Silent Running Profiles

[Arjin]

Hello,

First off, love the game it is flippin fantastic! Ok to the point, my apologies if this has been suggested before.

I would like to suggest the ability to have 2-3 customizable profiles for silent running for example: Profile #1 set to active would disable all modules except life support and sensors (power plant always on) when silent running is engaged. Exiting silent running would return all modules back to currently set configuration settings.

I think this would be very useful when bounty hunting/smuggling or any time a pilot needs to engage silent running. The idea being if you are bounty hunting and are stealthily tracking ships at a station or other location while in silent running mode and you find a target and need to engage all system quickly in order to track their FSW or start the tail so you don't lose the target this would help speed up turning all modules back on. Or conversely you are tracking a target in SC headed towards a station and need to quickly go full dark once you drop.


Thanks for reading and thanks for all the work you guys put into the game!

CMDR Arjin Fury

 

[Psycho Romeo]

Interesting idea, though I think there should be module power profiles just on its own, not necessarily tied to silent running.

That way, the power profile mechanic can benefit everyone, not just people who are going into silent mode.

 

[DocLooshkin]

+1. It would be good to see more done with power, generally. We currently have what amounts to two profiles (weapons deployed or retracted), so it's not much of a stretch to see how more profiles - and more control over them - would be sensible.

 

[ForgottenCypher]

I agree that anything not in use should automatically power down. Weapons or utility hardpoints not deployed should be powered down. Shield generators are automatically shut off when going silent, but so should all of the other non-critical systems such as cargo hatches, Frame Shift Drives, and perhaps even thrusters ( choosable though options menu). Attempting to use a system that had been turned off could also temporarily turn it back on when you activate it, however i realize that it almost defeats the purpose of having anything on save for shields.

 

[Boff'in]

+1 profiles,
similar to Weapons profiles or power consumption.

or one could combine the two, and have scalable power output
So as you draw the power down on the ship, modules start incrementally turn off one by one as prioritized.
Leaving you nothing but the vitals.

Then you can have your module priority in separate profiles.
One for combat, one for stealth.
So keyboard command, press F to swap profiles.
Then + / - the power output from the reactor.


I know we are only 4 months after release, but stealth hasn't played out as I had desired.

Now I remember this heat mechanic was an explanation for scanning/detection in i-war but as a game mechanic it was scripted and didn't work dynamically, not like in ED.
But in practice, whilst trying to sneak into a space station in Elite, your engines are always expelling heat to the degree you are always scannable.
and to get to that point - it's real fiddly to pull off shutting down the modules in an uncontrolled flight is hazardous.
The module profiles would be handy in that respect.

As you drop near a space station, you've still got your FSD on.
You still need your sensors on (to make radio contact),
and you still need your thrusters (your biggest exponent of heat).
Those are the last two I tend to turn off, aside from the thrusters.
But it's a panic every time to look away and hunt for the modules.

just because you have almost no power output and silent running on, you are STILL visible, you are only slowing the scans down.
To really pull it off, you need to dump the heat out of the system (heat sink launcher....oh wait one more module that you need to keep active).
and then it's a debate of confidence and luck wether you want to turn your shields off or not.

And then at the end of the day, that's all you need. Leave everything on, turn on Silent Running and spam your heat sinks, thus negating the clever shutting down of modules.

I'm not seeing any fancy purchasable modules that specialise in lower heat output, but at a cost of performance.

So my all encompassing solution, is to meld together the module functions (on/off) with the module priorities.
The trick is to literally come in and put the reactor output to close to zero - automatically shutting the modules off in the process.

 

[Jackie McMackie]

in-game stealth macros. Surely with such advanced ships, this is possible?

 

[Arjin]

+1 profiles,
similar to Weapons profiles or power consumption.

or one could combine the two, and have scalable power output
So as you draw the power down on the ship, modules start incrementally turn off one by one as prioritized.
Leaving you nothing but the vitals.

Then you can have your module priority in separate profiles.
One for combat, one for stealth.
So keyboard command, press F to swap profiles.
Then + / - the power output from the reactor.


I know we are only 4 months after release, but stealth hasn't played out as I had desired.

Now I remember this heat mechanic was an explanation for scanning/detection in i-war but as a game mechanic it was scripted and didn't work dynamically, not like in ED.
But in practice, whilst trying to sneak into a space station in Elite, your engines are always expelling heat to the degree you are always scannable.
and to get to that point - it's real fiddly to pull off shutting down the modules in an uncontrolled flight is hazardous.
The module profiles would be handy in that respect.

As you drop near a space station, you've still got your FSD on.
You still need your sensors on (to make radio contact),
and you still need your thrusters (your biggest exponent of heat).
Those are the last two I tend to turn off, aside from the thrusters.
But it's a panic every time to look away and hunt for the modules.

just because you have almost no power output and silent running on, you are STILL visible, you are only slowing the scans down.
To really pull it off, you need to dump the heat out of the system (heat sink launcher....oh wait one more module that you need to keep active).
and then it's a debate of confidence and luck wether you want to turn your shields off or not.

And then at the end of the day, that's all you need. Leave everything on, turn on Silent Running and spam your heat sinks, thus negating the clever shutting down of modules.

I'm not seeing any fancy purchasable modules that specialise in lower heat output, but at a cost of performance.

So my all encompassing solution, is to meld together the module functions (on/off) with the module priorities.
The trick is to literally come in and put the reactor output to close to zero - automatically shutting the modules off in the process.

Yea I agree, more stealth is what I am aiming for here, I really like the idea of scalable power as well. The full stealth stealth scenario is when tracking a target that has dropped near the space station, I drop, full stop and go dark immediately 8-9km from station then have to shut all modules off minus life and sensors in order to not overheat while waiting for the target to do his/her business then re-engage the tail once they leave, interdict in SC and collect the monies.

A profile would make this faster by not having to get to the module screen and then turn everything you want off, and then fumble around quickly to turn it all back on when it's go time.

Possible scenario two, pirating in RES zones, hiding amongst asteroids...??? *snickers* I am not a pirate though