First post is "borrowed" from else where and is about brackets. I'm digging through my saved webpages for some forum threads I created when I ran a Faction Warfare focused forum earlier this year, before I left FW and deleted the database
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Why brackets?They reduce client lag, improve grid loading and they reduce space clutter. Removing drones for example, makes a huge difference in big fleet fights, especially when fighters are involved.
What are brackets?Brackets are all the little icons you see in space that lets you select objects like ships, gates, moons, planets, asteroid belts, drones, wrecks and so on.
What are bracket settings?They are exactly identical to Overview Settings. An Overview Setting is basically just a filter that you can apply either to your Overview, or to what icons you see in space. In the UI they are still called Overview Settings, but they are actually just a filter. This is probably the leading cause of confusion.
Bracket settings also use the State tab, just like the overview. So you can hide or show icons for blues/hostiles/corp members etc as you like.
How do I brackets?Step 1: Find the Overview, look at the top part where it shows your overview tabs, if you haven't added any you will only see Default listed.
Step 2: Right click on the Default tab and add a new tab.
Step 3: Right click on the triangle in the top left corner of the overview, and select Overview Settings.
Step 4: Configure your overview setting to display everything you want to see on the overview. Save the setting. Deselect EVERYTING under the Drone folder unless you have a good reason not to.
Step 5: Open Overview Settings again. Now configure a setting that will display everything you want to see in space and save it. I recommend you load the setting you just created for overview, but under the State tab make sure to select Alliance members, Corp members, High Standings, Gang Members etc. (Unless you dont want them to show up in space)
Step 6: Save your new setting, give it the same name as the overview setting you want to couple it with but add "bracket" to the end of the name or whatever. This just makes it easier to keep track. (you could just create one universal bracket setting you use on all your tabs as well)
Step 7: Right click on your new tab, select Change Overview Setting and select your newly created setting for the Overview.
Step 8: Right click on the tab, select Change Bracket Setting and select your newly created bracket setting. Bracket settings and Overview settings are the same thing, remember.
Everytime you edit an overview setting, just reselect both settings for the active tab, because it sometimes resets.
A buggy thing that seems to happen to some people is that their tabs reset whenever they open the default tab or any other tab. This seems to work for some people:
Step 1: Load an overview setting into the default tab (you have to use the triangle on the overview, as the Default tab doesn't have the same context menu as other tabs).
Step 2:Configure your tabs as outlined above.
Step 3:Right click on the Overview triangle and save the current Overview Setting.
