Don't try this at home

Eli Jack

Eli Jack
Elite D, copious amounts of cider and a short-term memory problem (medical I hasten to add).

So I finally get around to buying the SB + EP, download, install and we're off.

First do the graphics/audio set-up and then move to the controls. Yeah, well that's the thing with intermittent memory problems and in this case the cider as well, I'm just not gonna remember what's mapped to what. Still, how hard can it be?

1st shoot the cannisters... ok, let's do that...

Cue wildly spinning universe and a sensitivity to the throttle that would make Ferrari freak. The cannisters fly by in a spinning blur. Meanwhile I'm desperately trying to avoid lots of rocks that dance around me whilst a red sign keeps blinking 'Impact' (at least that's what I thought it said).

I manage to slow down and try to line up the white dots on the radar so that they're in front of me. All the time the universe is cartwheeling like a crazy thing so the white dots are above me/below me/ above me etc. etc. No matter I have a boost button mapped to something so I'll be able to catch up with them no problem...

Except I don't remember what button it is... so I'll use the throttle with a light touch... yeah that worked. As the cannisters spin wildly past again I'm struck by the thought that maybe having opposable thumbs doesn't mark me out as having higher intelligence than a monkey. I finally manage to come to a stop and turn the ship to the cannisters in the far, far distance. By using minute throttle I'm able to creep slowly towards them. I get real close to one and try to deploy the guns, now which button was it? I'm loathe to push any old button so ponder for a while...

I realise that I've got no hope of remembering so, after offering up a prayer to the cannister god I push a button... so that was the boost button then.

Anyway this went on for some time. I'm caught in a sort of cosmic dance, me, the cannisters and the rocks. I get to the point where I'm pressing any button, all buttons, throttle backwards, forwards. I'm going up, down, left, right, speeding up, flying backwards, boosting and all the while the universe whirls like a dervish around me...

And I'm laughing as I cavort through space loving every minute of it.

I may never be allowed out in the wide expanses, heck I may just stay with the cannisters, they don't seem to mind my antics. But if I ever do get to play in the real Elite universe you'll know it's me. I'll be the one careering past you, spinning out of control as I gracefully bury myself into the side of a station...

Or more likely, the heart of a star.

Best £85 I ever spent :D
 

forger

forger
;) that's why in such games you do two things first: rebind keys to your controller if necessary and write down those keys and stick to your monitor or just place in front of you ;)

but, welcome aboard cmdr!
 

MikeSnos

MikeSnos
Excellent post... ideal to raise an early morning smile :)

Welcome aboard and enjoy the game...

I was going to say something else but I've forgotten.... it's an age thing in my case! :)
 

Rickenbacker

Rickenbacker
Well, that helped me pass a few minutes at work :).

Oh, and turn Flight Assist on. Sounds like you need to minimize the potential for error :).
 

Adam Lusardi

A
Great post, I can remember my first canister attempt (sober) I just rammed the lot in excitement and uncontrolled speed. :smilie:
 
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Flossy

Volunteer Moderator
Flossy
Vidar said:
Except I don't remember what button it is...
Click to expand...

Firstly, welcome to the forum! :D

The best idea for remembering what goes where is to find some diagrams of your HOTAS and label them to show which button does what. I have a Warthog HOTAS and keep printed diagrams in front of me when I am flying. I do keep changing allocations as time goes on and I discover 'better' buttons to use for particular functions, but each time will also update my diagrams with the new configurations.

I strongly recommend documenting all of your settings also, and preferably saving a backup of your keybinds somewhere, as these keep being wiped with most updates - or sometimes for no particular reason, as happened to me yesterday.

Have fun with cannisters, hope you can soon get stable enough (use Flight Assist on! :D) to try shooting them. :)
 

Voz

Voz
:D

Great post. Three things come to mind
1) The old Keep It Simple. I would suggest that you don't want to start off with flight assist disabled (as Rickenbacker said) and have the primary controls in obvious places.
2) Which controller are you using? There's bound to be someone on here with a bindings file for it that might help you. Or at least some experience on how to use it best (e.g. Flossy with the Warthog, I have the Logitech 3D Pro)
3) Keep at it - there's always muscle memory to rely on :)

Oh, and before I forget, once you try docking make sure you bind the boost key to something else once you have your landing gear down (there is an over-ride). Many of us have hit boost in those final moments before touch down and grated our ships down the inside of a space station :rolleyes:
 

Eli Jack

Eli Jack
Thanks one and all for the replies, encouragement and flight tips!

I knew I'd posted here as there was a sticky note on the monitor to remind me.

One thing I had forgotten though was the arrival of a new SSD for my pc. I wondered why I hadn't bought ED before now... oh well, I know now. New install of OS here we come.

I was so excited at getting ED that I confess to not taking much time to configure the joystick (Logitech Extreme Pro) before plunging in. Yeah, a mistake in hindsight and the cider just made it better (or worse).

Due to a genetic condition (the one that probably killed Rachmaninov, Paganini and possibly Joey Ramone) I feared that I wouldn't actually see ED and being a long time player of both Elite and Frontier that kinda sucked. Thankfully Sir David Braben and the Frontier crew have got it together in time for me to wreak uncontrolled havoc through the cosmos :eek:

Be afraid, be very afraid :D

So again, thanks to all who replied. I will follow the suggestions and who knows, one of these crazy nights our paths may cross in the vastness.

Oh and Anubis Khan, convince your friends to partake in the delights of ED. A lot of us have been waiting 30 years and boy, is it gonna be worth it.
 

Dan Dare

Dan Dare
Lol :D not sure he has been dubbed sir yet, just an OBE so far ;)
Re: mad spinning confusion amidst forgotten key bindings can I recommend voice attack as you can even get it to respond to several, different commands.
E .g. Super cruise, super charge, floor it, omg let's get out of here etc :cool:
 

Eli Jack

Eli Jack
Dan Dare said:
Lol :D not sure he has been dubbed sir yet, just an OBE so far ;)
Re: mad spinning confusion amidst forgotten key bindings can I recommend voice attack as you can even get it to respond to several, different commands.
E .g. Super cruise, super charge, floor it, omg let's get out of here etc :cool:
Click to expand...

Dan Dare said:
One other tip, Henry Weston, awesome :S
Click to expand...

I did research Voice Attack but my OH is pretty anti towards it. She claims talking to an imaginary ship computer is beyond the pale. I threatened to eject her from the cargo hold for heresy.

Yep, Old Rosie or Vintage, both get my vote but on balance I prefer OR. One can get it in 20ltr boxes, delivered to your door as well :eek: I'm not allowed to do that though as my OH says that I'd morph into Barney Gumble.

I have managed to shoot the canisters finally but only by coming to a dead halt first. I've been continuously messing around with the bindings so things are not so out of control now. I'm content to keep plugging away at the basics. I'm here for the long haul (NPI), hopefully.
 
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