The Galaxy just got a little less realistic :/

[Ziljan]

From the beta 5 update:

- Fix an over-speed exploit that would let people maintain maximum boost speed indefinitely in flight assist off using transverse thrust

Apparently Newton's First Law of Motion is an now considered an "exploit". Science just died a little today.

 

[Surly_Badger]

Science just died a little today.

Meh. Science already died when chunks of rock knocked off an asteroid float in a semirandom direction for 20 seconds and then mysteriously stop.

 

[Tinman]

From the beta 5 update:



Apparently Newton's First Law of Motion is an now considered an "exploit". Science just died a little today.

As I've already answered in that thread...nothing has changed compared to 1.2.

 

[Ulysses_W]

Agreed. I don't even see the logic behind this design decision.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Meh. Science already died when chunks of rock knocked off an asteroid float in a semirandom direction for 20 seconds and then mysteriously stop.

I prefer the conservation of mass issue. Where you shoot blocks off a rock, and when it is depleted, the rock remains exactly like it was when you started!

Was (partially) joking in IRC today, suggesting they should make mining more like the classic Atari game Asteroids.

 

[Ziljan]

Agreed. I don't even see the logic behind this design decision.

They are trying to force a cap on speed so that predator ships can catch transport ships more easily. They also don't want PvP to be quite as easy to survive. Right now you can get full boost speed and 4 pips to shields at the same time. The T6 will be a much easier target when heading back to the bubble to sell data. Previously you could boost to 406 in a T6 and float away from your attacker while FSD was charging. Not even an FdL could catch you.

- - - Updated - - -

As I've already answered in that thread...nothing has changed compared to 1.2.

Not sure which other post you're referring to. Please explain.

EDIT: Never mind I found it. Very disappointed in FD right now. I thought they were trying to make a realistic galaxy. But if inertia is considered an "exploit" I know who I'm dealing with now.

 

[Roybe]

So is this an exploit from 1.2 repaired or a bug introduced in 1.3?

 

[Ziljan]

To be fair to FD, it seems like they tried to create a realistic game, hot coronas, full inertial modeling, but the players probably revolted and wanted a more intuitive earth like physics even in a micro gravity vacuum. So I guess I don't blame the devs for conceding to unrealistic demands of human intuition. Even Aristotle got it wrong. Still, I think it probably speaks volumes about the state of science education that this silly state of affairs is acceptable.

 

[Zieman]

But if inertia is considered an "exploit" I know who I'm dealing with now.

IIRC the ship's thrusters fire to bleed off the boost speed - lore explanation could be some kind of safety override or whatever.

 

[Allitnil]

It's sort of what we had already though wasn't it? In normal space, thrust should always = acceleration so the very idea of a maximum speed was always bogus. Supercruise is a different matter since that doesn't use Newtonian physics and you can realistically (within a sci-fi universe) largely make up the physics as long as it is internally self-consistent.

 

[Ziljan]

IIRC the ship's thrusters fire to bleed off the boost speed - lore explanation could be some kind of safety override or whatever.

In which case firing lateral thrusters was the override of the safety override. It made logical sense the way it was. Now it is just a bogus override of the laws of physics to fit some arbitrary gameplay design.

 

[Zieman]

some arbitrary gameplay design.

Not arbitrary gameplay design, it is designed so to appease the PvP group who couldn't stand the idea that someone could get away from pew-pew if he/she so wanted.

 

[Ziljan]

Not arbitrary gameplay design, it is designed so to appease the PvP group who couldn't stand the idea that someone could get away from pew-pew if he/she so wanted.

That's a pretty arbitrary constituency if you ask me. What about the people that want to play peacefully and get away? Or the people that like to control the speed of their own ship without the FA nanny-state stepping in?

 

[Ian Doncaster]

To be fair to FD, it seems like they tried to create a realistic game, hot coronas, full inertial modeling, but the players probably revolted and wanted a more intuitive earth like physics even in a micro gravity vacuum.

Hardly. They were pretty clear from before they even had players that they were going for a mostly-cinematic flight model rather than a realistic one. The galaxy generation - a few odd bugs aside - is the only bit that's supposed to be "realistic" in that sense.

Go back a couple of years in the forum - i.e. before anyone outside FD had seen the flight model - and the monster threads weren't Open v Solo but Newtonian v Cinematic.

 

[Cody]

... the monster threads weren't Open v Solo but Newtonian v Cinematic.

<shudders> Ah yes... those were the days!

 

[Zieman]

What about the people that want to play peacefully and get away? Or the people that like to control the speed of their own ship without the FA nanny-state stepping in?

Minority = don't matter. Or if majority, then not vocal enough.

BTW, here's a bit of discussion to wade through (one thread of what Ian Doncaster refers to):
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8179

 

[Ziljan]

Minority = don't matter. Or if majority, then not vocal enough.

BTW, here's a bit of discussion to wade through (one thread of what Ian Doncaster refers to):
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8179

Ok now I am just sad. I understand they could't do a full sim, but did people really want a completely bogus physics engine? Shouldn't flight assist be optional because of the benefits and ease of flying and not mandatory for all because some people wanted a supernatural entity to take the wheel?

 

[Zieman]

Shouldn't flight assist be optional because of the benefits and ease of flying and not mandatory for all because some people wanted a supernatural entity to take the wheel?

IMHO it's good that FA OFF has some restrictions. Like rotation dampening, so you can't turn your ship into a centrifuge.
Some restrictions we just have to accept for the sake of multiplayer. Like top speed in normal flight.
But apart from those restrictions, FA off is still FA OFF.

 

[Mephane]

They are trying to force a cap on speed so that predator ships can catch transport ships more easily.[/COLOR]

I was there back when FAOFF + boost let you maintain full boost speed indefinitely, forever. It was awkward and silly beyond belief, as no one was using boost on its own any more, and no one would travel to a starport, or anywhere in normal flight for that matter, with FAON.

It may be unrealistic, but the way it works now (again), has been working ever since they change it so that in FAOFF the same speed bleed-off occurs as in FAON mode, is the far better, smoother, and interesting gameplay.

 

[Greyhawk]

I love physics but playing a space game with realistic physics is one large exercise in utter and complete total tedium multiplied by the amount of stars in the galaxy and cups of tea I have had in my life.

You seriously want the chunks of rock to fly off at speed so in the 30 seconds it takes to turn your flying brick, every chunk is so far from you it takes 5 minutes just to get to one chunk. By then, the next closest is 10 minutes away....do you really want to take 20 minutes just to line up to dock?