Oolite Bulletins

There is some discussion
https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12969

The main idea is to make aft view very useful for dogfights.

Aft view is already very useful for dog fights (or any fights, for that matter).

As per the other thread: training and practice are far superior methods to cheating with the controls.

Personally, I've been playing Elite since 1985 (C64 first, Atari ST later), have never used anything but the keyboard for controls, and always fought in aft view most of the time (the infamous "Monty Python" manoeuvre: fly away from your opponents at top speed and kill them from the distance while they are following outside their own laser range). It's really not difficult. You only have to be aware that you're currently in aft view, and press "up" instead of "down" and vice versa, and also "left" for "right" and vice versa. With time it becomes a second nature.

Really, just remember that up is actually up in aft and the rest will follow.

Commander McLane wrote:

Aft view is already very useful for dog fights (or any fights, for that matter).

As per the other thread: training and practice are far superior methods to cheating with the controls.

Personally, I've been playing Elite since 1985 (C64 first, Atari ST later), have never used anything but the keyboard for controls, and always fought in aft view most of the time (the infamous "Monty Python" manoeuvre: fly away from your opponents at top speed and kill them from the distance while they are following outside their own laser range). It's really not difficult. You only have to be aware that you're currently in aft view, and press "up" instead of "down" and vice versa, and also "left" for "right" and vice versa. With time it becomes a second nature.

Agree with you McLane, never used the reverse thing myself. (C64, CGA Elite, ELite+ etc). But if that is the world you come from and how you remember it, I see nothing wrong with implementing it unless it requires too much work for the developers (they would have to be the judge of that). So on that basis, I support the request. Oolite is after all about recreating Elite, even if the mould is BBC Elite.

I'd see no problem with it being a setting under 'Options'.. ought to be relatively simple to code, too.

Diziet Sma wrote:

I'd see no problem with it being a setting under 'Options'.. ought to be relatively simple to code, too.

No problem really, it's just that we've run out of space in the Game Options screen on the Win and Linux builds. Nobody wants to attempt to code yet another option screen it seems, so there. My guess is that there will be no further game options added till at least 1.77, unless we really must.

As for the reverse y-axis in rear view thing itself, it could probably be set as an option in the user default file (.GNUstepDefaults for Win32 and Linux).

Diziet Sma wrote:

I'd see no problem with it being a setting under 'Options'.. ought to be relatively simple to code, too.

Setting under Options is a bit annoying solution. To me the solution should be an automatic remapping or an hotkey.

Mad Hollander wrote:

Setting under Options is a bit annoying solution. To me the solution should be an automatic remapping or an hotkey.

I have to ask why?
Considering this is a 'feature' that was only included in one or two of the many versions of Elite, and there seems only limited demand for it here, the Options menu is the obvious place for it. Those who want it could switch it on, and everybody else could just play the game as it comes which is what they want to do.
I'm not saying this shouldn't be included - extra features are usually a good thing - but it is unreasonable to both expect the Devs to jump through hoops to achieve it and to expect everybody else to want it as a default part of the game.

Mad Hollander wrote:

Setting under Options is a bit annoying solution. To me the solution should be an automatic remapping or an hotkey.

I think there might be a misunderstanding ... I think Diziet was suggesting that the automatic remapping should be an option - you'd turn it on, and then the game would automatically remap the controls whenever you shifted to the rear view - not that you'd have to go to the Options screen every time you wanted to invert the controls. That way, those of us who don't want/need this, wouldn't have to have it.

Disembodied wrote:

Mad Hollander wrote:

Setting under Options is a bit annoying solution. To me the solution should be an automatic remapping or an hotkey.

I think there might be a misunderstanding ... I think Diziet was suggesting that the automatic remapping should be an option - you'd turn it on, and then the game would automatically remap the controls whenever you shifted to the rear view - not that you'd have to go to the Options screen every time you wanted to invert the controls. That way, those of us who don't want/need this, wouldn't have to have it.

Yep.. exactly.

another_commander wrote:

As for the reverse y-axis in rear view thing itself, it could probably be set as an option in the user default file (.GNUstepDefaults for Win32 and Linux).

That would be the best option in my mind. Obviously with full documentation for new users on how to set it.

I think it's a good idea.

Frontier: Elite 2 Manual wrote:

Old campaigners may recall that left and right mounts were once available but this was outlawed after so many people found that they were accidentally shooting their own their friends or, more embarrassingly, the police, due to the impracticality of using them.

Would you also be wanting roll and pitch to be swapped (and possibly inverted) on the side views as part of this setting?

Side views are supposed to be hard to use!

Sorts the men from the boys..

This is obviously useful for new(er) players, so I am for it.
But I will defer to Oolite devs' judgment if they deem it too much trouble to do.