I would love a NPC Helmsman

[Jex =TE=]

The avoid star, scoop, align & jump are there to give the impression of distance traveled rather than direct gameplay. It also encourages players to choose & tailor their ship to a specific task creating more diversity.
By removing this it allows very specialised builds such as huge freighters or dedicated fighters to move around in an unbalanced way- aim it and go to work and it's all in position for when you get home.

Handy if you fly one of these types of ships but it cheapens the experience for others so I suppose it depends upon how you play the game if you view this as fun way to play or not.

At any point in the galaxy do you feel like you are "far away" from somewhere? To me, I'm just in another part of the galaxy with a trivial space travel mechanic that never fails. All I need to do to get anywhere, 100% safely is hit J over and over.

One question I have though - if you run out of fuel what happens? Assuming the Fuel Rats weren't a thing, what are your options even if you're in a highly inhabited system?

 

[GreyAreaUK]

If most people are explorers, why don't they want exploration improvements then

Improvements to exploration have been pretty much the most requested thing since pretty much forever.

By the way, you've still not answered the 'auto jump on alignment' question.

 

[Jex =TE=]

Hey mate, in complete agreement with you regarding an AP, and this comes from someone that enjoys flying ships, I find it quite strange that automation is lacking. Was just pointing you towards a very interesting video regarding how the stellar forge works, surprised me, I was under the impression a lot of if was just random. Definitely given me a new appreciation of what that dev achieved, the guy is a genius.

I love that kind of thing, I'll watch it later but I'm at work so maybe at luinch time. I love space stuff too but I want stuff IN it. So give me an AP but also give me stuff I can either find or it finds me.

So think about this. An ED universe withthings to find. Now you could go afk on autopilot but then you'd miss everything that came up on your scanner. The AP would become mostly pointless if you just used it to get somewhere because the gameplay would be looking for stuff. So now you have an AP doing the boring turning part but you have scanners you you can go "heads down" in to be looking for things.

An Ap on it's own right now is pretty pointless because there's nothing out there. If there was stuff out there, no AP would just make things even more frustrating as it takes you away from the fun part of looking for stuff with your ships sensors or Mk1 Eyeball.

 

[Jex =TE=]

You want to add a convenience feature that other players "don't have to use". I'm countering it with another one. I feel that both would be bad for the game.

And you didn't answer the 'auto jump on alignment' question.

Would you care to rephrase that in the form of a wager?

Check back on this post for the answer about J ( i added it after I'd submitted the post)https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...features-but?p=6362933&viewfull=1#post6362933

You're countering an AP (which is already in the game) to a mechanic that lets you just instantly get money? They're not even the same thing.

For a start, you'd have to wait 3 days before the money transfered to you do be a comparable argument because an AP doesn't fly you places any quicker.

Then there's the whole credit argument - they're worthless. Ask all the billionaires what they do with their fortunes - absolutely nothing.

 

[Mr Jack Burton]

There are probably more explorers than any other demographic in the playerbase. Are you sure it isn't just something you aren't interested in?

Not interested in grinding a button ?

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Check back on this post for the answer about J ( i added it after I'd submitted the post)https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...features-but?p=6362933&viewfull=1#post6362933

Right, so when you originally implied that it was repeatedly hitting 'j' that was your issue, you actually meant that piloting your spaceship - in a game that's about piloting a spaceship - is your actual issue.

Gotcha.

You're countering an AP (which is already in the game) to a mechanic that lets you just instantly get money? They're not even the same thing.

For a start, you'd have to wait 3 days before the money transfered to you do be a comparable argument because an AP doesn't fly you places any quicker.

There's no significant difference between 'give me a billion now' and 'give me a billion in three days'. Or four days. Or a week. Because you've still not actually earned that billion, it's just been handed to you on a plate.

 

[Jex =TE=]

Right, so when you originally implied that it was repeatedly hitting 'j' that was your issue, you actually meant that piloting your spaceship - in a game that's about piloting a spaceship - is your actual issue.

Gotcha.



There's no significant difference between 'give me a billion now' and 'give me a billion in three days'. Or four days. Or a week. Because you've still not actually earned that billion, it's just been handed to you on a plate.

it's not "piloting" your spaceship to point it at another point in space to then hit J and I've been blatantly clear about the entire process in this thread which you've been reading so don't misrepresent my postion because you don't have one. If you think making a slight adjustment to a course heading is anything but the easiet thing to do then you're no pilot.

Try doing a bad weather landing in a crippled jet in Falcon 4 having to rely on backup instruments because you HUD and MFD's are out and you have less than half a mile visibility. 777 can back me up on my failing memory of what the term is for instrument flying using TACAN as it's been a while since I've done that.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

it's not "piloting" your spaceship to point it at another point in space to then hit J and I've been blatantly clear about the entire process in this thread which you've been reading so don't misrepresent my postion because you don't have one. If you think making a slight adjustment to a course heading is anything but the easiet thing to do then you're no pilot.

Never claimed to be. But it's as close as we actually get in Elite so let's not remove it just because some people find it inconvenient, eh?

 

[Jex =TE=]

There's no significant difference between 'give me a billion now' and 'give me a billion in three days'. Or four days. Or a week. Because you've still not actually earned that billion, it's just been handed to you on a plate.

No and there's no significant point to having a billion credits either. This stil ldoesn't address the fact that a fast track to credits is not the same argmument as using an AP in anyway and I'm not sure how you think that it is - you haven't explained how it is so could you do that please so we can see where you're coming from?

Never claimed to be. But it's as close as we actually get in Elite so let's not remove it just because some people find it inconvenient, eh?

Where did anyone said we're removing it. Can you stop putting words in peoples mouths. So can we NOT automate the most boring part of the game? Why wouldn't you want that as an option?

 

[LUN4T1C]

Its a form of reductio ad absurdum, just ignore. There will be some resistence from people who consider repeatedly pressing 'j' a skill, who are proud of having pressed that button 25000 times and consider that auto-jumping 'devalues' their 'achievements'.

There are many of those people in this game who think every piece of information or hud element others want somehow detracts from the game. I was reading a post on reddit a while back. Someone asked if there was a way to see if and when your fuel runs out when you plan a route. One guy in particular got all defensive "no we don't need more hand holding" So to him it is supposed to be the charm of elite that you have to figure almost everything out by trial and error. For me it is not. We are talking about a game set more than a thousand years in the future. Surely my super modern spaceship can at least have the same functions as a current day middle class car? You have secrets in gameplay ok. But the basic functions should not be secrets. So why no autopilot? Make it like Eve online. You travel slower and if you go through low security areas you have the chance of being interdicted and being dead when you come back. This way you have to plan your route more carefully. And do not gain an advantage over the purists.


i

 

[GreyAreaUK]

No and there's no significant point to having a billion credits either. This stil ldoesn't address the fact that a fast track to credits is not the same argmument as using an AP in anyway and I'm not sure how you think that it is - you haven't explained how it is so could you do that please so we can see where you're coming from?

Where did anyone said we're removing it. Can you stop putting words in peoples mouths. So can we NOT automate the most boring part of the game? Why wouldn't you want that as an option?

Can you tone down the confrontational attitude? It's becoming tedious.

I'm against getting stuff for no effort. A 'give me a billion' button gives you credits for free. An AP gets you to a location with no effort on your part.

 

[Jex =TE=]

Do you ever go into CZ's? Do you ever manually dock (and with FA off)? That's flying if you want it.

You're argument, in real world terms, would be that you're against automating your drive to work because it's really enjoyable being stuck in traffic and an AP would ruin what little driving we get to do.

Not only that, but you'd actively oppose it so nobody else could have it because somehow, everyone else using an AP ruins YOUR enjoyment at being stuck in traffic.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Do you ever go into CZ's? Do you ever manually dock (and with FA off)? That's flying if you want it.

You're argument, in real world terms, would be that you're against automating your drive to work because it's really enjoyable being stuck in traffic and an AP would ruin what little driving we get to do.

Not only that, but you'd actively oppose it so nobody else could have it because somehow, everyone else using an AP ruins YOUR enjoyment at being stuck in traffic.

*shrug* ok, that's your opinion.

My opinion is that an AP would cheapen the game.

 

[Cageman]

I really have never understood the objection to an Auto-J option.

Noone is suggesting:

Auto-Supercruise
Auto-Refuelling
Auto-Mining
Auto-Scanning
Auto-Shooting
Auto-Planetary Landings

None of those. Yet people STILL insist on trying to say that Auto-Jumping means we'd get at least one of those.

Think of it this way. You set a course from say, Sol to Maia. Unless you have fitted a huge number of fueltanks, or you use economy mode, you're very likely to have to refuel at some point. So the Auto-Nav Computer can simply do the following:

Jump to first star in list. IF required, reorient ship past star to next navpoint, and initiate jump. Repeat until almost out of fuel, and at last fuel star. Computer voice warns 'Jumping to Fuel Star' and stops. You refuel, and re-initiate the jump sequence. Repeat until computer reaches final destination star.

If at any point you are interdicted, the computer warns you saying something like 'Warning, interdiction detected, aborting jump sequence' and you take over. You can set other options, for example, heat damage, to also abort the jump sequence.

I fail to see how this is, in any way, a problem. Explorers gain nothing because the scanners won't operate during auto-navigation. Pirates don't lose out because there will always be a short delay between jumps. This isn't easy mode at all - just a slightly more convenient way of getting from A to B. And there's no auto-use of neutron stars because that would be a bit much.

Simply put, A to B manually should always be quicker than automatically. And using this system, it definitely would be.

Oh, and anyone here who believes Auto-Dock should be removed from the game is automatically excluded for having any rational opinion on this....

This is something I have been thinking of as well, regarding an AP for star jumps.

Have some REP!

 

[Jex =TE=]

Can you tone down the confrontational attitude? It's becoming tedious.

I'm against getting stuff for no effort. A 'give me a billion' button gives you credits for free. An AP gets you to a location with no effort on your part.

There's nothing confrontal here. I'm calling out your bad arguments. You say it ruins it for you so nobody else should have it - that's what you've been saying throughout this thread. That you don't like something so noobody else should have it - is that incorrect and if so, what's your actual position?

 

[Marc_Hicks]

By all means, give us NPC crew.....not to simply auto-fly us places, but to be true companions on the trip, as well as taking on some rudimentary tasks......in a similar vein to HCS Voicepacks.

Also, jumping from system to system would be a lot less "tedious" if there was more to differentiate each jump. Perhaps skill based "course plotting" (Astrogation) for entering hyperspace in a way that will reduce fuel use on that jump, or allow you more control over where you enter the next system, or maybe naturally occuring dangers at either end of the jump that require skill to avoid.

 

[Cageman]

*shrug* ok, that's your opinion.

My opinion is that an AP would cheapen the game.

So, a Docking Computer, in your world is also making the game "cheap"?

 

[GreyAreaUK]

There's nothing confrontal here. I'm calling out your bad arguments. You say it ruins it for you so nobody else should have it - that's what you've been saying throughout this thread. That you don't like something so noobody else should have it - is that incorrect and if so, what's your actual position?

My position is that in my opinion (and Jesus Christ, do I have to emphasize that every single time?) it would cheapen the game.

 

[Jex =TE=]

*shrug* ok, that's your opinion.

My opinion is that an AP would cheapen the game.

It's not an opinion - that's exactly what your argument is. It would cheapen the game for you, yes, but then you don't need to use it, so you lose nothing and you can keep steering the ship a few degrees and pressing J a lot - no-one is saying that's going away.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

So, a Docking Computer, in your world is also making the game "cheap"?

A DC at least has canon - it was in the original Elite.

I'd have no objections to FDev removing it.