Commander Seating in the Cockpit

benbalooky

B
I fly an Adder, but I know this is also true for the Imperial Clipper. The seat is on the right side. It should be on the left.

I know that in the UK and some other European countries the driver sits on the right, and it may explain why the seating is the way it is. If the spacecraft are regarded as Space-cars then the seating would be correct. However, in real life aircraft [and spacecraft for that matter], the pilot in command sits on the left. I don't know how many other people mind the distinction, but I know the folks who have actually flown planes like myself will appreciate the detail. The argument could be made: "the target audience drives from the right side, so we want them to feel at home." Maybe there could be an option for which seat you want to sit in? I'm not a game developer, so I can't say it would be easy, or that it wouldn't be difficult to change/implement. I've seen several other posts bringing this up and they all get brushed aside by posters (who mean well) explaining that development was from the the UK so that's why the seats are the way they are. If the goal is accuracy (once again, if it's a space-car then say so), a change needs to be made to make the ships feel more like the aircraft and spacecraft they are designed after.

I implore the consideration for a change in seating to the left side for all spacecraft which seat the Commander on the right.

I'm new to the forums, so I am not sure this is the right board to post to. Nor do I have an idea of it's visibility to developers or staff. If this post is out of place I apologize for my ignorance.
 

BillD

BillD
Not sure what makes them decide where the pilot seat is located and whether one is right or wrong. In the cobra I sit on the left and there is an empty seat to my right.
 

Altissimus

A
Yes, because it is completely plausible spaceship design in 1,200 years time follows modern-day airplane seating arrangements.

As supposed to, say, modern day helicopter arrangements where the pilot sits on the right.

Instead, no, let's blame it on the fact that they are an English company and they are trying to force their evil seating arrangements on us just like they did their taxes!

Or, you could upgrade to a Cobra and sit on the left again.
 

Joe Spivey

Joe Spivey
benbalooky said:
I fly an Adder, but I know this is also true for the Imperial Clipper. The seat is on the right side. It should be on the left.

I know that in the UK and some other European countries the driver sits on the right, and it may explain why the seating is the way it is. If the spacecraft are regarded as Space-cars then the seating would be correct. However, in real life aircraft [and spacecraft for that matter], the pilot in command sits on the left. I don't know how many other people mind the distinction, but I know the folks who have actually flown planes like myself will appreciate the detail. The argument could be made: "the target audience drives from the right side, so we want them to feel at home." Maybe there could be an option for which seat you want to sit in? I'm not a game developer, so I can't say it would be easy, or that it wouldn't be difficult to change/implement. I've seen several other posts bringing this up and they all get brushed aside by posters (who mean well) explaining that development was from the the UK so that's why the seats are the way they are. If the goal is accuracy (once again, if it's a space-car then say so), a change needs to be made to make the ships feel more like the aircraft and spacecraft they are designed after.

I implore the consideration for a change in seating to the left side for all spacecraft which seat the Commander on the right.

I'm new to the forums, so I am not sure this is the right board to post to. Nor do I have an idea of it's visibility to developers or staff. If this post is out of place I apologize for my ignorance.
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The space shuttle would be a better comparison than an aircraft don't you think? The pilot on the space shuttle sits on the right with the mission commander on the left. So as you are the guy doing the flying you would be on the right.
 

Midnight_Sun323

Midnight_Sun323
Joe Spivey said:
The space shuttle would be a better comparison than an aircraft don't you think? The pilot on the space shuttle sits on the right with the mission commander on the left. So as you are the guy doing the flying you would be on the right.
Click to expand...


The mission commander is also who actually flys the shuttle, though.
 

Joe Spivey

Joe Spivey
Not really. When i go to the continent I hire a car and it only takes a short while to get used to it. Something else to consider too is that games teach you to drive LHD because most of them are set in the US.
 

Midnight_Sun323

Midnight_Sun323
They also drive on the left in the Bahamas, even though they get all of their cars from Florida, so everyone is sitting on the wrong side in relation to the road. Taxis are absolutely terrifying there.
 

benbalooky

B
Joe Spivey said:
The space shuttle would be a better comparison than an aircraft don't you think? The pilot on the space shuttle sits on the right with the mission commander on the left. So as you are the guy doing the flying you would be on the right.
Click to expand...
I didn't know that! That's a good reason. I just assumed it was on the left, silly me.
 

Poseidal

Poseidal
The political landscape of 3300 has changed so the Empire probably wanted to have it on the left side to differentiate from Earth/Federal standards.

I would much prefer centrally located pilot seats though (for an otherwise symmetric ship; if the canopy is not centralised like the Millennium Falcon I don't mind so much). Is it only small ships and Lakons that have it though?
 

AJ_Impy

A
This is a good place to post this, no worries on that score. :)

In a galaxy where you can go from law-abiding civilization to battle weapon-selling, slaving anarchy in less time than it takes to hold your breath, imposing galaxy-wide standards on seating positions is a near-impossibility. The Lakon ships generally put the pilot right in the centre, as can be seen in the Types 6, 7 and 9 as well as the Asp. However, if you look at the nose of the asp, there are two additional seats in the cockpit, below the pilot and just above the chin weapon mounts. We're dealing with three-dimensional craft traveling in a three-dimensional medium, where left, right, up and down are entirely subjective. Unlike with terrestrial aircraft, these ships are not gravity bound, so flying upside down or at right angles relative to another craft on the same trajectory is meaningless in terms of the correct orientation.

There is no one overarching standards authority, no directional imperative as with gravity or roads, and even at the one point where there is a directional indicator, a station docking slot, you get to choose if the green lights are on your right or your left just by rotating your craft 180 degrees. In such an environment, a variety of seating positions is naturally the norm.
 

777Driver

777Driver
CATPAIN KIRK said:


The only european country except the UK is the Republic of Ireland - noone in europe outside the british isles does it.

Ideally, the game should let us pick the seat - sitting on the right is really aggravating for me - I presume it's the same for brits flying a cobra.
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Exactly - We really should have an option which seat we can take, I doubt it would be hard to implement. Am on my way to purchase a Clipper, only downside for me is flying on the right.

If we are going to use a real world comparison - On commercial aircraft, the First officer sit's on the right, the Captain is on the left.
 

CATPAIN KIRK

CATPAIN KIRK
Joe Spivey said:
Not really. When i go to the continent I hire a car and it only takes a short while to get used to it. Something else to consider too is that games teach you to drive LHD because most of them are set in the US.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I can see you're more often confronted with the situation. To me it's highly irritating. It's not just from driving cars, but throughout everyday life - In a double bed, I sleep on the left and unless it's a superior, I walk on the left (it's tradition around here due to the sword/sabre having been worn on the left...).

streki said:
Gibraltar ?
Cyprus ?
Malta ?
Click to expand...

Yeah - omitted them for brevities sake - could have mentioned the isle of man as well...
 
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