(02-14-2013, 12:12 PM)Kapten-N Wrote: There's one thing I don't understand about forums. If you start a thread about something that there's already a thread about you are an idiot for not searching for the original thread first. If you do a search an find an old thread on the topic you were looking for you're frowned upon for necromancy if you post in it. There's simply no pleasing anybody.
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(02-14-2013, 12:56 PM)Loken Wrote: It's more a case of if you start a thread asking a question that has already been answered you should have searched. Asking a new question is fine even if it's similar to a previous topic.
Ontopic, Autopilot could be good, as clicking dock repeatedly is boring, but it probly would encourage more afk traders, so, its an issue from both sides.
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AFK traders have only themselves to blame if their ships gets blown to smitherines. My understanding is that if a ship doesn't stop on the command of a pirate or house police/military they are free to destroy that ship. A job well done for the law enforcement and free booty for the pirate and fun for both. One should stay with their ship and monitor it even if it's on autopilot, because you never know when you hit a road block.
EDIT: There's a reason why someone would choose not to use an autopilot if one was available. An autopilot would be unable to use the quick dock technique on trade lanes and jump gates and would thus take longer time than if one did it manually.
How is this like using a bot? It would make sense that a ship would have an autopilot for following waypoints. It would also make it more fun to be a trader since you aren't bogged down by the loop of boredom. Frankly, I've been so bored out of my mind that I almost considered quiting and not comming back, and I have been here less than a week. You don't want players to leave do you? Making it less boring to be a trader would make more people play as traders and if you're a pirate then more traders is better for you.
If you use an autopilot you still have to be by the screen or you risk being busted by admins when you don't respond or be blown to pieces by pirates and law enforcement. I've also seen large transports get stuck trying to enter trade lanes. If a sound signal can be made to sound everytime someone writes in chat there's really no reason not to implement an autopilot.
Autopiloting is a no. If you don't want to play the game, then don't play it. Don't sit there expecting the game to play itself just so you can get some credits.
Pirates are here to keep things interesting for traders, unfortunately they are lately taking things too far to the point where they don't make things fun, but only cause stress.
I do want to play the game. I just don't like the way that it is played. I like the part where I decide on what commodity to buy and then pick out the best route to where to sell it and to have to keep my eyes open for pirates. I do not like the part where I have to go through the loop of boredome over and over and if you think that is "playing" then we have diffrent ideas about what "playing" means.
I can't see what reason anyone would have for wanting trading to be boring and tedious. Making trading more fun would make more people become traders. More traders would mean more traffic for pirates to plunder and for law enforcement to scan for contraband.
In short: More fun for traders -> More traders -> More traffic -> More RP opportunities.
I've only run into law enforcement who held people up to do cargo scans twice. When I returned later they were no longer there. They probaby got bored. If there was more traffic there would be reason for law enforcement to set up more permanent customs stops where they search everyones cargo for contraband and that would in turn make people think more about which routes they take. Perhaps taking these Rheinland alloys through the Texas system isn't such a good idea on account of the trade embargo? Perhaps I shouldn't go to New Berlin with a Bretonia Armed Forces ship and ID?
This community has a lot to gain from making trading more fun!
Until we get a feature like this (if ever, there's a certain level of "flagellantism" in the community) what you can do is take to unlawful trading/smuggling. The routes' profits are calculated based on not using tradelanes, i.e. the "Goto"/"Dock" monotony is eliminated at least. That's what I do.
How is this auto-pilot any different from just sitting there bored, and silently trading? Other than the obvious fact that one way you are sitting there, and one way you are not.
But look at it from a pirate's or third party's perspective... There's no difference, other than the fact the trader isn't getting bored to the point of quitting Disco, which is a BAD thing to have happen btw.
SMGSterlin, your post confuses me. I can't tell if it is directed towards me or towards those who are against the auto-pilot idea.
Anyway, in response to your first paragraph what I have to say is that it is what I describe as "the loop of boredom" that bores me. I don't mind at all just sitting there and watching my ship fly, because the scenery in Freelancer is quite nice to look at. That's why whenever I have a choice of two path with one being quicker with more tradelanes and shorter freespace travel and one with a little fewer tradelanes but a bit longer freespace travel (e.g. when traveling to Freeport 14 in the Yokun system I have a choice between going through Ontairo or Galileo) I usually pick the latter. It's fewer iterations of the loop and more marveling at the scenery. However, I'm not willing to give up tradelanes completely because then it would take forever to get to places.
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