So per the Suggestions update I wanted to start a discussion on what you guys would like to see improved and changed in the Base Logs. I've got several devs who are going to be patrolling this specific topic like hawks and we'll get design documents crafted on what the base logs should look like!

Give us specifics on what you'd like to see!

Completly seperate logs for:
Character changes ie descriptions/credits,
Item Addition/removal,
Trade slave additions,
Mining slave additions

with the Option of base logs being saved locally on log on in case of a server crash

Also would be nice if more permissions were added instead of it being rank based only such as Credit permissions: Give only/take+give same with items and equiped gear

maybe as my very detailed paint-edition shows make the info box slightly smaller and add differant categories where the white blobs are to cycle through types of logs or just an additional tab dedicated to logs

A way to keep logs saved would be great. Losing everything in the current logs with server crashes is bad enough.

Maybe an automated export command every 2-3 hours? Would be nice for shops and what not. I doubt a big team's forge would want that with the amount of spam that trading and mining slaves produce.

Base logs need
1. Saved records or something of the sort, probably saved to the HD of the base owner.
2. Separate logs for
a. Slave actions could be broken down into Mining/Trade if need be
b. Construction actions such as who started what who paused/cancelled what
c. Transfers to and from items and credits could be separated but not much need
e. Changes to names, descriptions, and what is equipped/unequipped

That's really anything more would be a clutter. Of course i could be wrong

Base logs - introduction

This post will explain what I see as important additions and tweakings to the base log system

Filtering

Base logs filtering is a set of drop down menus which will filter them, and should include the following:

Player made changes - description changes, construction (starting a build, stopping them or pausing them), credit addition or removal, docking and undocking, item addition, removal or tossing, equipping and unequipping (use of items). Ideally it should be possible to filter by all of these in the dropdown menu for player change filters.

Trade slave changes - docking and undocking, selling and purchasing (along with the amount), and possibly also make a filter for error message display in the base logs if a trade slave has an error message when docking.

Mining slave changes - dumping of mined goods (along with the amount), and possibly also make a filter for error message display in the base logs if a mining slave has an error message when docking.

We also need the following:

A way to export base logs so you can make a .txt file and search that file.
Improved base log saves on server crash would also be ideal, right now they are wiped on server crash. Possibly solved by an option for the client to save a file locally?

Slightly off topic, but a small addition to base permissions would also do a lot, where the friends list could be used to grant permissions additional to the team rank permissions that we use today. Or some other simple addition to improve permission management.

Id like to see slaves, buying/selling from non slaves, item equipping, and construction related stuff all on seperate tabs. Right now only a few things are logged that are of interest and those that are are pushed off the table too fast.

Operating a shop is really annoying becasue buying and selling arnt logged at all, in a bigger shop its currently impossible to see where your billions of credits you got came from selling what items.

Likewise its curently impossible to properly track whats going with a prod station like who built what and when.

Wiki-style history with char who edited that description would be great to see. Search box that works the same as ship inventory would be helpful too, limit outputs to whole line containing the search string.

Keeping a max amount of each log event type would be great, as opposed to simply keeping a max log length for all events.

+1 To most of what thrm said. I think it could be done with sub-tabs in the logs tab but implementation style isn't as important as functionality imo.

Either the server crashes and wipes my base logs all the time or they simply aren't long enough. I have the logs skill maxed and still can't find everything that's been sold/bought by my shop a day or two afterwards. This isn't helped by some actions (specifically players removing items) seemingly being kept for longer. If base logs are to be useful as "proof" of player actions they need to cover every step a player took, rather than making it look like he just looted a base

What confuses me is how little seems to come of these projects...

It got Soon*TM'd.

What happens if I attempt to make a modified GUI XML for it? will that speed it up? or I'm wasting my time cause I have no clue how the XML is suppose to be laid out.

I get a feeling we won't be seeing this anytime soon

I was thinking of doing the same thing actually. I think it could be pretty easily accomplished with just some checkboxes.

All boxes unchecked would mean just critical base operations are shown, like player interaction, equip, start construction etc. Each check box would add something, like trade/mining slave interaction, and unchecking it would remove it from the list visually.

A different idea would be to just add tags to every entry message.

"01:27 [Trade] Biggee bought Ion Peashooter for 10 credits"
"01:27 [Construction] Biggee started construction on Heph Machine"
"01:26 [Slave-T] 'M1 Mets' Sold 12 metals"
"01:26 [Slave-M] 'Miner' Deposited 18 fermium"

Then add a functional search box that allows you to search by tag or word or whatever.

the problem wont change then biggie cause the slave drop off will just spam the entire thing still. So everything else would not show.

Fine when I get time, i'll painfully look through the non commented out XML file and alter it.