Does anyone else find this annoying?

I have to agree with you 100% varonica. The Mission that have less info make them more fun. Having all the info upfront makes for a dull game.
You mean like how trade and courier missions offered at stations already provide the exact same info up front?
 
Trade & courier missions are not asking you to find something that is supposed to be hidden or secret.
But @Atol was complaining about missions giving location information, whereas I was trying to point out that giving location information was not necessarily a bad thing.

Anyway - We wouldn’t mind the long distance if we could use skill/tactics/preparation to get there more quickly. We wouldn’t even mind the long time taken to travel there using existing mechanics if there was actually something to do on the way.

I seriously don’t understand why some people are so opposed to that.
 
IME the better paying the mission, or the higher rank or whatever, the more of a downside there will be. If I take a 5* inf mission I know something about it will be 'hard'. It may require skill (I've been doing base scans tonight, they are quick but require decent high speed SRV driving skill)

Outside of the occasional bug, I haven't found this to be the case.

Also, no base scan mission requires you to get out of your ship.
 
You have an incredibly narrow view of the gaming world.

Also, I've got news for you: it doesn't require any intelligence to sit and wait doing nothing in SuperCruise for 20 mins right now. So 🤷‍♂️

Giving the player something to do in SuperCruise does not mean turning the game into a 'terrible arcade game'. For example:
  • A means to identify and navigate gravimetric wells of planets for faster/more efficient travel would not only give the player something to do, it would also allow them to learn a new skill set.
  • A means to enhance your ship's systems during quiet periods using problem solving, crafting, and learning.
  • A means to repair your ship while on exploration journeys - identifying issue, and applying appropriate repairs using skills and learning.
  • Giving the player in-game problems/puzzles to solve that lead to a personal journey/story for the user (similar to the Listening Post cryptography/puzzles from a couple of years ago).
Basically, what I'm saying is: just because you are unable to think of a way to enhance the game in a way that makes it more engaging, more skill-based, and/or more intelligence-based, don't assume that others are equally incapable as you.
Now THIS I absolutely agree with.
More control, more command of your ship. Nanite's totally right - using the gravity that restricts the FSD could be an incredible advantage. We all do to a small extent - leaving the plane of the ecliptic and flying wide around systems to keep FSD speed up - but if we could use the gravity wells that would be extraordinarily useful and fun...kind of how we use White Dwarfs and Neutron stars. Make it HARD - really hard. Make it VERY risky; but DOABLE; careful planning and skill are required. Think of it - you're in a T-6 with a bellyful of Void Opals, some bloody player pirate is chasing you and you KNOW you can't beat him. You're at redline on the FSD, but you know he'll catch you before you reach your station. A planet is ahead...you have a chance. It's risky, but you've done this before. Dive for the planet; the manoeuver must be PRECISELY timed: zero the throttle just before max pressure; rip around the limb of the plant and hit the gate to slingshot away far faster than you ever could normally...the pirate misjudges and slams into the planet. Your ship is damaged - shields gone, armour shredded, you just spat in the eye of the Old Horned Devil himself and got away with it...but you made it!
(Shrug) Just an idea of what could be done; I've no idea how it would actually work, but it could be SO MUCH fun.
Hell - they DID the Neutron Stars, they could do this.
Also...
The ability to get OUT of your bloody pilot's chair and do some WORK on your ship...oh yeah.
Nanite, I might have misunderstood your argument in our previous disagreement. If this was your intention then I totally agree with you.
 
Last edited:
Nanite, I might have misunderstood your argument in our previous disagreement. If this was your intention then I totally agree with you.
Thanks!

I'll admit, it wasn't my original intention. I originally just wanted a way to boost speed over long distances (see https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/in-system-jumps.424339/). But then someone (was it you?) suggested navigating around planets gravitational fields to make yourself go as fast as possible in SuperCruise, but I didn't like the idea since there was no good way to identify gravitational fields in-game.

So, I'm now thinking about a compromise - a means to identify gravitational fields (gravimetric waves), and by navigating your ship through the 'ideal' path, you can accelerate at the maximum allowable rates, and even exceed current acceleration rates & top speed if navigated correctly.

This would solve the piracy issue too - a navigation means that's accessible to everyone, where the best pilots fly the fastest.

And for those people who don't like to do anything while in SuperCruise (not naming any names), we can still allow the current system we have right now to continue unchanged.
 
But @Atol was complaining about missions giving location information, whereas I was trying to point out that giving location information was not necessarily a bad thing.

Anyway - We wouldn’t mind the long distance if we could use skill/tactics/preparation to get there more quickly. We wouldn’t even mind the long time taken to travel there using existing mechanics if there was actually something to do on the way.

I seriously don’t understand why some people are so opposed to that.
Nanite, I think I get your argument now, and by and large I agree. I WILL say this however: I totally agree with your opinion that much more could be done to shorten the travel time using skill and planning, and that the pilot should be able to do so much more on his/her ship during the transit. I do not however agree with any statements that long travel time for USS missions - the original argument - should be removed.

I might have misunderstood your argument and if so, I apologize. ABSOLUTELY there should be a way to 'cheat' and cover those distances quicker...to pull a Sacramento, to use a term from my own fiction writing. (Lt. Cdr. Sacramento Larris is the navigator of a warship in one of my stories. She's known for being highly skilled but utterly insane when it comes to plotting screwball flights that can get the Vanguard into position hours ahead of time. She's put the poor ship through stellar coronas, bounced past black holes, ricocheted off moons and always gets the ship there. What condition Vanguard is in when she gets there is a secondary concern...)

Anyhoo, if your believe that there should be a way to 'cheat' using the physics of the FSD and how it interacts with stellar bodies, then I'm all for it! My only argument is that a USS or Assassinate mission should not only happen within - say - 500ls of the arrival point.
 
Nanite, I think I get your argument now, and by and large I agree. I WILL say this however: I totally agree with your opinion that much more could be done to shorten the travel time using skill and planning, and that the pilot should be able to do so much more on his/her ship during the transit. I do not however agree with any statements that long travel time for USS missions - the original argument - should be removed.

I might have misunderstood your argument and if so, I apologize. ABSOLUTELY there should be a way to 'cheat' and cover those distances quicker...to pull a Sacramento, to use a term from my own fiction writing. (Lt. Cdr. Sacramento Larris is the navigator of a warship in one of my stories. She's known for being highly skilled but utterly insane when it comes to plotting screwball flights that can get the Vanguard into position hours ahead of time. She's put the poor ship through stellar coronas, bounced past black holes, ricocheted off moons and always gets the ship there. What condition Vanguard is in when she gets there is a secondary concern...)

Anyhoo, if your believe that there should be a way to 'cheat' using the physics of the FSD and how it interacts with stellar bodies, then I'm all for it! My only argument is that a USS or Assassinate mission should not only happen within - say - 500ls of the arrival point.
Yep - we're in agreement.

(y):cool:(y)
 
Thanks!

I'll admit, it wasn't my original intention. I originally just wanted a way to boost speed over long distances (see https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/in-system-jumps.424339/). But then someone (was it you?) suggested navigating around planets gravitational fields to make yourself go as fast as possible in SuperCruise, but I didn't like the idea since there was no good way to identify gravitational fields in-game.

So, I'm now thinking about a compromise - a means to identify gravitational fields (gravimetric waves), and by navigating your ship through the 'ideal' path, you can accelerate at the maximum allowable rates, and even exceed current acceleration rates & top speed if navigated correctly.

This would solve the piracy issue too - a navigation means that's accessible to everyone, where the best pilots fly the fastest.

And for those people who don't like to do anything while in SuperCruise (not naming any names), we can still allow the current system we have right now to continue unchanged.
OK; we're on the same page then :)

You're suggesting that there's a way to fly the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs. :D
YES. ED is largely point-and-drive when it comes to SC flight; but there are all these lovely, lovely gravity wells hanging around...choosing the precise path between them (the passive way) or using them to get a huge boost (the risky way) ...yeah.
 
The above ideas are fantastic. I'd also like to see reduced scanner range in supercruise so you actually have to get in range of a target to identify it. Also allow the manifest scanner and kill warrant scanner to work in supercruise so you can determine if a target is worth interdicting or not.

If I'm smuggling illegal goods into a system I'd like the possibility of being scanned while en route by authority ships meaning that maybe I'll take a less direct route to my destination to avoid patrols. The smuggling mechanic as it stands is far too simplistic to be any real fun.

I would also like to see your FSD type and ship type determine your top speed and acceleration which would allow for a wider range of considerations when selecting a ship and outfitting it.
 
The above ideas are fantastic. I'd also like to see reduced scanner range in supercruise so you actually have to get in range of a target to identify it. Also allow the manifest scanner and kill warrant scanner to work in supercruise so you can determine if a target is worth interdicting or not.

If I'm smuggling illegal goods into a system I'd like the possibility of being scanned while en route by authority ships meaning that maybe I'll take a less direct route to my destination to avoid patrols. The smuggling mechanic as it stands is far too simplistic to be any real fun.

I would also like to see your FSD type and ship type determine your top speed and acceleration which would allow for a wider range of considerations when selecting a ship and outfitting it.
All good possibilities. As it stands, the top speed of FSD is (I think) 2000C. If a lumbering T9 could do that just as well as a Vulture can, it would be a little silly.

Since they both can, it's a little silly.

I wouldn't suggest that a cargo ship not reach the ultimate top speed; I'd suggest it takes longer. She's bigger, heavier and slower.
If I'm reading you right, you want SA vessels to actively hunt smugglers. LOL - I can hear the screams of protest from here - and I agree. I've been ranking up for the Federation this weekend, and have diverted numerous times when players have been interdicted by pirates. I've saved a couple of guys, I'm pleased to say :) If I can do that, then SA should be able to as well. MB is right - if you're going to smuggle, go WAY out of the way, watch the defenders, find the clear line in then bolt for the Mailslot; sweating all the way. I agree with that totally.
 
Back
Top Bottom