Basic Autopilot

[Kyzo]

As a quick improvement, I would like to see a very simple auto-pilot feature. It would have 2 effects in total....

1. Hold your position, this can include hovering in place in a gravity field without plummeting... this part would work great with the planet fix suggestions and the hazardous planet suggestions (don't want to land a ship in lava... if that will hurt it later)

2. Continue a steady course towards a navigation point. This could allow people to build/repair their ship while on a longer flight, allowing people to make better use of their time/overcome some tediousness.

How this is done, I'm not really concerned with. It could be inherent to the ship core or be tied to an AI module. Either would be good. The main point is that it is a simple tweak that could remove some of the "down" time, pun intended.

 

[testkil]

Spoiler: autopilot

(not made by me)

 

[Glutton]

I agree I'd love to have an auto-run button

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

1: Is anti gravity capable of this? I think if you activate it it stays on and should allow a ship to hover.

2: People have already made logic based auto pilot systems that do just this.

... Yeah we do need built in autopilot systems that any ship can enjoy without the need of push/pull/explosive effects and logic.

 

[молоток]

I think this should still work in the current version of the game:
Simple looping logic (activation module -> delay -> not module -> back to first activation)
link the activation module to a push module computer and every loop it will give you a push. you can use this method to travel long distances without paying attention.

 

[Proxy_PlayerHD]

A auto pilot would be cool wenn you just mark a sector on the map and the autopilot flight to this point... I agree! :D

 

[PizzaPress]

I think this should still work in the current version of the game:
Simple looping logic (activation module -> delay -> not module -> back to first activation)
link the activation module to a push module computer and every loop it will give you a push. you can use this method to travel long distances without paying attention.

The unfortunate thing is this may get prohibitively expensive on a large ship, and a small ship will leave you vulnerable to pirates(since cloak/jam are vulnerable to server lag)…
For now, the best way is probably

Spoiler: autopilot

(not made by me)

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

The unfortunate thing is this may get prohibitively expensive on a large ship, and a small ship will leave you vulnerable to pirates(since cloak/jam are vulnerable to server lag)…
For now, the best way is probably

Agree, while it's great for some ships it's not good for others, I have scout ships that are far too small for logic based auto pilot and dedicated push modules. Pretty much I've only seen these features on "luxury" craft as all that space is better dedicated to shields and/or weapons on any war ship.

 

[Valiant70]

I think this should still work in the current version of the game:
Simple looping logic (activation module -> delay -> not module -> back to first activation)
link the activation module to a push module computer and every loop it will give you a push. you can use this method to travel long distances without paying attention.

What you've described is a workaround for a missing feature, not a proper autopilot. Also, it cannot take advantage of overdrive or jump drives.

 

[Marduk_Zoekoff]

I like this idea, I do not personally have a problem with autopilot because i keep the artificial drag off. It just seems weird to me that a ship would slow down in space without a thruster being fired. However, I do like the idea of a autopilot, to take me to a navigation point without constant adjustments, although I do not know if you have ever tried to do advanced build while in motion but your ship kind of keeps going while you do not making big repairs a bit hard. Still single block patchwork will still work fine for minor stuff so it still makes scense for me. Also having to hold the stop button when trying to salvage in a mining shuttle on a planet is a bit of pain. I do not like to destroy the landscapes with giant mega salvage arrays but some bits are impossible to reach without one or the other. That would certainly make it easier.