Allow piloting using the gunner-seat elements.

[Taelessael]

Simply put, make gunner-seats capable of operating like the Hover Seat Controller, allowing the person sitting in it to both fly and shoot (with weapons sized for the seat) if it is configured for flight-control.

 

Knowledgeable players are already flying from these seats by pairing them with remote controllers, we may as well make it easier for less experienced pilots to do the same while simultaneously slightly reducing the universe's element count. Such an option would also more easily allow builders that just like the look of the gunnery chairs to use them for flight-control without requiring the pilot go through the extra steps of closing a potentially unused gunnery-window or activating a remote controller.

[Hirnsausen]

I am sure that there is a good reason for NQ, that they made it NOT possible. The usage of remote controllers is currently a way-around, but maybe NQ should also disallow the usage of such remote controllers while sitting in a gunner's seat. Otherwise, that element would have too much power, and that influences the PVP balancing.

It is a balancing difference, if for a PVP ship one or two persons are needed. The usage of a remote controller appears merely as an officially not yet abandoned cheat on that intention to give the  necessary balance to the PVP aspect of this game. It decides, if a PVP fleet can be 1x its size or 2x its size when only one person can fly a ship. Making PVP fleets unbalancedly stronger in numbers and firepower.

So, I rather urge NQ to disallow the usage of remote controllers from gunner seats.

[Taelessael]

7 hours ago, Hirnsausen said:

I am sure that there is a good reason for NQ, that they made it NOT possible...

NQ was initially intending for large ships to be multi-crew craft in combat back when people could effect substantially meaningful repairs to a ship mid-fight and ammo containers were as large as regular containers but without any skills that could be applied to them. Conceptually it made sense, ye-olde WW2 battleships with their dozens of guns and no spectacularly fancy automation or electronics needed appropriately large crews, and to a degree that happened in DU. Then we got ccs, prohibition of build mode in combat, highly-space-efficient ammo containers, shields, and cross-sections. With all of that advantage shifted from flying battle-ships with big crews to just flying 1-3 man fighter/bombers with battleship weapons. Athena is likely to change this again, people will probably need to choose between being fast or fitting big guns.

 

Pvp players will adapt either way, multi-crew ships are nothing new to many of them at any size, but haulers are a different story. Haulers are always big (at least enough-so to carry their usual cargo), and once they are safely clear of a planet and pipes the only thing warranting keeping even a single crew-member on board is that an auto-pilot script isn't enough of a crew to keep the ship's physics loaded to keep it moving.

 

 

8 hours ago, Hirnsausen said:

...I rather urge NQ to disallow the usage of remote controllers from gunner seats.

Doing that would likely handicap a hauler-pilot's ability to simultaneously fly and use larger weapons against pirate interceptors in the upcoming patch. I know from some of your previous threads that you'd rather make things harder for everyone than attempt to balance the game if whatever penalty is imposed inhibits pvp more than it does pve, but I suspect a great many (myself included) would like the odds of Pirate v Hauler tipped a bit more in the hauler's favor. Athena is likely to push pirates in to flying smaller ships, so as long as the haulers can still both fly and shoot at the same time, the haulers will likely have a weapon-size advantage over the smaller pirate ships.

[Hirnsausen]

Well, at this moment, we can only wait and see, into which direction this remarkable game will develop in regards to ships, crew, and such.

Uhmm, not making it harder, that in fact would be someone else who sees the entire game from jut the view of a PVP player alone.. WHo ever that is.
With each of my postings, I try to explain my view or give suggestions that would make the game even nicer again. After all, this is the forum for suggestions.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Hirnsausen

[Taelessael]

2 hours ago, Hirnsausen said:

...Uhmm, not making it harder, that in fact would be someone else who sees the entire game from jut the view of a PVP player alone.. WHo ever that is.
With each of my postings, I try to explain my view or give suggestions that would make the game even nicer again. After all, this is the forum for suggestions.

I recognize that technically if you drive all the pvp players from the game then anyone who remains will have an easier time avoiding said pvp players. It is however worth noting that NQ almost certainly isn't going to try and drive off all the pvp players just because you don't like them, because the pvp community collectively pays for more subscriptions than you do, and driving them off to make life easier for the non-pvp players would be akin to trying to cure sinus congestion with thermite.

 

As far as whether or not it would be harder for everyone if they couldn't fly and shoot at the same time, solo pvp would be limited to the lowest damage weapons, requiring them to fight for that much longer to win against a target, while haulers and mission-runners would would lose access to the advantage longer-range guns would provide them over what are soon likely to be much faster pirate opponents.

[Hirnsausen]

Why would you want to drive any sort of players off this wonderful game? Let your PVP players remain, and also try to let normal players remain who do no wish to be part of aggression and war (of those we have already enough in real life, not a very big fan of wars and battles).

But again, to repeat myself, let's see how this wonderful game develops. A good game needs to be enjoyable for all player types, not just for one type. One type of players should never be allowed to force their way of playing upon other players who prefer peaceful ways.

And having said that, let's go back to the topic. I simply say, let's see how this game develops.  🙂