I would love a NPC Helmsman

[Shinji Ikari]

Actually it has been requested many times, however as these requests was made by members of the community who normally is not
24/7 on the forums they quickly disappeared.

Some was requested in the suggestions forum threads.

I don't know but you seem to be one of those and even then, not even 100 people called for it.

Well, sometimes you just need a little glitter

https://78.media.tumblr.com/bd7d69e2adab9d0be9b2fb7913571408/tumblr_p0ejwcOk6X1tovmb9o2_500.gif

No thanks.

 

[Kaltern]

Shame polls were removed... this would help answer the interest for a jump computer...

 

[UNSEENMAN]

I enjoy travelling from system to system when locally but jumping accross the galaxy is a pain when you have no time, sometimes you just want to go to a point and explore that point. If this was real and you want to travel to the edge of the galaxy, you need hibernation and left the NAV system to travel for you... whats the problem?. i work 10 hour days, i dont want to come home and make 4 month of stupids boring jumps to reach Colonia. i'm now in the middle of Bubble - Sagitarius A, traveling again to Colonia.... from September 2017 omg¡


So, Autopilot? yes, but not instantaneus.

 

[Mr Jack Burton]

I would love this optional game mechanic. I served on a real ship, and this is exactly what a ship's captain does - he gives appropriate orders to his crew, and then he goes off and luxuriates in his cabin until he gets the call, "Captain to the bridge!" Now obviously he has duties, but the captain isn't the one stuck in the pilot's seat for the entire duration of the trip, I can tell you that right now.

I do believe this game mechanic needs stipulations. It can't be "fast travel", it must happen in real time just as if a human pilot was flying. It should only be available in ships that have multiple seats, and perhaps smaller ships like the Cobra should have a time limit before it's your turn to take the helm. In the Cobra, the NPC is the copilot. Larger ships like the Conda would have a full crew, so there you wouldn't need to take the helm. I do think NPCs should be able to perform system scans, but not surface scans. Instead there should be customizable filters that hands control back over to the CMDR. "Commander, we have detected an earth-like world in this system. What are your orders?" NPCs should not be able to evade interdictions, and one might argue that an NPC needs to be Elite rank to use neutron star jet cones. You get the point.

Many of you just want to be space truckers, and that's fine for you, but some of us want to be actual commanders of a spaceship with a crew. As for reading a book, I'd much rather be reading an ED novel in my "captain's quarters" while my NPC handles monotonous jumps, to eventually be interrupted by, "Commander, you need to take a look at this!" Of course, I can tell my NPC at any time, "I want to fly the ship for awhile. You're dismissed, lieutenant."

+1 This is how I would like to feel, like a ship commander, not flying a spacecar with less features than a modern Audi A8

[video=youtube_share;cJZfUBHYE-k]https://youtu.be/cJZfUBHYE-k[/video]

 

[lysan]

I don't know but you seem to be one of those and even then, not even 100 people called for it.



No thanks.

How many called for ship transfer? most people just agree it's a good Idea but don't really go on the forums, just like space legs, only a few actually what it, however if you made a survey among the players my guess would be 70% would like it in the game.

There should be a real concern if this could ruin anyone else's game play, but it wont, so by clinging to some old mechanics just to keep people away from enjoying the game seems really weird to me.
This was what we talked about in the QoL improvements of the game, this would be one of those improvements.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

How many called for ship transfer? most people just agree it's a good Idea but don't really go on the forums, just like space legs, only a few actually what it, however if you made a survey among the players my guess would be 70% would like it in the game.

There should be a real concern if this could ruin anyone else's game play, but it wont, so by clinging to some old mechanics just to keep people away from enjoying the game seems really weird to me.
This was what we talked about in the QoL improvements of the game, this would be one of those improvements.

I'll agree to disagree, to this point I can only hope FD know what they are doing.

 

[Dagwit]

I've just looked at this thread so maybe I've missed something but:

People are talking about automating long sequences of jumps. If you're doing long sequences of jumps you're fuel scooping at all or most stars. Fuel scooping's not a matter just of pressing a sequence of buttons - in fact you don't press any buttons at all. It's a piloting skill which probably shouldn't be automated even if it could be.

 

[Strangepork]

First the good stuff, I love the Chieftain, wonderful ship, almost perfect in my opinion.
The Engineers seems to be great too, I only did a few upgrades however the system where you can't go back, is good because you need to grind less. Material broker great = less grinding=more freedom.

And that is what it is about, having fun, less grinding more gameplay. There I was, toddling around in the galaxy, doing stuff, having a good time testing the new features. Then I decided to travel a bit further away from my spawn point, and I remember why I gave ED a pause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYYQDaNgqQ

Turn ship towards star, press (J) to jump repeat and raise 30 time until arriving at destination!
NO WAY MAN, i ain't gonna do that, it's just horrible.

No I don't mind the time to travel, in fact I love the long traveling times, I don't mind the distance in the game, in fact i love the 1:1 galaxy. What I don't like is why I simply can't ask my NPC helmsman to follow my plotted course and tell me when I arrive, and if attacked by pirates tell me, so i can do something, or if we run out of fuel, tell me so i can do something, but for christ sake, don't make me jump manually as it can bring any sane person close to insanity. So I logged out, and played a game where I ride a camel or horse in a huge world to explore, and it got auto camel/horse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg0hic8d-HY

Cool idea, a positive natural extention of the real-time in game timers, you set a course for Colonia, log out for 15 hours and you are there. If that's what you mean.

 

[Old Duck]

It's a piloting skill which probably shouldn't be automated even if it could be.

Can't be any harder than landing on uneven planets with various gravitational forces. "SRV -> Recall Ship"

Not that I'm a big fan of this dismiss and recall ship feature (I think that too should be reserved for a NPC copilot / crew).

 

[Rafe Zetter]

So let's not make it any lesser, eh?

because pressing j every 40 secons is SOOOO fulfilling.

How many times have you read players saying they watch netflix or read or whatever while doing long supercruises.. this is no different.

It's a game mechanic that's suffered, not enjoyed, as entertaining as the results of eating bad fish. Experienced because you've got no choice, not because it's "fun".

 

[Susanna]

W3 got auto-follow-roads, Skyrim has auto-walk/run etc. I agree with the OP.

Ah. The autopilot thread again. This has <very sadly> been shot down so many times, I've lost count. One guy swore blind it would never happen (I took a screen grab of his post so that I can post it back to him when ED finally gets an autopilot).

.......... Bides time until the inevitable happens... Eventually, unless the 'time for ship transfer' people have another poke at this issue again.

 

[Mr Jack Burton]

I've just looked at this thread so maybe I've missed something but:

People are talking about automating long sequences of jumps. If you're doing long sequences of jumps you're fuel scooping at all or most stars. Fuel scooping's not a matter just of pressing a sequence of buttons - in fact you don't press any buttons at all. It's a piloting skill which probably shouldn't be automated even if it could be.

Fules scooping requires only a module, not piloting skills. Do you need piloting skills to refuel your car ? Do you consider it a challenging task ?

 

[lysan]

Cool idea, a positive natural extention of the real-time in game timers, you set a course for Colonia, log out for 15 hours and you are there. If that's what you mean.

Not really, you will need to be present online in the game, however you can focus on other things, and by that i don't suggest netflix.

I've just looked at this thread so maybe I've missed something but:

People are talking about automating long sequences of jumps. If you're doing long sequences of jumps you're fuel scooping at all or most stars. Fuel scooping's not a matter just of pressing a sequence of buttons - in fact you don't press any buttons at all. It's a piloting skill which probably shouldn't be automated even if it could be.

Nothing to do with fuel scooping, this mechanics should be untouched.
The idea is to give the option to automate the repetitive task of star jumping, example included.

Let me take a small detour of this subject.

Trading, trading in ED is very basic, in fact we use many 3rd party tools to do trading in ED, should we remove those too? because
what we got in the game should be enough and why do you need any 3rd party tools to trade in ED?

Planetary navigation tools, tools made by 3rd part to support in navigating on planets, should we remove those too, is it cheating, do they remove anything from those who do not use them?

If you can answer no to these, you can also say that adding a NPC Helmsman or a module would not make the game less interresting
to those not using it, it will also not add anything to those using it in terms of advances to other players. It will only make the game
more interresting to play as you don't need to do something that is utterly repetitive and very boring.

I do not suggest a feature that would make the game easier, nor do I suggest it to be something like ship transfer. It should take the same time or even a bit more by traveling manually, and you should be in game.

The example is in this video, and you should take a look.

[video=youtube;XcHy6V7qUKo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcHy6V7qUKo[/video]

 

[o2thaZ]

Auto pilot is very easily made from a bunch of macros.
Maybe OP should look at that option.

 

[Ian Skippy]

I would love this optional game mechanic. I served on a real ship, and this is exactly what a ship's captain does - he gives appropriate orders to his crew, and then he goes off and luxuriates in his cabin until he gets the call, "Captain to the bridge!" Now obviously he has duties, but the captain isn't the one stuck in the pilot's seat for the entire duration of the trip, I can tell you that right now.

I do believe this game mechanic needs stipulations. It can't be "fast travel", it must happen in real time just as if a human pilot was flying. It should only be available in ships that have multiple seats, and perhaps smaller ships like the Cobra should have a time limit before it's your turn to take the helm. In the Cobra, the NPC is the copilot. Larger ships like the Conda would have a full crew, so there you wouldn't need to take the helm. I do think NPCs should be able to perform system scans, but not surface scans. Instead there should be customizable filters that hands control back over to the CMDR. "Commander, we have detected an earth-like world in this system. What are your orders?" NPCs should not be able to evade interdictions, and one might argue that an NPC needs to be Elite rank to use neutron star jet cones. You get the point.

Many of you just want to be space truckers, and that's fine for you, but some of us want to be actual commanders of a spaceship with a crew. As for reading a book, I'd much rather be reading an ED novel in my "captain's quarters" while my NPC handles monotonous jumps, to eventually be interrupted by, "Commander, you need to take a look at this!" Of course, I can tell my NPC at any time, "I want to fly the ship for awhile. You're dismissed, lieutenant."

Spot on!

 

[lysan]

Auto pilot is very easily made from a bunch of macros.
Maybe OP should look at that option.

I know, and there are other options too, not the purpose of this thread

 

[Old Duck]

Auto pilot is very easily made from a bunch of macros.
Maybe OP should look at that option.

Many CPs are on consoles...

 

[lysan]

Many CPs are on consoles...

And the point is to improve the main game, not to do acrobatic maneuvers outside the game to make it fit.

 

[Dagwit]

Fules scooping requires only a module, not piloting skills. Do you need piloting skills to refuel your car ? Do you consider it a challenging task ?

I don't own a car. And if I did, I wouldn't try to refuel it while driving into a sun.

You don't refuel your ship by pressing a button. You refuel your ship by flying it into or round a sun that can easily damage or destroy you.There are entire threads devoted to the subject to help those who most certainly find it a challenging task.

If you don't find it so, try turning orbit lines off. Adds a little spice.

 

[Enderby]

I don't own a car. And if I did, I wouldn't try to refuel it while flying into a sun.

You don't refuel your ship by pressing a button. You refuel your ship by flying it into or round a sun that can easily damage or destroy you.There are entire threads devoted to the subject to help those who most certainly find it a challenging task.

If you don't find it so, try turning orbit lines off. Adds a little spice.

I always have orbit lines off and fuel scooping is easy as.

It's just an annoying chore bereft of all but the smallest need for 'skill'.

Much like refuelling one's car.