49 replies to this topic

[Elistaire Drummond]

At first I didn´t like the SH-Cockpit. But after a few games I was getting in love with the firing-animation of the AC. Thats a nice gimmick!

[Tharnus]

Just use left ctrl? Added immersion and keeps the cool looking cockpit.

[Col Poutting]

FOV in this coktpi is horrible, please take of the monkey cage around it, were not in a prison, and 4 bars wont help againt ac 20's or anything shot at it. ridicoulous design. I think they never even pilkoted one of em locust after designing them..

[sC4r]

what are you talking about that cockpit is nice... those iron bars right in front of you may stop incoming ac20 shell

[Fuerety]

I didn't remember this being an issue for me Yesterday, and I piloted that mech quite a bit.

1.The torso servos react very quick and help to fix what you can and can't see with little effort.
2. It's a super small mech with a TON of technology and thus it's going to look cramped.

Best way I can describe it is taking a cop car for example. It's just a regular Chevy Impala, swap the motor out, slam a huge interceptor motor in. HMM. Engine bay is pretty cramped. Interior is pretty roomy, but when you slap an Shotgun, M4, a Cage barrier, Radio, Computer. It's Cramped and limits view.

Such a small mech and so much Technology and gizmos have to go somewhere. And Thus it should look the way it does, IMHO.

[GazT4R]

I need to put some time in with it first, let my brain learn to ignore the rollcage. It does feel small and claustrphobic though as a small mech should.

[Alistair Winter]

Tharnus, on 16 October 2013 - 02:29 AM, said:

Just use left ctrl? Added immersion and keeps the cool looking cockpit.

Yep, when you're running between buildings and assault mechs while shooting your lasers, using left ctrl is a great way to enjoy the scenery for a split second before you run face first into a wall.

If we all had Occulus Rift, it wouldn't be as big a problem. But we don't, and perhaps we never will.

Colonel Pada Vinson, on 15 October 2013 - 10:59 PM, said:

I love the cockpit. you have a SUNROOF of glass! it's like an old chevy!
great flavour on this cockpit, feels very small and cramped.

As I said in the OP, I agree that it looks great. But it's in direct contradiction to the Locust's only two ways of contributing to a fight. 1) Close range combat where high speed is your only defense and 2) Scouting. Both of these are harder to do when half of your screen is blocked.

The Locust is never going to be a viable choice unless there's some sort of tonnage limit that makes it worthwhile. But right now it's riding into war on a bike. And just to add insult to injury, it's not even an offroad bike.

[Wispsy]

I think they have done all they can to try and discourage the Locusts use.

[Gauvan]

For me, the cockpit visibility is a key part of providing flavor to each mech. There will always be a mech that represents the low end of that spectrum--I'm glad that it's a niche mech like the Locust. On the other end, the Thud and Battlemaster have excellent visibility.

I've not spent a lot of time in a Jenner, but my perception was that you were looking down a tunnel to see out. Doesn't the Locust offer better peripheral visibility, even if it offers a somewhat restricted forward view?

[1Sascha]

Quote

Yep, when you're running between buildings and assault mechs while shooting your lasers, using left ctrl is a great way to enjoy the scenery for a split second before you run face first into a wall.

Bah.. just use TrackIR to look around in the cockpit... ooooh .. wait...

Never mind.



S.

[Alistair Winter]

The Locust cockpit is also buggy as hell.

Picture 1:
Water comes through the cockpit glass and causes some kind of rendering problem, or whatever you computer types call it.

Picture 2:
2 different cockpits are overlapping - one is solid the other is wavy due to water graphics.

[The Flying Gecko]

I'm in favor of modifying the cockpit to improve visibility. I like the design as is, but I like being able to see more. Functionality over aesthetics in this particular case!

[-Muta-]

Alistair Winter, on 15 October 2013 - 01:58 PM, said:

Aesthetically, the Locust cockpit looks great from both the inside and the outside. But for a light mech that relies on speed, constant torso twisting and scouting, the design is just a huge problem. I find myself constantly using 1.5x or 3.0x zoom, to avoid all the clutter, which is like playing soccer with a pair of binoculars attached. And if you play at 1.0x zoom, it's like scouting with this helmet on.

It's just so ironic that the cockpit of all the assault mechs give a beautiful, clear, panorama view of the battlefield with little or no obstruction. The Locust cockpit looks how I'd expect an assault mech cockpit to look like - protection over visibility.

There must be something that can be done with the FOV or something.

What I like the most about the LOCUST cockpit is that it has a panoramic roof and it has some music speakers inside.

[Xendojo]

I like the locust cockpit. It's feels claustrophobic, which is perfect considering its the smallest mech in the game right now. I don't feel hampered by the locust cockpit in any way.

And have you used R-ctrl to look around in it? Potential for passive scouting in a powered down locust is massive...well once there is a reason for that particular tactic to be used at all. As it is now, role warfare is practically non-existent in game.

It's a whole lot better than the Shadowhawk cockpit that's for sure!!

[Adridos]

No, guys, just no. Add an option to remove the additional structure for the Phoenix variant, but otherwise, don't you dare change a thing about this lovely cockpit.

We get too much of that panorama cockpit BS already. You get a massive view like that, your mech should have a massive cockpit that is easy to hit, but noooo... You might as well tell them to kick it and make the whole cockpit disappear. You know, cause who needs this junk anyway, it's just wasted polygons and smaller visibility for everyone. And of course make the whole mech from the cockpit "glass" to compensate for it if anyone raises his voice about the sheer absurdity of it. Don't forget to also make the actual cockpit hitbox 2x2 pixels in diameter somewhere on the top of the mech. I'd oh so love if people were forced to use weak point skins like in WoT. The lovely immersion of tricolor MS Paint textures, how I miss thee.

[Xenon Codex]

I agree with the OP. My only other light mech is a Jenner, which I play a lot, but the first time I dropped in the Locust I felt some serious claustrophobia due to the structure of the cockpit. Definitely not my cup of tea.

[Alistair Winter]

Adridos, on 16 October 2013 - 08:53 AM, said:

No, guys, just no. Add an option to remove the additional structure for the Phoenix variant, but otherwise, don't you dare change a thing about this lovely cockpit.
We get too much of that panorama cockpit BS already.

I agree. We need more claustrophobic cockpits. But limiting that feature (which is nice for "flavour", but is effectively a nerf) to the worst mech in the game (and making it extra bad for the Phoenix variant, which is the worst of the worst) is completely the opposite of what they should be doing.

It's like saying "Okay guys, we're bringing back collision. But only for the Locust." Cool beans. I like collision, I want to see it brought back. But we don't really need to nerf the Locust more at this point.

Adridos, on 16 October 2013 - 08:53 AM, said:

You get a massive view like that, your mech should have a massive cockpit that is easy to hit, but noooo... You might as well tell them to kick it and make the whole cockpit disappear. You know, cause who needs this junk anyway, it's just wasted polygons and smaller visibility for everyone. And of course make the whole mech from the cockpit "glass" to compensate for it if anyone raises his voice about the sheer absurdity of it. Don't forget to also make the actual cockpit hitbox 2x2 pixels in diameter somewhere on the top of the mech.

How about the sheer absurdity of making your scout mechs terrible at scouting, while giving your assault mech cockpits (100 ton walking battleships whose job it is to absorb firepower) medium-sized appartments with panorama view, some outdoor furniture and a swimming pool? You know, vehicles in the real world that are used for scouting tend to have a cockpit (or equivalent) that makes it easier to scout. They don't normally put a submarine on wheels and watch the world through a periscope.

Xendojo, on 16 October 2013 - 08:42 AM, said:

It's a whole lot better than the Shadowhawk cockpit that's for sure!!

If I wanted to make a Shadowhawk scout, I'd put 2 ER LLs and 2 x LRM10s on it. XL320 engine, 1 jump jet, BAP.

It would look like this.



Which cockpit is better for scouting?

ggclose

[Xendojo]

Alistair Winter, on 16 October 2013 - 10:38 AM, said:

I agree. We need more claustrophobic cockpits. But limiting that feature (which is nice for "flavour", but is effectively a nerf) to the worst mech in the game (and making it extra bad for the Phoenix variant, which is the worst of the worst) is completely the opposite of what they should be doing.

It's like saying "Okay guys, we're bringing back collision. But only for the Locust." Cool beans. I like collision, I want to see it brought back. But we don't really need to nerf the Locust more at this point.


How about the sheer absurdity of making your scout mechs terrible at scouting, while giving your assault mech cockpits (100 ton walking battleships whose job it is to absorb firepower) medium-sized appartments with panorama view, some outdoor furniture and a swimming pool? You know, vehicles in the real world that are used for scouting tend to have a cockpit (or equivalent) that makes it easier to scout. They don't normally put a submarine on wheels and watch the world through a periscope.


If I wanted to make a Shadowhawk scout, I'd put 2 ER LLs and 2 x LRM10s on it. XL320 engine, 1 jump jet, BAP.

It would look like this.



Which cockpit is better for scouting?

ggclose

That shadowhawk has no ballistic weapon loaded in the left torso. If it does it is worse by far. And the rollbar on the locust is only for the PP variant, you are skewing things. A fully loaded shadowhawk has much less visability, and normal locusts have much more.

[Alistair Winter]

Xendojo, on 16 October 2013 - 10:45 AM, said:

That shadowhawk has no ballistic weapon loaded in the left torso.

If I was using it for scouting, I wouldn't have a ballistic. I presented a perfectly viable build. If we're going to compare apples and oranges (who the hell uses a Shadowhawk for scouting anyway?), then let's at least use a credible example.

Xendojo, on 16 October 2013 - 10:45 AM, said:

And the rollbar on the locust is only for the PP variant, you are skewing things. A fully loaded shadowhawk has much less visability, and normal locusts have much more.

So the worst Locust is just the one people paid real money for, that's your argument?

Ok, how about this:
A Locust can be used for two things: scouting and fighting at close range. If you want to fight with the Phoenix Locust, you're fighting with the worst of all 3 variants. It doesn't have 4 medium lasers like the 3M, it doesn't have SRM2 or Streaks like the 3S. At best, it has 1 LPL or 1 LL + 2 MG, making it the worst mech for fighting that we've seen in MWO so far. It's worse than the Spider 5K and 5V, which formed the former benchmark for useless mechs. It's also the worst light mech for scouting. Does it have any bonuses at all? No, it does not. In every sense, it is probably the worst mech in the game right now, and the Phoenix variant is especially bad.

Also, the normal variant isn't that much better.

Here you go.

Edited by Alistair Winter, 16 October 2013 - 10:56 AM.

[ChuChuRo]

The mech being small doesn't explain at all why there's so much junk in my field of view, because they were able to put a HUGE sunroof over my head. Which is totally pointless.

Like I said in another thread: The mech is already hard to play without any JJ, ECM and being so squishy. Why handicap the pilot even more by putting all that junk in his face. It's just terrible.

Please move the top bar higher, it takes about 25% of my screen.

Edited by ChuChuRo, 16 October 2013 - 11:04 AM.