Make NPCs have lights turned ON when going in or out of a station.

[Monteclaudio]

Hi! I guess everybody has encountered (and crashed) an NPC just in front of them, when going at full speed in or out a station. Why is that? Because it's hard to see beyond the mail slot. So, why don't you make them go in and out with the lights on? If they are still hard to see, make lights brighter .

(Fellow commanders should do this, as well!)

 

[LogicMage3]

I find your comments funny. In real life, I keep my 'low-beam' (USA term) headlights on all the time. But my virtual spaceship deactivates them each 'session change' and I have to turn them back on. I would want them to stay 'locked' to on unless I go into silent running, at which point they shut off like my shields, radiators, and collision lights so you can't see me.

 

[MACMAN86]

+1 I do this myself as well as switch the Rotational Correction too. It is simply worth using when you got controls for them.
The lights go off after a time limit or at Hyperspacing. There should be protocol for use of Green/Red lights anyway!

 

[Vidmaster]

+1 Turn on the lights!

 

[NeilF]

We need navigation lights IMHO - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39375

As well as linking them to gear down/up, also let the lights turn on/off automatically when in close proximity to a station. eg: Within a few tens of meters of door, or within no fire zone. A system should be available to pilots to allow thees lights to be disabled though, should they wish.

Suggest an option in the status panel controls the navigation lights:-
No fire zone - When in no fire zone, navigation lights are on.
Landing gear - When landing gear down, navigation lights are on.
On - Always on.
Off - navigation lights never on.

NPCs would be set to "no fire zone".

Suggested six months ago... and seemingly ignored for six months...

 

[Krepose Gavayne]

I'd like to see SOME of the NPCs have their headlights on at starports but not all of them all the the time. It should mirror the human players' behaviour, and some of us do use our lights some of the time (not all of us all the time).

I also like the navigation lights idea, but they'd need to have an on/off switch (and be easily damageable, e.g. that they'd fail after combat damage, and so NPCs would not necessarily have them on ALL the time). Hiding in the shadows (whether literal or not) waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander into your grasp would not be viable otherwise.

 

[NeilF]

I'd like to see SOME of the NPCs have their headlights on at starports but not all of them all the the time. It should mirror the human players' behaviour, and some of us do use our lights some of the time (not all of us all the time).

I also like the navigation lights idea, but they'd need to have an on/off switch (and be easily damageable, e.g. that they'd fail after combat damage, and so NPCs would not necessarily have them on ALL the time). Hiding in the shadows (whether literal or not) waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander into your grasp would not be viable otherwise.

The suggestion I think it fairly simply and solid - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39375

ie: Suggest an option in the status panel controls the navigation lights:-

No fire zone - When in no fire zone, navigation lights are on.
Landing gear - When landing gear down, navigation lights are on.
On - Always on.
Off - Navigation lights never on.​

NPCs would be set to "no fire zone".

 

[Hagledesperado]

This convention is older than aviation itself. I don't see why it would suddenly stop at the Karman line.

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigation_light

A navigation light is a colored source of illumination on a waterborne vessel, aircraft and some spacecraft, used to signal a craft's position, heading, and status. Commonly, their placement is mandated by international conventions or civil authorities.

Dev team, the ingame ED Security Services are glaring at you.

Edit to add: It seems like 1858 was the year the red and green lanterns were introduced for sailing vessels. "For this invention [Captain Evans] was awarded £1500 by the British government and a gold chronometer and £200 from the Tsar of Russia."

 

[Roybe]

Bunch of Federation traffic cops! No lights needed in Lugh. Live free, live Dangerous! ;P

 

[Deleted member 37733]

The suggestion I think it fairly simply and solid - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39375

ie: Suggest an option in the status panel controls the navigation lights:-

No fire zone - When in no fire zone, navigation lights are on.
Landing gear - When landing gear down, navigation lights are on.
On - Always on.
Off - Navigation lights never on.​

NPCs would be set to "no fire zone".

I think this idea is the best.

 

[DocLooshkin]

I think doing more with ship-lights is a great idea. There are scenes in the first two original-flavour Star Trek movies where the Enterprise powers up, ready to leave spacedock. They switch on all the running lights, illuminating the ship and highlighting the ships nameplates and starfleet logos. It's a strong narrative beat for both films and it looks very cool. It doesn't seem like something too difficult, so if we can get the same thing, it'll be an aesthetically-pleasing and practical enhancement.