Why does my 34th century spaceship have no autopilot OR how do you accept the hyperjump grind?

[jmp470]

I would prefer a cross between ED and SC, almost like NMS. Having to align for the jump like ED now, but, having the ability to micro jump in a star system. I travelled to the center and back. It killed me in ED, I had to take 3 months off. In its current form, you jump to the center and look at different colored marbles on the way. I prefer fast travel and a loading screen. Automation would be very welcoming to me. It would be similar to flying today. The pilot is responsible for take off and landing. During the route, the pilot monitors the systems. Once something strange happens, the pilot should have to disengage the autopilot and fly to the anomaly.

This is would be more realistic, too

 

[Aaron T]

Something is off here... If you would self-destruct, wouldn't you just spawn back on the station you handed the data over?

And on top of that, people still confuse the simple terms "travelling" and "exploring".

The ideal situation would be if after logout, ship continued to be present in the game world available for griefers (or Thargoids in solo) or whatever danger they can think of in space, to pounce on AI controlled ship. Alas, for that we would need persistence servers, and most of all - monthly subscription. Also that would put an end to combat logging, not that I care 2p about it tho.

I also wonder how many of these puritanist zealots were reading books or watching Netflix during their "journeys".

Nope, I spawned at my starting point in the game. Which is 7 jumps from my home base, as opposed to 103 jumps, because I sacrificed my Asp X and took the free Sidey.

Had I taken my ship I'd have spawned back out there so it would have been for nothing, if you do not believe me make 103 jumps and sell the data you get on the way to the station there, self destruct and take the free Sidey, you will spawn back in the bubble.

I am not the firstt, nor the last to do it.

 

[rockwater]

I spend my days reminding myself not to use game preferences as character judgement.

It’s actually not judgment at all: it is a specific question about why certain people consider monotony not only bearable, but enjoyable. I have an ex who preferred static, unchanging work to having to adapt and learn new processes on the job. The schism of what we found to be enjoyable entertainment was a core feature of what led us our separate ways over time.

This same schism is a feature of this discussion of what makes ED an interesting and/or challenging game over time.

So, while it may sound insulting to ask if someone’s life outlook embraces monotony, it’s only as insulting as those who portray those who want an auto-nav pilot as lazy.

 

[Aaron T]

The only difference between ED and watching paint dry, is that in ED you push buttons here and there.

 

[Stealthie]

I predict FDev will stick with their core concept and not change it based on a few people having a temper tantrum about not being able to leave their computer logged in overnight and fly halfway across the galaxy.

That seems to be a recurring theme with criticisms of ED.

I see other people doing [thing]
I want to do [thing] too.
I can't do [thing] or find it unenjoyable.
Change [thing] to suit me.

[sad]

 

[Tarman]

The only difference between ED and watching paint dry, is that in ED you push buttons here and there.

So automation makes that better? How does having the computer watch the paint dry for you improve the game experience?

Elite needs more and richer gameloops to prevent boredom existing in the first place. We don't need to simply automate the thin stuff we have now. All that'd do at this stage of development is make something uninteresting be consumed faster, like getting a bigger spoon for a bowl of bland oatmeal instead of getting out the butter, brown sugar and milk.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

That's how driving games work. Just point your car in a direction and press a button. They do quite well.

Huh, the more you know - I really didn't expect these games to have loading screens when racing down the track. I guess the load kinda in the background? Like Skyrim?

 

[lysan]

If you want to play a game that isn't Elite, play a game that isn't Elite.

The original elite had auto pilot, now next argument please.

 

[varonica]

That seems to be a recurring theme with criticisms of ED.

I see other people doing [thing]
I want to do [thing] too.
I can't do [thing] or find it unenjoyable.
Change [thing] to suit me.

[sad]

The other thing they (we'll call them "they" because it's as good as anything else) do is portray explorers as people who jump honk jump honk jump honk endlessly and want to force everyone else into the same gameplay. Indeed I have seen it on this very thread, and that's a straw man fallacy, because very few explorers, at least out of all the ones I now, actually do that. If I jump into a single star system I might jump to the next one straight away, but often it can be a few minutes to, well, days between jumps for me. Explorers simply don't do that, fuel rats do it, because they are trying to save people, bucky ballers do it, well, because they do and that's what they like doing, explorers in general don't play like that.

Oh yes they may have a target they want to reach and do quite a few jumps in a row, but I have spent the last year or so planning to go to beagle point, getting distracted, going back to the bubble to engineer my T6, suddenly getting the desire to have a Krait when that came out and going back to the bubble to get that, then deciding I want a Guardian FSD booster and running around guardian sites doing that and here I am 15kly from the bubble on my way to beagle point and still spending days on end exploring and surveying moons and moons of moons.

Basically if you think exploring is jump honk jump honk jump honk then you aren't any explorer I have ever bumped into. Even if they had autopilot most explorers wouldn't use it for exploring, it's just a device to get somewhere as fast as possible. Personally if they ever introduce it I would make it such that you can only autopilot through systems you or someone else has already explored and that you have the data for. If they did make it so that you could autopilot through unexplored systems they should have random disaster situations, after all you are jumping into unexplored system basically blind.

Well this thread will probably go on endlessly like all the others on the same subject, but yes I will give you what you want, as long as it's a hideously dangerous thing to do to autopilot into an unexplored system. That's a compromise I will be happy with.

 

[varonica]

The original elite had auto pilot, now next argument please.

Oh yes that's right, now lets just post a section from Elite 2 autopilot guide;

Many autopilots are known to be buggy. They will often crash you into planets, burn you up in atmospheres and simply malfunction to fly you around in circles. Autopilot will always try to reach a target in a straight line. If there is a planet between you and your target, the autopilot will happily try to fly through the planet, crashing you in the process. If you don't want to risk crashes because of high gravity or other mishaps that could confuse your autopilot you should always reduce time acceleration when nearing the target. Once you're competent with Frontier you should try not to use the autopilot at all, but for beginners it is an essential piece of equipment, no matter how flawed.

Yes you can have that, but note that it only works in system, not between systems!

Next argument please!

 

[Cosmo]

I support a limited auto pilot that works for a certain time and has to be re-activated when you jump to a new star system.

 

[UmbraRex]

I spend my days reminding myself not to use game preferences as character judgement.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Ziggy Stardust again.

 

[Stigbob]

I’d love to actually bet you $100 that FDEV will change their stance on this in the next five years. Because the “few people having a temper tantrum” is really some people caring enough to want to see the game worth playing in the long term for a decent sized player base. However, most people just quit playing without bothering to explain why they quit.

My prediction remains: as the player base drifts away the FDEV team will change their vision for the game.

Or, if you prefer, it will dwindle away like Asheron’s Call, or Dark Age of Camelot, or innumerable other MMOs that failed to find the game balance that would keep customers returning.

But it seems you prefer the ED wither away as an example of marathon mindless repetition.

(Incidentally, for those who love the game as-is: what do you do for a living? Is your day to day life so boring and monotonous that the games you are drawn to also feature monotony as their “challenge”?)

So basically ED's doomed unless it's immediately remade as whatever exists in the head of a random forumite ?.

Again.

 

[VR StarLightPL]

Nope, I spawned at my starting point in the game. Which is 7 jumps from my home base, as opposed to 103 jumps, because I sacrificed my Asp X and took the free Sidey.

CLEVER! I learned something today, and that's after 850hrs of the game. Kudos �� Sorry for not believing, I never sacrificed ships that way...

 

[Aaron T]

CLEVER! I learned something today, and that's after 850hrs of the game. Kudos �� Sorry for not believing, I never sacrificed ships that way...

Thank you, and I gave you some rep, have fun flying.

 

[Mr.Crisp]

Every time I have a long distance in supercruise, say 3000 LS towards a station, I would think for myself "wouldn't it be great to have space legs now, so that I could walk around in my ship while I wait?".

 

[Sylveria]

So basically ED's doomed unless it's immediately remade as whatever exists in the head of a random forumite ?.

Again.

Doooooooooooommmmmmmmm!!!!

Osiris must favor ED.

 

[Stigbob]

Doooooooooooommmmmmmmm!!!!

Osiris must favor ED.

Yep, he also causes the Nile to flood so he must approve of the rivers of tears.

 

[rockwater]

So basically ED's doomed unless it's immediately remade as whatever exists in the head of a random forumite ?.

Again.

Not at all. You misconstrue personal gripes with player base wide boredom in available content and play mechanics and desire for play time to provide actual entertainment for the time invested.

I suppose a good number would be happy if ED became the space niche title equivalent of Flight Simulator, because there is a community that loves such a thing.

But that’s a tiny fraction of the people who would play and remain if it were a more interesting game with less pain over time for the few thrills that exist. The shine wears off quick.

Dark Age of Camelot still exists: but only as a niche title for die hards. No new content has been released for years because there’s not enough money to be had from the small player base to warrant such work.

I’d like to see ED thrive. But it will not if it cleaves to a game model that makes long term play a punishing grind.

 

[Arkadi]

There would be many options to make it easier for the player to have fun with the game. I would not want all of those options in the game simultaneously - but just to have one of them to make switching game-style and location a bit less frustrating would be fine for me. Those options are in no particular order

a) multiple commanders per account

b) choose any ship-location of yours to start your game-session with from log-in

c) Commander Transfer Taxi ship to ship service (would cost some credits, with maximum time-delay of 15 minutes for, let's say, bubble-colonia transfers)

d) Auto-Jump-Pilot that operates when player is logged in (interdiction possible)

e) Auto-Jump-Pilot that operates also when player is logged off (interdiction possible)

f) several jump-gates across the bubble and at some places in deep space

g) telepresence any of your ships, fighters, srvs - basically everything everywhere