Horizons So I hear you don't like the SRV [VIDEO]

After reading some negative feedback on the SRV, I decided to put together some clips demonstrating how fun it can be, and leave some tips in the post rather than narrating the video.

Without meaning to offend anyone directly, I've surmised that the negative comments are from inexperienced or timid drivers - and those who don't understand the vehicle. When you first get into the SRV, it's easy to find yourself putting along afraid to go too fast, spin out, or blow up. But because of the loose handling, aerial maneuverability and jets constantly pushing you up, the SRV can be one of the most fun activities of ED, far surpassing the fun of space flight. A lot of people mistake it for a moon buggy and drive across some flat terrain - getting bored easily. You can make the activity of driving the SRV very fun, beyond not just farming FSD upgrades.

I've chosen to do the video on low gravity terrain, because it sounded like that is the most trouble for players. The same principles apply in high gravity, except large drops and impacts will hurt a bit more. Low gravity is good for practicing as it is more playful and forgiving.

Basic Tips
  • At slow speeds, aggressive turning is fine, but at high speeds you will want to make small corrections. The combination of uneven ground and aggressive turns will have you doing donuts or rolling across the surface.
  • Bind your handbrake. It’s very useful for regaining control while skipping down a slope.
  • Bind your lights. In flat lighting, turning them on will help you see surface contours.
  • Turn Assist Off(it’s a preference for me).
    - Drive Assist Off: You have direct control of the throttle and brake, much like an actual car.
    - Drive Assit On: The throttle operates the same as in a ship, by setting a desired speed. I find this to be less than ideal because in the SRV you are more actively controlling throttle and brake than in the ship.
  • Make sure you use headlook. If you end up mid air moving sideways, you can use this to align yourself with the ground to land.


Air Control:
  • The SRV is most easy to control mid air, but frequently you'll find yourself propelled in an unintended rotation. Learning to recover is important.
  • Learn to recover from spins. I like to point the nose at the ground and spin until I am facing in such a direction that if I look ‘up’ at the SRV ceiling (while it is pointed at the surface) I am moving forward. Then I pull the nose up to align with my trajectory.
  • Practice flips, spins,rolling and recovering. Accidents will happen, it’s better to be able to recover from it than it is to worry about avoiding it.

Cliffs:

  • Learn to judge your distances and approximate how far you can make it with the gravity pulling you down.
  • Don’t be afraid to test your limits and see how you can make it down (or up).
  • This can be very fun, where in some cases you feel like a mini fighter jet cruising through canyons.


Slopes:

  • Learn to ‘skip’ the vehicle as you head down a slope fast.
  • The long you wait before touching down, the higher chance you have of damage. When you touch the ground, you stabilize and slow a little bit.

Things to try:
  • See how long you can stay inverted going downhill.
  • Practice flips. Make sure to guage whether or not you can pull another consecutive rotation before trying them.
  • Practice going out of control and then recovering.
  • Fly around and find rough terrain, or canyons and jump in or across.


Enjoy!


Res available up to 4K!
[video=youtube;kHZugYQscNM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZugYQscNM[/video]
 
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Dangit, I need to drive the SRV more. Bouncing down those canyons looks like a blast.

Whats the actual difference between Drive assist On/Off?

Also whats that popup menu you use in the video?
 
Dangit, I need to drive the SRV more. Bouncing down those canyons looks like a blast.

Whats the actual difference between Drive assist On/Off?

Also whats that popup menu you use in the video?

SRV is truly a blast for me.

Drive Assist On: You have direct control of the throttle and brake, much like an actual car.
Drive Assit Off: The throttle operates the same as in a ship, by setting a desired speed. I find this to be less than ideal because in the SRV you are more actively controlling throttle and brake than in the ship.

The menu is from Steam Controller. A few of those controls or infrequently used commands like zoom,silent running,cargo hatch, landing gear, etc... and the rest change the entire control scheme: Flight,driving,docking,map. It's a very cool device with tons of key mapping options - i've since put away my joystick and moved to playing on the couch rather than the desk :)
 
Dangit, I need to drive the SRV more. Bouncing down those canyons looks like a blast.

Whats the actual difference between Drive assist On/Off?

Also whats that popup menu you use in the video?

Drive assist on is cruise control, you set it to a desired speed and the SRV tries to match that speed by increasing throttle. The problem is that this can lead to 100% force which will let your wheels spin and you'll loose control. Drive assist off lets you control throttle directly. If you are using a gamepad you can also control the SRV like you would drive in a racing game with drive assist off.
 
I love the SRV, we just need the next size up... Come on guy's 3 sets of 6 wheels - 15 meters long, 5 meters high, 3 meters wide, 16 ton cargo hold... with op. hover mode like G.E.V. ???
 
you have drive assist on and off backwards. On means your set your speed like cruise control, off means you have control over the throttle
 
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