Should drones be able to go up/down at keypress?

[Fawkes]

I started a droner a few days ago and I'm having a bit of a hard time with the drone's movement. Whenever I wanna go inside a small hatch (you know that little window at the MB bunker?), I aim my drone's nose up to gain altitude, but it takes time until the drone reacts and most of the time I find myself bumping into the wall and not the hatch. Also, when I fight a mob and want to go up or down, I have to stop shooting, aim at the ground or at the sky and start moving (slowly) until I reach the desired height. I don't wanna think how PvP will be like... maybe it's just because I'm a newbie droner and the cheap drones are hard to move with, but I find it very irritating at times.

Do you think drones should be able to go up and down at keypress? like when I press the space bar (jump), the drone will start going up and when I press C (crouch), the drone will start going down. Sort of like Descent. Remember that game? I think this will make drones much more fun and easier to use.

On a side not: why do drones have the drug effect when they get shot at? I can guess that this is equivalent to human blood? but when you are shot at as a human all you get is drops of blood on your screen and you can still see everything. When your drone is shot you simply can't see SHIT. Maybe I'm not getting something here, but isn't this a little bit unfair? correct me if I'm wrong. For the non-droner players here, I'll post a screenie later.

EDIT: this is what you see when your drone is hit:

http://personal.zahav.net.il/personalsite/sp/spievk/drone_haze.jpg

NOTHING.

[Strych9]

First on the altitude adjustment, its like that for every drone. The higher TL ones have more thrust and thus are more responsive. You can never go as high aiming up as you can aiming down and going backwards. The wastelands are nice, esp around battledome, cause you can "jump" the hills and use em to propel you in the air.

Some drones go much higher than others as well. Ironically the ones that go real high usually arent the ones with long range attacks. :)

Second, regarding the screenflash-

Dont change your target vector, and keep shooting. You will still be attacking the target- you just cant see it. That only doesnt work when the attack on your drone causes static AND tosses your drone around.

But yes, I wouldnt mind proper altitude controls.

[IceHawk2684]

SCORE! WINNAR!

yes. def. needed and maybe then ill consider being a droner again, its bad neough their almost as boring as PPU's. You shouldn't need to be a reverse freak just to go up as a drone.

And actually ud only need ot go up cuz the drone naturally falls on its arse.

so maybe make crouch just go up and if u wanna go down ajust stop holding crouch. Maybe even shift to go up so that it can be locked using caps.

[Elric]

your dead right, the druggie effect on being hit is a nightmare.

The keypresses thing would make life alot easier, and using the same binds as those two keys would make ALOT of sense.

The n00b drones are utter shit. Theyre slow, and not very maneuverable. Best thing is to aim down and press backwards, get close to what your shooting at and do this and most of the time you can keep shooting while ascending. Not as easy with PvP but PvM this is usually ok (depending on the mob).


As for the windows thing... well... That comes with practice. Its hard, but you get the hang of it eventually. Believe me, give it a little whle you can easily fly full belt through aggie cellars :D

:edit: Strych9 is right too, the bouncing thing can be very very useful, use it to your advantage.

[Darth Slayer]

I voted yes and I can control a drone resonably well. H'mm I have been doing it for over a year now. I NEVAR LOST FAITH I STUCK TO THE MOST GIMPED CLASS OFF ALL TIMES. Now to reap the rewards........:D

Scorpius.

[OpTi]

your jump and crouch keys should be for the vertical thrust on drones

[Fawkes]

Yes, I know the thing with bouncing off hills. Pretty useful and lets you jump pretty high, but if you ask me, I rather not go down to the ground at all and be able to gain altitude on my own. Also, this doesn't solve the problem with being able to shoot AND going up at the same time.

Strych9, when I have the drug haze I sometimes move my mouse and even if I don't I can't tell if I'm still aiming at the target, so keeping the mouse pressed doesn't always help. What's REALLY annoying is when you fight several mobs at once (2-3 aggressors for example) and you get like 4 or more drug hazes one after another.

By the way, rate this thread if you think it should be noticed. Thanks. ;)

[LTA]

Look in the middle of that pic...

I swear just above centre there is some logo or mini type face pic...

Edit - Infact theres quite a few, looks like that tile effect you get in worldcraft before you "fit" textures

[OpTi]

looks like one of those magic eye thingies

[bounty]

I personally love the way drones move right now, i think they are fun as all hell to fly.

[-FN-]

I voted no. I like droning as is, as cumbersome as I'll admit it is as well. I'd just say get used to it *shrug*

[SeXy Happy]

I think there should be a change. But not a substitution. I still want the ability to point up and go up down go down, etc. But in addition have the ability to press the jump button and the drone will soar up.

[Fawkes]

Why do you think I meant that by adding this feature they will also have to take away the drone's abillity to aim up and down? of course this will not be a substitution, SeXy Happy, just an addition.

-FN-, if you like the way drones are now, would it hurt you if there was another way of gaining or losing altitude? :confused: How selfish of you. You like the way drones are, so everyone else should like it too and not have an additional way of doing it.

[Sleawer]

Good idea Faw

[Tratos]

Well you can go UP and Down a bit with out using hills just down and press backwards heh, fastest way to gain altitude but jump and crouch would be cool for up and down thrusting

~Tratos

[Spoon]

Originally posted by OpTi
your jump and crouch keys should be for the vertical thrust on drones

That would work for me........

@Fawkes
It seems the higher TL Drones and better quality(more armor), the less you see of the static screen.....
Or at least I haven't noticed it as much as I used too....

And like Strych9 said just keep your position and keep firing, especially if your using AoE drones, most of the time you'll still hit the mob.
Although, when using direct fire drones on fast moving mobs, like SpiderBots and the bigger Scorpions, I wait till the static is gone and aim again..

[Mirco]

Hell yea. Thats been missing for a loooong time

[dem0n]

are you sure your new to droning O_O. you managed to describe the most irritating problem i had and I wasn't ever able to put it into words... '*****'. nuff said.

[Clownst0pper]

Good shit fawkes :D

D::::

o=o=o=

[Cruzbroker]

Ahh, I was about post this but forgot it.

Drones SHOULD move UP/DOWN from JUMP/CROUCH.
just like swimming in every damn possible game.
(yes I didn't read others posts.)

edit: yes, the drone would move exactly the same way as now. Just up/down from different keys.

[J. Folsom]

As I always say on these threads, as long as we can still use the old system as well it's all fine and dandy, because I love the current system.

[Whitestuff]

^^ Exactly. It would just be an addition, not change to this option totally. If you want to do the foward/backward shuffle for 5 minutes to gain about 10 feet of altitude, go right ahead my friend. I'll see you on my way back down when I am out of ammo.

EDIT: 5*

[Jest]

Should the be able to go up and down at a key press? NO!!! I think they are perfect the way they are. I really enjoyed my droner and that was back in the day when they sucked. When TH was under attack I would put my droner down by the reactor in section 2 and fly the drone all the way up the hatch. (Not bouncing off the roof was the hardest part). My point being that its easy enough to move with the drone, and making the drone able to avoid our attacks even more would be ridiculous. Not all of us are APUs with no reticle. ;)

As for lessing the drug effect of getting hit I am all for that. I always hated that.

[Whitestuff]

Originally posted by Jest

As for lessing the drug effect of getting hit I am all for that. I always hated that.

Well the thing is this. Take a digital camera, turn it on, now hit it with a hammer. Did the screen on it turn fuzzy? The idea is that the drone has a camera for viewing and when it gets hit, it goes screwy. At least NC digital cameras have a self repairing mechanism, where as your camera as I described above will never be the same.

I think the up and down at the push of a button would be good, just don't make it too fast. Make it the same speed as it is by backing up and such, just without the *look down, backup* *look up, go foward* type movement that is required now. BINGO still balanced, same chance to score a hit. Not more manuverable, just less of a hastle. I think that's the point.

[jj dynomite]

I voted a definate yes.

This is something talked about a lot since people began droning. I think it might be in the talks with the higher ups...but i don't know if it is going to happen any time soon.

[ElfinLord]

This is a great idea!!!!

5 stars! :D

I agree that this should just be another method of increasing and decreasing altitude and not a replacement for the current system.