Okay But Really, Proxima Centauri?

[IndigoWyrd]

As I type this, I am going into my 30th minute of travelling to Hutton Orbital in the Centauri system near Sol for a passenger run mission. I took the mission, reading the target distance from drop point as .22Ls, and thought "Oh jeez, that's pretty close. Should be a peace of cake." I jump about 200ly from the system I got the mission, dropped into Centauri, and started looking around. No sight of Hutton Orbital. "Okay", I thought. "Let's look at the Nav Page then." I open it, and then I see it. Not 22 hundredths of a lightsecond. 22 hundreds of a light year. I need to travel .22ly in Supercruise for a measly 1m.

The point of this thread is to point out how ridiculous some of the distance in binary and higher magnitudes are between drop point and anything you need to get to. In the Erevate neighborhood, there's a star named GD 215. A white dwarf with a G-Type star orbiting at 395kLs. The funny thing is that GD 215 has absolutely nothing at all in orbit around it, while its companion star has everything else. These distances are absurd, and the time it takes to travel these distances is equally so.

So, while I sit here and watch another Let's Play video as I wait for my ship to cross another .19Ly at 2,000c, please know that I disdain this greatly, and next time I will do what I can to not mistake a Y for an S.
[REDACTED: I now understand what this trek means to people. I apologize for my comments on it]

Welcome to the Space Is Big Club.

56 trips to Hutton Orbital, no plans to make it 57.

 

[Rob Galaxy]

Who made this trip, should not miss these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DetiFMHRbIk (Hutton Truckers Theme)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfMMXqZT5AY (The Hutton Orbital Blues)

 

[sgurr]

Hi,

I'm Steve.

[pause and wait for group to say "Hi Steve"]

I'm an Elite Dev and I've never done the Hutton Orbital Run legitimately.
[hangs head in shame]

You see the stories and make the plans to do it, but there's always an excuse. I'm working late, I'll get to it after this CG, maybe just one more buckyball run then i'll do it. Even promises of Free Anacondas did nothing.
But then you see you are just lying to yourself.

I realised I need to do this. I need to get to Hutton Orbital!

So tonight I'm going to start the new 12 steps to Hutton programme and get myself to Hutton Orbital, flying the Wendy 2* to get myself a mug and this monkey off my back.

Thanks

Steve K

(*exact ship might not match that advertised depending on where I left it.)

Good luck Cmdr

A little something to help you on your way

Spoiler

[video=youtube;VBlFHuCzPgY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBlFHuCzPgY[/video]

 

[Brian of Ardagh]

I'd love to see a supercruise boost utility module added to the game.

While in SC, and with the utility module installed, the player could press the boost button to double SC speed. This would create a lot of heat though, so it could only be held for a short time before you begin to take heat damage. Or just melt the ship if you wanted to. It would also really guzzle fuel too. After cooling down the boost could be used again, repeat as desired.

Basically a SC mini game balancing heat generation with cool down periods for speed boosts. Low emission mods would greatly help of course.

Overall that doesn't sound like a bad idea and could actually be fun. I can only begin to imagine the hate filled threads that would appear from players complaining that it's not fast enough, that they have to boringly keep pressing "x", that they didn't know it would damage/destroy their ship, they ran out of fuel, that it's unfair that NPCs can use it 100% of the time without recourse, etc.

I fully approve although I would add that using it always does some level of damage to your ship's FSD. You could preserve the Hutton run by making it so that your FSD would be completely destroyed if you tried to keep boosting all the way between cooldowns.

 

[Quester91]

I'd love to see a supercruise boost utility module added to the game.

While in SC, and with the utility module installed, the player could press the boost button to double SC speed. This would create a lot of heat though, so it could only be held for a short time before you begin to take heat damage. Or just melt the ship if you wanted to. It would also really guzzle fuel too. After cooling down the boost could be used again, repeat as desired.

Basically a SC mini game balancing heat generation with cool down periods for speed boosts. Low emission mods would greatly help of course.

So you want the player to push on and off a button once every 15 seconds for a few minutes while he travels on a straight line? That doesn't sound mindnumbingly boring at all Mengy.

 

[Humbo]

The Hutton Orbital run is a perfect way to get that lovely worn paint job look.
Good time to play with Holo-Me and listen to radio sidewinder / Lave Radio / Star Talk.

 

[Mengy]

So you want the player to push on and off a button once every 15 seconds for a few minutes while he travels on a straight line? That doesn't sound mindnumbingly boring at all Mengy.

I admit it isn’t groundbreaking, but at least it would be more interactive than the current “sit and wait” SC we have now. It would both give us something to do in SC while also reducing travel time in SC, addressing two problems with the mechanic currently. It also poses some danger too if abused or performed carelessly.

I fully approve although I would add that using it always does some level of damage to your ship's FSD. You could preserve the Hutton run by making it so that your FSD would be completely destroyed if you tried to keep boosting all the way between cooldowns.

I’m not a fan of “damage no matter what” mechanics. That’s why I added the heat gen part to it. Using the boost carefully would prevent ship damage, but using it carelessly would produce damage. If boosting always just damages the ship then it would quickly lose its usefulness for players who spend a lot of time in SC. Elite doesn’t need more features nobody wants to use.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Maybe you don't go/haven't been because it's a terrible feature in your game - because designing a video game where at some point your player has to sit effectively looking at a black screen for almost an hour is not a good idea? How is that fun, interesting or engaging gameplay? Why would you think this is a good or funny thing to have in your game?

I don't believe you ever have to do it. It is something you choose to do. Like the FDev team have chosen not to do it. If you don't like it, don't do it. It really is that simple.

 

[Chris Simon]

I don't believe you ever have to do it. It is something you choose to do. Like the FDev team have chosen not to do it. If you don't like it, don't do it. It really is that simple.

Agreed. The notion that something should not be an option because somebody doesn't like it is kind of daft.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I'd love to see a supercruise boost utility module added to the game.

While in SC, and with the utility module installed, the player could press the boost button to double SC speed. This would create a lot of heat though, so it could only be held for a short time before you begin to take heat damage. Or just melt the ship if you wanted to. It would also really guzzle fuel too. After cooling down the boost could be used again, repeat as desired.

Basically a SC mini game balancing heat generation with cool down periods for speed boosts. Low emission mods would greatly help of course.

The only time SC becomes boring is when you choose to go on stupidly long journeys. Most other journeys are fine as you can scan other ships (on the lookout for pirates and getting mats) and avoid gravity wells. I never put the throttle to 75% and leave it there as it isn't the fastest or a fun way of getting to your destination. The most fun way is actually the faster way with supercruise.

But I am unsure about the boost function to be honest. It would probably get on my nerves.

 

[bigity]

You're dropped in on the star with the higher mass. Sometimes they have nothing around it, sometimes not.

I usually set the throttle to 75% and read during these long supercruises. I've actually gotten caught up on that pile of books everyone says they're eventually going to read this way.

What a thrilling recommendation for a video game.

 

[Bounder]

There are separate star system in denser regions that are nonetheless closer together than Alpha / Proxima C.

Furthermore, if we're going to regard stars that interact with one another at geological timescales then why even have hyperspace at all - why not just "supercruise" everywhere?

In Pioneer you can just right-click on a system in the galaxy map to automatically cycle thru the list of possible hyperspace destination bodies. Neatly sidestepping any controversies by making the flight options elective - you know, like what a 'sandbox' game used to mean..

 

[damon8r351]

What a thrilling recommendation for a video game.

I keep it thematic of course, David Weber, M.D. Cooper, Elizabeth Moon, the finest in military sci fi and space opera. It combines two of my favorite hobbies into one, either I had time for one or the other and now it's both at the same time.

 

[El Grillo]

So what does it say about those people who feel this way, and yet still do it?

The coolest part is, that it is not necessary to go there if you don't want to!

Highly likely that this will never be removed. There are many thousands of systems with stations and planetary bases that are 10 to a few 1000 Ls from the drop in point. While you say "you wouldn't have to use it", I say you aren't forced to go to bases that take an hour to get to.

If the game obliged people to do it you might have a point. The game doesn't oblige anyone to do it though. It is completely optional. And some people like doing that type of thing.

So you are apparently asserting that an optional thing which some people want to do and like being part of the game is a terrible game feature.

I think the real question here is why you would write a load of criticism based on such a ridiculous premise.

I don't believe you ever have to do it. It is something you choose to do. Like the FDev team have chosen not to do it. If you don't like it, don't do it. It really is that simple.

That's fine then - leave Hutton Orbital in without a secondary jump point, so people who want to go supercruise in a straight line for an hour can do that. As you all say, there's no obligation on players to go to Hutton Orbital. Unless they're in systems nearby and the only available missions they can do involve going to Hutton, though even with the terrible mission board population issues that seems unlikely.

So let Hutton stand. But add secondary jump points in all the other systems where it takes 5+ (or 10+?) minutes of supercruising in a straight line to get to a destination station. Because, as you have all tacitly admitted, it is not a sensible mechanic to have where players have to sit staring at a screen doing absolutely nothing, waiting for the game to allow them to continue to play. And outside of Hutton, there are many, many instances of that and it is not something that can be avoided by players, without taking a whole lot of time to work out which missions might screw them over with ridiculously long SC times and how to avoid those particular missions/trade runs/whatever.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

That's fine then - leave Hutton Orbital in without a secondary jump point, so people who want to go supercruise in a straight line for an hour can do that. As you all say, there's no obligation on players to go to Hutton Orbital. Unless they're in systems nearby and the only available missions they can do involve going to Hutton, though even with the terrible mission board population issues that seems unlikely.

So let Hutton stand. But add secondary jump points in all the other systems where it takes 5+ (or 10+?) minutes of supercruising in a straight line to get to a destination station. Because, as you have all tacitly admitted, it is not a sensible mechanic to have where players have to sit staring at a screen doing absolutely nothing, waiting for the game to allow them to continue to play. And outside of Hutton, there are many, many instances of that and it is not something that can be avoided by players, without taking a whole lot of time to work out which missions might screw them over with ridiculously long SC times and how to avoid those particular missions/trade runs/whatever.

You do know that missions are not the only gameplay you can do. There is a commodities market.

 

[Taimaru]

So let Hutton stand. But add secondary jump points in all the other systems where it takes 5+ (or 10+?) minutes of supercruising in a straight line to get to a destination station.

No, please don't add that in as currently I like jumping into a system and getting first discoveries for planets that people can't be bothered flying to because they are 10+ minutes away.

 

[Geraldine]

I'd love to see a supercruise boost utility module added to the game.

While in SC, and with the utility module installed, the player could press the boost button to double SC speed. This would create a lot of heat though, so it could only be held for a short time before you begin to take heat damage. Or just melt the ship if you wanted to. It would also really guzzle fuel too. After cooling down the boost could be used again, repeat as desired.

Basically a SC mini game balancing heat generation with cool down periods for speed boosts. Low emission mods would greatly help of course.

In the Alpha we could get up to 5000c in Super Cruise, but it was later toned down to 2000c for balancing reasons. I also recall back then trying to get to another star system only using the 5k SC drive, it didnt end well. :O

 

[Quester91]

I admit it isn’t groundbreaking, but at least it would be more interactive than the current “sit and wait” SC we have now.

Well, no. At least I can watch a segment of an episode on netflix without having to alt tab the browser to click a button every 15 seconds, don't you agree?

What you proposed would make supercruise travel still way too boring to be anywhere near engaging but enough rudimentary interactive to prevent me to do anything else. Basically you're forcing me to watch the painting dry rather than do anything else at home and wait for the painting to dry, if that makes sense.

 

[Dbrn47]

Oh we play

I don't believe you.

 

[Brian of Ardagh]

I’m not a fan of “damage no matter what” mechanics. That’s why I added the heat gen part to it. Using the boost carefully would prevent ship damage, but using it carelessly would produce damage. If boosting always just damages the ship then it would quickly lose its usefulness for players who spend a lot of time in SC. Elite doesn’t need more features nobody wants to use.

Instead of calling it "damage no matter what" I'd call it wear and tear. I like ED to have choices that matter, use that SC boost but you will wear out your engine faster, use it excessively and it might blow up on you. Go for the lightweight mod for Engineering but expect to live with the fact that that mod means the part will break twice as fast. Too many players these days seem to want to "win" but never "lose"; re: Sea of Thieves. Present company excluded, of course.