Cockpit icing effect, and other things I love

[Jenner]

Just wanted to share a couple of things I really loved about the Alpha. Things that made me smile at the very least, or squeal like a giddy schoolgirl at the high end.

1) When you go low-power and let your heat dissipate you'll eventually start to hear ice cracking sounds and will see your cockpit glass frost up. Love that effect!

2) Sounds in general, and engine sound in particular. I really enjoyed the sounds in the alpha, from the HUD noises to the weapons and especially the engine. Oh, man, does the engine sound freakin' cool! It's so satisfying to push up on that throttle and hear those puppies roar to life!

3) Bobble head. LOVE IT. Want to see more bobbles in the game! (How about a line of Neon Genesis Evangelion figures? No? Awww...)

4) Death by decompression and/or asphyxiation. How cool is that?

5) I really like how the combat scenarios have a little story to go with them. Makes the stakes all the higher and gives you a reason to care. This was above and beyond the call of duty for a combat test alpha, and I appreciated it. Fighting for a shady Imperial company was just gravy.

6) And finally, loved that the alpha was a remarkably bug-free and polished demo. I've played betas that were in horrible shape, and here's an alpha that is more stable and enjoyable that a lot of v 1.0 releases. Bravo, FD.

 

[Elitist]

Agreed on all points, especially regarding the glass frosting up and the ice cracking sounds. Really, really nice.

 

[Sir.Tj]

100% agree, and I've corrected the title for you as well.

 

[warbaby2]

Hehe, I KNEW you'd love those little things, as do I... I can't wait what else FD has in store for us!

The whole "2 minutes of oxygen left when life support fails" thing is kinda unrealistic though... it should be far longer as long as you don't have a hull/glass breach.

 

[Crash_Happy]

100% agree, and I've corrected the title for you as well.

Heh, wish I'd seen the original now!

Have to agree with the whole list.

The whole "2 minutes of oxygen left when life support fails" thing is kinda unrealistic though... it should be far longer as long as you don't have a hull/glass breach.

I'm betting it's just for the first alpha. If it was 2 minutes when Life Support goes down then you were relying on Remlock that might be ok?

 

[Voyager_NL]

I'm pretty certain if FD will let us "test" docking at a space station we will probable all die in awe

Also Look-around in a bigger cockpit will be great. It already gives you a magnificent sense of space. I thinkt a big cockpit (anaconda) to look around in will enhance that.

Currently I think the asteroid field feels a bit static (but still very nice) it would be SUPER! if they can somehow pull it off that the movement of the asteroids is a bit more eratic and collisions between the bigger ones can occur. (And see them break apart ofcourse!) This could add to gameplay. Not only for dogfighting. Precious materials might become directly available from such a (rare) collision but they won't be around for very long. Or something like that. Basically i think this can be achieved by just a few extra procedural algorithms... so who knows for a future idea?

 

[warbaby2]

I'm betting it's just for the first alpha. If it was 2 minutes when Life Support goes down then you were relying on Remlock that might be ok?

Dunno, I still think you shouldn't need the re-breather as long as you don't vent atmosphere... it takes quite some time before air goes bad, even inside a room as smallish as a cockpit... but maybe that's really only for the alpha's sake.

On asteroids: I really liked those too... I REALLY hope we'll be able to land on them and go cold/silent in the finished game... sneaky stuff is sneaky.

 

[Rollo]

Great post Jenner. Can't help but thinking about possible scenario's when powering down and go into stealth mode can be useful. Just imagine being a lone explorer far out in the fringe, plotting around and suddenly your long range scanner picks up an unknown signal....something alien...a thargoid scout!! Then hiding and contemplating your alternatives. Should i keep hiding or engage?

Whilst the venting of the oxygen was pretty cool, it's a certain nightmare for me dying from asphyxiation. I got breathless just from watching and hearing that!

 

[ianw]

Dunno, I still think you shouldn't need the re-breather as long as you don't vent atmosphere... it takes quite some time before air goes bad, even inside a room as smallish as a cockpit... but maybe that's really only for the alpha's sake.

On asteroids: I really liked those too... I REALLY hope we'll be able to land on them and go cold/silent in the finished game... sneaky stuff is sneaky.

It does raise the possibility that you could suddenly get a hot contact on screen coming out of nowhere.

Gotta keep on your toes and an eye on the scanner...

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

On asteroids: I really liked those too... I REALLY hope we'll be able to land on them and go cold/silent in the finished game... sneaky stuff is sneaky.

Guess what - you already can.

 

[Thargon]

Hehe, I KNEW you'd love those little things, as do I... I can't wait what else FD has in store for us!

The whole "2 minutes of oxygen left when life support fails" thing is kinda unrealistic though... it should be far longer as long as you don't have a hull/glass breach.

I agree, this isn't realistic - also - wouldn't the pilot be wearing a spacesuit with it's own oxygen supply anyway, or is it just you die after 2 minutes and that's it?

Is there some kind of solution to this when you get the 2 minute warning or it is a final thing - that's it, there's nothing you can do - you will die?

 

[Kerrash]

I agree, this isn't realistic - also - wouldn't the pilot be wearing a spacesuit with it's own oxygen supply anyway, or is it just you die after 2 minutes and that's it?

Is there some kind of solution to this when you get the 2 minute warning or it is a final thing - that's it, there's nothing you can do - you will die?

My assumption is that the Remlok device on your suit has two minutes of air supply, it only activates when your cabin has been breached.

 

[Crash_Happy]

On asteroids: I really liked those too... I REALLY hope we'll be able to land on them and go cold/silent in the finished game... sneaky stuff is sneaky.

I've been kind of assuming that the life support being destroyed meant I had a slow leak through that. I'm sure it will all be cleared up during beta.

I've 'parked' up on asteroids and switched all systems off. There's some great sound for your hull dragging/settling/under stress!

My assumption is that the Remlok device on your suit has two minutes of air supply, it only activates when your cabin has been breached.

As I've said I've convinced myself that this is just for the alpha. If true though 2 minutes seems way short for the Remlock. That thing is supposed to give you a chance to survive, 2 minutes is just a chance to suffer.

Oh and it doesn't just happen if you lose the cockpit screen. I had life support go down with screen in place which is where the argument that cabin air should last longer than 2 mins before having to rely on the suit comes from.

 

[Cosmo Bozo]

My assumption is that the Remlok device on your suit has two minutes of air supply, it only activates when your cabin has been breached.

Yeah, but whats's the point of 2 minutes of air if it's just postponing the inevitable? There must be something you can do in the full game

 

[Thargon]

As I've said I've convinced myself that this is just for the alpha. If true though 2 minutes seems way short for the Remlock. That thing is supposed to give you a chance to survive, 2 minutes is just a chance to suffer.

Bwahaha! Frontier are machochists at heart! They want all you puny pilots to suffer horribly

 

[warbaby2]

My assumption is that the Remlok device on your suit has two minutes of air supply, it only activates when your cabin has been breached.

That's the idea, only that the Remlock also activates when you disable your life support system deliberately/your hull isn't breached... also, it doesn't replenish it's oxygen reserves when it activates multiple times. When you turn of your LS, reactivate at, say 1 minute and deactivate it again, you still got only one minute left... maybe that's another sign that it's only supposed to work like that for alpha.

As far as landing on roids goes: I'm aware that you can kinda "land" on them now... but I mean real landing (with landing gear and maglock... if it's a metal asteroid).

@ Thargon: That'll make them sadists... just saying.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

That's the idea, only that the Remlock also activates when you disable your life support system deliberately/your hull isn't breached... also, it doesn't replenish it's oxygen reserves when it activates multiple times. When you turn of your LS, reactivate at, say 1 minute and deactivate it again, you still got only one minute left... maybe that's another sign that it's only supposed to work like that for alpha.

That 2 minute window is clearly alpha thing. Ship/individual life support in game will be much more complex.

 

[Mephane]

I think the 2 minutes worth of oxygen is just what the suit comes with built-in at all times, and in any sensibly constructed spaceship you'd have larger oxygen canisters (think scuba diving bottle size) available, i.e. those two minutes are for grabbing a bottle and strapping it on safely.

 

[Crash_Happy]

i.e. those two minutes are for grabbing a bottle and strapping it on safely.

That doesn't make sense either. You seem to be suggesting the pilot gets up and goes to grab a bigger cylinder? If you've lost life support or part of the cockpit window you might be a bit too busy to get up from the seat and go do that. Far more likely that while sitting in the captain's chair you'd be plugged into an emergency supply.
Anyway I'm sure this is all alpha temporariness.

 

[Hamerstein]

Yeah, but whats's the point of 2 minutes of air if it's just postponing the inevitable? There must be something you can do in the full game

2 minutes to coax that life support system back online maybe? I haven't actually looked at my status UI to see if life support is destroyed or just offline due to power problems. Assuming the latter, you may be able (in the full game) to divert power to life support systems or switch to an auxillary.