External View [A definitive discussion]

[NeilF]

I am slightly changing my opinion about an 'external view'.
I am feeling pretty confused.

What i know for sure is that pilots absolutely they needs a rearview window or something like that.

A rear view is a bit of a different matter (to an external view) IMHO, and comes with its own list of issues.

eg: What stops someone from constantly flicking to/from rear view and spoiling someone's stealth attach from the rear? Or is this not an issue at all etc?

I'm sure FD are aware of all our wishes, and are carefully balancing these wishes with game play mechanics. Hopefully we'll see shortly what they can offer us.

 

[Morgan]

Would be useful for two things

There are two times when I would find an external view really useful:

1) when sight seeing!

2) when learning the game. Some kind of external view (or saved gameplay time that I can then replay from any angle later on) would be really helpful to learn about the ship controls. What does pitch/yaw/roll really do? How does my ship look from the outside when I do x or y or z.

Further to (2) some sort of "flight simulator" mode in the game would be an awesome addition at some point in future. Somewhere you could go and perhaps fly around a set course / waypoints. Then race your ghost. And then replay it and take an external view to learn from what you did and get better. What better way to become elite?

Actually, having just come up with that idea, maybe that's a whole other ball game that FD could look at in future. Racing space ships for credits... oh the possibilities!

 

[Hydrino]

A rear view is a bit of a different matter (to an external view) IMHO, and comes with its own list of issues.

eg: What stops someone from constantly flicking to/from rear view and spoiling someone's stealth attach from the rear? Or is this not an issue at all etc?

I'm sure FD are aware of all our wishes, and are carefully balancing these wishes with game play mechanics. Hopefully we'll see shortly what they can offer us.

What stealth rear attack? The current 360 degree view solution is called radar coupled with tricky cargo scoop and landing view. And you can always flip over and fly backwards to look behind.

But why? The original elite had multiple views, we have rear-view mirrors and backup cameras in cars nowdays. Many games have post-play chase cam video options. I cannot imagine a space truck without some sophisticated sensors and at least a couple of cameras to see what is around, under and behind. DB has hinted they are investigating how to implement at least a rear-view camera.

My guess is cameras would be used 75% of the time for sight-seeing awesomeness 20% for landing and scooping cargo, and the other 5% would be folks getting killed trying to use a camera in combat instead of sticking to the knitting.

Just look at the promo videos and tell me you don't want to at least have an occasional chance to see your own ship in operation from those views.

Someone should start a thread/poll on whether our EVA avatars should have eyes implanted in the backs of our heads for rear-view vision when walking around. After all there is the Skully

 

[NeilF]

I've been watching the E3 footage hoping to see them flick into an external view while showing it off

But alas no

 

[JughedJones]

I'm all for an external view for sightseeing etc.

I'm also very much for disabling it if you deploy hardpoints, when you've asked for landing clearance, or are in the station.

 

[Darkoba]

Parts of this discussion seem to have become confused. There are comments about external views and there are comments about rear-, left- and right-views.

1) EXTERNAL view is seeing your own ship, from the outside. How that is done is IMHO irrelevant, be it simulated drone, external camera or magic spell.

It's purpose, again, IMO, is to enjoy looking at your own beautiful (or battle scarred?) ship, either to enjoy the view, or perhaps to inspect damage. I don't think it has any further practical purpose.



2) REAR-VIEW (and left and right views) as seen in the original, are ways of looking around space from INSIDE your ship.

With the new cockpit and game features, left and right view are apparently no longer necessary, as one can turn one's head (although personally, I would prefer three monitors with fixed forward, left and right views respectively). Of course, one can now also look 'upwards' - in my multiple monitor set-up, I'd need a fourth monitor on the ceiling

A rear-view 'mirror' or camera could be handy for docking, or perhaps in combat, but this is at least partly covered by the scanner. I suppose a miniature projected image of the view out the back of the ship would look nice, but where would you have it? There's already so much to look at.

Anyway, I don't think FD will fail to supply us with what we need, and also a lot of what we want.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

God dammit, just give us all the views. External, right, left and rear. And make us arm that rear view with a military lazer. Pew pew

 

[tooterfish]

Actually, having just come up with that idea, maybe that's a whole other ball game that FD could look at in future. Racing space ships for credits... oh the possibilities!

Races are very much a thing already.

 

[Colonel Kenney]

External View Discussion

I've posted it in another discussion but I thought it could use its own.

How about we use up a maintenance or utility slot to mount a "Remote Oberservation Unit".

It has 3 modes:
a) Stowed and inactive
b) Pointing backward but still stowed with doors open to provide a rear view camera for our hud
c) Orbiting the ship in a free form way.

(Possibly a second upgraded version would be used beyond observation could be used to repair the hull with nano-paste spray)

It cannot be deployed while hard points are open and will return to its bay for safety if weapons are drawn or nearby.

While active and orbiting your ship you can rotate the camera around your ship as you see fit. You don't actually see the unit, you see from its eye.

A hotkey can be bound for this deployment of the ROU.

This can be used to film your own movies and such.

It cannot be used during combat as this would give people an edge.

It can or cannot be used in supercruise or hyperspace. What do you think?

How expensive should it be?

How about something similar to the portal drone?

I'd have to say that it can't be used in combat unless you get special permission to use it for a film in a dedicated system or something. Like have one system where it does allow for it to stay out.

What do you think?

 

[baskila]

Not again...

 

[Rog]

There is the Uber Definitive Mother of All Threads on this:

http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12464

My position: I would like a suitably nerfed external camera drone that lights up on everybody's scanner, and with a 'deploy' and 'stow' time delay.

 

[noodle]

There is the Uber Definitive Mother of All Threads on this:

http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12464

My position: want a suitably nerfed external camera drone with a 'deploy' and 'stow' time delay.

Yeah, this really has been hammered to death.

 

[OldSalt]

Why not ?

After years of combat flight sims you get into the habit of continually looking behind you, in this game yes, there is the scanner but that won't show a ship running cold, eyeball MK I will though. Also, I can buy a pretty much run of the mill car in the 21st Century with a rear view camera, why can't I have one for my spaceship in the 31st ?

The OP's idea is original but I am not sure how viable it would be in game, I would make do with a mirror stuck to the top rail of my canopy.

 

[Colonel Kenney]

Why not ?

After years of combat flight sims you get into the habit of continually looking behind you, in this game yes, there is the scanner but that won't show a ship running cold, eyeball MK I will though. Also, I can buy a pretty much run of the mill car in the 21st Century with a rear view camera, why can't I have one for my spaceship in the 31st ?

The OP's idea is original but I am not sure how viable it would be in game, I would make do with a mirror stuck to the top rail of my canopy.

I agree but DB said in an interview about wanting to add something but they were not sure where in the hud to do it. I say don't make it completely a flyable drone and we have no control over the ship really while it is in flight.

 

[Neillm]

Taken from the Register live chat (June 17th) thread...

"Is David able to give us a hint if external views will be offered to fully enjoy the Elite universe? And what limitations they will have to ensure they do not give any game play (combat) advantage?
Tuesday June 17, 2014 14:30

David Braben:
External views can be quite distancing from the experience of being in a cockpit - it also begs the question as to where to display key ship information. It is something we have been looking at, though."

Personally, I can do without them. A rear view camera could be handy though...

 

[lefty1117]

Why not just a couple of fixed external views a la sims like Falcon 4, DCS sims, etc. They don't really give a tactical advantage but allow for external admiration which I think is what most people who are asking for it are after.

 

[Cody]

<grins> Is this the 'definitive' external view discussion?

 

[Mazhurg]

Merge candidate?

 

[Patrick_68000]

Any method to get a view in the third person is to consider. But I believe that Frontier do not want an outside view

 

[veep]

I'd like a cinematic replay feature that you can call up from the pause menu. It would not include your current instance (that's still being recorded... duh) and might exclude supercruise. But then they could add tons of camera and other controls with time and people could make really cool videos of their f(l)ights.

Last but not least the feature could be marked down as a todo item and this annoying discussion could stop.