Pilot School Tutorials For Newbies
- Thread starter Kannon Fodda
- Start date
I think the game would certainly benefit from a real guide for the official release because quite simply there is gonna be so much to the game at that stage anyone who is fresh to ED is gonna have a lot to get to grips with. The OP makes a good point though.. For those of us who have been playing since Alpha we've gradually seen new bits added but if you throw someone in now, starting fresh there is quite a bit to learn.
That said, I'm quite the fan of figuring stuff out by oneself. Back in the day, we used to load up a game and press each key to work out what did what.
Instructions... Haha Pfft! Who needs them
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This guy is right, listen to him.
On combat alone, I still suck at combat, no tutorial will help me improve my combat skills, just practice practice practice. The game shouldn't be made easier because ' I'm not up to it ', I want to improve my skills and get a sense of achievement from it.
and this is how it should be.
I've thought of doing a tutorial vid for combat but not sure where to start. Some of it seems really obvious to me but I've been playing for ages..
Can you explain what you'd like to get from a combat tutorial and what would be useful to know, situations you find tough etc..?
I struggled initially, I have some arthritis style hand problems due to my advancing years which didn't help.
This is what I did in PB1 modified for Beta. Points 1 and 2 should be revisited as required.
1) Read the forums
2) Watch you tube videos
3) Do the first single player mission and work out the best mappings for you.
4) Do the second and third missions multiple times so you feel comfortable getting on the NPC tail and power management.
5) Single player online practice docking and launching
6) Single player online practice travelling and trading
7) Online and have fun but make sure you understand insurance first
There is no substitute for practice. You could go on line after stage 3 but you might find it more comfortable without the attention of the Killer sharks who think that Sidewinders are fish food.
This is what I did in PB1 modified for Beta. Points 1 and 2 should be revisited as required.
1) Read the forums
2) Watch you tube videos
3) Do the first single player mission and work out the best mappings for you.
4) Do the second and third missions multiple times so you feel comfortable getting on the NPC tail and power management.
5) Single player online practice docking and launching
6) Single player online practice travelling and trading
7) Online and have fun but make sure you understand insurance first
There is no substitute for practice. You could go on line after stage 3 but you might find it more comfortable without the attention of the Killer sharks who think that Sidewinders are fish food.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Basic controls.
2. The sweetspot, heat generation, pips.
3. Weapon types + fixed/gimbals/turrets
4. Reading your hud - finding the targets position
5. Maneuvers - when should I use my thrusters? When should I turn to face my opponent after we cross paths? How can I make sure I stay behind my opponent? How can I shake an opponent who is tailing me?
I would agree that there should be something of a tutorial, focused on piloting the ships and using its computer panels. It even makes sense from an RP point of view: once you've bought your brand new spaceship, the manufacturer wouldn't want to hand over the keys (or dongle, or whatever starts these beasts) unless they were sure you had some piloting competence - potential customers might be put off from buying a Sidewinder (and by extension any other Faulcon deLacy ship) if they've just seen one bouncing clumsily around the walls of the space station before boosting head first into back end of a Type 9.
It should of course be possible to skip the tutorial if you want (RP - "ah, I see sir/madam/misc. already has a pilot licence. Would you like to take advantage of our free Pilot and Ship Systems Refresher Course? No? Okay then, have fun with your new ship and safe flying!")
I don't think there is any real need for the game to hold your hand through the processes of trading and other space station functions. In the space station interface menu, if you can't figure out what the big "Repairs", "Outfitting" or "Fuel and Munitions" buttons do, then you probably shouldn't be in command of a spaceship. Trading should be obvious - buy low and sell high. And if you keep getting it wrong, ask someone for some friendly advice.
The hardest part for me when I started was the sheer amount of stuff - it was quite overwhelming to try to take it all in at once. The control setting menu alone was daunting.
The solution - don't try to take it all in at once. For me, that meant going into solo mode (so as not to inconvenience other players and to not be distracted by them) and setting things up one aspect at a time, until I felt happy with control of the craft.
I've just added a HOTAS controller to my setup and, as a result, am having to learn how to fly again. It's a lot easier this time though, now that I already know how everything works.
It should of course be possible to skip the tutorial if you want (RP - "ah, I see sir/madam/misc. already has a pilot licence. Would you like to take advantage of our free Pilot and Ship Systems Refresher Course? No? Okay then, have fun with your new ship and safe flying!")
I don't think there is any real need for the game to hold your hand through the processes of trading and other space station functions. In the space station interface menu, if you can't figure out what the big "Repairs", "Outfitting" or "Fuel and Munitions" buttons do, then you probably shouldn't be in command of a spaceship. Trading should be obvious - buy low and sell high. And if you keep getting it wrong, ask someone for some friendly advice.
The hardest part for me when I started was the sheer amount of stuff - it was quite overwhelming to try to take it all in at once. The control setting menu alone was daunting.
The solution - don't try to take it all in at once. For me, that meant going into solo mode (so as not to inconvenience other players and to not be distracted by them) and setting things up one aspect at a time, until I felt happy with control of the craft.
I've just added a HOTAS controller to my setup and, as a result, am having to learn how to fly again. It's a lot easier this time though, now that I already know how everything works.
Okay.. so whats required really is a tutorial from start to finish, basics, equipment and advanced techniques.. I've toyed with the idea of doing one a while back but wasn't sure how useful it would be but I'll see if I can put something together.
Yeah getting your setup right takes time.. I remember doing it myself initially, lots of stuff which is quite daunting at first but once you're familiar with it becomes fairly straight forward. Given how big the list of controls is I feel the Flight Controls could do with being divided into sub menus to make it easier to find the various settings because the list seems to grow as the game develops.
I too started yesterday and have never really played with a joy stick and don't own a playstation or xbox.
I got through until about the fifth combat mission where I kept being blown up by enemies missles and couldnt work out how to avoid them, nor how to keep an enemy ship in front of me as it seemed to climb faster than me with my thrusters on and speed full on, a lot of it is eye to hand co-ordination and yep its fun finding stuff out the hard way but even a few tips would be good as we've all got to start somewhere.
I found a docking film on youtube which was excellent and really helped me work out getting in and out space hanger when I loaded the online game up and was confronted with a space station in front of me *note to self - don't have guns out and accidently fire in the hanger*
Maybe someone that's experienced could do a youtube for new folk on avoiding stuff and how to dog fight would be good as nothing up I could find and that'd be a real boon if truth be told.
I got through until about the fifth combat mission where I kept being blown up by enemies missles and couldnt work out how to avoid them, nor how to keep an enemy ship in front of me as it seemed to climb faster than me with my thrusters on and speed full on, a lot of it is eye to hand co-ordination and yep its fun finding stuff out the hard way but even a few tips would be good as we've all got to start somewhere.
I found a docking film on youtube which was excellent and really helped me work out getting in and out space hanger when I loaded the online game up and was confronted with a space station in front of me *note to self - don't have guns out and accidently fire in the hanger*
Maybe someone that's experienced could do a youtube for new folk on avoiding stuff and how to dog fight would be good as nothing up I could find and that'd be a real boon if truth be told.
Okay.. so whats required really is a tutorial from start to finish, basics, equipment and advanced techniques.. I've toyed with the idea of doing one a while back but wasn't sure how useful it would be but I'll see if I can put something together.
Yes I think so. When I first started I played the scenarios so I learned the basic controls there. Though I didn't really understand most of the stuff on the heads up display until watching some other you tube videos. Even then I still didn't really know how to use my map properly.. I couldn't tell if I was turning in the right direction to face my opponent, not until recently. Also heat generation I didn't really understand. There are some threads here, I'm sorry I forget the name of the maker (Erik and co. I think) who have done a fantastic job of comparing all the different weapons and armour types which has really cleared all that up for me. The last thing I think left is maneuvers. Sometimes I can do a decent job of staying behind my opponent and sometimes I can't do it. I'm sure there must be some tricks to it that I'm missing so I personally am hoping to see more videos on that sort of thing, actually explaining the thought process rather than just showing off cool moves.
Holding a noobs hand long enough to teach him how to buy goods or take a mission, launch, hyperspace and super cruise to a station in another system and dock there should be enough. Traveling station to station enables him to start making money. Let him learn more advanced stuff on his own.
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In many respect the game is about exploration, and that does mean exploration of the game's control and functionality too.
Tutorials shouldn't cover "ideal" setups of craft and weapons, best trading routes, best manoeuvres in combat, what happens with an interdiction, etc. Even warnings about times to leave enter spaceports, (which appear in game anyway) aren't needed to be highlighted by tutorials, although a tutorial should mention you do need consent to dock. That is all part of the game's challenge.
So reverting to the Pilot School Tutorial, basic flight licence, concept I simply suggest all that is needed is an interactive walkthrough type mission set, with your instructor directing you to your basic flight controls, what your dashboard displays actually mean and such like. This is the computerised equivalent of your first driving lesson in a car. In essence it's a quick get you started thing.
After that the existing single player combat scenarios, perhaps slightly tweaked as you now know some of the basic controls, allow practice of your new found skills, as if in a simulator. Those don't have to be compulsory but it would allow you perhaps to graduate with your wings.
Tutorials shouldn't cover "ideal" setups of craft and weapons, best trading routes, best manoeuvres in combat, what happens with an interdiction, etc. Even warnings about times to leave enter spaceports, (which appear in game anyway) aren't needed to be highlighted by tutorials, although a tutorial should mention you do need consent to dock. That is all part of the game's challenge.
So reverting to the Pilot School Tutorial, basic flight licence, concept I simply suggest all that is needed is an interactive walkthrough type mission set, with your instructor directing you to your basic flight controls, what your dashboard displays actually mean and such like. This is the computerised equivalent of your first driving lesson in a car. In essence it's a quick get you started thing.
After that the existing single player combat scenarios, perhaps slightly tweaked as you now know some of the basic controls, allow practice of your new found skills, as if in a simulator. Those don't have to be compulsory but it would allow you perhaps to graduate with your wings.
I started a help guide for new players and posted it last Friday. Please take a look. It may help.
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35220
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35220
Guys, I am new here, just got ED few day ago and even though I played Elite and FFE a lot years ago I still had a hard time getting the controls setup properly to be able to control my ship.
I strongly support the idea of an in-game tutorial covering different aspects of flight starting with basics like accelerate, stop, e.g take off / land.
Then more advanced stuff light flying through a course, maybe following a tunnel like the race course in Freelancer.
Then advanced manouvers useful for combat, even using FA off and such.
Very good example with a comparable complex game I'd like to name is Gran Turismo. It takes you through theoretical background and practical maneuver in scope of driving licenses. It actually a subgame, where you can be awarded nice cars if you are good at it.
I believe this will really make the game a lot more attractive for a broader audience.
I think different pre-defined controller setups were mentioned in some other place already...
As to the flight mechanics, I think the dev team did a great job there it is absolutely awesome once you know what you are doing!
I strongly support the idea of an in-game tutorial covering different aspects of flight starting with basics like accelerate, stop, e.g take off / land.
Then more advanced stuff light flying through a course, maybe following a tunnel like the race course in Freelancer.
Then advanced manouvers useful for combat, even using FA off and such.
Very good example with a comparable complex game I'd like to name is Gran Turismo. It takes you through theoretical background and practical maneuver in scope of driving licenses. It actually a subgame, where you can be awarded nice cars if you are good at it.
I believe this will really make the game a lot more attractive for a broader audience.
I think different pre-defined controller setups were mentioned in some other place already...
As to the flight mechanics, I think the dev team did a great job there it is absolutely awesome once you know what you are doing!