Has anyone else noticed the FSD countdown...

NeilF

NeilF
Aleksej said:
ED's countdown would be at best:-
Time: 23:59:56 | Countdown Shown: 3.99 -> 3.00 | Announcement "Three"
Time: 23:59:57 | Countdown Shown: 2.99 -> 2.00 | Announcement "Two"
Time: 23:59:58 | Countdown Shown: 1.99 -> 1.00 | Announcement "One"
Time: 23:59:59 | Countdown Shown: 0.99 -> 0.00 | Ignition
Time: 00:00:00 | Countdown Shown: 0.00 | Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

Indeed....

While the rest of the world would use the traditional (NASA endorsed method) of simply:-
Time: 23:59:56 | Countdown Shown: 4 | Announcement "Four"
Time: 23:59:57 | Countdown Shown: 3 | Announcement "Three"
Time: 23:59:58 | Countdown Shown: 2 | Announcement "Two"
Time: 23:59:59 | Countdown Shown: 1 | Announcement "One
Time: 00:00:00 | Countdown Shown: 0? | Ignition (Happy New Year!)

So yes, this is the reason why this issue come up over and over, because FD are using an unusual (unstandard) approach that just needlessly confuses people.

In short, someone (a programmer?) got carried away making something look cool rather than functional :)
 
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Aleksej

Aleksej
NeilF said:
Indeed....

While the rest of the world would use the traditional (NASA endorsed method) of simply:-
Time: 23:59:56 | Countdown Shown: 4 | Announcement "Four"
Time: 23:59:57 | Countdown Shown: 3 | Announcement "Three"
Time: 23:59:58 | Countdown Shown: 2 | Announcement "Two"
Time: 23:59:59 | Countdown Shown: 1 | Announcement "One
Time: 00:00:00 | Countdown Shown: 0? | Ignition (Happy New Year!)

So yes, this is the reason why this issue come up over and over, because FD are using an unusual (unstandard) approach that just needlessly confuses people.

In short, someone (a programmer?) got carried away making something look cool rather than functional :)
Click to expand...

Well... it is cool then it is probably fine then.
 

Aleksej

Aleksej
NeilF said:
Depends on your definition of cool I guess... If "cool" means it's illogical, confusing and counter-intuitive, then "cool" it is...

eg:-
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=99984
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51626
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66544
etc...etc...

...all solved by just removing the unnecessary (unstandard) non-decimal part of the countdown...
Click to expand...

Why is it counter-intuitive if the SC/HJ are engaged right after the word "engaging" was announced?
 

NeilF

NeilF
Aleksej said:
Why is it counter-intuitive if the SC/HJ are engaged right after the word "engaging" was announced?
Click to expand...

Have you not read the past X pages on this matter? Or any of the previous X threads on this matter? Or watch the various videos posted by people on the matter? I... and they... can't make it any clearer I'm afraid...

If you don't find the ED 2 decimal place countdown odd or counter-intuitive, that's great. But 50+ years of space programs have (traditionally) adopted an integer launch countdown for a (good) reason... In short, who would you back for a more reasoned and logical approach to working out how best to present a count down? NASA or FD? There's a reason why so many people are confused by FD's (non-integer) approach, and over and over come up with a suggestion more akin to a traditional integer only countdown (ala NASA).
 
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TriumphANT

TriumphANT
Simple enough to interpret though. AT zero seconds we enter SC or Hyperspace, so if the voice said "Engage" at that point (where the game glitches like mince anyway) it would probably be not what we would expect. NASA say "lift off" as the engines fire because they're on the ground, and everyone has to keep an eye on telemetry at that point. The pilot wants the Lethal Weapon version. We go on 3. After 3? No...
 

Hank

H
I had not noticed that.
.
But I did notice we have 3 places to the right and Left of the decimal point. Why is that ? I don't really care or have the capability to discern a 1000th of a second ticking off.
.
starting at 4.0 is better (IMHO) than 004.000.
 

NeilF

NeilF
TriumphANT said:
Simple enough to interpret though. AT zero seconds we enter SC or Hyperspace, so if the voice said "Engage" at that point (where the game glitches like mince anyway) it would probably be not what we would expect. NASA say "lift off" as the engines fire because they're on the ground, and everyone has to keep an eye on telemetry at that point. The pilot wants the Lethal Weapon version. We go on 3. After 3? No...
Click to expand...

But the issue of course is, FD taking the non-tradition approach of having 2 decimal places showing have thrown the whole countdown off by a second.

If you consider a countdown to launch at midnight....

With NASA, it's completely traditional and logical:-

Time: 23:59:56 | Countdown Shown: 4 | Announcement "Four"
Time: 23:59:57 | Countdown Shown: 3 | Announcement "Three"
Time: 23:59:58 | Countdown Shown: 2 | Announcement "Two"
Time: 23:59:59 | Countdown Shown: 1 | Announcement "One"
Time: 00:00:00 | Countdown Shown: 0 | Ignition, launch, whatever

^^ This is beautifully logical in the sense it's actually rounding the time UPTO the last second until that second is over. But it completely intuitive without you even thinking about it. Hence why it's the norm. Count down to throw something to someone, and you'll adopt this approach basically.


Now, Elite's countdown, confused by the fact it's skewed the whole thing off by a second due to the unnecessary two decimal places in the countdown:-

Time: 23:59:56 | Countdown Shown: 3.99 -> 3.00 | Announcement "Three"
Time: 23:59:57 | Countdown Shown: 2.99 -> 2.00 | Announcement "Two"
Time: 23:59:58 | Countdown Shown: 1.99 -> 1.00 | Announcement "One"
Time: 23:59:59 | Countdown Shown: 0.99 -> 0.00 | Ummmm?
Time: 00:00:00 | Countdown Shown: 0.00 | Ignition, launch, whatever



The whole matter could be made completely traditional and more logical if FD simply dropped their unnecessary decimal places so their countdown and simply followed the approach basically everyone else on the planet uses... :)

This has been done to death, over and over. Numerous people have raised the same issue over and over. Why? Because it doesn't really make much sense hence people are confused (over and over) why a space game can't do a countdown to launch (hyperspace) in a logical fashion.... Clearly FD think NASA have got it wrong... I won't be holding my breath waiting for NASA to adopt FD's approach :)
 
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Loskene

L
I always thought the extended timer was silly but maybe it's for the flight recorder to better analyse accidents during hyperspace jumps. They've been known to happen.
 

NeilF

NeilF
CMDR iLikeCookiesQ said:
if "engage" would line up with the proper time, then the juicy and beefy fsd charging sound would get overshadowed by the ship AI voice.
Click to expand...

How would (just) removing the unnecessary two decimal places of the countdown really affect anything else? :)

eg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sC7d2lC0Kw&t=29s


Gegner said:
Getting rid of the decimal places does seem like an easy solution to the confusing countdown but honestly I like seeing the decimal places, it gives it a more realistic view.
Click to expand...
That's the problem though :)

The two decimal places may look nice (probably the reason the programmer put them in :))... but they actually make it less realistic. Why? Because the voice is telling you "one" second is left when you're being shown there's TWO seconds left (or at least 1.99 etc)... ie: The unnecessary decimal places throw the whole count off by basically a second. Remove them, and everything click back into a logical approach.

...which brings back full circle to the first post of this thread of course... (lop off the decimal places, and voila, it all just works)

anthonycsheehy said:
...is off?

At 4.9 she says "Four"
At 3.9 she says "Three"
At 2.9 she says "Two"
At 1.9 she says "One"
then at 1 she says "Engage"

It's a small thing, and maybe I kinda understand why it's like that. Every now and then though I find myself muttering to her: "Get the numbers right, woman!"
Click to expand...
 
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Slippery Jim DiGriz

Slippery Jim DiGriz
When a player is over 5000Ly from Sol and has been playing for over 3 hours without a break and it's after midnight local time, there should be a minuscule chance for the countdown to go:

Four
Three
Seven
One
Engage

Let's see how many players can be driven (even more) insane.
_______________

Re the OP, I noticed it from the beginning and was sorely vexed, but after a few thousand jumps I really don't care any more.
 

Magic Man

Magic Man
Geez, people are getting "confused" and bothered by this? Really? It's a countdown that the ship AI just happens to also announce. She says "Engage" and we engage, it hardly requires pin point, to the hundredth of a second accuracy on her announcements really does it...?
 
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Ydiss

Ydiss
What I really like is how people took this seriously enough to analyse it in precise detail.

No other community like this one. Love you guys.
 
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Agarthan

Agarthan
anthonycsheehy said:
...is off?

At 4.9 she says "Four"
At 3.9 she says "Three"
At 2.9 she says "Two"
At 1.9 she says "One"
then at 1 she says "Engage"

It's a small thing, and maybe I kinda understand why it's like that. Every now and then though I find myself muttering to her: "Get the numbers right, woman!"
Click to expand...

[video=youtube;6f2-XlVHGcc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f2-XlVHGcc[/video]
 
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Axelmathew

A
I myself have turned most of those announcement sounds off, I think only ones that i have on is target shields, under attack, and fuelscooping+ fuel tank notifications. I hated the new female sound of the computer, the one in beta was better for my ear.
Current one sounds like angry middle age lady "Nagging mode activated". Just my opinion though! :D
 
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