Elite Dangerous' Game Design is stuck behind a rock and a hard place
- Thread starter Zaptruder
- Start date
Don't know if anybody has suggested this, but how about having the docking computers also able to fly you in SC to your target? (I wouldn't suggest doing that to a star....) So, you jump into a system. Lock onto a station, start the docking computers (unlike the current dc mechanic). The dc turns you to your target and enters SC. It continues to aim you and go at the max speed available. It ramps down the speed as necessary so as to not overshoot the target. Drops out of SC at a safe distance. Requests docking clearance while flying to the station (as soon as you cross 7.5km). (If refused, set throttles to zero and turn off the dc). Dock.
Get interdicted, turn off the dc.
Leaves all of the troubles that you can encounter in SC (heck, might even add a few... if the shortest route is _past_ a star... that could cause you to roast your ship), you can still be interdicted, you can still manually stop the dc to go look at something else. But removes the need to constantly tweak your course.
Get interdicted, turn off the dc.
Leaves all of the troubles that you can encounter in SC (heck, might even add a few... if the shortest route is _past_ a star... that could cause you to roast your ship), you can still be interdicted, you can still manually stop the dc to go look at something else. But removes the need to constantly tweak your course.
I agree with OP's sentiments. I think there are some solutions to this problem:
- system-wide chat that can be used by NPCs and players. It could be used to break the monotony and deliver missions; would augment the bulletin board and work in conjunction with the mission branching mechanism. I don't see any downsides to this.
- more space phenomena - electromagnetic storms, gravitational anomalies, solar flares, cosmic radiation, micrometeorites - unexpected stuff to keep you on your toes. This is actually a 'must-have' in my book, I don't understand why more people don't request this.
- more in-system nav beacons - especially for binary stars. Eliminating the need for SC completely would be a bad choice as it would kill interdictions and the space events I proposed above, but on the other hand spending 15-30 minutes in SC is just boring. I'm sure a balance can be achieved.
Fact is that there is a large fan base for this type of simulation and always had been. There a large fan base for Lanar Flight, some people don't like Eve some do. There is large fan base for Flight simulator X and Prepar3D. This game wont fail just because there people here complaining they don't like it or bored.
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If it was so, EVE and most MMOs would have 'died' already just by sheer weight of trolling
Its a fact. Every simulation has its place, to clarify, since you didn't understand my original post.
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That's the "cruise control" method I mentioned. It's slower than taking advantage of local mass shadow topography, and it makes it easier for people to interdict you. Not to mention its pretty boring.
Oh I did, I was agreeing with you, sorry I didn't make it clearer (I was referring to the last sentence)
Ok, sorry thought you were calling me a troll. My bad.
Also think it's a 'must-have' features. I imagine, these phenomena becomes visible in SC if speed > 1c and can damage ship, and you need to maneuver between plasma / dust / micrometeorite clouds or magnetic fields to prevent damage or heat up. That will be additional challenge to exploration, traveling or interdictions. And FDEV already has tech for that, just look on volumetric nebulas.
I like supercruise, but OPs compromise also sounds good to me. If you already explored POI in system and/or have it coordinates then you can just hyperspace to it or close to it like in star wars. http://youtu.be/xPZigWFyK2o?t=49s
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Travelling in Skyrim is horrendous until you get fast travel. Then you use fast travel. Take a leaf out of that book, Elite.
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Wait, there's fan base for people who like simulations where you point at where you want to go, max your speed, then do NOTHING for 2 to 3 minutes until a timer his 0.07 and then you press one button and get a perfect arrival every time? Because that is what SC is. Pointless tedium.
I understand the OP's sentiment, but I don't agree with it. I like the "long" periods of travel in Elite. Space is big, and this game despite having FTL drives and supercruise conveys that size very well sometimes. It adds immersion for me. I find myself peering out of the cockpit all too often while supercruising around, staring at distant stars and nebulae and thinking about how to get there. I like the fact that the game gives me time to admire the scenery in between the bursts of combat and docking and mining.
I guess I just don't mind the moments of serenity among the stars as much as others do.
I guess I just don't mind the moments of serenity among the stars as much as others do.
It's not slower, it's faster. 100% efficient. Go look up elsewhere it's been proven to be fastest SC. If you are using any local masses to affect your speed you are doing it slower than if you just avoided them (because they simply slow you down more than you want) and stayed at max thrust till 6.5 seconds then switch to 75%. Interdiction is equally easy no matter what you do. The interdictor is following your wake. Anyway I'm usually happy to be interdicted, it relieves the utter tedium of the game and is a free kill.
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I played WoW for forever so I found Skrim's views to be meh. Skyrim travel for me was a long haul across empty countryside (I come from Scotland so it looks just like here!) occasionally encountering a bandit/wolf/bear that could do absolutely zero damage to me. Tedious and immediately replaced by Fast Travel as soon as it became available.
I have only one issue with travel and that's the fact your screens don't update and can't be viewing during a jump. That's a good 10 seconds in total every jump where I know I don't have to pay attention (yet - who knows when the Thargoids are going to show up there) yet I can't view my stats or check my loadout or whatever. I expect there are solid technical reasons for clearing the displays.
Sorry, my own studies indicate something different. Taking advantage of mass shadow breaking cuts about a minute, on average, of decelerating. That's on average. My best SC time on a 900 LS in-system run was a hair under two and a half minutes. The same run, using the "cruise control" method, was consistently just under four minutes.
I've also noticed that interdicters can't handle the precice maneuvering necessary to use mass shadows to rapidly decelerate your ship. They either overshoot badly, or, in a few cases, "collide" with the planet and have to spend several minutes escaping its mass lock. Often they're so used to people taking the allegedly "efficient" route that they don't cover less conventional ones.
Personally, I find there is no better sense accomplishment than wizzing by cruise controllers on final approach, threading the needle between crashing and overshooting, and dropping into the station 20 seconds after I'm "supposed" to go to 75% throttle seven seconds out. It's fun, it's fast, and it gives you a gorgeous view of the planet and its moons (and rings if your lucky) as you sweep around the planet, shedding excess speed all the while.
Yes. But a 1000+ Ly journey will take a long time whatever you do. During which you are twiddling your thumbs, or (in my case) reading websites, or whatever.
It boggles me a bit when people advise other activities to fill in the dead time in the game.
I love Elite I'm having a lot of fun. But it's not perfect and there are things I'd like to see changed and improved. This is one of them.
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Thanks Inga, Have rep. I'm going to have to try that it sounds fun.
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I rather like the travelling in Skyrim - there is interesting stuff around almost every corner, which are virtually begging you to go explore. Elite has kinda tried to copy that, by having lots of Unidentified Signal Sources along your way, but IMHO it doesn't really work since you cannot see what they are without dropping out of SC (so it's just as likely to be something boring or something you want to avoid, as it is to be something cool).
Newbies should probably go into every USS they encounter, but once you have enough money you should be able to buy a fancy scanner that gives you some idea what is at the USS (e.g. approx number of ships, excluding any stealthed ones). Then you can make a better judgement on whether it's worth going to it, or whether it'd just make you more annoyed/bored.
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Just quoting this because it makes a lot of sense. SC should be exciting, at least some of the the time... Or just make SC quicker!
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At the risk of being unpopular. I really don't mind super cruise, flying around looking for wanted ships interdicting them. All good fun.