I would love a NPC Helmsman

[Jex =TE=]

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

Turrets and Gimballs too as well as the course plotter - that should be manual too shouldn't it?

I mean why should you get 1000 stars to plot a route when you should have to spend the effort manually plotting each system?

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

I'd have no objections to FDev removing it.

FE2 and FFE both had AP's - it's canon.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

It's not an opinion - that's exactly what your argument is.

Oh, now you're telling me what my opinion is?

There's no talking to you when you're like this.

 

[Jex =TE=]

Oh, now you're telling me what my opinion is?

There's no talking to you when you're like this.

Like what - on point and sticking to facts? No, there is no talking to me when your argument has ran out of steam but that's true of anyone and any argument. All you've said so far is that you don't like it so let's not have it - that isn't an argument.

 

[Mengy]

Then you need to understand that travel is already trivial - how is it not? You press J and that's it. So an AP doesn't make an already trivial thing any more trivial but it cuts down on the pointless J pressing.

Maybe YOU just press J while traveling, but I do much more than just that:

1. Jump into new system
2. Scoop fuel
3. Glance at NAV board for any odd signals
4. Press J to begin next jump
5. Quick look over system map to see if there is anything interesting
6. Now, either cancel JUMP to explore, or
7. JUMP.

That's my routine for every single jump. Much more involved than simply pressing the J button...

 

[Cageman]

Maybe YOU just press J while traveling, but I do much more than just that:

1. Jump into new system
2. Scoop fuel
3. Glance at NAV board for any odd signals
4. Press J to begin next jump
5. Quick look over system map to see if there is anything interesting
6. Now, either cancel JUMP to explore, or
7. JUMP.

That's my routine for every single jump. Much more involved than simply pressing the J button...

Yes... and this is something I do when I explore... I would not use an AP when I want to explore.

What you do, however, does not conflict with the proposed idea of what an AP would do, and, again, it has to be a player choice to activate the AP or not.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Yes... and this is something I do when I explore... I would not use an AP when I want to explore.

What you do, however, does not conflict with the proposed idea of what an AP would do, and, again, it has to be a player choice to activate the AP or not.

So...genuine question here: let's say it takes 10 hours (or whatever) to manually jump a full 10,000Ly route. Would you be ok if the AP took the same amount of time, or even a tad longer (AP playing it safe, etc)?

 

[Jex =TE=]

Maybe YOU just press J while traveling, but I do much more than just that:

1. Jump into new system
2. Scoop fuel
3. Glance at NAV board for any odd signals
4. Press J to begin next jump
5. Quick look over system map to see if there is anything interesting
6. Now, either cancel JUMP to explore, or
7. JUMP.

That's my routine for every single jump. Much more involved than simply pressing the J button...

Because you think that's engaging gameplay. A lot of people find that mind numbingly boring. Odd signals? Those are either data pods or esacpe pods right? That's the variety?

Your "much more than that" equates to hardly anything as each of those things requires zero skill. You forgot holding down the scan-entire-system-I-win-button btw

You fuel scoop, check a couple of things and jump out but that doesn't address someone wanting to get somewhere. Some people find what you are doing is fun, some people find it dull - I assume you're not against the idea of the AP then?

 

[lysan]

You know what? I like that. You still have to be at the controls constantly, you can scoop or not as normal, the only thing you don't have to do is hit the button.

Yep, I'd go for that.

This can already be done by making a voice attack script, the new gameplay should be around NPC Crew and everything involved around them.

Hiring them, Training, keep reputation, that kind of gameplay.

The mechanics to actually lining up and activating the drive should be automated, as a captain you don't micromanage, you monitor and give orders.

 

[Kaltern]

1. Jump into new system
2. Scoop fuel
3. Glance at NAV board for any odd signals
4. Press J to begin next jump
5. Quick look over system map to see if there is anything interesting
6. Now, either cancel JUMP to explore, or
7. JUMP.

None of the above is relevant to auto-jumping, because, if you wanted to DO any of the above, you'd do it anyway.

Auto jumping should be an option. In fact, it would have to be wouldn't it.

With all due respect, this is a non-argument for having an auto jump computer.

 

[Mengy]

Because you think that's engaging gameplay. A lot of people find that mind numbingly boring. Odd signals? Those are either data pods or esacpe pods right? That's the variety?

Your "much more than that" equates to hardly anything as each of those things requires zero skill. You forgot holding down the scan-entire-system-I-win-button btw

You fuel scoop, check a couple of things and jump out but that doesn't address someone wanting to get somewhere. Some people find what you are doing is fun, some people find it dull - I assume you're not against the idea of the AP then?

I'm not stating that exploration doesn't need substantial developnent, it very much does. I'm just stating that your view of traveling is biased by your own contempt for it. There are things to do, you simply choose to ignore and marginalize them.

Maybe base your argument for an AP less on opinion and more on substance?

 

[jonesskill]

I like the AP idea.

Auto pilot will only JUMP, not refuel or explore - just to remember.


For sure i will travel alot more if we have this feature.

 

[lysan]

I would totally accept optional hyper jump autopilot, I dont get any sense of achievement or scale by pressing J like a monkey over and over. To be honest its my least favorite part of the game at this point.



Sadly its true and I dont think you can download it anymore.

There are several options, still available, however that is not the way to do it, as FDEV clearly don't support it.

 

[rp198419]

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

Rubbish. How can we be in the 34th century and not have some kind of autopilot? Absolutely ridiculous.

I fly a Cessna 172 irl and even that has an autopilot.

What is being suggested would not 'cheapen' the game; it may, however, make it much more enjoyable.

Anyway, if you personally still want to press the J button 2,500 times, who's stopping you?

 

[lysan]

Ok so the design isn't broken, you are just guessing and don't enjoy exploring. Should have just said that, the stellar forge is not a feature nobody cares about, it is a feature you seem to know nothing about... Like I said, watch the video once you have some time, you might be quite surprised at what goes on under the hood.

It is an amazing achievement and personally I love to explore, I just don't like to do the same same 15000 times, I fly 5 - 10 hours on AP in FSX and no netflix is involved at all, I do other things while I fly like talking to other pilots ect.

Trips in ED the star jumps are the most boring ones, due to the repetitive mechanics, SC for 40 minutes is actually more "fun" in my opinion.

 

[Jex =TE=]

I'm not stating that exploration doesn't need substantial developnent, it very much does. I'm just stating that your view of traveling is biased by your own contempt for it. There are things to do, you simply choose to ignore and marginalize them.

Maybe base your argument for an AP less on opinion and more on substance?

I've given substance over the last 3 or 4 pages. I marginalise precisely because of your post above - that's not gameplay to many people and as Kaltern pointed out, the AP doesn't even get in the way of that, especially as you can choose not to use the AP

There isn't any depth to what you do. Like I pointed out, in deep space the only signal sources you're going to find are data or escape pods - big deal. Besides, we're talking about moving from A - B - nobody mentioned stopping to "explore".

If there were more exploration content then it makes things completely different

 

[Shinji Ikari]

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.

I have been into many CZs, I've done PvP and I tell you that doesn't matter here in the conversation. If you guys really think exploration should be as active and dangerous as combat then I guess you just bought the wrong game.

Also, the comparison with the FA off and the docking computer is not equal because docking to a station isn't an option, hitting the J key 10000 times is.

 

[Cageman]

So...genuine question here: let's say it takes 10 hours (or whatever) to manually jump a full 10,000Ly route. Would you be ok if the AP took the same amount of time, or even a tad longer (AP playing it safe, etc)?

By design, it would take a bit longer.

1) Fuelscoop... when the ship arrives at the last scoopable star with almost empty fueltank, it will just put the throttle to zero.
2) When in auto mode, it will take a much more safe travel path around a star to line up for the next jump.

You would not use AP if you are in a hurry (just like it is with the DC).

EDIT: This means that your skill in flying close to stars to fuelscoop as much as possible at each star, without losing momentum, will still be a much more efficient way of traveling, timewise.

 

[lysan]

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

I'd have no objections to FDev removing it.

So was AP, just saying.....

 

[GreyAreaUK]

So was AP, just saying.....

Not in the original 1984 game it wasn't.

By design, it would take a bit longer.

1) Fuelscoop... when the ship arrives at the last scoopable star with almost empty fueltank, it will just put the throttle to zero.
2) When in auto mode, it will take a much more safe travel path around a star to line up for the next jump.

You would not use AP if you are in a hurry (just like it is with the DC).

EDIT: This means that your skill in flying close to stars to fuelscoop as much as possible at each star, without losing momentum, will still be a much more efficient way of traveling, timewise.

So essentially to AP would only be for one fuel-tank's worth of flying? At the end of which you'd need to manually refuel and kick it off again?

 

[Cageman]

Not in the original 1984 game it wasn't.



So essentially to AP would only be for one fuel-tank's worth of flying? At the end of which you'd need to manually refuel and kick it off again?

Yeah, according to the the proposed design. It would also be up to the Player to make sure to plot routes that does not lead to brown dwarfs etc, because when the AP notice fuel is starting to get low, it might park at a brown dwarf... and you have to make that call to Fuel Rats.