Were ED's flight controls always this good?

callepunk

C
I'm seeing a lot of topics on arena commander being a step in the wrong direction in terms of dog fighting. People say it will change.

My question is, did ED always have tight and great controls like it does now, or did a lot of work have to go into it before they got the formula right?
 

Commander_Tin

Commander_Tin
callepunk said:
I'm seeing a lot of topics on arena commander being a step in the wrong direction in terms of dog fighting. People say it will change.

My question is, did ED always have tight and great controls like it does now, or did a lot of work have to go into it before they got the formula right?
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Before the premium beta was released, I was stuck playing alpha 1. And let me tell you, the controls there were damned near perfect!
 

ianw

I
I think they did something to the reverse speed options - but the feel in general has been as good from day one.

And you really get a sense of the difference between the Sidewinder, Eagle, Cobra and Lakon (I haven't snagged an Anaconda yet).

They've done a superb job - we have been rather spoiled in that regard!

Hence the negative comparisons with AC.

ETA - I think the sound makes a huge contribution to this too.
 
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Mike Evans

Designer- Elite: Dangerous
Frontier
callepunk said:
I'm seeing a lot of topics on arena commander being a step in the wrong direction in terms of dog fighting. People say it will change.

My question is, did ED always have tight and great controls like it does now, or did a lot of work have to go into it before they got the formula right?
Click to expand...

Externally it has always been that good, yes. ;)

Internally it took a lot of work getting them to feel right before alpha 1.0 but the general idea of favouring pitch and roll with far slower turn speeds than is typical for every other space game ever was set as soon as I got my hand on the design of this thing.
 
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X2Eliah

X2Eliah
The way they feel now is almost identical to how they felt in Alpha 1. There's been some reworking of the default/selectable preset configs (which axis goes where), but the actual flight feel and reactivity has been in since alpha 1.0.

@Mike Evans : I got to say, after AC testing, I really appreciate your sticking to your guns on Elite's flight model and feel. I was wrong when saying that mouseflight feels horrible.
 

Bobbydylan

Bobbydylan
Mike Evans said:
Externally it has always been that good, yes. ;)

Internally it took a lot of work getting them to feel right before alpha 1.0 but the general idea of favouring pitch and roll with far slower turn speeds than is typical for every other space game ever was set as soon as I got my hand on the design of this thing.
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Have to say, I didn't support that decisions till I played AC. Now I understand what you guys wanted to avoid and I totally support it.
 

Mike Evans

Designer- Elite: Dangerous
Frontier
X2Eliah said:
@Mike Evans : I got to say, after AC testing, I really appreciate your sticking to your guns on Elite's flight model and feel. I was wrong when saying that mouseflight feels horrible.
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Hang on a minute, mouse controls are no way near decent at the moment and I have some plans to improve them but it just hasn't been given the time yet to do so. I'm amazed that people can be as effective as they have been with them but there is still much to do yet.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Mike Evans said:
Internally it took a lot of work getting them to feel right before alpha 1.0 but the general idea of favouring pitch and roll with far slower turn speeds than is typical for every other space game ever was set as soon as I got my hand on the design of this thing.
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I'm very glad that you got hold of the design at an opportune time!

Mike Evans said:
Hang on a minute, mouse controls are no way near decent at the moment and I have some plans to improve them but it just hasn't been given the time yet to do so. I'm amazed that people can be as effective as they have been with them but there is still much to do yet.
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Sounds good for those who want to play using KB/M.
 

jabokai

jabokai
Mike Evans said:
Externally it has always been that good, yes. ;)
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Get back to work and stop basking in the glory! :D

It's been said many times - you have done a great job with the flight model. Realistic? Hell no. Fun, engaging, deep, visceral? All those. And yes, it's been like that from day one (for us backers) with only minor tweaks.

As for all your other decisions... well... :p ;)
 

withnail

withnail
Have always thought the controls were spot on. I use an X52 pro joystick (preferred) and an xbxox 360 controller.

Never tried the mouse of keyboard controls though.

Edit: does anybody know if the chat pad for the 360 controller is supported?
 

Maxeren

Maxeren
Mike Evans said:
Hang on a minute, mouse controls are no way near decent at the moment and I have some plans to improve them but it just hasn't been given the time yet to do so. I'm amazed that people can be as effective as they have been with them but there is still much to do yet.
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Better mouse control??! Oh my...

4644017+_b00c80dd1a9cbbe622d32a6cd548ed06.gif
 

Memnoch

M
callepunk said:
I'm seeing a lot of topics on arena commander being a step in the wrong direction in terms of dog fighting. People say it will change.

My question is, did ED always have tight and great controls like it does now, or did a lot of work have to go into it before they got the formula right?
Click to expand...
Yes, it really has. They have made some tweaks to the flight model, I think it was the thrusters.
 

Amos

A
I tried it on my joypad did not like it, it felt frustrating, so I switched to mouse and keyboard and didn't like that either so I purchased a joystick and never looked back
 

X2Eliah

X2Eliah
Mike Evans said:
Hang on a minute, mouse controls are no way near decent at the moment and I have some plans to improve them but it just hasn't been given the time yet to do so. I'm amazed that people can be as effective as they have been with them but there is still much to do yet.
Click to expand...

This actually does make me very happy *g*. If I may toss out a quick idea - gradual mouse re-centering. (Virtual joystick mode as-is, but over a maneuver, mouse has a "pull" back towards a centre - so leaving mouse off, it would straighten out after x seconds, and if you want to keep the max movement change, you have to slightly keep pushing the mouse - but far less than in the.. er.. either relative or absolute mode, I forget which one).
 

Uridium

Uridium
I have to add a thanks to the ED team too. Even the small bit of Sidewinder combat I have done in the Prem-Beta has been hugely enjoyable.

<Tips Hat>
 
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