Combat Tactic

OMG. First I read threads where people want an autopilot that takes them across the whole galaxy without any interaction on their behalf. Now here´s a request for a feature that allows the computer to fly your ship for you, DURING COMBAT!! Next it will be "isn´t there a way to set my guns to auto-aim??" and "how can I program my ship to automatically buy a full cargo hold of the best cargo and automatically fly to the base with the best price and automatically sell it and then automatically re-equip my ship with the best weapons?" Does anyone want to actually PLAY this game?!?! Or are people actually happier when the game plays itself for you?? Those are my thoughts, not yours, I´m WapCaplet[! Edited by - WapCaplet on 16-04-2003 17:57:17

Ummmm, what´s the point of flying the ship or playing the game if you don´t control where it goes or what it does?do you just want to sit back and watch as you make the decisions on where it goes and what it does? Isn´t that more of a strategy game or something that´s turn based? Sounds like you don´t want to have to worry about being attacked by hostile factions... How´s the dream-world that you´re in these days? Just kidding actually... nope there´s no way in the retail version. Someone might be able to do something about that in a mod, but I do actually think it would take away from the game if that option went into it... Just my .02

WapCaplet: I´ve already seen a great deal of threads asking for guns that aim and shoot for themselves. Just look for threads about turrets... So, we have the following requests on queue: - robust autopilot that can fly across systems without ramming into planets, suns, etc - combat autopilot that locks onto and automatically follows the enemy - guns that aim and shoot themselves at the enemy Now all we need is for the game to launch itself then dock with a base and shut down at around 2AM. Oh, it would be nice if it would shut down the computer when it´s done.

nice responses guys. are all the discussions in these forums so friendly? I read something in a on-line strategy guide that said the neural net assisted in combat, just wanted to make sure i wasnt missing something about the game to make me decide to buy it or not. I´ve been to many game sites where the frequent users have unkowingly formed cliques that attack new ppl on site with a "I am superior to you because i know more about this game than you" attitude. I don´t frequent these sites for long usually. goodbyeandthxforallthefish. Edited by - TwoSheds on 16-04-2003 19:20:57

TwoSheds, It really has nothing to do with how long any of us have been posting here or how new someone is to the forum. There are no "cliques". There is no one here that I regularly communicate with. I respond to all posts in the nature they were written, regardless of who wrote them. I had to respond to your post because of what you said; not because you are new. I rarely pay much attention to how new someone is or not anyway, unless they post spoilers (read the top three sticky posts). You have to realize what you post sounds like. You asked if there was a feature that would fly the ship for you during combat. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? And you are not the first. People are continually looking for "features" in the game that will allow them to leave the room while the game plays itself for them. It truly boggles my mind. Autopilot/auto aiming are not features. They are ways to remove the "interactivity" from the game. If games weren´t interactive, no one would play them. Correction, no one COULD play them. Anyway, it has nothing to do with who you are or how new you happen to be. It has everything to do with what you posted. Those are my thoughts, not yours, I´m WapCaplet[!

They didn´t attack you. Why would you want to have that feature? If you have tried the demo then you can make up your mind about whether or not you like the combat. It was a pretty silly question though, you gotta admit......... erm, is this on?

Yes, i understand how incredulous the question sounds. i will try and find the source of the comment and paste it here. There are two ways to handle space sim combat, strategic and tactical. a strategic game has its place too, where mission planning, formation, and attack postures play as much a part as the actual tactical dogfight. this sim appears to be more tactical than strategic from what i have seen so far. Edited by - TwoSheds on 16-04-2003 19:48:28

from another fan site: <font size=1 face="trebuchet ms"><BLOCKQUOTE><hr size=1 noshade>All basic navigation and flight control is done through the ship´s onboard computer, called the Neuronet. For instance, getting on a ship´s tail and following will require only that you click on the ship to select it, and then click on the &quot;follow&quot; Neuronet icon. Then, depending on the quality of the Neuronet, your ship will match the target´s speed and velocity, and track it. Doing this will free up the actual task of flying the ship, and will let the player concentrate on firing the guns at the target´s engines, shields, weapons, or any other important section. Note that this *doesn´t* mean that the player won´t be able to control the ship directly. Small adjustments to the velocity and course can be made while still letting the Neuronet pilot, or, if preferred, complete control of the ship´s direction can be taken by pressing down and holding the Control key. <hr size=1 noshade></BLOCKQUOTE></font><font face=´trebuchet ms, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica´ size=2> so this is incorrect? Edited by - TwoSheds on 16-04-2003 20:02:08

Please tell us what fan site that is. URL please. Perhaps this is information that came out prior to the game release. IE, speculation on game mechanics. Be that as it may, you can pretty much disregard that entire description. The NeuralNet does NOT fly your ship for you. The closest approximation would be setting waypoints (or best path) and then selecting GoTo (F2), or selecting a friendly or neutral ship and entering formation with it (F4). Note, formation flight does not follow directly behind the targetted ship. It simply enters your ship into formation, usually beside the leader and slightly behind. However, neither F2 or F4 would be of much use in a dogfight. Unless you´re flying a frieghter in which case you could use F2 to continue to your original destination while using the turrets to fend off your attackers, but this usually ends up making you a sitting duck. And often a dead duck unless your shields and guns are significantly better than your opponents. Anyway, please provide the URL for that fan site. I´m curious to know what the heck that person is talking about (or what they happened to be smoking when they wrote it). Those are my thoughts, not yours, I´m WapCaplet[!

Wow. I don´t know which site that was from, but it certainly does lead one to believe that what you were looking for does exist. To note, I don´t believe there is any way in the released version of the game to update your computer/neuralnet. I would imagine you will be most interested in X2 from Egosoft when it is released later this year as the hype for it is on track with the type of things you were hoping (from the sound of your posts) to be found in FreeLancer. Anyway, cheers and welcome to the site.... .sig/ To error is human, but then why would you want to do that?

http://www.lancernews.com/freelancer/shipcontrol

Maybe that site features a sort of &quot;super-neural-net&quot; cause our neural-net is stupid. Its features include: frequent stops for no reason, ramming into planets for no reason, and assume docking when you´re under attack... and won´t disengage until you press Esc... for no reason. I was so pissed with it I never use it. I think I say it for everyone here when I say: F**k you neural-net, you f**king piece of Microf**king s**t. And f**k Bill-the-b***h Gates, f**k him up his f**king ass. Hmm... I sound like Jay...

Well, yeah, ok. I went to Lancernews.com and there it was. For a website that claims to be an authority on Freelancer, they sure have their basic information completely screwed up. The fault certainly lies with that website. To set the record straight, the NeuralNet does NOT fly your ship for you. And when you are in a dogfight, you are responsible for controlling your ship in every way. It´s an action space sim. Being able to dog fight is a huge part of the game. The webmaster at lancernews should get his head out of the sand and realize the kind of misinformation they are broadcasting. Those are my thoughts, not yours, I´m WapCaplet[!

lol negative on the autopilot in a dogfight.. if that was really in the game I probably would´nt even play it- it´s newbie enough as it is without drift but you gotta hand it to microsoft when it comes to making a visually stunning space sim.. and it runs great on crappy rigs- the engine gets A++ .. think they musta ran outta cash or they decided to put it out before it was ready.. MS an expansion pack with modding tools by christmas damnit!!

He did not get flamed. Just because we post a reply that disagrees with what was said, does not mean it´s a flame. I did not insult him, or use harsh language or demean him in any way. I merely commented on the fact that people seem obsessed with having everything done FOR them in the game. Besides, if you had read the entire thread, you would see that this is purely a discussion about autopilot features and misinformation from other sites. Relax. If you want, I can truly flame you. Those are my thoughts, not yours, I´m WapCaplet[!

I think i´ve had enough of this, i´m gonna vent my spleen. So i´ll let you discuss what i say now. An Autopilot function would be good, it will not detract from combat but simply add another layer and more depth to combat. e.g &quot; Should i continue to pound the guy in front, or change to the turret and blast his wingman who is currently hitting me from behind ?&quot; this adds a layer of dilemma, but without an Autopilot the ship would continue in a dead straight line at set speed. So as you change to turret view the ship breaks the first rule of combat dogfighting &quot;Never fly straight and level, at the same speed&quot;. So in esscence the Turret view is waste of time unless you have a autopilot that is capable of following an enemy or at the very least dodges and weaves randomly. One Game has excelled in this and i would defy anyone to contradict me. X-wing Alliance, the Y-1300 and Y-2000 were great you could set the Gun turrets to follow enemy or link the guns to you forward firing position or fire on the closet ship. Or man the turret as the ship flew itself. However the game was not automated, it required constant changing of modes whilst dog fighting to ensure you did not end up with a TIE squadron on your Ass. WapCaplet you are correct that a game that plays itself is as fun as looking at a Spreadsheet, but a certain amount of autonomy adds sophistication and also encourages new tactics and strategies to be envoked. I think that if a follow enemy command ( probably linked to the formation button) would have been an excellent addition to an already brilliant game. It would allow a certain amount of freedom of action whilst engaging enemy. Rather than just getting on a tango´s tail and blasting him, you could use your autopilot and shoot him with your turret. This would also mean that you would have to adapt your skills in MP as it will not be as simple as gettng on someones tail and getting off a good shot. The point is you are still making the kills not the computer, the autopilot merely tries to stop you taking to much fire while your in the turret. Final thought :- &quot;Head on with a Tango´s, you fire your weapons directly at him, you kill his shields he passes you but he turns to get on your tail. As he passes you simultaneously hit Autopilot and turretmode. You circle as your autopilot follows him in a circle. You move your mouse and take that exceptional shot and before he´s turned 90 degrees he´s Dead. you hit the cockpit button and the autopilot automatically drops off. You have spent less than 2 seconds in the turret.&quot;