I like the idea of autopilot using nav beacons. It could be a plotting option on the galaxy map. That way, you don't want it, you don't use it.
I would love a NPC Helmsman
- Thread starter lysan
- Start date
Jenner
I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
That's why I don't explore.
But seriously - if the process of jumping is not interesting or entertaining the solution is to make it entertaining, not to eliminate any player involvement entirely. Games are supposed to have interesting choices all the time for players.
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Like the Docking Computer, you should have the option to use or not use this. Suffering Purists can suffer long-range travel as they like. Those who prefer not to suffer as much can do so, and everybody is happy.
I disagree.
If you're going through systems without actually exploring or in the very least honking, you're not exploring anything. This only affects travel, not exploration. The OP is not asking for the ship to auto-scan the systems.
I am somewhat divided regarding having autopilot, currently don't have a strong opinion one way or the other, but exploration is not really affected in the slightest by this.
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I'm good with that. As soon as the ship hits a system without a beacon, it drops out of auto pilot.
I'd also stipulate no auto fuel scooping.
Except that getting to somewhere far away should mean something, even if it's just an endurance run.
This is what I meant in my first post.
There are so many things that can be automated in this game but what will you have then?
I can see why people think jumping 30 times to get from A to B is boring but how often do you have to jump that many times except when exploring?
I like the idea of what was mentioned before, make jumping a mini game, when doing good you jump three jumps ahead, you do bad or nothing you just make the first following jump.
Plotting a course and just press autojump goes to far imho.
The game design intent is not to just make travel take certain time.
The intent is to make you *work* all of that time (even if its very menial/repetitive "work").
This is (allegedly) to provide "more sense of accomplishment" if you actually get something (e.g. discover new unexplored system) for doing all this "work".
(p.s. I am just saying its a game design logic behind this, no that its good/appropriate).
Why not have it set to 5 jumps at a time with a 5 minute cool down. The cool down would encourage you to actually explore the system in sc, refuel, and plot your next destination. Pressing the fsd button every time isn't gameplay and neither is autopilot but at least I wouldn't feel like im wasting my time as much. Auto jump would be even better if there was something else we could do while the computer is jumping. Not necessarily during load screens but the bits before and after.
Nobody is asking for an autopilot to colonia. We are talking about automating the most dull part of the game. It’s an auto jump feature what’s being ask here, not an auto-fuelscoop or an auto-honk.
There’s already enought elements in the game to prevent people from playing AFK even with an autopilot. From limited fuel deposits to pirates.
I'll blame it on Monday because today was difficult.. but I can't tell if you're agreeing with me or not.
You hate pressing J 30,000 times; so do I .. so I proposed a system with a single jump to a destination that takes the same amount of time and fuel to complete as if you were doing it manually.
Surprise, a lot of this game is about slowing you down.
Look at it at your own peril since you won't be able to unsee it
I don't agree with that, because it would make the galaxy smaller, what I'm asking for is a way to make the grinding of travel
less grinding, by removing the grinding mechanics manually micro manage each and every jump.
Give it to a NPC, we pay them a salary, they got different skills, maybe if they are not very good you end up in the wrong place, however
the aim is to make the game less grindy in an area we use 90% of the time.
How to get there can be discussed. (NPC, AP)
A part of being tedious to press 15,000 times the HyperJump button, it is irrealistic. Really you can travel through stars and black holes but you can't follow a route automatically as a XIX century aircraft or a modern Google Car ? maybe adding unexpected events during autopilot (as in real life) can hold the attention to the game without making you to watch an entire serie on Netflix meanwhile you are travelling to Beagle Point or Colonia in a brainless rush.
You are saying you want to make it AFK activity, kind of long-range supercruise.
Where you can just have game running in background and do something else, just keeping eye on game window in case something happens.
I can tell you that FDev are not very receptive to such possibility and they always will try to eliminate whenever they spring up, not to mention actually introduce them.
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I guess I don't see the different between a single jump taking 25 minutes, or multiple jumps to the same destination taking the same amount of time.
No scale lost (for me).
What if Witchspace was turned into more of a mini-game.. requiring user input to keep your course true and steady (NPC's can fill this roll if you want to take a break). (As I suggested) You could travel to System 25 in 25 minute; but it would require constant input from either the Cmdr, or the NPC.
NPC skill determines how well (s)he pilots through Witchspace.
Inside Witchspace could be pockets of sub-space that disrupt your FSD. Gravity wells threaten to pull you out of Witchspace.
NPC/Cmdr's entering Witchspace might need to be avoided (highly rare incident, but could be interesting).
In certain areas, you must avoid a form of Witchspace interdiction by Thargoids - even players could have a "spacial interdiction unit."
The longer you stay in Witchspace, the farther you travel but also the more dangerous it gets
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I'm not getting this idea...the game is based on travel in space and space is big and empty. What you are asking for is to have autodriving for a truck simulation program. It changes the complete nature of the game. You might just as well point where you want to go...pay credits to get your ship there...then close out the game and come back when your ship arrives.
Honestly? This isn't about making people play my way. I just don't see why anyone would want to play this game if they didn't enjoy the flying/movement restrictions. I'm all about instant transfers of ships to places, once you have arrived at a place...but this type of request is different..it's a complete rejection of the games design...and if it is that bothersome...why bother with the game?
That's why I don't explore.
But seriously - if the process of jumping is not interesting or entertaining the solution is to make it entertaining, not to eliminate any player involvement entirely. Games are supposed to have interesting choices all the time for players.
Or add stuff around it. 'walking' isnt super exciting in Skyrim, so they added an 'auto walk' button and made sure stuff happens while you are walking. The problem with ED is that absolutely nothing happens when traveling in deep space. Making 'walking' more interesting wont cut it, stuff needs to happen. Its with every sci-fi game/book/movie/whatever. You travel, and then stuff happens. Its not just an endless string of 'well plotted, navigator!'. Currently, exploring in ED is like Lord of the Rings, but without the ring. Or Lord.
I guess we have a different idea of 'accomplishment' and 'achievement'. People are free to do whatever they want of course, but just pressing one button over and over and over again, thousands upon thousands of times, isnt an 'achievement' or accomplishment in my book, nor does it deserve 'respect'. And the idea that that achievement, whatever it is, is 'removed' when other people chose different ways is also beyond me. Walking from Berlin to Beijing didnt became less of an achievement just because you can take a plane.
But I guess we have the ED equivalent of people trying to ban planes because it devalues their long walks.
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Travel needs to be more engaging, not less. One of the game's basic premises is that it's set in a scale model of the galaxy. Our agency in the travel mechanisms needs to be made more detailed, not to make it even thinner than it is now. There are some good ideas in this thread about adding gameplay loops into the inter-system travel mechanisms that can affect your outcomes. We need this kind of addition to the game to spice up the jump. Han Solo gameplay, so we don't bounce too close to a supernova.
That said, I'm not really against some form of autopilot for the bubble based on functional nav beacons; that's not going to affect my game in the least unless I become a pirate in which case autopilot on other peoples' ships is the best. IDK if it'd be more interesting to lay down some actual routing or whether that would be too limiting as a concept for the people really looking for autopilot to save them from the evil "j". Personally I think a bunch of well-known galactic routes flying through important hisec populated systems seems like it could create some interesting galactic texture. Layering the choices by safety might also be fun.
In either roadway or bubble versions though, I wouldn't want autopilot to extend to systems with no or compromised nav beacons, or to an insane range like bubble-to-Colonia. For the long-distance haters of the "j", I can only look forward to more interesting dynamics added to exploration and jumping. Automating the routing to wherever is just too far imo. Pressing a button for 3 hours is kind of meh gameplay really but having the computer press it for you seems equally meh. Exploration needs more exploration to it so that a single action doesn't become a focal point of exasperation in the first place.
That said, I'm not really against some form of autopilot for the bubble based on functional nav beacons; that's not going to affect my game in the least unless I become a pirate in which case autopilot on other peoples' ships is the best. IDK if it'd be more interesting to lay down some actual routing or whether that would be too limiting as a concept for the people really looking for autopilot to save them from the evil "j". Personally I think a bunch of well-known galactic routes flying through important hisec populated systems seems like it could create some interesting galactic texture. Layering the choices by safety might also be fun.
In either roadway or bubble versions though, I wouldn't want autopilot to extend to systems with no or compromised nav beacons, or to an insane range like bubble-to-Colonia. For the long-distance haters of the "j", I can only look forward to more interesting dynamics added to exploration and jumping. Automating the routing to wherever is just too far imo. Pressing a button for 3 hours is kind of meh gameplay really but having the computer press it for you seems equally meh. Exploration needs more exploration to it so that a single action doesn't become a focal point of exasperation in the first place.
Or add stuff around it. 'walking' isnt super exciting in Skyrim, so they added an 'auto walk' button and made sure stuff happens while you are walking. The problem with ED is that absolutely nothing happens when traveling in deep space. Making 'walking' more interesting wont cut it, stuff needs to happen. Its with every sci-fi game/book/movie/whatever. You travel, and then stuff happens. Its not just an endless string of 'well plotted, navigator!'. Currently, exploring in ED is like Lord of the Rings, but without the ring. Or Lord.
I guess we have a different idea of 'accomplishment' and 'achievement'. People are free to do whatever they want of course, but just pressing one button over and over and over again, thousands upon thousands of times, isnt an 'achievement' or accomplishment in my book, nor does it deserve 'respect'. And the idea that that achievement, whatever it is, is 'removed' when other people chose different ways is also beyond me. Walking from Berlin to Beijing didnt became less of an achievement just because you can take a plane.
But I guess we have the ED equivalent of people trying to ban planes because it devalues their long walks.
If the point of the game is walking...then taking a plane breaks the game. Getting to Beigjing in 12 hours by plane won't get you into the Guinness Book of World Records for the shortest time having walked there.
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