End-game Vessel Coordinates

[sharktemplar]

One more thing I neglected to mention. My feedback on the inputting of the coordinates in the vessel at the end of the game.

When I first came across the vessel, I thought the coordinates box was a power-up box, and I was giving power back to the ship's primary systems so it could open new areas, or just allow for warping, and the only missing piece was a power source (the ash twins warp core).
I also thought that the warp pad on the bridge of the vessel was actually tied to their warp location systems, because it was positioned (as far as I could tell) directly above the lower room where they received the signal from the Eye of the Universe.

Due to these misconceptions, when I got the ash twin warp core installed, I simply illuminated all the hexagons on the coordinates box (thinking it was simply powering up the ship like a generator being turned on), and then I immediately moved the ground orb back over and to the warp pad I didn't know was a warp pad. When nothing happened I got confused and began to panic as I was running out of time for that loop cycle.

I began fiddling with the coordinates box again and only then did I realize the lines connect according to which hexagons were lit up, which immediately made it click that I needed the coordinates, which only then did I actually notice had popped up at the bottom left of the screen so I wouldn't have to go back to my ship and rummage through my ship logs in a panic.

I put in the correct coordinates (which automatically closes the coordinates box when completed) and again moved the ground orb back over to the warp pad, thinking I was sending those coordinates straight down to the ship's main computer directly 1 floor below me (again I was under the impression this was how you sent coordinates through as a ship command because the warp pad was positioned right above a big hologram of the Eye of the Universe and the Nomai text explicitly stating it was where they first saw the signal and tried to warp to it based on that signal's position). When nothing happened again I got confused, but the cycle ended before I could tinker with anything else.

On my second attempt, I realized (after further confusion and tinkering) the order of operations was instead coordinates box, vertical orb, THEN I could use what I later discovered was a warp pad.
The result of these misconceptions meant that the coordinates box had the correct coordinates, but because I moved the ground orb off of the coordinates box position, moving it back would raise the coordinates box again, making me think I was still way off (because it blocks the vertical orb from being used when it rises back up).

I strongly strongly recommend 2 small changes to this sequence so players like me who get stumped for a little too long don't lose the cycle and die because they were needlessly confused on the order of operations for something that isn't really supposed to be a complicated puzzle.

1) Have a little barrier that prohibits the ground orb from going over to the warp pad side on the left until the vessel has successfully teleported to the location of the Eye of the Universe, at which point the barrier can just be removed (retracted into the ground or implied to have been or whatever).
This will result in players thinking that the warp pad isn't part of anything they need to do yet, and will at least help to prevent the assumption that the warp pad is actually some sort of coordinates receiver sending data down to the main computer 1 floor below due to its position in the room.

2) If the correct coordinates have been inputted into the box and the ash twins warp core is installed, do not allow the coordinates box to come back up again under any circumstances. Perhaps signified by some light that turns on, loosely implying the coordinates are 'locked in' to the ship's computers and no new input can be received until the vessel warp is completed.
This will remedy any instances where the player may incorrectly think they need to put in the coordinates and then move the ground orb back to the ground position to actually trigger the warp (because that position is aligned with the newly installed warp core). If they think this, it means the orb has to be moved back again to the coordinates box, which raises it again and covers up the vertical orb that is actually used to trigger the teleport.
It would greatly assist in guiding the player (as they are frantic and running low on loop time at this point, as I was since I took my time carefully bypassing Anglers and also didn't get into the Ash Twin chamber until the second-possible sand stream cycle) into the correct order of operations, even if they are confused on what does what on the vessel bridge.

3) Alternatively, you could ignore the first 2 and simply add a ship status log (similar to the ones in the escape pods shaped like small pillars) and this status will update according to what you try to do with the orbs, so you can see it blink with an update, read what it is outputting, and piece together what does what, if that is in fact supposed to be part of the challenge by design.
Raising the coordinates box has the bridge status text translation to "awaiting coordinates input..."
Trying to use the warp pad before you are able changes the bridge status translation to "No available space walk destination..."
Trying to use the vertical orb unsuccessfully changes the bridge status text translation to "Error: Invalid coordinates..." or if done with proper coordinates but no Ash Twin warp core, will read "Error: Insufficient Power to perform ship warp..."

etc etc.

It's very annoying and frustrating to try and solve a puzzle when you are given more variables than you need (such as the warp pad on the bridge that does nothing until you've successfully warped the vessel anyway) as well as figuring out what actually does what.
It isn't clear to the player that the ground orb has no purpose other than to raise the coordinates box until you've warped the vessel away. I genuinely thought I was diverting power and trying to figure out how to operate the main controls of a massive ship, which, in such a state of damage, would need shenanigans like 1-coordinates, 2-send coordinates to computer via what I didn't know was a warp pad, 3-move ground orb back to center to activate newly installed warp core and trigger the vessel warp, or some other incorrect combination.

It didn't really detract from the satisfaction of the ending though, but it did annoy and have a "wow that was unclear and very dumb" stuck in my head as I wandered through the Eye of the Universe and into the ending sequences.