FDev, I want Autopilot

[willowfan]

Ever the optimist Anyway, I'm asking for it now, and FDev loves me, and I know they want to give me a little sugar called SC autopilot.

Seriously though, I do ask FDev to read carefully my OP (unlike some people responding to this thread) and perhaps talk to real pilots and give this request some thought. The irony is they give us the opposite of IRL, if I compare ED to say a Navy pilot. A navy jet has autopilot to cover those long, boring distances, but he's expected to land the bird on the carrier himself. In ED, we have a computer that lands our ship, but no simple AP to cover the long distances....

I did read your OP in full, my response still stands.

 

[Old Duck]

where as the tedious hands on to keep everything level is boring and causes fatigue.

And I'm telling you, SC after awhile gets tedious and boring and causes fatigue. And I'm telling all you people, it would be an optional feature, like the docking computer and flight assist. So if you want, you can continue to fly your ships like a WWII bomber. People like me will enjoy the game more with an SC autopilot. I hope someone asks FDev to remove flight assist because they feel it takes the fun out of the game, and then we'll see how you all feel.

Oi...

 

[dayrth]

If it's going to keep you at 75% throttle regardless and not react to interconnections, the only difference between the AP and just pointing at your destination and setting the throttle yourself is it dropping out when you get there. Do you really need an AP just for that?

 

[zatoichiBSG]

For the record,i have really absolutely totally literally fallen asleep while in supercruise,woke up 20 minutes later XD.I think i'd like an autopilot just for that,it's so tiresome.

 

[Karashin]

I've posted this to so many threads that I think it deserves its own. Dear FDev, please consider giving us an autopilot for supercruise. Please, please, please, please. Here's how it should work:

I arrive into a system, and I have to select my target station and point at it like always. I then activate the AP. It will take me to the target station by keeping the station centered and the speed in the blue. It will be smart enough to not drive me into a sun or planet. Once it's safe to disengage, it will disengage and alert me with a message that I've arrived and AP is off.

I don't expect it to fly me around in regular space, just supercruise. Nor do I expect it to be as fast as manually flying at full SC and dropping speed at the 6 second mark. In other words, there's a reward in terms of time saved by manually flying in SC over using AP. You could even make it like the docking computer where it takes up a size 1 slot, though personally I think it should be built into all ships just like the planetary approach system.

I find that SC is what's making things like trading and missions "grindy" for me (especially that last "7 seconds"). I'd love to just set the AP, get up, do some reps with my dumbbells, get a drink, take a quick wee, or just sit back and watch while I stretch. We have had AP IRL since the 20th Century! Even my little Cessna has AP. It doesn't land the plane or anything fancy like that, but it does keep it on course so I can relax a little. And yes, I know I can get interdicted while taking a wee, and that's fine; just give me a loud alarm and I'll zip up and rush to the controls.

Please please please please please! I love you FDev!!! [heart] [heart] [heart]

Since you can send your ship away and recall it when you're in SRV, the ship's AI could easily handle both the OP's suggestion and docking without the need of any extra modules dedicated to this.
If anything, instead of a module, have our Crew do this. Their rank could determine the SC speed and they already take a fixed % of cr from everything we do, so you lose Cr and time using them, but it allows you to skip the tedious long range SC trips.

 

[Old Duck]

If it's going to keep you at 75% throttle regardless and not react to interconnections, the only difference between the AP and just pointing at your destination and setting the throttle yourself is it dropping out when you get there. Do you really need an AP just for that?

My destination always drifts as I approach. You're right, SC comes with built in "cruise control". But it doesn't have the latest "stay in lane" features that the new cars have. And yes, I honestly would like the drop from SC to be automated. Pushing the triangle when the blue "it's safe to exit supercruise" words pop up isn't thrilling gameplay for me.

 

[Racetrack]

Frontier have said they're working on core gameplay elements. Let's hope this is one of those things.

As someone who has flown for years I was thinking about this the other day. "Why don't we have autonavigation in supercruise?" It just makes sense. I just want my ship to point at the target.

 

[HBK]

I want too. Because I'm lazy.

It won't happen though.

 

[ChiefRedCloud]

Dude, I am SO serious. I am absolutely flummoxed at why this gets so much resistance... I don't expect many here to be actual pilots, but surely at least a few of you have played a flight simulator. Autopilot is a fact of flying. Why is this so controversial? I'm not asking for it to replace SC gameplay for everyone, I'm asking for it to be installed on ships so those of us who want it can turn it on. Just like flight assist...

So please, WHY is this so controversial? I've not seen these "it's been asked for many times before" threads you speak of. Give me some fresh perspective

Duck I've read enough of your posts to know your serious. And anything is possible if not enticipated in the the game. I doubt they will, but who knows. As for flight simulations, yes many do have auto pilot options but I personally have never used them. To me, it destroys what flying is meant to be. But this is only MY preferences. Each to their own.

Perhaps you will get your wish. But I manually fly in ED because it takes a bit of finagling to position your ship to the entrance to each station. It takes learning ...

Chief

 

[Old Duck]

Frontier have said they're working on core gameplay elements. Let's hope this is one of those things.

As someone who has flown for years I was thinking about this the other day. "Why don't we have autonavigation in supercruise?" It just makes sense. I just want my ship to point at the target.

Thank you! I knew I wasn't the only one wanting this. BTW, it's not just aircraft - ships, as in real life ocean vessels, have autopilot as well. I speak from experience. Like planes, you use AP to cover vast distances, whereas the "landing" is performed by the pilot. This is the exact opposite of what ED gives us.

I also want to point out something to the "No!!" people. In another thread I was encouraged not to worry about how other people play, but to play the game the way I want to and enjoy. Good advice. Now I tell FDev that I'd like an optional (and very simple to implement) feature to enhance that gameplay, and all of the sudden a bunch of you are like "Old Duck is using autopilot in supercruise? NO! That will ruin my game!" Why do you care if Old Duck uses AP or FA or DC? Take your own medicine, as they say, and stop resisting a totally optional feature that will have zero effect on your gameplay.

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

Duck I've read enough of your posts to know your serious. And anything is possible if not enticipated in the the game. I doubt they will, but who knows. As for flight simulations, yes many do have auto pilot options but I personally have never used them. To me, it destroys what flying is meant to be. But this is only MY preferences. Each to their own.

Perhaps you will get your wish. But I manually fly in ED because it takes a bit of finagling to position your ship to the entrance to each station. It takes learning ...

Chief

You are obviously not a real life pilot who has ever flown on a long trip. I know that you have utilized your crusie control in your automobile, My question would be why. In space once you set a course just like in an aircraft, there is nothing in the way to hit. In space there isn't any wind or other elemens to contend with. So, a cruise control would allow a hands off to do other things like, plotting the next course because you stacked some mission. Going potty (my favorite), touching base with the other inhabitants in your house which have become starangers due to the long flights requiring you to just sit there and look at a black screen with white dots. Which I would associate to as watching fly races on my TV, though most of you will never know what I mean by that.

CD has a useful funtion, and it's an option not mandatory. The same goes for your cruise control in your auto, it's an option.

 

[Old Duck]

My question would be why. In space once you set a course just like in an aircraft, there is nothing in the way to hit. In space there isn't any wind or other elemens to contend with.

I always have to adjust course as I get closer to the target. It's the law of levers - I might seem to be centered on a station that appears as a pixel in my view, but from a distance, being off one pixel means I'll be off course by 100 million meters as I approach the station. What are you, Robin Hood of supercruise? As in, you can point and hit a target 20,000 Ls away? [haha]

 

[megadonkeyx]

i want a fsd auto pilot also. i dont know how ppl can explore.. jump after jump.. without becoming incredibly bored.

 

[dayrth]

I also want to point out something to the "No!!" people. In another thread I was encouraged not to worry about how other people play, but to play the game the way I want to and enjoy. Good advice. Now I tell FDev that I'd like an optional (and very simple to implement) feature to enhance that gameplay, and all of the sudden a bunch of you are like "Old Duck is using autopilot in supercruise? NO! That will ruin my game!" Why do you care if Old Duck uses AP or FA or DC? Take your own medicine, as they say, and stop resisting a totally optional feature that will have zero effect on your gameplay.

Not saying you shouldn't ask for it. Not even saying that it would be a bad thing to have in the game (I wouldn't want to use it, but if others did it would not effect me at all). I am saying that I would rather FD didn't spend time on it, but that is because there are other things I would rather they spend time on and I am a very selfish person. Luckily for everyone though, FD never listens to me

 

[G.man]

A simpler solution would be a faster engineered supercruise option. Get rid of the other two FSD upgrades that no one uses and have people decide if they want better FSD range or faster supercruise.

 

[Old Duck]

I am saying that I would rather FD didn't spend time on it, but that is because there are other things I would rather they spend time on and I am a very selfish person.

I think that's totally fair. However, I believe based on past experience as a software developer, that this would be very easy to implement. They already have autopilot code written - that's how we have NPCs enter, fly in, and exit supercruise. They would just need to "connect" this autopilot code with our own ship and provide a menu item to allow you to enable or disable it. I don't think it even needs a separate binding - if it's turned on in the menu (same place FA is controlled), and you have a station or planet selected, then entering SC will automatically engage the SC AP.

Give me the source code and I can give us SC AP in a weekend (I jest, but someone close to the code might be able to do it in that amount of time.)

ps - speaking of work..... Boss lady ain't gonna like all the time I'm wasting in the forum this morning!

 

[TopCat160]

I'm absolutely with the Old Duck on this one.

I'd be against speeding up SC, against being able to hyperspace direct to Proxima Centauri, against all kinds of magic instantaneous transport.

But an AP in SC would be great.

I'd also really like a GalMap function to do things like "plot shortest route based on mission destinations", but that's a little off topic.

The main thing that makes SCing long distances dull isn't that it's not instantaneous, it's that there's nothing else to do other than hand-fly the ship, which is so unrealistic as to be bonkers.

 

[HBK]

Not even saying that it would be a bad thing to have in the game (I wouldn't want to use it, but if others did it would not effect me at all).

With Elite in it's current state it'd be pretty bad for the game though. It's typically the kind of stuff that you want to have and then when you have it you realize that, while indeed practical, it kinda breaks the game.

It reminds me of WoW flying mounts. When limited to land mounts people complained about practicality. After obtaining them (BC expansion) people then complained "exploring" was "boring" (even if Blibli somewhat limited its usage to max level with license, etc). And it was not just a matter of proper terrain design. When you can just fly anywhere, "exploration" tastes very differently than when limited to ground/jumping movement.

It's the same here. Without a major overhaul of the SC mechanics, autopilots would make travel even more boring than it is now. And then we'd have micro-jumping. And then the vastness of space is lost. Etc.

A game is a set of rules. You can't just say "I want this rule changed because I don't like it". Well, you can say it, but it doesn't mean changing the rule won't break huge parts of the game you maybe didn't even think were related.

 

[Winterwalker]

I'd like to be able to program in-system tours.

I don't buy the argument "the game is all about flying your ship" as a special reason not to have a auto-pilot. If interdictions were more likely, if travel was a shade slower, that would balance the convenience of being able to mix it up a little bit.

I'd also rather have this, 1000 years before, seeing in-system jumps.

 

[Old Duck]

Without a major overhaul of the SC mechanics, autopilots would make travel even more boring than it is now.

FOR YOU. So don't use it. I love manually docking my ship, and a docking computer would make that boring for me. Do I care if someone else uses a docking computer? No. Old Duck using SC AP will not affect your gameplay one little bit... But it will make SC more interesting for me and many others.

BTW, the AP I'm suggesting does not give me any "advantage" over other players. It would actually be slower than manual flying SC (assuming you use all the tricks).