I want auto pilot

[excalibus]

i've done a little bit of exploring... and still with probably well over 500 hours of flight time... I prefer flying manually Autopilot would just make it jump, press button, sit back... no thank you... I prefer to fly to my destination... prefer to have a hands on approach to exploring and sometimes I change my mind mid flight to which station I want to dock at...

 

[SiriusSeven]

I don't want auto pilot now, or anytime soon. But, sign me up for autopilot when we can get out of our chairs and walk around in our ships! I've got tribbles to deal with in the back...

 

[Sandmann]

Seems you haven't done any exploring.

I've done a bit, mainly in beta/gamma just to see what it was about... but it was almost as boring as mining so I didn't bother any further.

There is even less skill involved than in train simulator.

Like I said, the tedium is part of the challenge. If your ship just flies itself around doing it all for you while you play patience on the ship's computer, where's the challenge?

Autopilot doesn't ruin combat flight sims.

Noone said it did. Why would you use autopilot in combat?

/follow command doesn't ruin mmorpgs

This isn't a MUD.

gps doesn't ruin euro truck sim.

No, but an autopilot WOULD ruin euro truck sim.

docking computer doesn't ruin trading

No, but it's not very good and it takes up a useful slot. If it was free and useful and didn't take up resources who would dock manually, even though it's better game play?

Autopilot didn't ruin previous versions of Elite

Previous versions of Elite didn't HAVE autopilot. Personally I preferred the flight model from Frontier: Elite II, but apparently it's too hard for most people to enjoy.

Why do you care if some trader decides to use autopilot to get to a station?

Already answered this three times. Putting in a more efficient system that performs the same feature as a less efficient "immersion" mechanic quickly makes that new feature the "default". This is evidenced by the nerfing of stealth by improving the "auto stealth" aka silent running. Who now uses the technique of powering down modules, icing up, and coasting in under FA Off? Noone. Everyone just presses the "iStealth button". You are now an insta-smuggler - no skills required. Put in an autopilot and EXACTLY the same thing will happen - insta-pilots with their iFly buttons.

It will be less efficient, leaves him wide open for interdictions. It will actually make it easier to interdict as atm that trader will be alt-tabbed or looking at a secondary screen until the engine sound spools up and he makes a loop around the station, outside the path of pirates.

That just means that people will whine about their computer letting them get interdicted till FD caves in to yet another ridiculous demand.

Autopilot will move the focus from watching a timer and spinny scanner symbol to decision making and checking results in exploration.

Improving content in SC will remove the focus from watching a timer for ALL trades.

You have offered a solution to a problem that only affects a small percentage of players (explorers) which takes away the potential for a large group of players (everyone else), while at the same time ignoring or rejecting other proposed solutions that don't involve an auto pilot.

 

[Daffan]

Yea, let's get a space travelling game without the travelling. Let's get an auto-pilot, an auto-fighting module and an explorer, trading and mining module and we won't have to play at all. We'll just check in occasionally to see if there are any new numbers somewhere. It'll be awesome.

Way to over blow the situation and try to turn it into a joke.

 

[Eisen]

While I sympathise... what did you expect? The tedium IS part of the challenge of exploration. If it was easy we'd all be doing it. And sure an autopilot would help that game, but putting it in for explorers would take a lot of gameplay and potential gameplay away from people who use SC in populated space.

Please excuse me, but what has "Jump, brake, scoop, jump, brake, scoop..." repeated hundreds of times to do with gameplay? OK, if I am going on a 200 or 300 ly round trip it is fine, it is also fine when exploring a quadrant. But last week I decided to return home from over 8000 ly out. More than 300 jumps which took me several hours of real time over three days. No exploring, no scanning. It didn't feel like an endeavour or challenge, it was purely boring. I would be very happy about an "auto-pilot" which does the jumping to a far out system for me, so that I can start exploring there. Beyond 200-300 ly from Sol there really is nothing that interdicts and the only thing that keeps me awake is the anticipation, if the next sun is scoopable, trying to cook you etc.
To prevent easy core-tourism an auto-pilot could have the same limit as route-plotting. I think that most explorers could live well with such an auto-pilot.

CMDR Eisen

 

[Sandmann]

Please excuse me, but what has "Jump, brake, scoop, jump, brake, scoop..." repeated hundreds of times to do with gameplay?

So you think "jump, autopilot, scoop, jump, autopilot, scoop" would be better game play? Would it be more immersive to have you doing less? And umm like I said earlier, what sort of gameplay did you EXPECT when exploring space? Wrestling space-grizzly bears? If it's that boring to you, DO SOMETHING ELSE!

 

[Magic Man]

As much as I'm against automating things to make things easier (and I may even have been against this previously), I see no harm with a simple auto-pilot.

I'm for making ED into as much a simulation as it can be so many types of automatic things are a no no but not so with a simple AP.

If we were really out there in our ships, trading between distant systems or exploring others then, in reality, we would have some form of AP. We'd set a target destination in the system and set our AP to get us there whilst we sleep, go to the loo, perform ship maintenance, eat etc.

As long as that AP flies the ship in real time through "real" space in game with no advantage over a good pilot doing it manually (i.e. vulnerable to attack etc.) then I have no issue with it.

If the AP does encounter some issue, the ship is attacked etc. then could have a klaxon to warn us to get out of the bunk or the head and get back to the cockpit.

 

[Steve50]

I predict the day after they add autopilot there will be 50 threads on or like "Wah! I was killed whilst using autopilot".

 

[Sandmann]

If we were really out there in our ships, trading between distant systems or exploring others then, in reality, we would have some form of AP. We'd set a target destination in the system and set our AP to get us there whilst we sleep, go to the loo, perform ship maintenance, eat etc.

If we were REALLY out there everything would be completely different. Physics, automations, weaponry, economy... everything! We wouldn't have canopies, we'd have screens and cameras. We wouldn't have cargo scoops, we'd have.. something a whole lot more efficient. And chances are we wouldn't have manned ships, we'd have automated exploration probes. Elite isn't about reality... it's a world war two era combat and trading plane "sim" that just happens to be set in space.

 

[Magic Man]

I predict the day after they add autopilot there will be 50 threads on or like "Wah! I was killed whilst using autopilot".

And another 50 asking for a button to speed up the time it takes...

 

[Eisen]

no, you misread me. Autopilots can dock, so why shouldn't they be able to scoop? And exploring needs a great deal of jumping around, flying around in supercruise scanning stellar bodies etc. Many many hours of that. I don't want an autopilot for exploring. Just for the really annoying hours and days of jumping out to the desired exploring spot.

 

[Sandmann]

no, you misread me. Autopilots can dock, so why shouldn't they be able to scoop? And exploring needs a great deal of jumping around, flying around in supercruise scanning stellar bodies etc. Many many hours of that. I don't want an autopilot for exploring. Just for the really annoying hours and days of jumping out to the desired exploring spot.

So what you want is an auto-hyperspace-and-scooping-pilot?

<SARCASM>
Yeah, that's not going to affect anyone's game negatively at all.
</SARCASM>

 

[Magic Man]

If we were REALLY out there everything would be completely different. Physics, automations, weaponry, economy... everything! We wouldn't have canopies, we'd have screens and cameras. We wouldn't have cargo scoops, we'd have.. something a whole lot more efficient. And chances are we wouldn't have manned ships, we'd have automated exploration probes. Elite isn't about reality... it's a world war two era combat and trading plane "sim" that just happens to be set in space.

You make assumptions without any way of knowing what it would be like.

Irrespective, a simple auto pilot that flies you to a destination target in the same system you are already in taking the exact same amount of time it would take you to fly it manually and through the same dangerous space you would fly it is not going to spoil any immersion.

It's a simple option well within the grounds of the game as is that you can choose to use or not. It gives no advantage other than allowing you to step away from the controls without potentially crashing. It gives you no special protection.

No auto-scooping, just a piloting AP to go from A to B in the same system.

 

[Sandmann]

You make assumptions without any way of knowing what it would be like.

Well of course I do, making assumptions is part of the human condition. I have some evidence though in the fact that ALL our extra-terrestrial exploration other than eleven of the apollo missions have been unmanned probes (I'm ignoring low earth orbit type stuff as that's not exploration, that's exploitation). There's no reason NOT to assume that we won't keep on sending unmanned probes for basic exploration.

Irrespective, a simple auto pilot that flies you to a destination target in the same system you are already in taking the exact same amount of time it would take you to fly it manually and through the same dangerous space you would fly it is not going to spoil any immersion.

I've already shown many times now just in this thread that it WILL harm immersion, and I have given evidence where creating such features HAS harmed immersion. You have given NO evidence to support your argument that it won't, only your suppositions and conjectures. If you want to change my mind, give evidence.

(Note: evidence is NOT "this is what I think" or "this is how it should be".)

 

[jabokai]

I've already shown many times now just in this thread that it WILL harm immersion, and I have given evidence where creating such features HAS harmed immersion. You have given NO evidence to support your argument that it won't, only your suppositions and conjectures. If you want to change my mind, give evidence.

(Note: evidence is NOT "this is what I think" or "this is how it should be".)

Immersion is subjective. Having an "autostop", as described by Magic Man, will increase my immersion because I can then freely use the time to to do the limited (but hopefully open to expansion) things that we can do instead of mind-numbingly waiting to press the "stop" button, albeit very skilfully pressing that button.

 

[Sandmann]

Immersion is subjective. Having an "autostop", as described by Magic Man, will increase my immersion because I can then freely use the time to to do the limited (but hopefully open to expansion) things that we can do instead of mind-numbingly waiting to press the "stop" button, albeit very skilfully pressing that button.

Well it'll decrease mine. Nyer.

Now try a real argument instead of an emotive.

 

[Magic Man]

Well it'll decrease mine. Nyer.

How will the fact that you can engage an autopilot to fly to the target you have set as opposed to you manually flying there if the autopilot flies it exactly as you would other than being able to slow and stop at the destination rather than keeping on decrease your immersion?

An autopilot is actually a very immersive function since it's a modelled functionality that would be available.

I've already shown many times now just in this thread that it WILL harm immersion, and I have given evidence where creating such features HAS harmed immersion. You have given NO evidence to support your argument that it won't, only your suppositions and conjectures. If you want to change my mind, give evidence.

Have you? How exactly do you show evidence the effect of something would have if that something doesn't currently exist?

 

[OrLoK]

Hello there

Having a module, as we have with the docking computer would be fine IMHO.

One would still have to keep an eye out for interdictions and the like as well as manually fuel scoop.

For eg I dont like cannons so i simply dont use them. Same with the auto pilot.

If it has no impact on other players I cant see any issues.

Rgds

LoK

 

[Sandmann]

How will the fact that you can engage an autopilot to fly to the target you have set as opposed to you manually flying there if the autopilot flies it exactly as you would other than being able to slow and stop at the destination rather than keeping on decrease your immersion?

An autopilot is actually a very immersive function since it's a modelled functionality that would be available.



Have you? How exactly do you show evidence the effect of something would have if that something doesn't currently exist?

Have you even read anything I've written in this thread?

 

[jabokai]

Now try a real argument instead of an emotive.

It will allow easier usage of the facilities ED currently provides - galaxy and system maps - without having to babysit the "stop" button; a skill-less process. All other things are the same - you'd still have to set course and speed (slower than fastest possible manual flight it has to be stressed) and accept the fact you may be interdicted, etc. It will allow for better usage of future (possible/hopeful) additions that may come (trade history/analysis, exploration history, ship's log, etc). It takes no skill away, it simply opens up some options.