Simple & advanced flight controls toggle

Shinjorai · 2012-06-30, 08:32 AM

Okay first off I like to fly in games but i dont plan to be a dedicated pilot in PS2 but i can understand peoples passion for getting the flight mechanics right. I was reading another post in the other section about how most people want to have the flight mechanics be simple enough to pick up but difficult to master. Which makes perfect sense and kindve what I think will work best myself.

So heres the idea.

One of the biggest problems with people learning a new flight model is the problem with them accidentally getting flipped on their side or upside down etc and not being able to level out. So basically what this mechanic will do is keep the vehicle level at all times when the simple flight controls option is enabled. They will still have most of the maneuverability without being gimped but not have to worry about flipping the plane which a majority of the time is the reason for loss of control.

I know this works and it works well beacuse its actually something they had in one of my favorite games of all time, enemy territory quake wars. It should work well for this because the vehicles in PS2 are similar to the vehicles in quake wars. There was two factions in the game, the strogg and the GDF. The Anansi was the GDF or human factions vehicle and it was like a mix of a VTOL and a helicopter which is similar to the reavers and mosquitos. The other vehicle was for the Strogg or alien faction and was called a Tormentor, its flight mechanics were different than the Anansi's and more akin to a UFO kindve like what i imagine the scythe will be in this game. If anybody here got a chance to play ETQW then you remember the flight system im talking about.

The following below is an excerpt from a ETQW site about the advanced controls and gives a much more detailed description about the system im talking about.

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Advanced Controls
Splash Damage has implemented a form of digital stabilization for ground and flying vehicles, which is enabled by default, and doesn't change the control scheme at all. This important because a player progressing to the advanced system, doesn't have to learn new controls, but it does make basic control of vehicles (with advanced physics) easier, with some disadvantages.
Taking the flying vehicles as an example again, the digital stabilization reduces sensitivity on the mouse during take-off, so that you don't roll over, crash, and team-kill all your passengers, and automatically stabilizes the flyer (returning it to level) from rolls or when you've lost control. This has made flyers easier to handle, this really only works for simple missions (e.g., from A to B. However, this simpler controls scheme won't help a pilot in a dogfight, or during a strafing run - quite the opposite in fact... a player with the stabilization turned off, has complete control over the vehicle without interference.
This also holds true for ground vehicles. Automatic stabilization solves problems like the on/off nature of the keyboard causing full steering lock if you leave the ground while turning. For example, a new player who hits a small (or not so small) bump and finds himself airborne. The system assumes that because they are pressing your left-turn key, they simply want to head left. Imagine a rope pulling you in the direction you want to travel, regardless of how much the vehicle is fish-tailing. But for advanced players this is something you'll want to take advantage of. Turning it off means I get instability that I can take advantage of. This is really useful for sudden changes in direction in combat, and various other moves.
The end result is that the controls and physics aren't nerfed for all players, but that new players can turn on a mode that stops them killing all their team-mates in a accidents.
Open up your UI and look under Game Settings:Advanced. You will see two check boxes, which enable Advanced Driving Controls and Advanced Flight Controls. Checking either box will disable the Autolevelling feature, making vehicles more responsive for experienced pilots and drivers, and making vehicles more demanding for newer players.
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Figured id include a couple pics of the vechiles too, especially the anansi because it really has a lot of similarities i feel to the flying vehicles in PS2.

ANANSI

TORMENTOR

So thoughts ideas about this? I think its a perfect compromise for everybody in both camps on the flight controls debate.

Arovien · 2012-06-30, 01:17 PM

Not a bad idea at all. Only thing I would like to add is the option to toggle Advance X Controls from the vehicle UI.

The more I think about this, the more I like it.

berzerkerking · 2012-06-30, 01:40 PM

Shinjorai · 2012-06-30, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by berzerkerking

Thank you for that detailed response lol. Mind telling me why youre so against the idea? Its just an idea after all and thats the interesting thing about posting these ideas to get different peoples views on them. Would like to hear your thoughts on it.

Dagron · 2012-06-30, 06:05 PM

I'm not a big fan myself, but that's coz i like those early piloting days when i crash a lot, so i wouldn't use it but i see many people could be interested in this.

Since it has down sides to avoid total noobs becoming aces, i think it's ok.

Shinjorai · 2012-06-30, 06:30 PM

Well from what i remember about using it in ETQW there was definitely an advantage to not using it, just about everybody turned it off, but its basically for those people when theyre very first starting out and learning how to handle the vehicles, it helps them. But theres no way they could compete with a seasoned pilot using it, theyd get destroyed. Its more or less to give a leg up to get the basics down.

ChookWantan · 2012-06-30, 06:33 PM

My thoughts:

I don't think the "dual difficulties" approach solves what I'm worried about. I like to master my craft, but my mastery doesn't mean nearly as much if someone can turn on auto stabilization and start flying like a decent pilot. I mean, sure, I'll still be able to shoot these guys out of the sky, but the training wheels they get just make them a little but harder to do so.

Give everyone the same flight mechanics, let skill differentiate the good from the bad.

berzerkerking · 2012-06-30, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Shinjorai

Thank you for that detailed response lol. Mind telling me why youre so against the idea? Its just an idea after all and thats the interesting thing about posting these ideas to get different peoples views on them. Would like to hear your thoughts on it.

I'm against the simplification of the piloting because I want skilled pilots to be the only one able to fly. I was never a good pilot in Battlefield 3 or arma 2 but I learned to appreciate the skill of other and focus on ground gameplay and sidegunning. I just don't want any player handholding.
As for the meme, I just got back from 9gag

Dagron · 2012-07-01, 12:09 AM

I just thought of something that makes me like it even less: if there is an easy mode, people will take longer to learn to fly without the training wheels.

So, just a suggestion: perhaps it could be something only available in a training area (like a VR Training Center).
Or if most people still prefer it in the real game, it could only work up until a certain level, or for the first X minutes/hours you actually flew for more than 10s at a time?

Lets face it, if after a few hours of practice you didn't get the hang of basic flight (take off, move forward a little and land) without crashing, something must be wrong with you. After you learn that, if you hang in there the rest will come to you eventually.

Shinjorai · 2012-07-01, 12:40 AM

I like the vr only or up to a certain level idea. I think thatd be fine and pretty balanced. I also dont think its a good idea to have it as a cockpit option like somebody mentioned above and should stay burried in the options so its not something that could be abused. If you could turn it on and off quickly if you were losing control in advanced mode and you flipped that on it would instantly stabilize you then flip it back off and go back to your barrel rolls etc. Just dont think that would be very fair. I think yeah if they have the VR areas thatd be the way to go with it.

Dagron · 2012-07-01, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by Shinjorai

If you could turn it on and off quickly if you were losing control in advanced mode and you flipped that on it would instantly stabilize you then flip it back off and go back to your barrel rolls etc. Just dont think that would be very fair.

I hadn't thought of that, good catch.

I also realized that a level restriction would be bad: some people would likely level up a lot on the ground before they even tried to pilot, and when they did try it at high levels they'd have lost the training wheels before they even knew they existed.

The flight time limit would be ok, but out of the suggestions i gave i like the VR idea the most.

ChookWantan · 2012-07-01, 01:18 AM

I agree, keep whatever difficulty it may present, and let the patient ones figure it out on VR