Sensor upgrades

[TitanHQ]

Hi all!

I know some people will shout that E: D is broken, and that there are a billion features missing that are needed to make it playable. I'm not that person. No, there is only a single thing I can honestly say absolutely needs a rethink. Sensors. Everything else is a bonus that makes an already awesome game better.

More specifically, the "radar" that shows you other ships and points of interest both in normal space, and supercruise. Take a look at modern aircraft and large ships. With only a handful of exceptions they are fully able to operate with no visual cues, sensors so accurate that a pilot can land a 75m, 450,000kg aircraft without even being able to see which way is up out the window.
Yet in Elite I can barely tell how many ships there are and their general direction, with no way to be able to fly safely or land, let alone identify, track, chase and destroy targets without first being able to see them visually. Why can't my sensors show me what direction I need to go in to find a hyperspace vector or a specific planet? Why do I have to do loop-the-loops until I find where I want to go?
Therefore I suggest an updated "radar" (For lack of a better word) which has an option at least to display a crude display of the outside world. Better would be active IFF tags, rangefinders, relative position and speed information. This would give pilots the ability to fly without having to visually see what is around them. The basics are there, when you target a ship or station is shows a small model with relative direction, and when scooping cargo it just needs to be fleshed out.

I feel this would open up a whole lot more than just being able to fly blind. Retractable cockpit armour? Why not. New weapons that frost cockpits up? Sure. Using lasers to confuse sensors and force manual visual searching. Of course.


Thoughts?

 

[DragoonKnight]

I find that there is a lot information missing that would be basic to a combat capable aircraft / spacecraft.

Things like vector and velocity indicators of your position.

Target ship vector and velocity.

The fact that a sidewinder and a Anaconda look exactly the same on radar.

The lack of any ECCM.

 

[Shadow_Frost]

It's like when our ships were designed a thousand years ago (literally, read the info on the designs) they stuck with a "Here's some basic info" and that's as far as they got. No further updates. It's the microsoft of space craft.

 

[Forlorn]

...
Yet in Elite I can barely tell how many ships there are and their general direction, with no way to be able to fly safely or land, let alone identify, track, chase and destroy targets without first being able to see them visually...

FD has done an amazing job of creating a visually stunning game... I kinda think they want you to look at it first, and your dashboard second.

 

[Psycho Romeo]

This would give pilots the ability to fly without having to visually see what is around them.

This is not how the game is supposed to work. Like the implemented flight model, it's just one of those artificial constraints that enhance the game.

Are current sensor upgrades stupid? Yes. Leaves much to be desired. Should sensors be realistic? No, no they should not.

 

[Lestat]

I have to agree with Psycho Romeo. Every game should not be the same. With people with smaller computers 13 Inch or players play Elite Dangerous on a Tablet. Nvidia Shield. Less is more. It easier on the eyes and using radar is not that hard.

 

[Hydrino]

I agree with the OP but would expand this.

Sensors need an overhaul as they are very place-holder-ish, like a lot of the game still feels.

There need to be a variety of sensor packages of varying tech level and ability.

Radar, Lidar, passive, active, meson, infrared, ultra-violet, etc. Then apply counter-measures to advanced scanners to confuse them, ECM scramblers, sand-casters, flares, decoys, and stealth coatings of course.

But to go along with these there needs to be game-play considerations such as actual smuggling specific ship modules/compartments, having longer range sensors needed to track ships and counter-measures, make silent running even more meaningful.

Finally, the Sensor disc needs to be doubled in size and the Target/Self side displays shrunk. I don't need to see a graphic of my own ship that is almost as big as the sensor display. There might be some size that has to be kept to be pleasing to the eyes but then a fresh think on the overall main view UI may be needed.

The Elite scanner has been a phenomenal strength and radar display achievement since 1984. FD should build on that- make the thing bigger, more info on it (like air traffic controller stuff). Maybe this will come with multi-crew I hope. Have an entire display almost just be the sensor disc with longer ranges and more spy v spy tech to employ (particularly on aliens with their funkadelic different tech, and perhaps smugglers, pirates and slavers).

So much possibilities. FD really needs to hire another 25 coders and asset builders for this game.