CalBear:
The interface for X-Wing Alliance is clean, functional, and easy to pick up. The basic aspects are stowed off on the edges and corners of the screen to keep your view clear for spotting enemy craft. The top left and top right circles show you radar for your forward and aft scanners. Below the top left corner is an indicator for your shields. Along the bottom are multifunctional boxes that can display info about targeted craft (ship type, remaining shields, hull integrity, and cargo etc.), mission objectives, nearby enemies, and more! Scattered elsewhere on the screen are meters to show the current charging status of your weapons, the recharge level of your weapons and shields, and how many more missiles you have left.

CalBear:
That brings us to the best part of the interface - the targeting reticle. Sometimes it's hard to calculate how much lead you need to put on your shots to be able to hit an enemy. If you're directly in front or behind a ship obviously you don't need to lead them. But if a ship is crossing left to right or up and down in front of you, lead must be taken into account. The targeting reticle in the center eliminates this guess work by flashing green and beeping when you're likely to hit your target. If you have missile weapons, the reticle becomes bracketed in red and emits a continuous tone to indicate you have missile lock. The reticle also shows you where threats may be coming in from. The different boxes along the top arc indicate what type of threat it is (fighter, laser turret, beam, or missile). Sure the lead indicator is nothing new, but the way it's implemented here just seems really polished.

CalBear:
There's lots of underlying complexity to flying your ship. You have to deal with the recharge rate of your shields/guns, linking your cannons (fire 1 gun at a time on your X-Wing? 2 at a time? All 4?), and gun harmonization (how far away do your lasers converge) to name a few. You can also change the focus of your shield energy, which is useful when you're flying right at a Star Destroyer (shields up front!) or running from one (shields aft!). Then there's the even more obvious aspect of engine power. The more you charge your shields or lasers, the less power that goes to your engines. The faster you go, the bigger your turning arc. Sounds complicated but it quickly becomes second nature; the best pilots are the ones who can tweak their ship the best on the fly.