External View [A definitive discussion]

[Gédéon_Lecanard]

You are entitled to your personal views of course.

Ain't we all

Truth is, I think no one wants to ruin others experience, we just have to compromise, or better, make a consensus. But in the end, FD have all the cards. It is their game (although I'd like them to think we're all part of it, now) and it appears they mostly share your opinion on that matter, otherwise it would have been there since the beginning. I certainly won't stop playing because the feature is not there, but let me speculate a bit more: if external view is implemented, many cons will end up using it and wonder how they could have said "no" at some point. I'm sure of that.

 

[WeirdWizard]

Not at the moment, but that might change in the future. We're aware of the desire for an external view, but it's not integral to the game so has a lower priority for now.

Michael

This is one of several things currently missing from ED that are integral to the game for me. Come on guys, its such an easy fix. The resources to implement simple external views is one of your guys for an afternoon (if that). Integral or not, this is a nice bit of virtually free content you could add right now and only make the game better as a result.

 

[Marc Alexander]

True... But I do think given the nature of the game a lot of folks would like/expect ED to have an external view feature of some sort. I'm in no way of course implying numbers, but I don't think it would be insignificant

Ain't we all

Truth is, I think no one wants to ruin others experience, we just have to compromise, or better, make a consensus. But in the end, FD have all the cards. It is their game (although I'd like them to think we're all part of it, now) and it appears they mostly share your opinion on that matter, otherwise it would have been there since the beginning. I certainly won't stop playing because the feature is not there, but let me speculate a bit more: if external view is implemented, many cons will end up using it and wonder how they could have said "no" at some point. I'm sure of that.

And the best of luck with your endeavors

 

[Deyn]

Speak for yourself - i want a button that switches Marc Alexander into external view, whether he likes it or not, and even if he isn't playing.

:megalol: ...you shouldn't troll like that

 

[Phier]

I pretty sure that the majority of the players right now are favorable to an external view. Some may not be as passionate as we are about it, but would gladly welcome the feature.

As for it being an option, it -always- is. No game like this forces you to use an external view. You actually have to press a key to access the view(s). So the only thing that could go wrong if you don't want to use it is... well, you, pressing the key. But if the option is given to us at some point, you'll never do such a thing, I'm sure. Unless you too are tempted to look at the beautiful models and fine details in all their glory, shaping an awesome image along with the brillant background. The kind that makes people dream they could actually be in space

If it works for pvp, you are FORCED to use it, or you gimp yourself. We have already been through this. This isn't rocket science.

 

[Deyn]

Yes, I'm speculating. But that was only to counter your own ("It doesn't take many people to make alot of noise about an issue"). And I bet mine is still more accurate. Not only based on the many broken polls (that always showed a majority on the pros side), but also on pure deduction: despite my best efforts I can't think of any other game in the genre and in the sim genre in general that confines the player to the cockpit view (maybe there are, but I haven't played them so if you have some examples, I'm sincerely curious. Point is, they are very few, if any). So I think that most people used to the genre and willing to play Elite will expect without any question external cameras. As a natural ingame feature for the genre.

Well, if all the promotional and advertising videos and screenshots would have shown only in cockpit views, you could argue that it is by design a first person game and made to attract people that want ONLY a cockpit experience.

I, and I guess lots of other buyers, did look at the ED website, on YouTube and through the newsletters. Wow, stunning flybys, in-game action fly bys and dogfights of the Vipers, Cobras et al... not one "subtitle" indicating the stunning visuals of the ships are not available for anybody else, but the Devs... even the Launch trailer, had the 'no actual game footage' "subtitle" only because it was total CGI with virtually no in-game footage at all.

But lots of cool videos by the devs showing external views, fly by cam footage, hundreds of screenshots of ships from external view... -sarcasm- so why would people actually "think" there is an external view to watch your ships? -/sarcasm-

 

[Deyn]

If it works for pvp, you are FORCED to use it, or you gimp yourself. We have already been through this. This isn't rocket science.

Well, as we have been through this a hundred times, you may explain to me, why you want to compromise your situational awareness, if you can stay in cockpit and keep your eyes on the enemy while he is grabbing for the mouse to rotate his external cam, losing track of your position or flight direction? Not even seeing his HUD or scanner, as they are in cokpit only?
...and if people really fear the "almighty rear mirror" for gods sake limit it to solo play, and we are done.

EDIT: I play DCS World for years, I never saw an advantage in external cam. Whenever people tried to "look" around in external view they learned pretty quick, that it's deadly to do it in a dogfight. 1-2 seconds out the cockpit and you need to reacquire the enemy and its angel towards you... situational awareness gone, reposition if you have the more maneuverable craft or die if he gets in a good postion, while you tinkered with external "advantage" cam.

 

[Beld]

What is the point of paying real money for ship skins when you can only ever see them in the out fitting window?

They should at least allow us to see the ship in animations like docking, don't even know why people think its a huge issue in combat, a third person camera is never going to be as good as a cockpit view for shooting, and the vast majority of the players in this game hide out in solo or soil themselves at the idea of pvp, so its not even an issue for them.

 

[Gédéon_Lecanard]

If it works for pvp, you are FORCED to use it, or you gimp yourself. We have already been through this. This isn't rocket science.

Have we? Oh, you thought you actually had a decisive argument somewhere along the debate, is that it? Sorry, but nothing like that so far.

Nothing has ever "forced" me to switch to external view in a combat sim, while in PvP. A moderatly serious sim has all of its situational awareness intruments inside the cockpit. Dogfighting with external camera on is suicidal. But we've been through that already, he?

We are not going to convince each other, obviously. It happens, let's live with that. You could always blame my inexperience

 

[eyetrip]

Hmmmmm, it didn't occur to me til reading some of this, how odd it is that there is not form of "rear cam". Many years on future with all this wonderful technology, and no cam to see what's going on behind? Lol

I don't understand why some people are so heavily against some of these things.

Ah well, will just keep hoping that some of this stuff gets implemented. And if it does, I may even reward them by buying a skin or two for my ships

 

[Captain Breton]

We had it in Frontier, and First Encounter, I want it here as well.

If the developers want to aspire to the greatness of the sequels I don't think they should offer less than were in those games.

I can wait for planet-landings, being able to walk around your ship and things and other features FD have suggested ahead for Elite Dangerous, but free use of camera? This is something I'd hope be there from day one.

To compare, the original Elder Scrolls game, Arena didn't have 3rd person camera, that was only added in the third installment, Morrowind (and it's sequels).
People didn't really expect it for Morrowind, a lot of Elder Scrolls players don't use that camera option for other things than screenshotting their player character.

Not having this functionality -is- a flaw in ED , in -my- (biased) opinion.
In the original Elite games I always sold the scanner, I never really familiarized myself with it, as I could pause the game, turn on ship-registration numbers and find my foe, while planning my next course of action. => ED's predecessors -felt- more tactical with the pause functionality, perhaps a bit more like playing a turnbased rpg ,or even chess.
Even in ED ,if given the chance I'd sell my scanner, the only thing I really use is the tiny radar-thingie with the bright blue dot

I want freedom to choose , I think choice most always is a good thing ,and Developers taking away Choice we're accustomed to being wrong to do so. Developers taking away these kind of choices should be called out on that decision and they -should- be criticized for it.

Frontier Developments, let us use the mousewheel to freely zoom in and out of Our ship ,and let those who think that breaks immersion choose not to use it.

At the very least give us this option in solo-mode, if the reasoning behind it's ommitance is pvp (something I've never found the slightest interest in

 

[Heracles]

Thanks for the +1
I think the "replay" system DCS uses is ideal for Elite. You can just admire your ships from any angles, flying into space docks,watch your fights,see how you died and if you want to record a video you can put traps on during the replay.
It would add to the sheer beauty of the game, for it is a lovely looking SIM

 

[almostpilot]

As Michael Brookes stated some posts behind, it's not priority. Wrong decisons.

 

[Dejay]

Not at the moment, but that might change in the future. We're aware of the desire for an external view, but it's not integral to the game so has a lower priority for now.

Michael

For me it is integral. Bad decision. I'd love to go exploring but not without the ability to make nice screenshots in an ASP.

 

[Dejay]

Frontier Developments, let us use the mousewheel to freely zoom in and out of Our ship ,and let those who think that breaks immersion choose not to use it.

I have to say I love that idea as well, a zoom in or "telescope mode" should be natural for an astronomical realistic game.

 

[V3teran]

Thanks for replying Michael.
I would jus t like to say that an external view i personally would really like to see as it would make for some amazing screenshots. It will give more immersion to the player and i bet more people will buy the ship "Skins" with an external view, i know i will. At the moment though i see no point in buying them as you cannot really see them.

 

[ash73]

This discussion is nuts. Give us an external view, obviously. And a rear view, with a laser If you want to use it then use it, if you think it "breaks the immersion" then don't.

 

[Armour]

I still find it ironic that a lot of those arguing in favour of the external view seem unable or unwilling to comprehend that other POVs exist.

 

[Olrik]

but it's not integral to the game so has a lower priority for now.

*cough* I'm wondering how hard it would be to implement a third view.

 

[almostpilot]

*cough* I'm wondering how hard it would be to implement a third view.

And how they use it in their advertising videos.