EET display is useless.

[GraXXoR]

Where does it say that it is estimated arrival time?... I see it as a time to reach a target at current speed... Which is what it is, no more, no less.

Thus, just keep it above 5 seconds and you'll not over shoot... It's not rocket science. Also, it's impossible to predict arrival time if you're not an autopilot because you could alter your speed at any time.

Seriously, if you get a bit of experience, you'll learn the drill... ah 45 seconds and 700 ls... that's about 3 minutes, then.

 

[The space tyrant]

I am not offended by your opinion of the timer, I am trying to shed some light on it for you.

Let me point something out: To you the OP

The indicator tells you exactly how long it's going to take at that precise moment in time, going at your exact speed, using the exact distance to your target, since you are always accelerating or decelerating the timer changes.

It really is that simple



You don't even use the timer? You use distance? LOL

I really dislike heated seats in cars, I own a moterbike

Once again, I covered everything you said in my original post. Lol, 99% of this thread would be unnecessary if people read the post they are responding to...

My point still stands: The game attempts to display an EET to the player, but is unable to do so correctly given the nature of how our ships travel.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

This community is truly hilarious....lol

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Lol... once again, another repeat of something I pointed out in the original post IE: How the display currently operates and why it doesn't work for us.

The fact remains, the EET will never be accurate based on how our ships travel, and it serves no purpose.

Let me edit your post and just say it doesn't work for you. Assuming you represent everyone when you've already had 3 people pose the opposite opinion and point out how they use that particular "useless" device to great effect is rather odd (using the politest term... The others I have would get a moderator involved however justified they may be).

I can only assume that you either don't understand or don't care about other people's views as posted above alongside my own or that you are ignoring them, that ignoring thing is now mutual, have a nice day

 

[GodBlock]

I tried to shed light on it and your brick wall like stubbornness has made me walk away

fly safe cmdr o7

 

[777Driver]

Where does it say that it is estimated arrival time?

It simply gives you an accurate time to destination based on your current velocity, in supercruise we are in a constant state of acceleration or deceleration, hence why we use the 7 second rule.

The only time it actually works as a meaningful display of time to destination is when flying at a constant velocity, I often use the timer when flying between surface ports in normal space, or orbital cruise between ports at a fixed throttle setting. The timer will tick down correctly because velocity is constant.

 

[The space tyrant]

Let me edit your post and just say it doesn't work for you. Assuming you represent everyone when you've already had 3 people pose the opposite opinion and point out how they use that particular "useless" device to great effect is rather odd (using the politest term... The others I have would get a moderator involved however justified they may be).

I can only assume that you either don't understand or don't care about other people's views as posted above alongside my own or that you are ignoring them, that ignoring thing is now mutual, have a nice day

Sorry that I made you guys emotional with my minor critique of this game.

I take back everything I said. This game is perfect down to the tiniest detail and nothing needs to be changed or altered in the slightest. Anyone who feels otherwise is an enemy.



Lol

 

[The space tyrant]

Not crucial, but the formula could be altered to give you a dynamic estimated enroute time. Rather than a flat estimated enroute time based on a fixed speed you'll never actually be traveling at.

 

[MickyG1982]

Not crucial, but the formula could be altered to give you a dynamic estimated enroute time. Rather than a flat estimated enroute time based on a fixed speed you'll never actually be traveling at.

So therefore make it useless to the 99% of us that understand how to use it in its current form...

How is that an improvement?

 

[Eloy]

Ok. I suggest a second timer with an actual arrivel time WHEN NOT CHANGING THRUST, counting in all that automated acceleration and deceleration.

Both have their purpose.

First: Is my thrust ok?
Second: When will I arrive, ACTUALLY?

What we have is the first one, it's a theoretical EET which is never real, well you know what I mean. I'd like to see the second variant too.

 

[sqzbox1]

The arrogance is strong in this one.

 

[DukeIronHand]

Lol... once again, another repeat of something I pointed out in the original post IE: How the display currently operates and why it doesn't work for us.

The fact remains, the EET will never be accurate based on how our ships travel, and it serves no purpose.

Oh boy.
I really must need more coffee as your complaint seems as pointless as you claim the EET is.

It's working just fine and makes perfect sense to me and is very useful. With the things that could certainly use a "developer look at" the features people whinge about is always surprising. Is it a post count thing?

 

[Matt Harpring]

So we need to have a redundant HUD readout because players can't be bothered to figure out how to keep their velocity at 10% of the distance to target? I can't do mental math to save my life and it's a cakewalk.

I didn't have an opinion before, I didn't learn the 7 second trick until recently and I can already accurately predict my ETA. After reading this thread, I want this change.

 

[Achilles7]

Sorry that I made you guys emotional with my minor critique of this game.

I take back everything I said. This game is perfect down to the tiniest detail and nothing needs to be changed or altered in the slightest. Anyone who feels otherwise is an enemy.



Lol

Now that's more like it...let that be a lesson to you!

Btw if you want to see Alex, tune in to the live stream tonight - he's always there <yawn>..a bit like a stalker..although due to the restraining order, he won't be able to get within 250m of ED employees' ships.

 

[DukeIronHand]

So we need to have a redundant HUD readout because players can't be bothered to figure out how to keep their velocity at 10% of the distance to target? I can't do mental math to save my life and it's a cakewalk.

I didn't have an opinion before, I didn't learn the 7 second trick until recently and I can already accurately predict my ETA. After reading this thread, I want this change.

Well if you want it gone that's good enough for me. Especially with the solid reasons you brought forth.
All hail!

 

[babelfisch]

Once again, I covered everything you said in my original post. Lol, 99% of this thread would be unnecessary if people read the post they are responding to...

My point still stands: The game attempts to display an EET to the player, but is unable to do so correctly given the nature of how our ships travel.

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This community is truly hilarious....lol

No, it doesn't attempt to display an EET. That's what everyone tries to tell you but since you aren't listening you don't get it. Nothing hilarious about people trying to help you understand why your idea isn't necessarily a good one.

Sorry that I made you guys emotional with my minor critique of this game.

I take back everything I said. This game is perfect down to the tiniest detail and nothing needs to be changed or altered in the slightest. Anyone who feels otherwise is an enemy.



Lol

You are the only one being emotional.

 

[Matt Harpring]

Well if you want it gone that's good enough for me.
All hail!

I guess that was a little strongly worded. Point taken. That autopilot debate was very frustrating to be on the wrong side of and it's 4am where I am.

I'm also having the sneaking suspicion that any minute now, folks are going to start telling me "elite might not be the right game for [me]" since every opinion (not just AP) that I've agreed with for the past week or so has been referred to as an instant win button or drowned by oceans of breathless hyperbole.

It's scary to find out ive been playing the wrong game after sinking 5 weeks game time into it.

 

[Tusken]

A actual indication of a estimated time to arrival would be a mess. It sounds good but is more involving the the OP seems to realise.
To even start the calculation you will need a route to calculate.

Example:
From a star you want to travel to a moon orbiting a gas giant. You sellect your target, witch happens to be behind the gas giant.
ETA: infinite.
Because you can't fly threu the gas giant.

Sure the computer could assume you fly around it, but how you do that can have a hudge effect on your ETA.
If the path you chose is allong some of the other moons it will inhibit your speed.

So no SC route planner, no propper ETA.

 

[DukeIronHand]

I guess that was a little strongly worded. Point taken. That autopilot debate was very frustrating to be on the wrong side of and it's 4am where I am.

I'm also having the sneaking suspicion that any minute now, folks are going to start telling me "elite might not be the right game for [me]" since every opinion (not just AP) that I've agreed with for the past week or so has been referred to as an instant win button or drowned by oceans of breathless hyperbole.

It's scary to find out ive been playing the wrong game after sinking 5 weeks game time into it.

Sounds like we must be neighbors as it is 0400 for me also. No worries Cmdr. The texted word is most inefficient.
Fly well and have some fun. And it's not the wrong game - just find your niche and go for it. Plenty of things to do.

 

[Sapyx]

The ETA countdown timer, as it is currently implemented, is a holdover from the ETA timer that was present in the two previous incarnations of the game.

In FE2 and FFE, flight was pure Newtonian - you accelerated until you hit your desired speed. The ETA timer was more relevant, becasue unless you were in some kind of all-fired hurry and were wasting fuel like you had a quota to use up, then you spent a considerable portion of your travelling time coasting, engines off, at constant speed. Also, being a single-player game, it had time dilation, so a week-long journey from Pluto to Earth didn't actually have to take a week, game-time. The ETA clock helped you in converting in-game times and distances into something practical.

Even so, it was never a 100% reliable estimator of travel time, especially at the end of the journey when you were constantly decelerating. But even though it wasn't accurate at actually measuring ETA, it was still useful. I presume this is why the feature was kept for ED.

 

[[VR] Frank_G]

Ships in supercruise are controlled by setting an acceleration behavior for the acceleration curve, which is constantly adjusted by the gravitational field surroundling the ship. Arrival estimation is a guess, based on the factors at at the actual moment. If acceleration, gravity and other factors wouldnt change, the currently displayed time would be acurate if counted down.

It is up to the pilot, to understand these factors and the data displayed and make use of it. I for myself make good use of it to estimate acceleration when avoiding or escaping interdictions, gain speed for slingshots, prevent overshooting and other things. Its a time value, not a clock.