Alpha Test Feedback Nov 7th 2015

[GM_thundercat]

@IAMAGEEKYEY

Using different methods, I have possibly found a good video recorder. YouTube people hungry for subscribers never cease to amaze me in their research methods. Anyone tried EzVid?

If you are using Windows 10 then the Windows Key + G should bring up a video recording bar which will record the current focused window when you pressed it? Seems to work ok, YMMV

[GM_stormcrow]

@PsychoRomeo

But unless something changed (and it doesn’t look like they have), rolling does nothing but change the orientation of your screen. You can see further in the corners of your screen than you can in the top or bottom. You could always have a circular shaped window though, I guess. Pitch and yaw are equal in AoA so rolling really does nothing as far as flight is concerned.

Nothing has changed yet, but we are holding the relative velocities - both in terms of straight-line speed as well as torque (specifically defined as the rate of change of the angular momentum around an axis) as independent variables; and we will be also be holding force accelerations for each axis.

These variables will be able to be adjusted by module-fitting at the ship level. Players will be able to add additional thrust, via modules, to various torque axes - in just the same way as they will be able to add additional straight-line/main-engine thrust modifiers (eg general engine enhancements, more powerful afterburners etc).

We expect most players who wish for additional maneuverability (also modified by skills trained ingame, as well as the modules installed) to generally install all-round (ie every axis) enhancements. However, for the sacrifice of a module slot, a player would also be able to choose to enhance a specific axis further (ie more torque on the pitch axis, or the roll axis, or the strafe axis… than a generic maneuverability enhancing module would provide).

The key thing here is that the moment of force will be stored, applied and enhanced on an individual basis if players wish. Just like adding a module that provides more straight-line speed, players will be able to install engineering modules that provide faster attitude adjustments on both a generic (eg jack of all maneuverability trades/master of none) and a specific axial basis (eg I want to be able to strafe a lot faster, but don’t care about enhancing pitch rate).

Regards,

SC

[PsychoRomeo]

@GM_stormcrow

However, for the sacrifice of a module slot, a player would also be able to choose to enhance a specific axis further (ie more torque on the pitch axis, or the roll axis, or the strafe axis… than a generic maneuverability enhancing module would provide).

So stack a few yaw axis torque modules, and we can expect to pull some crazy ivans?

Will there be any more practical difference between the axis other than visibility and geometric profile? Ships with turrets on the belly will obviously benefit more from pitching than ships with broadsides. But other than that, can we expect to incentives to do one over the other?

[GM_stormcrow]

@PsychoRomeo

Will there be any more practical difference between the axis other than visibility and geometric profile?

Still deciding on this, but it’s most likely to depend on the ship model.

The ship hitbox (shield) is currently a spherical orb around the ship. However, this is largely a function of a compact/squat ship model. Different ships may have ellipsis (spheroids squashed on the prolate and/or oblate axes) as the hitbox. Some of the models may even be rectangular (in terms of shields), and perhaps composite (for very unusual shapes).

So yes - different ships will have different shield characteristics, and therefore different axes and profiles which will be presented to a particular viewing/hit angle.

On the weapon placement front, that’s also a WIP - but it’s to be assumed that different ships will have different slot (hardpoint) locations.

Best,

SC

[PsychoRomeo]

@GM_stormcrow

I would love for one (or more) of you talented pilots to narrate their PoV combat on a video, focusing on the “whys” of decision-making.

I think it’d help a lot if there was a way to visually display out inputs as some kind of debug mode, so you can see our button presses as we narrate why we’re making them.

I’ll find time to go over my previous recordings and talk about my decision making process.

[GM_thundercat]

Release notes for today’s test Alpha Test Feedback Dec 5th 2015