Pilot Maneuvers Need Updating

bossheisenberg

I had not used the pilot mechanic for a long time but recently been trying them again with the Risian Corvette. I feel like there are problems with the controls and I wonder if anyone else has the same issues.

For one, the HUD control is way too small. Give us the option to make it bigger like you did with the buff icons.

Another issue I have is with the WASD double-tap thing. It's totally useless. You end up engaging the pilot maneuver accidentally all the time. Give us the option to bind each direction of thrust to a specific key or mouse button, or even the mouse wheel which might be cool. I have tried doing this in the keybind options and it does not work. This would be a massive improvement.

Overall I feel the whole mechanic is outdated due to the speeds you can achieve now which makes this mechanic obsolete, but adding the keybinds might bring them back into relevance. The way the controls are set up seriously limit the use of the pilot maneuvers IMO.

phoenixc

bossheisenberg wrote: »

I had not used the pilot mechanic for a long time but recently been trying them again with the Risian Corvette. I feel like there are problems with the controls and I wonder if anyone else has the same issues.

For one, the HUD control is way too small. Give us the option to make it bigger like you did with the buff icons.

Another issue I have is with the WASD double-tap thing. It's totally useless. You end up engaging the pilot maneuver accidentally all the time. Give us the option to bind each direction of thrust to a specific key or mouse button, or even the mouse wheel which might be cool. I have tried doing this in the keybind options and it does not work. This would be a massive improvement.

Overall I feel the whole mechanic is outdated due to the speeds you can achieve now which makes this mechanic obsolete, but adding the keybinds might bring them back into relevance. The way the controls are set up seriously limit the use of the pilot maneuvers IMO.

How do you engage the pilot maneuver accidently? Do you actually use the wasd keys to steer with normally instead of the mouse?

sheldonlcooper

I've been double tapping since the day this came out with no problem.

gaevsman

You are using the OSD to actívate the abilities, you need to use the keyboard for that, they are great!, i have a lot of pilot ships..

bossheisenberg

phoenixc#0738 wrote: »

bossheisenberg wrote: »

I had not used the pilot mechanic for a long time but recently been trying them again with the Risian Corvette. I feel like there are problems with the controls and I wonder if anyone else has the same issues.

For one, the HUD control is way too small. Give us the option to make it bigger like you did with the buff icons.

Another issue I have is with the WASD double-tap thing. It's totally useless. You end up engaging the pilot maneuver accidentally all the time. Give us the option to bind each direction of thrust to a specific key or mouse button, or even the mouse wheel which might be cool. I have tried doing this in the keybind options and it does not work. This would be a massive improvement.

Overall I feel the whole mechanic is outdated due to the speeds you can achieve now which makes this mechanic obsolete, but adding the keybinds might bring them back into relevance. The way the controls are set up seriously limit the use of the pilot maneuvers IMO.

How do you engage the pilot maneuver accidently? Do you actually use the wasd keys to steer with normally instead of the mouse?

Yeah a lot of people play the game that way. You use the WASD to fly the ship and mouse to control the camera/background. At high speeds you are constantly engaging the WASD keys which is why the pilot powers go off when you don't want them to. I have heard other players experiencing the same problem.

Also, the HUD control is bugged as the on/off toggle constantly turns back on after you shut it off.

phoenixc

Unfortunately, for me the wasd controls are too clunky and unintuitive to make space combat anything but a drag, which is why I left the game years ago when I could not get used to them. It was only last year, when some friends talked me into trying it again that muscle memory from a different game lead to me finding out about the two-button-down mouse steering method which made the space combat actually fun. I do sometimes use the wasd to tighten a turn (the mouse does not seem to go as far as the keys do). On the other hand, it makes using the wasd for pilot maneuvers not conflict with regular steering.

They really should give all the options in the tutorials and not just one method, but that is something for a different thread.

sheldonlcooper

phoenixc#0738 wrote: »

Unfortunately, for me the wasd controls are too clunky and unintuitive to make space combat anything but a drag, which is why I left the game years ago when I could not get used to them. It was only last year, when some friends talked me into trying it again that muscle memory from a different game lead to me finding out about the two-button-down mouse steering method which made the space combat actually fun. I do sometimes use the wasd to tighten a turn (the mouse does not seem to go as far as the keys do). On the other hand, it makes using the wasd for pilot maneuvers not conflict with regular steering.

They really should give all the options in the tutorials and not just one method, but that is something for a different thread.

I had the exact same experience. I was here on day one and just could not do it. After playing another game for a year I came back and could do it. In fact it was very easy compared to the other game. As you say the 2 mouse buttons is the way to go. I supplement with wasd sometimes.

evilmark444

sheldonlcooper wrote: »

As you say the 2 mouse buttons is the way to go.

I sometimes use the two mouse buttons in WoW when I need to move asap, but I couldn't imagine paying STO that way. There's just too many things you need to be able to see and restricting your camera to only facing forward is crazy imo, and impossible if you're doing broadsides with a cruiser.

alonar

I don't know how many people know this but there is an option to keybind a toggle for mouse lock, which locks the mouse like a fps. Combine that with camera follow setting and you wouldn't have to hold down both mouse buttons. I don't use it in space but on ground I do just so I don't have to constantly hold down the button to turn the camera.

salazarraze

I use WASD and double tap for my pilot maneuvers. Works every time and I don't see any issues with it. Sure, sometimes I accidentally double tap. But that's how life works. Sometimes you make a mistake. That doesn't mean that something is wrong and needs to be changed just because you messed up.

seaofsorrows

I use WASD to fly and have also had the issue of 'double tapping' inadvertently.

When I fly pilot ships, I turn off the double tap to roll in the options and just use the HUD to do the maneuvers. I put the interface down by my tray which is where I keep my mouse pointer for most of the fight anyway. Once you get used to it, it's pretty quick and easy to use.

My biggest issue with Pilot Maneuvers is that they don't work most of the time because everything seems to love to use tractor beams and that disables the maneuvers unless you use something like Polarize Hull.

alcyoneserene

FIX the toggle to disable WSAD double-tap! Irritating and broken to disable it both in controls menu and OSD only to have it re-engage randomly on the same map.

I use both the mouse and WSAD keys (ported onto an analog joystick) to steer the ship, and hate the double-tap method since it inevitably goes off accidentally. I want it PERMANENTLY off. Devs pls.

tobiashirt

I'd be content with just being able to rebind the maneuvers to other keys, like the arrow keys. At this point, I fly with mouse controls from 7 years of muscle memory and am unlikely to change, while at least 2 of my WASD are bound to other functions, and either the arrows or numpad would work and eliminate accidental presses.

The other alternative is to find out what the game calls the maneuvers and bind the actions in some way. Or see if I can use macros.