External View [A definitive discussion]

[obliterator]

FD said they are already working on external drone cameras that would enable non-combat 3rd person vision of your ship, while keeping the immersion untouched. Can we please stop asking for features they are already working on???

 

[Data]

FD said they are already working on external drone cameras that would enable non-combat 3rd person vision of your ship, while keeping the immersion untouched. Can we please stop asking for features they are already working on???

Glad to hear this.

At the risk of sounding like a shill account, I agree with the OP. 3rd person cameras are unpopular in the PvP community, I get it, but they are a must-have in a game like this. You can mitigate the "advantage" through gameplay restrictions.

 

[B. Valentine]

+1 for external view (NOT in combat). We had it in Elite 2 and 3 and it didn't break the immersion at all. And it's not unrealistic to have external camera drones to survey the ship's surface when it's not maneuvering. They should be standard equipment, not a luxury module.

Excactly!
You'd also think a rear view mirror (or camera) would be standard equipment.

 

[BigQ800]

Some kind of drone

:facepalm:
Where did this ridiculous idea even come from....?
I'm glad that DCS devs didn't know that F2-external camera view is such an obsolete and idiotic feature.
Go, buy some skins for 10$. lol.
What's the problem with such an obvious, basic feature like F2 external camera view?
Dont like it, dont use it.
Why someone wants to tell me how to play and experience the game?

 

[BigQ800]

That's most of this forum. Arrogant ats who believe that 1984 still exists and FD made this game for them.

LOOOOOOL. Since when having more is step backwards? jesus... i just can't believe what i'm reading here. This is just crazy.

 

[BigQ800]

Couldn't agree more... It is a ridiculous decision IMO...

There is no 1st person immersion in this game. Just about every loading screen (hyperspace, supercruise etc..) the audio drops out for a second and rips me out of any immersion. Every time I look at the galaxy and system maps I am ripped out of 1st person, again no immersion. And for me not being able to immerse myself in the galaxy itself by NOT being able to view my ship from any angle destroys my immersion of being in the galaxy flying around. I feel more like I'm in an arcade game with a pasted on cockpit and a star field passing by outside. How 80's lol.

As far as some advantage in combat... That is a pathetic excuse put forward by folks that I believe never played a good flight sim. It puts you at a disadvantage if anything. All of that enemy positional data is right there on the scanners. I don't want a 3rd person view with a cursor and my controls on screen, I want a 3rd person view available like FD advertises in the trailers... If it's good enough for them to try and sell the game then I should enjoy those same views when I play! (can you say "deceptive advertising")

I will certainly be voting with my wallet when new features are added like planetary landings. If I cannot not watch beautiful fiery re-entry effects from a 3rd person view and watch the ground receding as I lift off I won't be buying. It will lack immersion for me...

I am NOT buying ship skins for the same reason. Though I would like to, there is just no point.

As I said before it lacks immersion for me by not including such a simple feature. I want to watch my ship enter hyperspace. I want to see planets and stations receding in the distance as I embark on my adventure! for me that's immersion. I feel like I am almost playing an arcade game right now.

(and the Drone idea.... imo a stupid waste of manpower and programming resources when there is already an implementation in game the devs use!)

Just an old guys viewpoint...

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Darian]

-I will not buy another skin for any ship unless external view has been added fully in all game modes

if they don't add it, fine, I'll still play, but if they want anymore money on things like this they won't get it. and if people are still going to argue about X benefit or advantage I expect them all to ask for the removal of headlook, multi monitor and changing the FoV to ensure everyone is on a level playing field.

Bump up and an Rep+ for that, no external view, no buying skins i never get to see anyways

 

[Canasta]

For the purpose of immersion, for those that require immersion, just pretend that an external view could be one that is generated by the ships own computer and then displayed on an oculus rift headset worn by the pilot, an old antique VR headset from the year 2015

Edit : You might need to upgrade your GPU if your in an Adder, that ship is so old and clunky

 

[Ketzerfreund]

I'd really wish people would finally stop talking about immersion in this thread. It's not a legitimate argument at all. An optional feature cannot be immersion-breaking. It's literally impossible for an optional feature to have any influence whatsoever on someone's playing experience.

 

[Canasta]

I'm just trying to help people who want the feature but also want to feel 'immersed', I personally don't give a stuff about it. There are far greater things in the game at present that detract from immersion

 

[Arithon]

Back then it also had external view, though

No, it didn't. Elite (which I had 30 years ago) had right, left, read and front views - all first person there was never a third-person viewpoint of the ship externally. I have suggested previously that these could be reinstated in Elite: Dangerous, but its frankly up to Frontier. I'm not writing the game, only playing it.

The comparison with flight sims is not really valid. You don't play combat in FSX and a 360 view would change the nature of the game.

The game itself is first person and Frontier have plans to allow the pilot to get up and walk around the ship, leave the ship and explore stations in some way. Anyone who has used an Oculus and looked behind them can tell you all the ships in Elite have a pressure door leading to somewhere else in the ship. A door which will probably open in 2015.

External view drones are a nice idea outside of combat, although I'd look at making it "view from other ship cam" or "view from station cam" so you can request the forward view of other ships or fixed cams on stations. An option not available in a fire-fight.

I'd say writing off ED as "crap" after 10 minutes is pretty weak for someone with such "simulator experience". FSX takes twice that long to find the keys!

 

[Cody]

Still no 'final word' then, eh? <sighs>

 

[Dreadp1r4te]

I'm on board for the drone concept. It works well in Mechwarrior Online, allowing the whiners to see their 'Mechs and peek over hills, but the floating drone with the bright flashing red light lets everyone ELSE know you're peeking over the hill too, giving away your position. It also adds a bit of immersion too, as you get to look at your ship but in a realistic fashion, at least till the implement EVA...

 

[maxcorwyn]

View attachment 6461

Granted, an external view in the situation above would be an advantage.
But in Elite? Seriously?

Just overwrite flight control keys with camera control keys if in 3rd person view. Problem solved.

 

[dementia]

I'd be happy with the ability to view your ship from any angle whilst in Outfitting and for FD to fix the problem when you cannot see your ship's decal when you look out the window (using the Oculus Rift for instance where all you see is your ship in isometric and in flat grey - I'm sure the beta had this working though)

 

[almostpilot]

...
The comparison with flight sims is not really valid. You don't play combat in FSX and a 360 view would change the nature of the game.

So let's talk about IL-2 or DCS simulation games ... all these games are aimed at combating and has external view ..Ah and are more hardcore than ED in combat.

 

[The Brigadier]

if you are worried about an advantage while in external view, surely the easiest thing to do would be to disable the fire button. A step further would be to disable the flight controls.

 

[Driver]

Ok, so I've spent 10 min in this game, training to launch, all spent looking for an external view - I've been playing simulators for 20 years, huge on flightsim.com - look up my name- wrote a great article on immersion simming 15 years ago, I find it absolutely ridiculous that there is no external view in this game, every simulator from 1995 on has it! Battle Cruiser, FS95, 98, 2000, 2004, X and PrePar3d, Xplane, Fly, FLYII, these are all more robust simulators than this and they all had it. Crap - even Orbiter 2010 - a Freeware space simulator has it! Don't talk to me about "immersion" as that is an excuse for not having it, Its a GAME people! If anyone can choose not to use it if they don't want to! Are we communist now? lets save the people from not being immersed? Is this going to happen and WHEN? I do feel cheated on this based on the on line advertising AND the basic fact that precedence IS that simulators HAVE EXTERNAL VIEWS! Where is mine?

You ought to take all of your sim experience over to Kickstarter and pitch your own game.

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So let's talk about IL-2 or DCS simulation games ... all these games are aimed at combating and has external view ..Ah and are more hardcore than ED in combat.

But none of those games are ED.

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if you are worried about an advantage while in external view, surely the easiest thing to do would be to disable the fire button. A step further would be to disable the flight controls.

Actually, the easiest thing is to leave the external views out of the game.

 

[sngerous]

External view would be clearly an enrichment to the game.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

I would like external view without restriction, the same as it was in Frontier and is in Pioneer. I still don't get the whole argument about being able to gain a combat advantage (and yes, people have tried explaining it to my poor brain, but i don't get it).

However, i had to -1 the OP for the sheer level of arrogance that came across in their post.