Supercruise Rework for 3.4?

How about a rework of Supercruise/Interdiction/Stellar Bodies Scanning for Beyond 3.4?
I think most of us players spend a large chunk of our playtime in supercruise flying in a straight line. It's usually time when I go get a drink/read the paper/walk the dog (jk I don't read the paper lol... or have a dog :(), and sometimes that's fine, but sometimes you just wanna get to your destination already and waiting 5 minutes to accelerate and decelerate is kind of a drag.

We know that the Q4 update is aimed at an exploration overhaul (among other things), I also believe they have said they were looking into some kind of micro-jumps between stars in a system, and Sandro has said that they want to make exploration faster and more skill-based.
Furthermore, the current interdiction system is okay, but it could have more depth.
Obviously reworking the whole Supercruise part of the game is a pretty big undertaking, but as it could hit several birds with one stone, it might be worth thinking about. An overhaul could be a better option than bandaid-fixing the other issues individually.

FAoff in Supercruise
For the most part Supercruise can stay as it is. However FD could add an 'advanced mode' like FAoff, for supercruise.
  • Your rotation and movement vector become independent of each other.
  • You have lateral thrusters.
  • You have an indicator for your vector of travel that shows your direction and relative velocity (relative to distance to target/nearby stellar bodies).
  • FSD Cruise safeties are set to minimum, allowing a higher tolerance of acceleration and deceleration.
  • You can accelerate best with your main trusters, likewise you have to rotate away from your vector of travel to best decelerate with your main thrusters.
  • Allow more effective advanced maneuvers using gravity slings to gain velocity quickly. This should enable skilled pilots to quickly zip between distant bodies, instead of adding microjumps which sounds too 'easy-mode' for my liking.
  • As a counterbalance you could risk blackouts when accelerating or decelerating too hard, like in Planetary Landing's Glide mode.

As a result Interdictions would have to be rebalanced, but I think the option of FAoff in supercruise would add a lot of depth to the pre-minigame lineup.
A skilled pirate could use a gravity well to slingshot him closer to a distant target in a shorter timeframe. Compare this with the current system of just having to wait until your target starts slowing down and you get within range.

Stellar body scanning would be made quicker, as interplanetary travel times would be shorter for a skilled pilot using the superscruise-FAoff to his advantage, and quicker still because he could pass by one body on the way to another and rotate to scan it without disrupting his flight course.

This may all sound good but be too difficult to actually do in game as a pilot, where gravity is not visible and velocities reach dangerous heights with increasing potential for a loss of control, so perhaps some special UI guides could be implemented to highlight the best flightpaths to your target. And remember you can still fly with FAon in supercruise.

And yes I've seen this thread, I think enough time has passed for another look at the possibility.
I'd like to hear opinions/ideas if anyone has any.
 
FAoff in Supercruise
For the most part Supercruise can stay as it is. However FD could add an 'advanced mode' like FAoff, for supercruise.
  • Your rotation and movement vector become independent of each other.
  • You have lateral thrusters.
  • You have an indicator for your vector of travel that shows your direction and relative velocity (relative to distance to target/nearby stellar bodies).
  • FSD Cruise safeties are set to minimum, allowing a higher tolerance of acceleration and deceleration.
  • You can accelerate best with your main trusters, likewise you have to rotate away from your vector of travel to best decelerate with your main thrusters.
  • Allow more effective advanced maneuvers using gravity slings to gain velocity quickly. This should enable skilled pilots to quickly zip between distant bodies, instead of adding microjumps which sounds too 'easy-mode' for my liking.
  • As a counterbalance you could risk blackouts when accelerating or decelerating too hard, like in Planetary Landing's Glide mode.
.

Not going to happen. FA-OFF in SC has been discussed many times, devs gave reasons for removing it during Alpha. Besides, you can't gravity sling in SC, the FSD does the complete opposite. Blackouts and redouts are already extremely weird in this game, cmdr tolerances are ridiculously high (60+g) but gameplay... Now what kind of forces are experienced when accelerating from 1c to 2c in seconds, none in SC because you are not actually moving at superluminal speeds.

I would have loved FA-OFF in SC, but it would have broken way too many other SC features. Am hoping they will someday add a bit of inertia, currently only happens when deep in a gravity well, flying next to a Star Like VY Canis almost feels like FA-OFF
 
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FAoff in Supercruise
For the most part Supercruise can stay as it is. However FD could add an 'advanced mode' like FAoff, for supercruise.
  • Your rotation and movement vector become independent of each other.
  • You have lateral thrusters.
  • You have an indicator for your vector of travel that shows your direction and relative velocity (relative to distance to target/nearby stellar bodies).
  • FSD Cruise safeties are set to minimum, allowing a higher tolerance of acceleration and deceleration.
  • You can accelerate best with your main trusters, likewise you have to rotate away from your vector of travel to best decelerate with your main thrusters.
  • Allow more effective advanced maneuvers using gravity slings to gain velocity quickly. This should enable skilled pilots to quickly zip between distant bodies, instead of adding microjumps which sounds too 'easy-mode' for my liking.
  • As a counterbalance you could risk blackouts when accelerating or decelerating too hard, like in Planetary Landing's Glide mode.

In the beta days, they had FA off in supercruise... It was uncontrollable. Just so you don't think I'm a wuss, in beta days I was able to fly and dock with FA off, but in supercruise, the speeds (or relative speeds, as you aren't actually flying faster than light, you're just warping space) makes FA off unfeasible.


Also you'd need a separate set of thrusters to pull off those moves, than your normal flight thrusters, that's why SC turning is so slow, it's using your thrusters.

Also if someone tries to interdict, you go FA off, and they can't get behind you at all.

Then there's the it would rip you and your ship apart.
 
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@Rubbernuke
I like those ideas too, though they seem to be at odds with mine. The objective of my suggestion would be to speed up the process of long distance SC travel, while yours would clash with the freeform approach. Eg. I want to sling around a planet towards a distant secondary star, but then that flightpath goes through a no-fly zone, so nevermind, I guess? (I'm just an explorer I don't want to mess with the navy).
Your suggestions would certainly be a lot easier to implement though.
 
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Blackouts and redouts are already extremely weird in this game, cmdr tolerances are ridiculously high (60+g) but gameplay... Now what kind of forces are experienced when accelerating from 1c to 2c in seconds, none in SC because you are not actually moving at superluminal speeds.
True I suppose the blackouts wouldn't happen anyway.
...But from my understanding relative speed in SC is based on two factors: SPEED of your ship, as in normal space, and TIME compression of the FSD. Of course this isn't actually calculated ingame currently, as all ships travel the same in SC, except for turn rate.
But hypothetically if we could 'unlock' our ships thrusters while in 'Advanced-Mode' SC, our thrusters could act more like true, unrestricted newtonian thrusters, enabling us to gain a lot more velocity from gravity slings. So the SPEED factor would be higher, while the TIME compression of the FSD remains the same. This being the case, blackouts could happen then right?
Or have I misunderstood where the propulsion comes from in SC?
 
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In the beta days, they had FA off in supercruise... It was uncontrollable. Just so you don't think I'm a wuss, in beta days I was able to fly and dock with FA off, but in supercruise, the speeds (or relative speeds, as you aren't actually flying faster than light, you're just warping space) makes FA off unfeasible.
So I've read, and I believe you. I imagined that it would have to be not exactly like FAoff in normal space, but it's own thing. Basically enabling free rotation, and lateral thruster control. Computer can handle rotational inertia control so we can focus on our overall vector and speed.

Also you'd need a separate set of thrusters to pull off those moves, than your normal flight thrusters, that's why SC turning is so slow, it's using your thrusters.
Why's that, SC just compresses time right? We have lateral thrusters in normal space why can't they also be compressed in time. Doesn't normal SC deceleration depend on our reverse maneuvering thrusters anyway?

Also if someone tries to interdict, you go FA off, and they can't get behind you at all.
Solved by following someone's vector rather than their facing. Yes this would still require some work, as I said.

Then there's the it would rip you and your ship apart.
But it's the same as in normal space isn't it? Just time warped?
 
Why? Flying straight forward is a choice.

I want to have better nav control, better scanning support while flying around. I don't want to change ship's direction or switch nav target to scan USS. I want that to happen in other way.
 
Why? Flying straight forward is a choice.

I want to have better nav control, better scanning support while flying around. I don't want to change ship's direction or switch nav target to scan USS. I want that to happen in other way.

I just wish we had a 360 degree scan on a USS, the amount of times I have ignored them because I don't want to unlock my destination and faff around targeting the USS. Just let them scan from any angle.
 
I just wish we had a 360 degree scan on a USS, the amount of times I have ignored them because I don't want to unlock my destination and faff around targeting the USS. Just let them scan from any angle.

360 degree scan a bit confusing even from easy to use, but cone at the front of the ship could be bigger. My bigger issue however is fact I have to switch nav target to it to scan it. I don't want to remove target from my destination. I know it returns back, but I wish there was better way to do it. This is what actually makes me skip lot of SS despite me liking SS gameplay (I know I am rare breed).

I have added this to suggestions. It feels nav targeting asks for some over-taught.
 
True I suppose the blackouts wouldn't happen anyway.

If supercruise-induced blackouts were at all possible, the inertial compensator (or the equivalent of the Star Wars item by the same name) would have to be so extremely fine-tuned that even a millionth of a percent of slip-up/error would cause the pilot to.. well, die.

It's better that we don't have gravity-induced effects in supercruise for all parties involved. Frame shift bends space around it, not actually moving the ship as such.
 
Why? Flying straight forward is a choice.

I want to have better nav control, better scanning support while flying around. I don't want to change ship's direction or switch nav target to scan USS. I want that to happen in other way.
Not sure I understand your objection. You are entirely welcome to fly straight forward without doing any gravity slings at all.
But wouldn't it be good to be able to rotate your ship to point at a USS or bodies to scan them, while still on course to your target? Not an intersting USS? ignore it while still moving towards your destination. High Grade Emissions? woah, full throttle in THAT direction, please!
I also think that you should be able to scan stuff just by pointing your nose at it.
 
I just wish we had a 360 degree scan on a USS, the amount of times I have ignored them because I don't want to unlock my destination and faff around targeting the USS. Just let them scan from any angle.

That's right fit our scanners on turrets.

I've always argued for Supercruise to be more than just a human auto-pilot. Have "space weather", debri fields (explorers might need to carry shields then), Make the gravity wells more pronounced. Space whirlpools! Make us plot a course through a system. A course that could take longer but be safe or shorter and riskier. Have interference to our sensors, so it is possible for pirates to hide behind a moon and jump you. Now suddenly every system you visit becomes a tactical challenge.

Everyone then can enjoy the thrill of the chase, either running and hiding or out maneuvering and capturing a prize.

"Brace the mainsail" "Full and bye helsman" "loose cannons" "Stand by to repel boarders"

Sorry, got excited there.
 
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Not sure I understand your objection. You are entirely welcome to fly straight forward without doing any gravity slings at all.
But wouldn't it be good to be able to rotate your ship to point at a USS or bodies to scan them, while still on course to your target? Not an intersting USS? ignore it while still moving towards your destination. High Grade Emissions? woah, full throttle in THAT direction, please!
I also think that you should be able to scan stuff just by pointing your nose at it.

That would be a bit confusing I think.

I support notion of better way to scan POIs in supercruise though.
 
An independent scanner control would be nice.

Something like the Multicrew turret view so that you can look at things and decide if they're interesting without having to completely change direction.
 
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