A basic auto-pilot would be a true boon for Exploration.

[Lestat]

Let get to the point of the Bots and Macro. Which is the main worry for me about having autopilot.

When I played Lord of the rings I learn about bots and Macros. The one thing I was setting up micro and bots so I could have my Account Farm and cook all day or attack NPC to farm some Mats. With a few adjustments once in a while. So the game was playing by itself. While I watch tv or did other things. So I was not playing the game.

Let say they add Autopilot there has to be a way to start autopilot and stop it so a player takes control. That where the exploit will happen and I think Frontier knows this. People who run bots Macro can exploit this. Like each time a ship jumps to a new system the Macro would take control throttle a certain distance of a star and refuel scan and then reset back into autopilot.

This ultimately would only help long-distance traders mission and Passenger Mission only. It will hurt explorers. Thing is Explorers tend to explore most of each system so there no need for Autopilot. Or you are Honk and go type explorer. But is that even exploring?

Then the question becomes how will Frontier combat this? Well, Would They would have to add is random attack by NPC or Theragod attacks in deep space? Ya, the most explorer would not like that.

 

[Nagual]

Auto pilot? No thanks.

 

[dunno]

[knocked out]

What tf is wrong with people on Elite forums? I really do lose a piece of my soul every time I see arguments of this kind.

A healthy robust exchange with banter, sarcasm, and shallow wit is reality and entertaining, but to lose your soul if someone uses any of those...., how on earth do you cope in real life. Thank your gods that you have nothing to really offend you, as in heavy metal falling from the sky which goes bang near the ground and has the tendency to really mess one's hair style if caught in the blast wave, and your soul would be nowhere to be found.

Auto Pilot No thanks

 

[CMDR EDGEL0RD]

Let get to the point of the Bots and Macro. Which is the main worry for me about having autopilot.

When I played Lord of the rings I learn about bots and Macros. The one thing I was setting up micro and bots so I could have my Account Farm and cook all day or attack NPC to farm some Mats. With a few adjustments once in a while. So the game was playing by itself. While I watch tv or did other things. So I was not playing the game.

Let say they add Autopilot there has to be a way to start autopilot and stop it so a player takes control. That where the exploit will happen and I think Frontier knows this. People who run bots Macro can exploit this. Like each time a ship jumps to a new system the Macro would take control throttle a certain distance of a star and refuel scan and then reset back into autopilot.

This ultimately would only help long-distance traders mission and Passenger Mission only. It will hurt explorers. Thing is Explorers tend to explore most of each system so there no need for Autopilot. Or you are Honk and go type explorer. But is that even exploring?

Then the question becomes how will Frontier combat this? Well, Would They would have to add is random attack by NPC or Theragod attacks in deep space? Ya, the most explorer would not like that.

I know what you are talking about. Thing is, all stellar bodies in this game do move relative to each other. In order to combat potential abuse memory cells in which data with coordinates of bodies and distance to them is contained should simply be encoded (if they aren't encoded already).

Thus, autopilot which navigates the ship in SC only to circle around star won't be able to be abused to autotrade. I agree that it would be still somewhat possible and relatively easy to add autoscoop and sequence reset to it with external means, yet I belive this can be neglected, as good that will come with it outweighs this.

Abusing this system further will require about the same level of effort as externally adding full AFK autopilot without anything added in the game at all; for instance, calculating positions of each stellar body and station at any given time with data taken from EDDB as well as calculating SC path to each of them. This is a titanic work, and this can be done even with the game being as it is now, if it's not done already. Programming jump part of such autopilot is a joke compared to SC part. And so, adding jump only autopilot in-game won't make things much easier for wanna-be botters.

And, by the way, I'm sure botting with cargo will just get you obliterated by pirates which have ridiculous awareness of which ships to intercept.

After all, autopiloted cars are already on the streets, autopiloted trucks will be in the next year or two. And they are allowed as long as human superwises movement to some degree. And I want the same to be avaliable in Elite.

I did not come to this game to play Trucker Simulator 3300. Yet moving my Corvette through the bubble unavoidably makes me play it, and it consumes too much of little energy I have during evenings.

 

[[VR] scipio_77]

If there was an autopilot system, then we wouldn't have the exploration community in Elite (because the achievements would be meaningless). Which, while I am not part of it, I find to be one of the coolest aspects of the game community. They could perhaps dot the universe with a bit more wonders, signs of life, awards / merits you could pin to the uniform or ship and similar.

That it is technically impossible due to the nature of space is a bad answer, as even today we rely on computers to calculate space travel, and I think that if we add 2200 years of development, the human is the easy part to cut.

It is really the gaming impact they don't want to have. That you could very easily make bots if they add autopilot systems. And I think that is fair, and I'll therefore accept some technical mumbojumbo to give an in-game excuse.

They could however do something in between solutions. One thing I could imagine is to allowed dedicated trade vessels (which today are almost all eclipsed by ships like the Cobra, Python and Anaconda) to have slightly more automated features, like for example off-station trading / container unloading, access to trade networks with route planners, improved interdiction protection and better supercruise capability.

 

[CMDR EDGEL0RD]

If there was an autopilot system, then we wouldn't have the exploration community in Elite (because the achievements would be meaningless). Which, while I am not part of it, I find to be one of the coolest aspects of the game community. They could perhaps dot the universe with a bit more wonders, signs of life, awards / merits you could pin to the uniform or ship and similar.

That it is technically impossible due to the nature of space is a bad answer, as even today we rely on computers to calculate space travel, and I think that if we add 2200 years of development, the human is the easy part to cut.

It is really the gaming impact they don't want to have. That you could very easily make bots if they add autopilot systems. And I think that is fair, and I'll therefore accept some technical mumbojumbo to give an in-game excuse.

They could however do something in between solutions. One thing I could imagine is to allowed dedicated trade vessels (which today are almost all eclipsed by ships like the Cobra, Python and Anaconda) to have slightly more automated features, like for example off-station trading / container unloading, access to trade networks with route planners, improved interdiction protection and better supercruise capability.

I've explained botting abuse possibilities in the post above.
And simple solution to leave exploration as it is is to allow ploting routes only in systems which main star state is "discovered", meaning its either is deep inside the bubble or you have been there before and stopped to scan the main star.

 

[Lestat]

I know what you are talking about. Thing is, all stellar bodies in this game do move relative to each other. In order to combat potential abuse memory cells in which data with coordinates of bodies and distance to them is contained should simply be encoded (if they aren't encoded already).

We are not talking about full Exploration. I pointing out the issue. Long distance Traders, Passenger Missions and Honk and go. Areas that we don't see Pirates. Which would be the issue. Thus would cause the issue for people who do Full-scale Exploration. Areas with no Pirates.

Thus, autopilot which navigates the ship in SC only to circle around star won't be able to be abused to autotrade.

Here the problem. Your focus on the bubble. I focus on long distance trades/Honk and go. Between bubble and nebulas. Something people with macros and bots would love. Easy target for easy credits and No pirates. With little or no effort.

I agree that it would be still somewhat possible and relatively easy to add autoscoop and sequence reset to it with external means, yet I belive this can be neglected, as good that will come with it outweighs this.

So you believe it can be done.

Abusing this system further will require about the same level of effort as externally adding full AFK autopilot without anything added in the game at all; for instance, calculating positions of each stellar body and station at any given time with data taken from EDDB as well as calculating SC path to each of them. This is a titanic work, and this can be done even with the game being as it is now, if it's not done already. Programming jump part of such autopilot is a joke compared to SC part. And so, adding jump only autopilot in-game won't make things much easier for wanna-be botters.

The the only issue would be going to the station. Now all I have to look at is how the autopilot works. Then find the optimal time for refueling and set the Bot or Macros to do the work. You make it sound too complex and hard to do.

And, by the way, I'm sure botting with cargo will just get you obliterated by pirates which have ridiculous awareness of which ships to intercept.

You know people who use bots and macros tend to have their game sound going so they hear that combat. That is in the bubble, right? With nebula trades where are the pirates again? We are not in the bubble. If they are in the bubble they can still lay on the couch and wait for the sound while they watch Soap opera. Long distance trading, Passenger mission they can sleep for a few hours. Who thinks laziness is a skill? Oh, that right Players who use bots and Macros and autopilot.

After all, autopiloted cars are already on the streets, autopiloted trucks will be in the next year or two. And they are allowed as long as human superwises movement to some degree. And I want the same to be avaliable in Elite.

Who cares about autopiloted cars, truck. But it the Sake of the game that matters. If you support autopilot and Bot and macros. If so support Autopilot bot macros and Elite Dangerous. We will lose Elite Dangerous forever. If not support how the game plays today and Elite Dangerous will last for a few more years.

Who in the hell want to play a game that has Autopilot and download a few bots and Macros and it plays itself. Not me.

I did not come to this game to play Trucker Simulator 3300. Yet moving my Corvette through the bubble unavoidably makes me play it, and it consumes too much of little energy I have during evenings.

Then I don't think this game for you. I did not come to this game to have someone ruin the gameplay because they rather do something else like watch Soap operas while the game playing itself.

 

[Para Handy]

..............
"Oldfqs" on this forum stand against an autopilot cause they "voted" during Kickstarter so there wont be any and defend their choice to the death because of their pride.

..........

Ad hominem attacks merely undermine any position you think you hold.

As for the rest of your voluminous posted contributions in this thread - you are basically just convincing yourself. There will be no automation of interstellar travel so just adapt your play to the game because there is very little chance of the game ever adapting to suit your play. One suggestion could be to stop hauling a Corvette.

 

[CMDR EDGEL0RD]

Ad hominem attacks merely undermine any position you think you hold.

As for the rest of your voluminous posted contributions in this thread - you are basically just convincing yourself. There will be no automation of interstellar travel so just adapt your play to the game because there is very little chance of the game ever adapting to suit your play. One suggestion could be to stop hauling a Corvette.

Like I dont know how these topics usually go? Besides, I do not really care.
Thing is, autopilot of some sort will be in this game. It is simply inevitable as the lack of it given other factors just causes bewilderment, as well as unnatural tenacity of people defending this mess, which is caused by some declared features of the game never released or replaced with simple grind, and some features being not as fun as they sounded like.

 

[Para Handy]

..........
Thing is, autopilot of some sort will be in this game. .........

Don't hold your breath.

 

[Mysturji]

[knocked out]

What tf is wrong with people on Elite forums? I really do lose a piece of my soul every time I see arguments of this kind. Is this game made for people only?
No one in those posts ever suggested anything automated except system (station) A to system (station) B flight repetitive task.

Don't know about you, but I do have some life and do not have much energy left in me when I get to play this game after work to be eager to fling mouse up and press J twenty times over, not even speaking about doing same in T9. I'd much rather watch some Youtube while the game does this for me to save my energy for some other things in this game.

This game not having autopilot is just stupid. We already have automated cars on the streets, yet we don't have an autopilot in supposedly 3300. Wha?

Given NPC pirates and other stuff, no one expects fully automated AFK trading from it.

All I want from autopilot is to relive me from watching my ship during those fifteen or something jumps. At least to some extent. Even screw SC to station autopilot, give me at least that. I simply don't have that much energy in me to spend it on that crap when I get to play this game. Too hard to understand? Average age of this game's player is something around 35, so I am hardly alone in this.

I know, someone will reply with "maybe this game is not for you then" crap. Ahead of that: go fk yourselves. I know, this might be somewhat offensive, but do you understand that you are simply trolling at this point? I've paid my money, not just on the game, hardware upgrades simply so stars on loading wont look like light bulbs which someone smeared with snot should be counted as well. So I have to just fk off at this point? Cause some people sit on their parents' heads and have crapton of free time and energy? Don't think so.

Did you read the title of the thread? Read it now.
OP is not asking for A -> B trade route autopilot.
OP is asking for EXPLORATION autopilot. Set 20KLY route. Press "Go". Watch YouTube.

@OP: It sounds like exploration is not for you, but there are lots of other things you can do in-game: Trading, mining, bounty-hunting, piracy, CG's fighting aliens, learning about aliens to name but a few... All of these things can be done in the bubble (or not far outside).
Enjoy!

 

[z33r0x]

You are not alone Commander Morelenmir. I understand how you feel, I have done about 15,000 Jumps. What this game needs is some kind of Multi-Jump, I did a video about it.

Could look like this

https://www.dropbox.com/s/73yxcj3p9ecsc98/Multi-Jump Updated.wmv?dl=0

With a system like this, you still need to plan the route and scoop stars, and extra fueltanks would be really handy for increasing the distance you can travel without doing anything.

 

[LillyThorne]

Auto pilot will eventually happen. Most space games have it. Auto pilot is great for PVP / open. It creates a lot of victims. It's great for PVE--it makes the boring, less boring. Regardless, in the current state of this game, if autopilot made me a trillionaire, it would have zero impact on most players. The money doesn't change anything. Bots and macros are a totally different issue--those are normally against an end user agreement to start with. I'm not sure an exploration Otto would be much of a game, but who cares if you are in solo. It wouldn't honk or scan for you. I'm pretty sure the RNG interdiction will inhibit autopilot anyway. By inhibit I mean it would kill the player since there isn't any evasion or anyone to respond to the ransom.

 

[Lestat]

Auto pilot will eventually happen. Most space games have it.

Your prediction sounds like the end of the world predictions. The world will end tomorrow 2018. tomorrow comes and goes and the prediction was another fail from hundreds to thousands of predicted that world will end.

Auto pilot is great for PVP / open. It creates a lot of victims. It's great for PVE--it makes the boring, less boring. Regardless, in the current state of this game, if autopilot made me a trillionaire, it would have zero impact on most players. The money doesn't change anything.

So you Ignored the points In my last post. Autopilot and Long distance traders, Long distance passenger missions. Stop focusing in the bubble and focus on the whole game.

Bots and macros are a totally different issue--those are normally against an end user agreement to start with.

Do you think that will stop people from doing it?

I'm not sure an exploration Otto would be much of a game, but who cares if you are in solo. It wouldn't honk or scan for you. I'm pretty sure the RNG interdiction will inhibit autopilot anyway. By inhibit I mean it would kill the player since there isn't any evasion or anyone to respond to the ransom.

Boy you must not have read my last post. Using sound so you know if your interdiction. Even if you're watching a Movie and eating popcorn. Hit pause and deal with the problem. Your in Autopilot mode again watching a movie and eating Popcorn.

Listen I rather see some players leave because they want autopilot and don't pay attention to the game and don't bother playing the game than lose players that pay attention to the game focus on the game.

 

[Skizomeuh]

My guess is that "autopilot", or more probably NPC crew member assigned to helm could come when we'll have space legs, and activities to do in our ship.

 

[space voyager]

I still think AP could work through systems with nav beacons. Also it could be somewhat slowish so if you're carrying anything or have a bounty, you're risking interdiction and destruction. Another risk you're running is running dry on fuel. AP should NOT put you in any risk on its own, so no scooping. But if empty and clean and with enough fuel (get extra tanks or wait for AP to finish the journey on economical route), it would get you through the bubble relatively safe.

 

[DevCMDR]

For those complaining about how this would enable botting, as a programmer, allow me to put your minds at ease:

The game play is so simple that I could already make a bot for super cruise.
In fact, docking would have been harder to automate than super cruise autopilot, but Frontier put in that convenient docking computer.
The only reason I've not bothered to make a bot for it, is that the game isn't interesting enough to warrant taking the time to do so. I'd rather just let the game zero the throttle until I'm ready to acknowledge it again.

If you're so concerned about botting, demand the docking computer be removed.



The obvious solution would be to implement things to do in super cruise, alongside an autopilot, so that whilst you could get from point A to point B with fewer interactions with the game, you'd be missing out on interesting things or events.

 

[sbbbugsy]

We have, many times, indeed many, many times as evinced by all the threads you could have read through so you could familiarise yourself with all the arguments against it and put up a proper proposal instead of just repeating the same thing.

The answer is not.

Exploration is designed for a particular player group in mind, those who want to go places and explore things not because they are hard and a long way away. But because you find bit dull, boring and repetitious you want to take that away from those who enjoy the exploration mechanic. Here's a suggestion, don't go exploring!

There is nothing in the world that says you would HAVE to use an autopilot if one were made available.

 

[sbbbugsy]

The people that want the jump autopilot realize that much of the mechanics that are in place while jumping are to make us think we have content because we have to take action on every single jump to avoid a star and then align our ship with the next jump target.

This is 2018 and almost everyone is talking about self-driving cars. Aircraft have used computers to navigate waypoints for years. If we want it in real life, why would we not want it in a game?

And, for those that want to say it is about flying, why don't you complain about not having full control while traveling towards a target? The game slows you down as you approach a destination. That is NOT, by any definition, having full control of flying. So, even now, you are being forced to use a partial autopilot to fly in-system.

 

[777Driver]

The people that want the jump autopilot realize that much of the mechanics that are in place while jumping are to make us think we have content because we have to take action on every single jump to avoid a star and then align our ship with the next jump target.

This is 2018 and almost everyone is talking about self-driving cars. Aircraft have used computers to navigate waypoints for years. If we want it in real life, why would we not want it in a game?

And, for those that want to say it is about flying, why don't you complain about not having full control while traveling towards a target? The game slows you down as you approach a destination. That is NOT, by any definition, having full control of flying. So, even now, you are being forced to use a partial autopilot to fly in-system.

It is the gravity wells in system that slows you down. If you have throttle to 75% it will also work as an auto throttle when a target is selected. Apart from that we have complete control.

Agree with you in general, it is ridiculous that we don't have the ability to plot way points, have automation take care of things if we choose. I love flying these ships, however it is completely backwards to not have levels of automation available on these beasts. You could rent a little Piper Archer with far more automation. Apart from flying the final approach in SC, the rest is just nudging a stick or dodging a star.. If people find that exciting, great! Personally I don't consider that flying, more like driving down a motorway trying to stay awake.