't be completed with the current vessel and being able to star certain contracts based on mission plans would be great, as well as a much improved viewing interface for them.

[arkie87]

So after a day playing KSP 0.24, the main thing I'm noticing is that the contracts window is extremely difficult to navigate once you get past the first few missions. I have perhaps 20 active contracts at any one time, and the contracts window simply does not cope adequately with this. It's particularly frustrating in the VAB when the contracts window can't even be resized.

Some suggestions:

- Allow the contracts window to be resized in the VAB, not just in flight.

- Allow the contracts window to be expanded to the left, as well as down.

- Provide an option to "sticky" contracts you want to focus on for the current flight (so they're always at the top of the list).

- Contracts which are irrelevant for the current flight (e.g. no relevant part installed) should be hidden from view or placed at the bottom of the list.

Another option would be to have a dialogue box open when you click on the contracts button in the VAB, which would list all your available contracts along with a checkbox next to each. In this screen you would be able to look at the available contracts, tick the checkbox on the ones you want to try to complete on this mission, and untick the ones you want to leave for a later mission. Ideally you could also drag and drop contracts to reorder them here. If you later decide during construction that you want to add another contract to your "to do list" or remove one - no trouble, just click the contracts button for the dialogue box prior to launch, then tick/untick the desired contracts.

I would argue that you should be able to "check" a contract, and then the requirements pop out to a small window which you can move around on screen, so it is always in view

[Kerano]

Just a quick bump as this is still a relevant issue.

We got this in v0.25:

- Allow the contracts window to be resized in the VAB, not just in flight.

But we still urgently need this in a future update:

- Provide an option to "sticky" contracts you want to focus on for the current flight (so they're always at the top of the list).

- Contracts which are irrelevant for the current flight (e.g. no relevant part installed) should be hidden from view or placed at the bottom of the list.