Hey its cool thanks, I posted this ages ago. Moved and all is good, I agree lhs 3447 is the problem, why did fdev start all us noobs there I don't know, haven't got an ounce of real world sense amongst the lot of them. Super cruise is fine now.
I hate supercruise
- Thread starter Gunship
- Start date
To all those people asking for autopilot: it's never going to happen, and here's why:
If there was a functional autopilot, then the game could be botted. People could set up a bot to buy cargo, fly to another system, sell cargo and repeat. Leave it running and go to the pub, come back to a huge pile of credits. This is the real reason that there is not and will never be an autopilot. By keeping the flying strictly manual, it makes cargo botting near-impossible. A classic case of having to leave out something that reasonable players would like to prevent misuse by unreasonable players.
Personally, I actually enjoy flying the ship myself. I can totally understand why there are requests for an autopilot. If there was one I'd probably use it from time to time (mostly on long runs when I want to step away to the bathroom or kitchen). That said, I'm fine without one.
I think the essential question that anyone considering purchasing Elite should be asked is 'do you really enjoy the act of flying a spaceship?'. If the answer isn't an enthusiastic yes, then ED may not be the most positive experience.
One thing I will firmly agree with is that we badly need to be able to microjump between binary stars. SC flights longer than about 100kLS start being a bit much time with nothing to do. Perhaps limit that to explored binaries, so that you need to have data to make an accurate jump, meaning that explorers in unknown systems need to make the long flight the first time but those who follow based on their data can shortcut it.
On the whole though, I'm in the loving supercruise camp. Space is big. Really, really big. Supercuise definitely gets this across.
Finally, consider this: in conventional (aeroplane) flight simulators, it isn't unusual to spend long periods with very little happening. In something like MS Flight basically the entire game is flying smooth and level and occasionally making a turnpoint. In something like IL-2, yes there are exciting combat encounters, but there are also long minutes of climbing up to altitude, or cruising along towards your target location. Compared to games like that, actually the average SC transit time is on the short side.
If there was a functional autopilot, then the game could be botted. People could set up a bot to buy cargo, fly to another system, sell cargo and repeat. Leave it running and go to the pub, come back to a huge pile of credits. This is the real reason that there is not and will never be an autopilot. By keeping the flying strictly manual, it makes cargo botting near-impossible. A classic case of having to leave out something that reasonable players would like to prevent misuse by unreasonable players.
Personally, I actually enjoy flying the ship myself. I can totally understand why there are requests for an autopilot. If there was one I'd probably use it from time to time (mostly on long runs when I want to step away to the bathroom or kitchen). That said, I'm fine without one.
I think the essential question that anyone considering purchasing Elite should be asked is 'do you really enjoy the act of flying a spaceship?'. If the answer isn't an enthusiastic yes, then ED may not be the most positive experience.
One thing I will firmly agree with is that we badly need to be able to microjump between binary stars. SC flights longer than about 100kLS start being a bit much time with nothing to do. Perhaps limit that to explored binaries, so that you need to have data to make an accurate jump, meaning that explorers in unknown systems need to make the long flight the first time but those who follow based on their data can shortcut it.
On the whole though, I'm in the loving supercruise camp. Space is big. Really, really big. Supercuise definitely gets this across.
Finally, consider this: in conventional (aeroplane) flight simulators, it isn't unusual to spend long periods with very little happening. In something like MS Flight basically the entire game is flying smooth and level and occasionally making a turnpoint. In something like IL-2, yes there are exciting combat encounters, but there are also long minutes of climbing up to altitude, or cruising along towards your target location. Compared to games like that, actually the average SC transit time is on the short side.
Probably been said before but I'm not going to read through all the replies.
Less than 300Ls 75% engine power.
For systems that go up into the thousands of Ls such as LHS 3447 bash it up to 100% until you get to within 300Ls then knock it down to 75%.
My only gripe about SC is it takes so damned long to accelerate and decelerate. When you knock your power down it decelerates fast and when you ramp it up it accelerates fast. If your body can handle such drastic changes in speed when you do that, why can't it accelerate and decelerate a bit faster normally? Flying from the Nav beacon to Worlidge station in LHS 3447 takes 10 minutes or so and I find that a totally boring waste of time since there is nothing between you and the target to stop you getting up to faster speeds. I hit roughly 515C before decelerating again. Nothing to do with piracy, pirates cruise around near the stations or the nav point, they normally attack as you slow down to 1 or 2C, they don't attack ships going 100+C between those points. As I understand (but have not been there myself) Alpha Centauri is even worse and take up to half an hour to get where you're going. That's a long time to be sitting bored just watching the screen.
Less than 300Ls 75% engine power.
For systems that go up into the thousands of Ls such as LHS 3447 bash it up to 100% until you get to within 300Ls then knock it down to 75%.
My only gripe about SC is it takes so damned long to accelerate and decelerate. When you knock your power down it decelerates fast and when you ramp it up it accelerates fast. If your body can handle such drastic changes in speed when you do that, why can't it accelerate and decelerate a bit faster normally? Flying from the Nav beacon to Worlidge station in LHS 3447 takes 10 minutes or so and I find that a totally boring waste of time since there is nothing between you and the target to stop you getting up to faster speeds. I hit roughly 515C before decelerating again. Nothing to do with piracy, pirates cruise around near the stations or the nav point, they normally attack as you slow down to 1 or 2C, they don't attack ships going 100+C between those points. As I understand (but have not been there myself) Alpha Centauri is even worse and take up to half an hour to get where you're going. That's a long time to be sitting bored just watching the screen.
Half an hour to Hutton Orbital (Think that's the correct station) in AC? That would be nice. Try 3 times that. About 90 minutes. It's .22 light years. I got up to more than 1800C before it started decelerating. So micro jumps yes, but the jump shouldn't deposit you any closer than 10,000 LS from destination.
You bought the wrong game if you bought it just to dog fight.
exactly. and if this dude wants to dog fight he just gets to a nav beacon or an extraction site. plenty of dog fight opportunities. no need to travel at all.
Though I'm not in favor of an autopilot I honestly don't think a bot would be a good idea, just one (!) AI interdiction, the bot flys strait until your ship plus cargo has beeen blown up amd you return to the remains of your proud business after some hours with a lot of money lost to the cargo and the insurance...
Same problem for human beings not paying attention while on autopilot... they become easy prey for human or AI pirates, alike.
So if people like to get themselves blasted to pieces let them have an autopilot.
Last edited:
Don't like the idea of a full auto pilot but I can see that a "Cruise Control" would be useful: you steer and the system looks after the throttle.
I haven't read any of the thread.
My feeling is there's nothing wrong with supercruise and my initial impression of it was wrong. It's exactly how it should be. What could be added, if the hyperspace jump system is left as is, is the ability to jump within a system. However, this needs to be done carefully and tastefully. It should only be for at least 20,000+ Ls and the charge to do it should take at least 30 seconds.
Personally, I think the real change that needs to be made is the ability to set a different in system jump target. Being able to jump towards a different stellar object in the system, if it's discovered. Being able to misjump. That's the kind of thing that could greatly improve variety.
My feeling is there's nothing wrong with supercruise and my initial impression of it was wrong. It's exactly how it should be. What could be added, if the hyperspace jump system is left as is, is the ability to jump within a system. However, this needs to be done carefully and tastefully. It should only be for at least 20,000+ Ls and the charge to do it should take at least 30 seconds.
Personally, I think the real change that needs to be made is the ability to set a different in system jump target. Being able to jump towards a different stellar object in the system, if it's discovered. Being able to misjump. That's the kind of thing that could greatly improve variety.
Well since the game is played in 1940, there is not much you can do except mange speed better, would this really be the year 3300 there would be a fly computer what handels that for you, so you would have time to eat a donut while approaching.
Speed is managed by the computer if you keep your throttle in the middle of the blue area. Not sure what's so difficult about that.
The ones who orbit their destinations repeatedly are the impatient ones. If your throttle is set into the blue area (mid to low end) and the actual speed is down in the blue area by the 15 second mark you should be golden every time.
The ones who orbit their destinations repeatedly are the impatient ones. If your throttle is set into the blue area (mid to low end) and the actual speed is down in the blue area by the 15 second mark you should be golden every time.
The funny thing is, the computer actually "flies" your spaceship all the time, unless you go flight assist off! In SC it manages the actual speed according to your throttle setting, constantly calculating approach speed (that is what the blue area represents), if you are incapable of simply moving the throttle once in a while to the mid or lower end of the blue zone you can't be helped... maybe RTFM to learn about your ships system, oh wait, people are to busy grinding and circling around stations to do that.
Agree with the views, would love to have an external view. Autopilot is fine with me, yet interdictions were not present in old elite, as SC was more endless trucking straight to the station, so in current elite dangerous an autopilot will turn you into easy pirate prey... yet if people want it, why not.
It's not played in 1940. It's set in 3300. And if you want to eat a doughnut while flying, you are probably too big to fit into the cockpit anyway. There are good reasons why there isn't an autopilot. The one that tops the list is the developers don't want to make spaceflight any more boring than it absolutely has to be. I guarantee you, if you had a SC autopilot, it would get boring in a hurry. Also it cuts down on situational awareness. You shouldn't be investigating trade routes and plotting courses. You should be keeping your eyes open for possible interdictions, like seeing a hollow pip slip in behind you.
I'm beginning to think it's the pirates who want there to be an autopilot for SC. That way they can have a better chance of interdicting traders. And if a trader were to use such a device, he would deserve to be interdicted, and his hatch cover blown off.
Autopilot, or a fly by wire system would take away a lot of the freedom in my opinion, of the OP plays the game for dog fights only he choose the wrong game, i like the cruise like it is now, 9 of the 10 times flying to a certain point i notice something i want to discover and i decide to visit that
You are aware unless you go "flight assist off" it always was and is a Fly-by-Wire system, already?
I like supercruise. My only complaint is there is no jumping between binary / trinary star systems but other than that its fine (up the instances of interdiction though in anarchy systems).
Sorry mate, in this case you need to look a DayZ, it's all about running, running, running....eat,drink, loot (kill zeds) run run run run some more and.....more running. So in this case your "statement" The difference with fantasy games is they don't' require you to walk or run for 30 + mins with literally nothing to do and nothing to see. Running (while on a mount) in say, WoW for example, the scenery changes, the zones changes, it takes a hell of a lot less time. is a bit off here
InMemoriamSirocco
Banned
when I see these systems with the nearest station after jump being hundreds of thousands of lightseconds away, I seriously ask myself: "Who thought that this was a good idea, navigation-wise? It's not very economical to make your in-system market so inaccessible to ships jumping in."