External View [A definitive discussion]

[NeilF]

Well... about 4 days till gamma...

Not looking promising IMHO given everything else that needs to be done/introduced

 

[almostpilot]

so still no word from the developers?

We have that at launch of the game?

 

[DaHunn]

Nope....

 

[EDbubba]

There were hints that it might be a "remote" camera that you can zip around your ship. While in the remote camera, you can't operate the ship, so it's just for beauty shots, etc.

It would also be neat to expand it's use to damage inspection, etc.

 

[Balmung]

A Repair Drone with a Camera View would be a nice solution. You can use it to repair your Ship from the Outside and you can use it for an external view. But don't forget to collect it after using it or you need to buy a new one.

 

[SirGirard]

Hi All

Frankly I am not sure why you would want to see the ship you are flying? Take a look out of the window and look at the others. As I understand it in a future expansion we will be able to get out and walk in station.......then we can look at the ship and the lovely scratched paintjob!

 

[Prydien]

In Microsoft Flight Simulator you have external view modes (tower view, fly by view, left side, right side etc) and they all help to give a sense of your place in the environment. Obviously you can't see any of the instruments so precision flying is hard to do. I think this translates to ED as well. Tower view could be a camera on the station that you can log into on approach or departure.

 

[DocMoriarty]

Plain and simple: I'd greatly appreciate an external camera. Just to watch my ship sometimes in tight situations as well as just enjoying the view sometimes.

 

[almostpilot]

Plain and simple: I'd greatly appreciate an external camera. Just to watch my ship sometimes in tight situations as well as just enjoying the view sometimes.

That's it. +1

 

[Tholin]

Well... about 4 days till gamma...

Not looking promising IMHO given everything else that needs to be done/introduced

I felt I needed to write my first post on this forum the day after I bought the beta. Basically it comes down to this:

Me speaking to my 6 year old: "Hey look, I've got a cool new space game and here I'm flying my first spaceship...and I can't show it to you!"

Was I lazy for not finding this out before handing Frontier my cash? Maybe. Was I wrong to expect an external view on the basis that I've played these kind of games for decades? Absolutely not. And yes, I just want to see my craft to appreciate it and to take cool screenshots. I mean, how hard can it be?

I also think that Frontier is shooting itself in the foot marketingwise. These days it's important to encourage the social media such as youtubers to promote the game. But lacking the real ability to make cinematic movies is very strange indeed.

 

[NeilF]

I felt I needed to write my first post on this forum the day after I bought the beta. Basically it comes down to this:

Me speaking to my 6 year old: "Hey look, I've got a cool new space game and here I'm flying my first spaceship...and I can't show it to you!"

Was I lazy for not finding this out before handing Frontier my cash? Maybe. Was I wrong to expect an external view on the basis that I've played these kind of games for decades? Absolutely not. And yes, I just want to see my craft to appreciate it and to take cool screenshots. I mean, how hard can it be?

I also think that Frontier is shooting itself in the foot marketingwise. These days it's important to encourage the social media such as youtubers to promote the game. But lacking the real ability to make cinematic movies is very strange indeed.

You never know... We may get an external view tomorrow or on Saturday... Fingers crossed. But it has been awfully quiet on the matter from official sources...

 

[RelicStarbrook]

I like the idea of a 3rd person view camera even if it was during the FSD jump.

Additional thought
What's the difference of being able to walk around the ship INSIDE (which I'm thrilled to hear is planned and look forward to and which I'm guessing someone else or a computer will be flying the ship?)

Versus

A "space walk" OUTSIDE the ship to say, for example, do repairs
Would be so cool to buy a space wrench to do repairs in space. Lol.

 

[DazzyB]

I know there are other topics about this, but I'm actually opening this in the hope of get a definitive answer from the developers about the subject.

With proximity launch of the game and with the intention of only being able to see and appreciate their own spaceship in flight. a definition would be interesting if we have or not this type of external view in the game when in flight.

When the first-person expansion comes, you will be able to get out of your seat and walk out of your ship onto the landing pad and behold your magnificent ship in all it's enormous scale and beauty

 

[nats]

When external views?

I couldnt read all that new beta patch log - probably would have made sense to put the big changes/fixes at the top. But is there anything there about external views and if not I wonder when we are getting these? Because tbh this is the no1 issue in the game for me now not having these. Just bought some skins and I WANT to be able to see them.

And how are people showing theirs ships etc in their videos?

Is it just me that cant see my ships from the outside or what????

 

[Monk]

I just want some kind of screen pop-up on my HUD that shows me either port starboard or stern views.

As for seeing you ship, there was some talk about camera drones for pretty views...not sure where that went.

 

[Mardante]

External views while in dock

Myself for one would like to have external views throughout the entire game, but I can read in a lot of comments a lot of you commanders don`t like that. You don`t like it because it would take away the emersivenes, or give you an advantage while in combat.

Please give us external views. Why not only in solo mode? A lot of commanders out there like me just want to play the game and watch it in all it`s beauty. I was really dumbfounded to not be able to look at my own ship. Not even in station.

- external views in station, there could be camera`s in there right?
- external views in solo mode
- the option to turn off the hud and all other computer lines in view, to let us make better screenshots etc. just like in the screenshots you show on your website and promo stuff etc...

So, who would like to have external views?

 

[Martin1956]

Myself for one would like to have external views throughout the entire game, but I can read in a lot of comments a lot of you commanders don`t like that. You don`t like it because it would take away the emersivenes, or give you an advantage while in combat.

Please give us external views. Why not only in solo mode? A lot of commanders out there like me just want to play the game and watch it in all it`s beauty. I was really dumbfounded to not be able to look at my own ship. Not even in station.

- external views in station, there could be camera`s in there right?
- external views in solo mode
- the option to turn off the hud and all other computer lines in view, to let us make better screenshots etc. just like in the screenshots you show on your website and promo stuff etc...

So, who would like to have external views?

Personally no, it wouldn't feel right, it would be like seeing all of your car when you're driving down the road. However maybe have a way to record what you are doing from outside and playback, but not as a key way to play the game.

 

[Mardante]

Personally no, it wouldn't feel right, it would be like seeing all of your car when you're driving down the road. However maybe have a way to record what you are doing from outside and playback, but not as a key way to play the game.

For me it`s still a game I would like to play. You don`t have to push the button to activate it if you don`t want to. Just have the option in there for all those commanders who would like to see it in that way. I still remember the times I would sit and spinn my ship around for minutes in EvE online... just looking at how beautiful it was

 

[Moritasgus]

No external views except in outfitting, the only other way is to get someone else to film or take an image of you.

Can't see external views coming any time soon its just not important in the grand scheme of things, it will only ever be cosmetic (you can't fly your ship in external view) and there are a lot more gameplay features more important that still need to be delivered.

 

[avow555]

Personally no, it wouldn't feel right, it would be like seeing all of your car when you're driving down the road. However maybe have a way to record what you are doing from outside and playback, but not as a key way to play the game.

And Elite2 and 3 had this feature, did you use the feature in those versions?