POLL: Should ED have an Auto Pilot?

[pawel228]

@sandman:
...as i said before: you don't like it, don't use it!

as long as ED is in development status and the developers are asking the community for new feature, i will tell them my wishes! one of them is an autopilot, or maybe a copilot with same funktionality will be great!

just in this second the developers choice is using some kind of democracy, to get some new ideas from the community!


fly save

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

@sandman:
...as i said before: you don't like it, don't use it!

as long as ED is in development status and the developers are asking the community for new feature, i will tell them my wishes! one of them is an autopilot, or maybe a copilot with same funktionality will be great!

just in this second the developers choice is using some kind of democracy, to get some new ideas from the community!


fly save

Don't like it, don't use it, don't talk about it?

As long as ED is in development status and the developers are asking the community for new feature, I will tell them my wishes! One of them is no autopilot, maybe a copilot if the added gameplay warrants it, that will be great!

Fly safe

 

[BigBANGtheory [VR]]

Don't like it, don't use it, don't talk about it?

As long as ED is in development status and the developers are asking the community for new feature, I will tell them my wishes! One of them is no autopilot, maybe a copilot if the added gameplay warrants it, that will be great!

Fly safe

That would work, but keep it quiet cos we aren't supposed to talk about player choice as a feature... apparently we have to go play another game until then [rolleyes]

 

[Sandmann]

@sandman:
...as i said before: you don't like it, don't use it!

As I said before - flawed argument. Changes the nature of the game. Don't use it.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

just in this second the developers choice is using some kind of democracy, to get some new ideas from the community!

Oh and just because they ONCE sought public opinion on an unrelated topic, that doesn't make it ANY sort of democracy, and as far as I'm aware they've not even considered an autopilot, let alone asked for opinions. In fact as I recall, they've firmly ruled out such things in the past.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

That would work, but keep it quiet cos we aren't supposed to talk about player choice as a feature... apparently we have to go play another game until then [rolleyes]

Don't be ridiculous. YOU said "shouldn't that be the players choice" to which I responded no, and told you why. Don't get snippy, you can talk about and suggest whatever you like, but you don't get to make game design choices.

 

[rootsrat]

Let's discuss the topic, shall we, ladies and gents? I can see this thread is already going in the wrong direction.

Thank you

 

[LoneKharnivore]

Is that... is that a 70/30 split I see before me once again?

At this point it's clear that 70% of players like ED and 30% wish they were playing something else.

 

[BigBANGtheory [VR]]

As I said before - flawed argument. Changes the nature of the game. Don't use it.

How does it change the nature of your game exactly? What would you see or believe you would see that would impact your game in a negative way as a result of others (perhaps only a 1/3rd of the player base) using a simple autopilot/co-pilot feature in supercruise?

 

[Sandmann]

How does it change the nature of your game exactly? What would you see or believe you would see that would impact your game in a negative way as a result of others (perhaps only a 1/3rd of the player base) using a simple autopilot/co-pilot feature in supercruise?

This has already been answered several times by far more eloquent people than myself in this thread and in every other thread where someone asks for an unpopular feature and says "you don't have to use it".

 

[Matt Harpring]

Is that... is that a 70/30 split I see before me once again?

At this point it's clear that 70% of players like ED and 30% wish they were playing something else.

I don't know if that's a fair characterization. I was in the 70% for ship transfers but I'm now in the 30% for autopilot. I'm sure there's tons of overlap, but I'm also positive I'm not the only one.

 

[jasonbarron]

I don't know if that's a fair characterization. I was in the 70% for ship transfers but I'm now in the 30% for autopilot. I'm sure there's tons of overlap, but I'm also positive I'm not the only one.

Good point. I'm as follows: pro Open but still a big fuzzy bear at heart; pro delayed transfer because I like balance almost as much as I like ma mursion; anti autopilot because I don't believe in watching Netflix at the same time as I'm playing the game (though I'd possibly make an exception for the Cooking Channel); and last but not least pro engineer because I'm literally addicted to all the pretty special effects on my multi cannon FdL

 

[Sandmann]

Good point. I'm as follows: pro Open but still a big fuzzy bear at heart; pro delayed transfer because I like balance almost as much as I like ma mursion; anti autopilot because I don't believe in watching Netflix at the same time as I'm playing the game (though I'd possibly make an exception for the Cooking Channel); and last but not least pro engineer because I'm literally addicted to all the pretty special effects on my multi cannon FdL

Apparently I can't keep rep-ing you, so have a virtual one.

 

[WeirdWizard]

I voted no. While I'm not one of them, there are many people complaining about boredom in Elite already, I think the forums would explode if Frontier introduced even more boredom.

Surely the whole point of an autopilot is to automate the boring parts of travelling around. Therefore it is by definition a boredom alleviation feature. What those players choose to do while the ship is auto piloting is presumably more interesting for them than piloting or they'd be doing the piloting instead. For example I would often (not always, but often) far raather be mulling over the galaxy map, remotely checking local station commodities prices, reading gal net, checking out the system panel, communicating with other commanders or indeed popping out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea than have to perform the extraordinarily simple yet constant series of inputs to fly around space.

Not sure how you can characterise that as introducing more boredom?

 

[Matt Harpring]

Good point. I'm as follows: pro Open but still a big fuzzy bear at heart; pro delayed transfer because I like balance almost as much as I like ma mursion; anti autopilot because I don't believe in watching Netflix at the same time as I'm playing the game (though I'd possibly make an exception for the Cooking Channel); and last but not least pro engineer because I'm literally addicted to all the pretty special effects on my multi cannon FdL

Hey! I agree with most of your ethos. I play in solo but plan on switching to open as soon as I upgrade the drives on my courier. Love the idea of engineers but would like it to be more precise than the current "tom clancys the division"-like implementation (2 different rates of fire on wingtip mounted lasers?!?! How is my OCD supposed to overcome that?!?!). I'm all for anything that makes our ships more capable in a balanced way (was against fighters for pythons). So thats a part of why I'm for auto pilot. I want my ship to have as many gadgets as possible.

I'm not for watching netflix per se. I play on xbox and technically I could snap it, I don't because I wouldn't be able to read out numbers on HUD elements. The real draw of autopilot is giving me a more workable leash for the attention span spikes inherent in travel. As it stands, I can't stay focused without losing my mind from tedium, nor can I accomplish anything in the 20-30 seconds of forced down time during charging, countdown, and loading.

I guess this is the part where everyone tells me I'm lacking the requisite attention span to play this game.

 

[Sandmann]

Hey! I agree with most of your ethos

[stuff]

I guess this is the part where everyone tells me I'm lacking the requisite attention span to play this game.

Let me put it this way. Fdev want to make a game where you fly a tiny spaceship around a huge galaxy and do stuff. They WANT to make it difficult to get long distances BECAUSE it's a huge galaxy, that's specifically why they didn't include jump gates, worm holes, and so on. You're proposing a feature that would take away that difficulty (such as it is) and allow you to avoid it and make a cup of tea. Why would fdev WANT to do that when it would achieve the opposite of what they want, and make it possible for players to DISENGAGE from the game?

I'm not saying that long distance flight isn't a bit boring and simplistic, but REMOVING it is not the answer. If it's broken, FIX it... don't kill it.

 

[WeirdWizard]

Fdev want to make a game where you fly a tiny spaceship around a huge galaxy and do stuff. They WANT to make it difficult to get long distances BECAUSE it's a huge galaxy, that's specifically why they didn't include jump gates, worm holes, and so on.

I'm not at all convinced that is the case and was or is the design intent at Frontier. I mean if it is their intent then they've spectacularly failed because for all of it raw size getting around in ED is trivial. It could (and arguably should) of been way harder and indeed more time consuming to cross large sections of the galaxy. But in ED at every scale travel is almost as simple as possible in terms of skill and phenomenally fast in any realistic sense. Frontier really don't seem interested in making the galaxy hard to get around.

 

[Kerrash]

As someone who used auto pilot religiously in FE2, I think it would be a mistake to add it to ED.
The game has evolved and our expectations should adapt too.

 

[Sandmann]

I'm not at all convinced that is the case and was or is the design intent at Frontier.

Then either you've read/watched nothing they've said about their intent, or you think they're lieing.

I mean if it is their intent then they've spectacularly failed because for all of it raw size getting around in ED is trivial. It could (and arguably should) of been way harder and indeed more time consuming to cross large sections of the galaxy. But in ED at every scale travel is almost as simple as possible in terms of skill and phenomenally fast in any realistic sense. Frontier really don't seem interested in making the galaxy hard to get around.

This I can't argue with. I think they spent a lot of time trying to balance difficulty with playability and got it spectacularly wrong. Doesn't mean I'd want to see them compound their error and make it even easier though.

 

[Matt Harpring]

Let me put it this way. Fdev want to make a game where you fly a tiny spaceship around a huge galaxy and do stuff. They WANT to make it difficult to get long distances BECAUSE it's a huge galaxy, that's specifically why they didn't include jump gates, worm holes, and so on. You're proposing a feature that would take away that difficulty (such as it is) and allow you to avoid it and make a cup of tea. Why would fdev WANT to do that when it would achieve the opposite of what they want, and make it possible for players to DISENGAGE from the game?

I'm not saying that long distance flight isn't a bit boring and simplistic, but REMOVING it is not the answer. If it's broken, FIX it... don't kill it.

Can we brainstorm ways of fixing it then? No offense but it's not very constructive to just say I'm vaguely right, but still all wrong without offering any solutions you could live with. You may not like this idea but at least it's an idea.

I'm reluctant to ever complain about the game. I think FD have made an amazing game and seem like wonderful human beings. Even if nothing changes, I'll continue to play. But, travel as it is now is possibly the most skilless, tedious mechanic I've ever seen in a video game. And personally, I feel it's the 30-40 seconds of forced down time per 5 seconds of focus and effort to go anywhere. Not just long range travel, any kind of travel anywhere has this screeching gap in user input.

EDIT:

Apologies if you've already offered input somewhere else and I missed it. You can just point me toward it instead of reposting, I'll catch myself up.

 

[lysan]

As someone who used auto pilot religiously in FE2, I think it would be a mistake to add it to ED.
The game has evolved and our expectations should adapt too.

Because pressing J 200 times are soooo challenging, well some people loves nothing more than travelling the country taking photos of roundabouts. (that is actually true, and he is ofc British )

 

[WeirdWizard]

Then either you've read/watched nothing they've said about their intent, or you think they're lieing.

I wouldn't characterise it as lying, probably partly them hyping concepts rather than clearly expressing intent, partly folks not directly involved in the design talking about stuff and partly just Frontier being frontier (who after so many occasions where what they've said hasn't matched their actions or the results I've stopped listening to them).

This I can't argue with. I think they spent a lot of time trying to balance difficulty with playability and got it spectacularly wrong. Doesn't mean I'd want to see them compound their error and make it even easier though.

Which is fair enough, had the travel been designed in such a way as to engaging and active gameplay I would be less inclined to request an autopilot. Though for me these sort of games are about being in command of a ship in space, not necessarily flying a ship in space. But anyway we are where we are and it seems much more realistic that we'll get an autopilot than a major overhaul of the travel mechanics. Not to mention there is a lot less to screw up with implementing an autopilot than reworking such a major foundation of the game.