Who watches movies in 50 second chunks?
I wouldn’t watch a movie while flying to Hutton Orbital, I might read the forums on another screen but nothing more distracting than that.
I wouldn’t watch a movie while flying to Hutton Orbital, I might read the forums on another screen but nothing more distracting than that.
I think the mindless tedium can come from each system is basically the same, if there was something else out there to discover maybe more stellar phenomena it would make the journey so much more interesting.
I've flown the path to sagA* but got bored near the centre of the galaxy, done 80% of the way to colonia and got bored as it's the same stuff over and over (this was before the highway).
If there was maybe some interesting tid bits out there to spark our attention it would make the journey all the more interesting. For me I would love a "shared bookmark system" so if we find something amazing we can do a shared bookmark and others can go see it in their games.
I've flown the path to sagA* but got bored near the centre of the galaxy, done 80% of the way to colonia and got bored as it's the same stuff over and over (this was before the highway).
If there was maybe some interesting tid bits out there to spark our attention it would make the journey all the more interesting. For me I would love a "shared bookmark system" so if we find something amazing we can do a shared bookmark and others can go see it in their games.
I often watch late night talk shows and news shows. And youtube videos. Which is more of a statement regarding lack of content in many of these shows. And excessive commercials.
Certainly ED exploration is not a "high intensity" activity. I find it calm and relaxing. Nice for relaxing after work. And it can be interrupted by surrounding family needs without fear of ingame disaster. ED exploration does not require 100% of my mental processes. And sound is not essential. I can have a conversation while FSS scanning a system with 32 bodies. I'm not worried about being destroyed.
Watching a movie or television series would be a distracting challenge, for both the game and the show. Visuals are important for both, and a decent show requires a certain amount of mental focus to follow. I'm not sure how I would search for exobiology while watching a suspense thriller.
Nervously.
Upon reflection, the main reason I watch other things while doing ED exploration is NOT because of exploration activities ... but because of the constant gameplay interruptions within the game.
- Jump sequence countdowns
- Dead time during supercruise
- Hyperspace jumps
- Atmospheric landings
These are all "pauses" to the ingame activity. And repetitive in ED exploration. After viewing these several thousand times I no longer have a need to watch them. My attention can briefly go elsewhere. It is the mental equivalent to a forced commercial break. I might as well do something else.
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If the game where designed to allow me to seamlessly continue doing activities during these gameplay "pauses" I would be less likely to have my attention go elsewhere. But instead my activities get snapped shut and my gameplay goes on hold. I can try to quickly open a menu or map, just to have it snapped shut.
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I dont imagine ED commanders being anything close to the anonymous Space Engineers. Most ggames skip the 'maintenance' busywork and have some abstracted repair. Only games that are build around contruction solutions take advantage from detailed mechanics of damage and repair and ED isnt a builder game and wont ever be.
While hyperspace jumps and jump countdowns can be considered gameplay interruption, flight in supercruise and planetary approaches is the gameplay.
Granted, you need to stop using the SC assist and start flying manually to realize that supercruise is more than just pointing the ship at your destination and slamming the throttle to firewall—the shortest path is almost never the fastest path.
And planetary landings, especially atmospheric ones, offer some of the best vistas in the game. If you're bored, drop out 100...200 klicks above surface, turn FA off and do some speedbowling. I find it very zen, with the potential of becoming very exciting if you misjudge your timing to start the deceleration before the lithosphere does the deceleration for you
With trade, combat missions, and PvP okay sure. But deep space exploration... supercruise to the next planet is most definitely a gameplay pause. Nothing to do but wait.
Planetary landings.... after many thousand landings.... I point my ship towards a good landing spot and then the gameplay pause happens. I'm still in control of my ship, but unless I purposely smash my ship into the ground my landing will be the same as the last thousand. My brain is in auto pilot, my ship will land just fine.
No different than driving through Ohio... I've done it hundreds of times. I play the radio, listen to music, news, podcasts etc. Sure sometimes I see something interesting out the window. But generally my brain is in autopilot. I have seen these roadside stops, toll booths, transport trucks, and farm fields. My brain wakes up just fine if there is something I need to react to.
There used to be a time where you could jump directly into the jet stream of a white dwarf, facing the star...
There are dozens of examples on this forum of people claiming to watch movies, listen to podcasts, do any number of things during exploration. If you're swapping out to do something different, like watch a movie, what else would you call it? A homework assignment? You said it yourself, why would anyone do something boring when there are other options? Movies are another option. I'm saying that I personally don't find exploration difficult, so the OP obviously wasn't complaining or even commenting on difficulty (as another poster claimed). There are even comments on this forum where people claim that having the ability to watch loading screens for hours is a form of elite exploration ability.
I call that boredom, and I certainly don't call that exploration.
I'm busy the entire time I'm exploring. That's because I put significant effort into getting all I can out of it. There's no need for a new feature that's "just like some other game" IMO.
I get it from one angle - putting a pot of tea to boil, you do something else until it tells you its ready. That doesn't mean boiling tea is boring. If exploration is like boiling tea, then it's not hard. Watching the pot until it boils isn't elite level tea boiling.
IRL I can certainly drive a car and listen to a radio talk show at the same time. Maybe even switch to music and have a conversation with a passenger. Driving a car doesn't usually take my full concentration. If it turns into an icy blizzard then sure it gets my full attention.
How is basic flying a ship around in non-combat situation any different? After a couple hundred hours of flying from A->B I'm pretty good at it. I'm not saying its boring or bad. I'm saying I can listen to something at the same time. Eat a snack and drink too. I doubt I'm special.
When I arrive at a planet and decide to scan it... again... it doesn't take my full mental capacity. I'm not complaining, its just not hard. (like boiling tea!). Then I do an atmospheric landing and look for some bio samples. Again... like driving a car. I zip around looking for stuff. I enjoy this. Its okay, no complaints. I'm explaining how I can watch a talk show while flying a ship.
How is basic flying a ship around in non-combat situation any different? After a couple hundred hours of flying from A->B I'm pretty good at it. I'm not saying its boring or bad. I'm saying I can listen to something at the same time. Eat a snack and drink too. I doubt I'm special.
When I arrive at a planet and decide to scan it... again... it doesn't take my full mental capacity. I'm not complaining, its just not hard. (like boiling tea!). Then I do an atmospheric landing and look for some bio samples. Again... like driving a car. I zip around looking for stuff. I enjoy this. Its okay, no complaints. I'm explaining how I can watch a talk show while flying a ship.
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Boiling anything requires a wait though. There's no way around that.
Waiting times in exploration are inversely proportional (more or less) to the amount of effort put into enjoying it.
It can be very easy with lots of downtime, or very complex with little downtime, or anything in between. It's all a matter of individual preference.
Some would think any driving requires the driver's full attention. Others think it's perfectly safe to watch a movie and/or text message while driving. Individual preference once again.
The big difference is the movie watching texters can't hurt anyone in ED
The wait is fine. It's a wait to get into a CMD center, wait to land, wait to take off, etc. It's the prep work in the interim that fills the time. The amount of interaction vs waiting with most exploration activities is about like jumping a carrier.
But you can probably attest that it's quite common to read here about explorers using Netflix or Youtube vids to relieve the tedium, then some who say they've fallen asleep while exploring. I've never done that while raiding a base or fighting a pirate.Some would think any driving requires the driver's full attention. Others think it's perfectly safe to watch a movie and/or text message while driving. Individual preference once again.
The big difference is the movie watching texters can't hurt anyone in ED
As far as the OP, I could see it going like this basically:
Ship needs repair. I need to select "space walk to prepare ship".
Do I have enough materials? Yes.
I need to select the suit that I hope I engineered for space walking.
Ok now I need to enter the airlock. Depressurizing... black screen ... sounds.. now I am outside the ship and there are sparkles around areas that need repairs. I have to use my thrusters to move around and press "E" to repair items. Oops I forgot to bring my welder.. back inside... black screen.. sounds.. now I am back in the airlock. I want to get to the cockpit so I can select suit loadouts and pick the right tools. Now back outside, airlock, black screen, sounds... sparkles... repairs made. Back inside. Man I need an AFMU.
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This is an apples and oranges comparison.
The original post is talking about what the insurance industry refers to as, "act of god" damages. While I understand that components of a ship would wear out over time, that is what routine maintenance is all about. I was a Damage Control Petty Officer in the Navy (3M to the Department Head level, too, but DCPO was more active for me) and that job was all about ensuring that equipage wasn't allowed to fail as a result of routine usage.
The point of all of this is that it wasn't GAIN, it was PREVENTION.
All of your examples are gain for no expenditure of the universal gaming currency, Time.