External View [A definitive discussion]

[Chainmail]

As I said, let's all wait for the 16th Dec and see what happens...

Why? Is that when all the developers go home and the code is locked away, never to be touched again? It's not 1984 any more! Things change, patches happen.

I personally don't care if external views are omitted until the 16th Dec 2015. Not that it is likely to take that long to add drones, but you get the idea. Drones are for more interesting to me for the gameplay opportunities they suggest rather than for space selfies or fan videos. In fact, if the drones are used for a million other fun things to do, but external views never make it into the game, it would not affect my enjoyment of the game one tiny bit. Your mileage may vary, but I would suggest there are other things that you can get on with in this game, and even other games...

 

[almostpilot]

So FD no news about the outside view? yet!

 

[Vacuum Cleaner]

I'm playing the gamma for the first time but I just couldn't believe there were no external views!
Though I understand the con and pro PvP arguments it still surprised me to realize that a game that's made to look as good as ED doesn't have some cinematic camera's like within the station when you're docked or orbiting a planet.

To be honest I'm really shocked by this, even in a game as iRacing you can see your car when you are in the pits.

And an interesting read for the devs: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/The-Cool-Cam

 

[Innocence]

And an interesting read for the devs: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/The-Cool-Cam

Good article! Games are meant to entertain, and we humans being inherently narcissistic, find nothing more entertaining than watching ourselves doing cool stuff.

This "No external cam" decision is a huge, HUGE error in judgement by Frontier.

To those who feel that "This will break immersion for me"... well you don't have to use it do you?

 

[Dejay]

Thanks for the article, really funny and insightful read!

It almost seems now that the game is nearing release and more people come check it out the number of people who definitely do want an external view has gone up dramatically. Or is it just me?

 

[agent1138]

It's an immersion breaker, vanity drones only.

 

[LeiHarper]

It almost seems now that the game is nearing release and more people come check it out the number of people who definitely do want an external view has gone up dramatically. Or is it just me?

Honestly, for me this comes down to something really simple. Either Frontier needs to add an external camera, or:

1. They need to stop selling skins, because we can't see them unless we're on the outfitting screen. And honestly, that is just stupid to sell cosmetic microtransaction items that we can't even view in space. Ever.
2. They need to stop putting external views in their trailers/promo videos, because that gives the impression that such things are available to us players. And they aren't.

Just put the damn external camera in. You don't need the ridiculous conceit of a "camera drone" or any complicated user interface design that comes from it. And people might use it in combat? Who cares? I can already see where people are from behind an asteroid using my targeting system, since the reticle shows me the target's location and the image of my target in the HUD shows me their orientation. It offers no combat advantage whatsoever and even if it did, the disadvantages of not being able to aim or effectively evade far outweigh the advantages. Disable my controls if you have to, I don't care.

Frontier are taking our money in spades for vanity items, they need to give us a free camera mode to actually enjoy this money we're spending. $15 for a skin I can't even see? Shameful.

Edit: Wait, why am I telling them to 'put it in'? Its obviously already in the game in some form because of its continual use in the promo videos. Just turn the damn thing on so we can use it.

 

[talshiarr]

It's an immersion breaker, vanity drones only.

Nothing's forcing you to use it. Virtually every flight and combat sim since the days of F-19 in the 80's has had an external view.

 

[DYSEQTA]

Just turn the damn thing on so we can use it.

How about...No.

The poll shows a clear preference by the majority for no general external view which also happens to coincide with the developers vision of some kind of vanity only system. End of discussion.

 

[LeiHarper]

How about...No.

The poll shows a clear preference by the majority for no general external view which also happens to coincide with the developers vision of some kind of vanity only system. End of discussion.

Since the three "No" responses are:

No: This will break immersion fo me
No: the Scanner is all you need.
No: Keep everything within the ship

Which are essentially the same thing, how many of the "No" respondents do you think voted for all three of the No responses, given that this is a multiple choice poll? (It shouldn't have been multiple choice)

More than 50% of respondents voted for "Yes: a Simple external ship viewer None Combat".

So regardless of how many choices people made, more than half the people who voted did actually voted for "Yes" in some form. Where is your majority now?

 

[Eggplant!]

The galaxy map, system map, and outfit screens already take you out of the cockpit and break immersion.

I cannot see any reasonable combat advantage. If anything, trying to fight like this would be a disadvantage. TrackIR/Oculus would give you much more of a visibility advantage. Seeing around objects makes no sense when you have the scanner.

Immersion is broken. There is no combat advantage. Bring on the vanity views.

 

[DYSEQTA]

Since the three "No" responses are:

No: This will break immersion fo me
No: the Scanner is all you need.
No: Keep everything within the ship

Which are essentially the same thing, how many of the "No" respondents do you think voted for all three of the No responses, given that this is a multiple choice poll? (It shouldn't have been multiple choice)

More than 50% of respondents voted for "Yes: a Simple external ship viewer None Combat".

So regardless of how many choices people made, more than half the people who voted did actually voted for "Yes" in some form. Where is your majority now?

They are in the vanity only "Yes". I am saying "No" to the general external camera which is also what the poll overwhelmingly said no to. I have no problem at all with some kind of external system that can really only be used in a passive way, such as the drone system proposed by the devs themselves, and the majority of respondents on this poll say so too.

Just turning on the system that the devs are using for their promotional stuff is going to be a lot worse than just having an option for 3PV as their system is likely to be a full blown free camera system from the looks of the vids I've seen. That would be great for people wanting to make in-lore movies but would be terrible for fair gameplay.

 

[nUt_rAt]

Half in jest, half serious (think of it as "green hat" thinking):

TL;DR whole thread, but how about some really shiny, chrome outposts? A mirror array on an orbital?

Then we could parade past, looking at ourselves.

 

[Batavier]

Really, all we need is something to take pretty pictures of the environment and of our ships. At least IMO. This topic (of >140 pages) is a tad too long to read, but the first post sums it up nicely. Although the choices of the poll were a bit ambiguous.

I just want to see my ship, dammit!

 

[Out2lunch]

No: This will break immersion fo me 117 36.45%

You are all crackers imop, The first Elite had external camers and even weapon points for all cameras, even my car has a rear view camera now, (for my wife to park, as shes dangerous right there, oh yes I went there).

I defo want external cameras, I would love to see all around my ship especially when exploring to help spot those hard to find distant suns etc.

 

[Robert Maynard]

No: This will break immersion fo me 117 36.45%

You are all crackers imop, The first Elite had external camers and even weapon points for all cameras, even my car has a rear view camera now, (for my wife to park, as shes dangerous right there, oh yes I went there).

I defo want external cameras, I would love to see all around my ship especially when exploring to help spot those hard to find distant suns etc.

The original had views forward, aft, port and starboard. No external cameras at all - all of the views were from a viewpoint inside the ship.

 

[NeilF]

It's an immersion breaker, vanity drones only.

Whereas, explosion sounds in space, huge Union Jacks painted on Cobras, lasers visible in an vacuum, no rear view camera techonology, a ton of clothes using the same space as a ton of gold, are the bees knees of reality?

Come on, we'd all like to look at the ED universe more clearly

 

[Shadowma]

Third person view/chase view

Hi maybe I am having a senior moment or just not seeing something correctly.
But was wondering if there is a way to see your ship while flying in space? Chase view or 3thd person view?
Also I understand that you can't aim & fight while in this view as I play SC
& this is also the case but would like to be able to look at my ship other
than in just dry dock. Thanks in advance for any help or info.

Shadowma

 

[Cody]

There are reams of discussion on this - currently, there is no external view! It's a design decision!

 

[Shadowma]

Wow that sounds like a bad decision to me, hopefully they will amend this down the line
I don't want to dogfight in 3thd person but would like to see my ship as it cruises through the cosmos,
sigh would be nice. Oh well thanks for the info,hope it changes soon.

Shadowma