Well it's been a little while since the last update and I assure you, the next one is in development! The problem is, I decided to make it slightly more involved than I originally planned. That's what happens when you decide to start trying to be canon when it comes to content! I've faced the reality that this app will never be truly canon in the Star Trek world. It can't be if you ever expect to be able to use it for any 21st century tasks. For the entertainment portion where the modules don't actually do anything, however, I can try and get a little closer to enhance the experience. I also have the challenge of trying to fit a usable control panel onto the size of a tablet, so there are compromises there too to some extent.
The new module I'm working on is on the Entertainment side, and is the Conn! It will allow you to take the helm of your ship and travel to various places in the galaxy. Rather than arbitrarily assign distances to stars, I decided to at least attempt to make it somewhat consistent with information found in the shows and movies in regards to their postions in the galaxy and distances from each other. This means adding a lot more math and doing some research to try and determine these things. What will it actually do? Well, in the shows you have the benefit of time lapse where the next scene can be hours or days after the last as they travel large distances. In order to not make you have to sit at your computer for days while you head towards your next destination, I will be implementing something to reduce this time to something more reasonable such as minutes. How will that work when trying to be canon about distances and speeds? Well, I haven't figured that out yet! It may just have to scale appropriately, as most games seem to do with these things.
So, I already have a couple bug fixes and customization options ready to go, but I was hoping to have the Conn ready in time. We will see how long it takes to finish designing and building it. If it takes too long I may release the other changes and possibly add some smaller features in the meantime to keep you all busy! So many things to do, so little time! I need an intern...
I also want to say how wonderful it is to get so much positive feedback lately! I am glad so many people are enjoying the app, and many of you request things that make the app better for everyone. Most of them are things I wouldn't know to add on my own, so thank you very much for that, and please continue sending your feature requests and ideas! LCARS interface has spent a lot of time in the Spotlight section for the entire Windows Store lately and it is your support and 5 star reviews that got it there!
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