There are some people who just want to fly faster in supercruise because they want to get to their destination faster.
I think this kind of goes without saying. Though this game takes place in the future, isn't it possible there are, and should still be, physical limits to the things you can do?
There are some people that are ok with the supercruise speed as it is, but can't follow the logic of seemingly arbitrary different acceleration/deceleration speeds in supercruise (this is what bugs me the most in supercruise - why can I stop instantly out in space but have to make a convoluted approach as soon as I target a USS - there's no mass out there that might affect my FSD).
I can get behind the instant slow-down to a USS due to the lack of mass.
There are some people who really only have a problem with acceleration/deceleration rates, having to find a magical sweet-spot
It's rough, but I think having it this way still makes sense. Somehow the mass of the astronomical body must be accounted for on approach and departure.
There are some who question the decision that you really can't control the actual speed in supercruise but only the 'throttle', so the timed countdown to the target is absolutely useless as there is no point during your flight that the time to destination is your actual time to destination (depending on your speed the final approach will have you seconds or minutes staying at 0:06 seconds to target).
Time is relative to your speed, because it is affected when traveling near the speed of light.. but you're right, I never pay attention to the time display, just distance. Not sure why this matters to you or others.
The issue of multiple stars per system is also often mashed into this discussion, so some people think 'all is good with SC, except maybe let me jump from star to star inside a system'.
Though far in supercruise, the stars are probably still too close to use hyperspace.
The problem as I see it is that as soon as this discussion about SC starts, many people tend to mix all the different issues other people have with SC and turn it into a black/white discussion (as seen a little in the OP).
...but it is a black and white discussion. either you are okay with the limits of supercruise or you aren't.
There is always a reflex reaction to just say "everything is ok, don't change anything" instead of a discussion of the merits of the individual arguments.
I certainly haven't seen much "everything is ok, don't change anything" about supercruise on these forums. I invited discussion at the end of my OP..
As for SC and exploration; when you find a system with many objects and begin exploring, what takes the most amount of time:
1) flying from body to body
2) staying within scanner range and wait for the scanner to finish
3) accelerating away from a body / decelerating when approaching a body
4) staring at the wonders of space
From my personal experience, in the beginning it is 4), when everything is new and exciting and every discovery is an accomplishment. But later in the game, you really just select your target and wait for your ship to slow down again when reaching the target, only to slowly speed up again when flying to the next unknown object. (It doesn't help with exploring either that you can't plot an optimal route within a system as you don't know the position of the objects in relation to each other - an orrery view would make this a lot more efficient, but that is another topic altogether)
I would like to be able to plot the most economical route as well.. locking on to the nearest body usually doesn't end with "quickest way to visit all bodies"
On the topic of interdictions, speeding up SC would not really make that much of a difference, as with the current SC mechanics you can never 'catch up' to another player in SC while he is in open space (he accelerates faster than you when flying away from a mass), so the only 2 stages during cruise that make for a good time for interdiction is when approaching a target or when leaving the star. These situations IMHO don't really depend on SC speed that much so it could make a big difference.
I'm actually interdicting more when the target is facing me, passes, then I swing in behind. Regardless, there are all angles and I do think it would have an affect on the ability to interdict when they are travelling so fast that you have no time to make it work.
Do you presume to know why supercruise is the way it is, as "feel" is something very subjective and I really don't know what you mean by "decision making".
Yes. I am the all-knowing LORD OF SUPERCRUISE. ..No, I just realize that this is a SIM, and that the developers are looking for a certain style and "feel" of a sim, which usually includes tedious things that you just have to deal with because it is LIFE. Life in 3301. As for decision making, what I mean is this: If I could instantly travel 500k+ LS away, that removes the decision of "man.. I'd like to go out there, but it's so freakin far. Ah the hell with it. Maybe this (explorer/trader/supercruiser) life isn't for me. TO THE NAV BEACON!" There are other exmples, all you have to do is think of a situation where you want to do something but that may mean dealing with the wait. I think FD did a good job of designing aspects of the game so that supercruise doesn't have to always be something to deal with, like in Piracy and Bounty hunting. Supercruise is still there, but not as much as "something in the way" for traders and explorers.
Bottom line is, supercruise itself is a style and feel of playing this game. There are many who actually enjoy it, many who don't, and I just don't hear enough from people who realize why it was designed the way it was. Sure there is always room for improvement and I still want to hear from both sides. Some good points, and thanks for the discussion.
