Right, just like they hit pause to go and put the kids to bed, or save their position and reload it after work the next day..
Pause and Save both suspend the game's "reality", they don't mess with it from within.
It's a game - but even if it were a hardcore sim (sigh, if only); their whole appeal lies in the fact that they're not RL.
I've flown several full simulators down at Gatwick and much of the fun for me was in slamming the hydraulics around (much to the engineer's concern). Unless you're actually training professionally, even the most hard-nosed sim is still a game. It's make-believe. Imaginative play. External views are a key benefit of playing sims.
If a sim places you in the body of a human avatar, I would disagree with any decision to allow unexplained external views in-play on the grounds that it's inconsistent with the reality represented. But that's just my POV. Suspension of disbelief is required to play any simulation game. I can deal with the whole flight model thing - 100% Spock would be dull, you need a little Kirk in the mix to make it fun - but I prefer drones as, even though there are still many questions that would need looking at with their use, they can be explained away and they offer many other benefits.
Like i said i've nothing against such drones - sounds like fun. But i'd also like to be able to watch them launch, fly or re-dock using the external cams...
It doesn't look like that's going to happen, based upon how previous dev posts on the subject. But this discussion is still fun, right?
Remember we're talking about additions to 1st person view, not 3rd person-only. And yes, shiny replays - in fact full editing facilities - would be a cool asset both for the community and consequently the Elite marque..
Sounds wonderfully Clarksonesque.