A new "Press and hold" option for pilots

[Erom Gary]

For pilots today, you have to either scroll or press 1-2-3-4 keys to select the piloting tool you wish to use. Altough, when currently "holding" a piloting tool, you are actively using it until you switch back to the steering wheel icon while in-game flying.

Something more practial and viable I can think of is to add an option for pilots, where you can press and hold one of the 1-4 keys to use a piloting tool for the amount of time you want to hold it.


When releasing one of the keys, you will automatically stop using the piloting tool currently bound to it and switch back to the steering wheel icon. Almost the same system when using the stamina on every class, but implemented to a pilots toolbar.

I'll be honest myself that I am a clumsy pilot when managing the toolbar, and I find it slightly disturbing when you have to manually switch back and forth with steering wheel icon and pilot ability.


Any thoughts/suggestions you'd like to share folks?

[Omniraptor]

I like it. It prevents you from forgetting you have a tool enabled which can be disastrous.

One caveat is that you run out of fingers pretty quickly when trying to steer, use voicechat, adjust throttle, adjust altitude, look at the map, and hold down a pilot tool key. Plus it would get mildly annoying for long kerosene burns. However the benefits outweigh the drawbacks definitely.

[Schwalbe]

GOIO doesn't register more than 3 (I don't remember exactly, though sometimes not enough) keyboard buttons pressed at the same time. I know because when I usually try to make a very tight manevour, while switching the throttle and trying to communicate with my crew, the exceeding button just don't register, hence I sometimes end up still burning 'shine even though my brain registered turning it off by the press of the button.

[BlackenedPies]

It might be useful as an option for some people, but holding down the botton would slow you down by at least making you change finger positions and at worst limit your commands. For the meantime I'd recommend trying a button like Alt as your 1 key so you don't have to move much. Ideally you need to be able to use your movement, throttle, voice, stamina, and number keys simultaneously and you can't do that with the number keys anyways. My favorite gaming peripheral is a mouse with two side buttons, and my 1234 keys are Space Mouse3 Mouse4 Q

Shwalbe I couldn't recreate a key limit by pressing 2 directions, crew voice, jump, map, and tab

[Fynx]

Your solution is very simple and convenient, and it would prevent the pilot from forgetting about tools.
However, like Blackened wrote, people put as many functions on mouse as possible to decrease the number of actions left hand has to make.
That's why everything that puts additional pressure on the left hand, not increasing efficiency whatsoever, has a purely negative impact on pilot's performance.

GOIO doesn't register more than 3 (I don't remember exactly, though sometimes not enough) keyboard buttons pressed at the same time. I know because when I usually try to make a very tight manevour, while switching the throttle and trying to communicate with my crew, the exceeding button just don't register, hence I sometimes end up still burning 'shine even though my brain registered turning it off by the press of the button.

You're sure it's about the game itself and not about the keyboard? I used to play on laptop and had no key locking issues. When I started playing on PC with normal keyboard I had lots of that happening all the time.

[Schwalbe]

GOIO doesn't register more than 3 (I don't remember exactly, though sometimes not enough) keyboard buttons pressed at the same time. I know because when I usually try to make a very tight manevour, while switching the throttle and trying to communicate with my crew, the exceeding button just don't register, hence I sometimes end up still burning 'shine even though my brain registered turning it off by the press of the button.

You're sure it's about the game itself and not about the keyboard? I used to play on laptop and had no key locking issues. When I started playing on PC with normal keyboard I had lots of that happening all the time.

I am playing on laptop. I assumed it's something wrong in code rather than hardware - but you suggest it's the hardware fault? Hmmm. Ok then, forget I was saying anything.

[Dementio]

This may explain stuff https://www.microsoft.com/appliedsciences/antighostingexplained.mspx

[Schwalbe]

Huh, I actually run that application, and goddammit, R does not register alongside W. Hmmmm, ok?

Thanks. ^^

[Arturo Sanchez]

it does work with tar.

just set the tool and press the "use pilot tool" option.

[Daft Loon]

Having the option of setting each tool to work like tar does now or like every other tool could be good. I would like having hydrogen and chute vent configured as select then press to use in addition to tar but it probably wouldn't be popular as a hard coded setting.

[Erom Gary]

Having the option of setting each tool to work like tar does now or like every other tool could be good. I would like having hydrogen and chute vent configured as select then press to use in addition to tar but it probably wouldn't be popular as a hard coded setting.

I think I can agree on this one. With this you can easily get more control over the usage of a piloting tool, and if possible even equalize the pressure for both left hand and the mouse. This can also prevent the common issue to pilots leaving an item active (like kerosene etc.) unnoticed.

But then again, it should only become an option for pilots having its place in the settings. I'm not asking this to be implemented permanently to a pilot's toolbar.   

[Arturo Sanchez]

Having the option of setting each tool to work like tar does now or like every other tool could be good. I would like having hydrogen and chute vent configured as select then press to use in addition to tar but it probably wouldn't be popular as a hard coded setting.

I think I can agree on this one. With this you can easily get more control over the usage of a piloting tool, and if possible even equalize the pressure for both left hand and the mouse. This can also prevent the common issue to pilots leaving an item active (like kerosene etc.) unnoticed.

But then again, it should only become an option for pilots having its place in the settings. I'm not asking this to be implemented permanently to a pilot's toolbar.

No. I think its very important to have this by default for novices. That and as a controller user who's only means to switch tools and next tool and prev tool. It really will free me up some room to select tools.

It would mean I can actually have vertical tools for once! As opposed to bumpers to when I get popped or spy glasses because i no i'll get a dumb crew (and the added feature of not destroying anything even slightly when I'm passing them to get to my claw and kero.

[BlackenedPies]

Out of curiosity Max, what controller do you use and what are your number keys mapped to?

[Arturo Sanchez]

Out of curiosity Max, what controller do you use and what are your number keys mapped to?

xbox 360. an afterglow to be precise.

the number keys are not actually mapped. I instead use my number keys for AI command shortcuts because I have one of those stupid keyboards that requires the pressing of a function key and another key.

I do have number 1 hot keyed to my y button so I can quickly get my bearings on my tool location and instantly go to my needed tool based on button presses on my switch tool buttons.

2 next tools (so I pass spyglass/bumpers) for claw
1 prev tools for kero

and if i wanna turn off. I press y to return to slot one for helm.

[Daft Loon]

Novice friendly defaults:

Kerosene - on when selected
Hydrogen - press to activate
Chute vent - press to activate
Impact bumpers - on when selected
Drogue chute - on when selected
Moonshine - press to activate
Phoenix claw - ?
Tar barrel - press to activate

Would have to be changeable though because some people would hate that setup.