Are we over-egging the custard a wee bit?

Swan

S
I've not found the learning curve to be too steep, but then flying these ships is pretty much the same as flying helos in the BF games, at which I was pretty good. However, I can see why some people will find it a steep learning curve, but then that's the nature of the game.

I despair when I see the 'OMG it's not COD waaahh' comments brought out on here. It's not that at all; I, and others, have genuine concerns about accessibility for people will little to no flight sim experience. Otherwise, 12 months down the line, it'll just be a circlejerk for people who'll sit their with voice command software, expensive joysticks and oculus rifts saying, "It's not our fault if no-one else bought this stuff to make the game easier."

I certainly think a flight school option will mitigate against any of this, especially if it's done in an interesting way, perhaps inter-planetary race courses with beacons as checkpoints or some-suchlike. Might be too 'gamey' for some, but I'm sure that even in the future, sports will exist, so why not have space races? The more in-game options the better. Options options options, not restrictions, is what we need.

Re. the in-flight menu system, that seems okay, although it'd be nice to have the option of a mouse cursor popping up to select stuff rather than fiddling on the keyboard. Immersion breaker? Not necessarily. Just make the pilot's hand move to where you're pointing the mouse. Hey presto.
 

Egan

E
Speaking as someone who played and loved Falcon 4 (and many other sims, both study or otherwise) it's probably worth stating that there is nothing in Elite that comes anywhere close in terms of the complexity of a jet sim. In fact, not only am I delighted to find a studio that feels a game like this - and the immersion levels it provides - deserves a little complexity, but I'm all for much, much more.

I would love to have a full check list for ship start up and start down to be preformed every time you dock or wish to leave. Going from cold into doing a full ramp start is one of the things I loved most in Falcon and I'd love to do it in this.

I've already seen someone today moaning that it takes too many mouse-clicks to START game....pah. More buttons. More controls. More functions. It's the dawn of the space grognard. Bring it on. :D
 

warbaby2

warbaby2
I already said some months back, it would be nice to have full start up phases when we actually get to turn off the engines... probably when FP gameplay hits.
 

CaptainTrips

CaptainTrips
For those who have said about forgetting to lower landing gear etc. Create yourself a landing checklist - I remember from my flying days (and still use FSX/Prepar3d a lot, not as much fun but FAR safer) each plane you were rated in had its own little checklist book you would keep attached to your kneeboard (or ask your passenger/instructor to read out) - even for a small two seater plane such as the PA38 I learned to fly in you had checklists for everything, even before you actually got in the plane (checking for water in the fuel tanks, examining links and struts on the undercarriage etc.), then you have pre-engine start, post engine start, pre-taxi, taxi, pre-take off, take off, post take off, cruise and appraoch checklists (probably missed a few here as well). There were also some acoynms you could remember such, BUMPFICH was one that sticks in my head which was your approach acronym (Brakes, Undercarriage, Mixture, Pitch, Fuel, Indicators, Carb Heat, Hatches & Harnesses) two of them were actually never needed on the plane I flew as it was fixed pitch and fixed undercarriage.. As far as I can tell you only really have two to remember when landing in ED - Gear down and Request Landing.

Maybe a virtual editable Kneeboard in game might be an idea for making notes & checklists? I would hardly call the procedures and the methods of achieving them complicated, and if looking right and lowering the gear then looking left and requesting landing clearnance if too much like hardwork, then I think this game might not be what you are looking for..
 

Komemiute

Komemiute
I like the articulated spaceship concept, but then I'd love even more some more keystrokes.

One above all is the Galaxy map. There was a key, I would love it back :)

And then some more hardwired functions to keystrokes- not mandatory, of course- I love the GUI as it is and I'd love to see it improved, but still gimme the chance to translate some of the menu choices to keyboard inputs.
 

Paelen

P
Custard Pie, Is sweet and nice. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvM1Ip0K5dI

I jumped in SC last night for the first time since they released Arena Commander. It's basically the same flight. 6way thrust plus AXIS. It all boils down to you have to stop if you want to get close. Not a lot of choices I suppose when it comes to space flight.

I also wouldn't mind a start up procedure as like Falcon4. They could mimic the feeling by setting things to default off in place of default on. Easy and more immersive.
 

Comrade Napoleon

Comrade Napoleon
As a very observant poster has said prrviously the solution is voice attack !
I'll say it again 2 times : Voice attack , voice attack .
There ! This is for you that hate remembering keystrokes.
Forgetting to deploy landing gear ! ?:eek:
I hope you dont drive car ;)
I have found voice attack one of the most versatile instruments to this game , and you can even make complicated keystrokes into one.
Another App I strongly recommend for those that have a Pad of a sort is Roccat, Google it, it basically turns your pad into a glowing keypad with commands depicted on the key, and it is super immersive playing in the dark ith those glowing keys in front of you.

with those two applications this game is a breeze of simplicity, and I'am an ooold geezer ;) , even I find it easy :)

But forgetting landing gear !! hmmnnn ;)
Cheers Cmdr's
 

Capt. Hook

Capt. Hook
I'm a chef in rl when not playing E D and whatnot and I can tell you custard is great if made properly...

With regards the OP, I find the controls/systems in the game are fine and not that difficult to master just need a bit of practice thats all. Though to be fair, most things are easier than being a chef I think :D
 

.Stu.

S
Landing gear is a bad example of that, as it assignable as a button or hotas switch press.

metatheurgist said:
I'm not sure I understand that vision. Complexity is one thing, but I don't think they've ever designed a cockpit where you had to go to different levels of access just to engage the landing gear. Pretty much everything in a cockpit is immediately available (except the weapons trigger), the complexity comes from there being lots and lots of dials and switches.
Click to expand...
 

eleanorsbee

E
Comrade Napoleon said:
I hope you dont drive car ;)
Click to expand...

Opening the window on a 1991 Mazda Mx5 Mk1

move left hand down to centre console, press button down for >1second

Opening the the window on a FDev 3300 Mazda Mx5 Mk1438

Stop facing forward and have a look at your left hand control panel, initiate external controls, page down to External Venting and weather control systems. sub select side orientation glass, select left hand window, select auto down. Initiate wind down. Face forwards, watch countdown to window opening 5 .... 4 .... 3 .... 2 .... 1 .... Window opening engaged

:D

I like it .. bring on 3300
 

dumbo

D
AFAIK you get a voice-over warning about landing gear?

In terms of complexity:
- requesting docking clearance is overly complex for no good reason.
- scanning someone with the K-warrant scanner is annoying (performing the scan, finding the output and working out if you've already scanned them).
- (imho) running lights should automatically switch on within the no-fire range of the station.
- after watching some streams, I'd suggest that the docking slot should be easier to find.
 

punkid

P
I do not share the OP's concerns about complexity. I wish for a game to be complex.

But, a complex game should no be "complex" because of a poorly designed UI. That's just a challenge to use. I would wish for complex in the idea that you have a starship that can do a watermelon load of stuff. Starships are meant to be the most complex things mankind creates.

I'd even like to see things like heat management or pressure management in the engine, just link in many flight simulators today. Too much heat/pressure and your engine blows out, leaving you fairly stranded.
 
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Cmdr Wade

C
Skadar said:
I just don't find this game difficult or complex at all, so I have some trouble empathizing with those who do.

Here is one suggestion. Buy Voice Attack for $8 and use it. It allows you to create slick voice commands for virtually every function in the game. This way, you don't have to memorize keys and such. You can just say "landing mode" and your landing gear will deploy and your ship lights will come on... and any various other things that you would require.

Voice Attack seriously simplifies the game.
Click to expand...

I agree. An hour or so setting up Voice Attack is time well spent. ED is not overly complicated, and I personally enjoy the immersion dozens of controls present. I was actually thinking last night that I'm using Voice Attack so much now that if my mic ever breaks I'm cause I can't remember half of the keys in the game.
The OP makes a valid point, but as far as I'm concerned the more "realistic" the cockpits are, the better.
 

alchemy42

A
I don't find the game overly complex at all. I do find it has a learning curve, which I quite like. There is nothing you can't figure out with a little time and patience. And throw voice attack at it if you need to.

I was recently playing Black Flag (Assassins Creed 4), and while the game can be fun there are points where you are attacked by a wild animal. The 'game play' (if you can call it that) has the game flash controller identifiers (A, B, RB etc.) at you which you have to hit in order to kill or escape from the animal.

You are no longer playing the game at that point. You are just reacting to stimulus. This is a pattern I keep seeing in many recent games. I hate it.

When I come under fire in Elite I want to have that slight bit angst as I determine a course of action, remember what my ship is capable of...and hopefully let muscle memory do the rest. I don't get that with a lot of other games.

TL;DR; A reasonable degree of complexity makes the game better.
 
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