I don't like point and click flight. It is obvious to me that actually flying my space ship is more fun. 

I think one of the reasons Eve, for instance, is not as popular as it could be is because you really don't feel like you are flying your ship. The point and click method of flight is awkward and frustrating.

Try orbiting a ship that is on the side of a station and you will likely smack into the station with the auto-orbit function because it is not intuitive and orbiting by point and click is irritatingly inaccurate to where you can not stay in range to tackle in a small ship. And that is the primary role of some ships which compounds the frustration.

When someone points this out another genius points out that Eve ships are to big to fly manually. So you tacklers are doomed to point and click orbiting I guess.

But this reason does not stand up to counter arguments.

Counter arguments:

#1 Even when your going slow it is always more fun to fly by actually steering.

#2 It's SCI-FI so you can develop/INVENT tech like inertia dampeners and gravity based engines that act on a bigger gradient than just 1 point.

#3 PUT BIGGER ENGINES ON BIG SHIPS SO YOU GO FASTER.

Seems simple to me.

Really I think point and click is fine for people that are used to playing MUD mmo's but not people like me that are more hands on orientated.

I do understand that Eve's flight engine is more than 10 years old. I think we need more flight engines that accommodate 3d flight better. Hopefully Egosoft will provide a good one with X Rebirth. Or maybe even Infinity someday. For now there is Star Conflict which pretty fun. The ships look cool too :)

Okay, I have never played EVE but I feel as though this is too blatantly obvious to mention. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You're in space in this game, right?

When you execute a crazy flying maneuver in a video game (whether in a plane or as a person with flying powers), you feel like you're zooming and diving and taking tight corners and whatnot. The reason for this is that your surroundings provide a frame of reference. There's the ground ahead of you, and it's approaching fast; that means you're diving. There's a sideways skyscraper above you and to your left, and it is rotating; that means you're banking left around a skyscraper.

In space, there is no frame of reference other than the distant stars millions of light years away. Without something to compare your ship to, there is no way to convey the fact that you're moving. Picture Sonic the Hedgehog without the background. Just a nondescript grey square behind him. No matter how fast his little red feet spin, you wouldn't feel like he's moving. Same goes for space. There's no way to add the feeling of moving unless there is an environment with things in it, which space kind of lacks. If they let you control the ship with airplane-like controls, it would feel wrong.

Well said Disdena. Op, if you would like to try a space game with realistic space flight and 100% Newtonian physics, download 'Evochron Mercenary' on Steam. It is very fun, don't get me wrong, but it's very HARD. Evochron Mercenary is a singeplayer game, but because of its realistic flying it's harder than EVE the mmo... And EVE is already considered hard by many. I can do the things I want to do much better in EVE. Flying and simulator games are only things I play every once in awhile. But imagine having to do full manual flight with manual module management like what is currently in EVE... That would be outrageous. I like to relax when I play a video game.

That being said, I can actually pull off maneuvers better in EVE. Here's a tip, stop using orbit all of the time... You will hardly ever use orbit in PvP, unless you're in a frigate or something fast. The ability to click anywhere in space, and move in that direction, gives me exact control of the results of my maneuvers. So even though EVE isn't manual piloting from the pilot's perspective, it's still manual flight. 

I think the problem here is that the OP wants an action flight sim in space...and theres nothing wrong with that.

EvE delivers a thinking sandbox based on innovative mechanics.

Yeah i think EVE would be a whole lot more populair if the activites that took place in game were more about action..however the in dephth thought and planning must remain.

Also theres a lot of people out there that dont want to be limited in game because they dont have the best mouse aiming or circle straphe abilities.  Its nice to play a game where the bigger brain wins rather than most action based game where the kid with the most ritalin pumping through his veins wins.

Perpetumm does a nice job of taking the EVE model and making mining/harvesting more engaging, as well as making combat a bit more controlable and engaging...without really losing the thought aspect of it all.  Shame that games stuck in a low pop cycle...all that games missing is a decent playerbase to make the economy and pvp work.

I think Eve would be great if it had a combat or movement system similar to the Battlestar Galactica MMO. The controls weren't really my biggest beef with the game though.

If you're going to get upset about something in Eve, get upset that ships don't obey basic laws of interia - if you turn off your thrusters, you *stop*.

Originally posted by Wolfenpride

I think Eve would be great if it had a combat or movement system similar to the Battlestar Galactica MMO. The controls weren't really my biggest beef with the game though.

I agree.

Combat and flying in Eve is not fun for me. Heck, even combat in STO is more fun than Eve.

I remember having all sorts of fun with Freespace. I would love to see that game made into an mmo.

Earth & Beyond.  Wasn't that an MMO that allowed the player to pilot his ship?

Originally posted by eyelolled

I remember having all sorts of fun with Freespace. I would love to see that game made into an mmo.

 

Earth & Beyond.  Wasn't that an MMO that allowed the player to pilot his ship?

No  A Wing Commander MMO first, whch Free Space copied.

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Originally posted by BigRock411 I think the problem here is that the OP wants an action flight sim in space...and theres nothing wrong with that.   EvE delivers a thinking sandbox based on innovative mechanics.

Originally posted by Quirhid The point and click system is optimized for size. Newtonian flight and direct controls are more demanding bandwidth and server-wise so the amount of ships in the same system (or grid) would have to go down. Still, I'd make the trade.

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As far as bandwidth regarding Netwonian flight is concerned, I'd be interested in seeing some substantiation of that claim.  In my game of choice (Vendetta) I have been in very large battles between groups of players and AI ships (over a hundred) with direct flight controls, and the game was designed to be playable over 56k. Back in 2002, when the game first opened to the public, that would have been far more common than today, however I don't think Twitch combat necessarily has to be bandwidth hungry. It would depend on the network code and how the game was designed.

Originally posted by freejackmack

#1 Even when your going slow it is always more fun to fly by actually steering.

For you, maybe.  I see it as unrealistic throwing a 500,000 ton ship around as if it was an X-Wing.

#2 It's SCI-FI so you can develop/INVENT tech like inertia dampeners and gravity based engines that act on a bigger gradient than just 1 point.

The majority of space games already do actually play as if inertia dampeners are fitted.  STO and Eve to name but two....

#3 PUT BIGGER ENGINES ON BIG SHIPS SO YOU GO FASTER.

Massive ships still wouldn't (or shouldn't) be able to turn on a dime.  What you ask for is stupid.  X-Wings and Tie-Fighters fly and turn fast - Republic and Imperial ships of the line couldn't. 

Seems simple to me.

Yeah... I think you meant 'simplistic'  :D

Really I think point and click is fine for people that are used to playing MUD mmo's...

Look, if you want to play in a dinky little dogfighting game and scream DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA! and make WEEEEEOOOOOOOSSSSHHH noises, find a game that caters for your tastes.  Games like Eve are perfect, though maybe a little cerebral for you.  Find something you like and go for it.

 

Ahh the good old days of eve. I used to take small groups of news in frigates into lvl 4 missions with my Hurricane. I'd get 5-6 newb frigates they would orbit me and take out all the NPC cruisers, destroyers, frigates and I would take out the NPC BCs and BSs. With the frigates orbiting me  things worked really well and it made it easier for them to concentrait on targeting. All of the frigates would salvage as we killed the NPCs and we would have one guy in a destroyer running stuff to a base to sell and market the loots.

Eve is a fun game this way..I'd still be playing if i could keep a group of people for more than a few days at a time.

We would clear a modest 10-15 mil each in such missions.

Originally posted by IAmMMO

Originally posted by eyelolled

I remember having all sorts of fun with Freespace. I would love to see that game made into an mmo.

 

Earth & Beyond.  Wasn't that an MMO that allowed the player to pilot his ship?

No  A Wing Commander MMO first, whch Free Space copied.

Youd have to wrestle the rights from EAs cold dead hands, but I support this idea

If you don't like the click to move then don't play Eve.  The game continues to grow despite all the complaints.

i've played Evochron, newtonian physics are pretty complicated if you've never played an space sim before, i prefer EVE because of its strategic way of flying, but of course, sometimes is pretty overwhelming when you have to move quick and you have to select menus to do the things.

(damn, it makes me want to play again, i have a retriever and a mammoth getting dust in the hangar e.e...)

for the OP, i'd say play Evochron, to me is the most awesome space sim i've seen, specially  the feature of landing on planets, and with the new expansion that is coming, you'll be able to use a vehicle to walk on them, also the autor will revamp the planet generation, apart from better graphics, its gonna be awesome.

also there's Infinity: The Quest for Earth, it will be an space sim MMO with newtonian physics, but right now the developers are doing the engine so i bet we won't see it announced at least until 2015 or later...

Twitch based combat in sapce does not exist. This just WW2 air-combat in space and a 12 years old wet dream. In space you tell your computer what to do and thats it. It is fully vector oriented. No human can ever fly a spaceship with relativistic speed in combat. 

Of course you could add something like WASD-steering in EVE, but your ship would still turn rather slow. And this would still not be, what you want. Because twitch based combat does not exist. And i clap to CCP for their resitance.

Originally posted by Grixxitt

Originally posted by IAmMMO

Originally posted by eyelolled

I remember having all sorts of fun with Freespace. I would love to see that game made into an mmo.

 

Earth & Beyond.  Wasn't that an MMO that allowed the player to pilot his ship?

No  A Wing Commander MMO first, whch Free Space copied.

Youd have to wrestle the rights from EAs cold dead hands, but I support this idea

I'm really not concerned with IP, I just enjoyed the game/gamestyle.