• First, I removed the text description from the Modules list, as it displayed is in the "AVAILABLE MODULES" list, since the name is less important than the "tier" indicated by the graphic, and that and further info would still be available via mouse-over.
  
  
  
  
• Second, the text depiction of categories ("WEAPONS", etc.) is a placeholder for a graphic representation, but it is intended to be a unique graphic with a different color hue cue: similar to the captioned Category pictures in the Available Modules listing, but colored differently than cyan/light blue and intended to offer a clearer general indication.
  
  
  • Actually, I'd recommend that the Category icons for the Available Modules list have different coloring too, with some of the Support Modules needing clearer imagery but the Weapon and Defense icons images continuing to match base image for their selection options:
    
    
    
    
    
    Note that there is a subtle gradient brightening to the right in the background of the "DEFLECT" category icon, instead of pure "black", which I think helps visually distinguish it from the other icons further and helps emphasize its function as category representation with a list to its right.
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
• Major change: categories of upgrades are listed in coherent groupings.
  
  The current listing produces an effectively randomly sorted list of images you have to go through and evaluate, and I think this grouping improves organization and helps the user navigate quickly to the icons they want.
  
  
  
  
• Major change: there are management buttons buttons for each grouping.
  
  These buttons include:
  
  
  • A finer detail "upgrade" button (bottom left).
    
    Along with just offering a different way to fine tune space allocation, and a mechanism to clearly and simply handle upgrading the Storage upgrade as the current UI doesn't allow, this is also handy for things like not having a Resource necessary for some upgrades and allowing you to manage design with that in mind.
  • A "fill available tonnage with optimized loadout of current items" (bottom right).
    
    This is to finish tonnage allocations off, changing the count of items in a grouping, but not the composition. There are actually more sophisticated approaches that could be done, like allowing filling up with lesser items that don't have a resource requirement, that seem likely be feasible, or evaluating whether multiple lesser modules might offer better total benefit than a higher one and filling accordingly, which might not be.
  • A "fill category with this grouping" button (top right).
    
    Meant to be a tool for initial design, it would work best in general in a more sophisticated overhaul of functionality that included "Undo" in addition to "RESET" and maybe a "Lock" grouping button to exempt groupings in a category from being overwritten (mostly useful in a Category like Support with more options).
    
    
  
  
  
  
  And they can also, by context determination, be completely absent (the "fill" options don't make sense for single instance Modules) or faded out (generally when they don't do anything for the available Tonnage and available Module selection).
  
  
  
  
• I have other thoughts on the particulars for some further changes, but the above illustrations cover what I consider the heart of what I think would be most beneficial to improving the way the Ship Design screen works.
  
  

Nosferatiel wrote:
Please don't post suggestions in the design discussion section. Moved to the proposals section.