13 replies to this topic

[UrsusMorologus]

If people could see the pilots of mechs, it would provide a sense of scale to the game. To illustrate the point, this is a screen grab from a Freelancer mod that shows the pilot in a light mining ship, which immediately provides a point of reference for the rest of the ship and weapons.



I know its a lot of work, but it something to think about

[Myke Pantera]

They would need to normalize cockpit sizes first. The 2 extremes being Griffin & Stalker

[UrsusMorologus]

I know, cockpit sizes are all over the place

[Mechteric]

Cockpits as we think of them are dumb for mechs anyway, unless they come up with some kind of glass that is tough as armor. Otherwise I think it would be safer to assume you peer out of your mech using cameras (like Titanfall)

[MeiSooHaityu]

CapperDeluxe, on 12 November 2014 - 08:28 AM, said:

Cockpits as we think of them are dumb for mechs anyway, unless they come up with some kind of glass that is tough as armor. Otherwise I think it would be safer to assume you peer out of your mech using cameras (like Titanfall)

Scotty took care of that centuries ago. Mechs now have transparent armor panels for windows.

[Pjwned]

MeiSooHaityu, on 12 November 2014 - 08:30 AM, said:

Scotty took care of that centuries ago. Mechs now have transparent armor panels for windows.

Is that actually how it's explained? I've wondered about that a few times myself.

[DONTOR]

CapperDeluxe, on 12 November 2014 - 08:28 AM, said:

Cockpits as we think of them are dumb for mechs anyway, unless they come up with some kind of glass that is tough as armor. Otherwise I think it would be safer to assume you peer out of your mech using cameras (like Titanfall)

MeiSooHaityu, on 12 November 2014 - 08:30 AM, said:

Scotty took care of that centuries ago. Mechs now have transparent armor panels for windows.

Pjwned, on 12 November 2014 - 08:40 AM, said:

Is that actually how it's explained? I've wondered about that a few times myself.

Yes the windows are clear ferro fibrous armor panels, FYI.

[Mothykins]

So.

The major issue right now is pretty simple; the cockpits are not at all to scale. If I recall, there was an image floating around for a bit that showed how the cockpit actually tends to be larger than the head of the commando and just not be rendered to other players.

So not only is the external view of the cockpits skewed (Stalker VS Catapult) what you see inside and where you sit inside isn't at all correct either.

[Vassago Rain]

Cavale, on 12 November 2014 - 09:03 AM, said:

So.

The major issue right now is pretty simple; the cockpits are not at all to scale. If I recall, there was an image floating around for a bit that showed how the cockpit actually tends to be larger than the head of the commando and just not be rendered to other players.

So not only is the external view of the cockpits skewed (Stalker VS Catapult) what you see inside and where you sit inside isn't at all correct either.

That's correct. This is the only picture I have on hand, but we used to have access to commands that let us show it like this.

These days, the game just has a habit of breaking apart, and either showing it like this, or some other bizarre glitch will happen.

[Almond Brown]

DONTOR, on 12 November 2014 - 08:51 AM, said:

Yes the windows are clear ferro fibrous armor panels, FYI.

So it was not Scotty then, as he gave buddy the formula for "Transparent Aluminum".

[Brody319]

Still stupid, To be honest I think Gurren Lagann and Gundam are a better depiction of what a cockpit for a real mech would be. Totally enclosed with a lot of cameras giving a projected 3D space for the pilot to navigate. Any windows or holes would be a weak point (sorry crabbies you do have a weak point). 360 complete view of the area around your mech without having to expose yourself. Titalfall came close but the cameras are kinda stupid since they are so exposed. Just imagine a ton of tiny cameras all over the mech between the armor panels and joints. That would also be interesting because losing a limb would mean that some of your cameras would go out, so you would have to adapt to the slowly decreasing POV.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Almond Brown, on 12 November 2014 - 10:09 AM, said:

So it was not Scotty then, as he gave buddy the formula for "Transparent Aluminum".

True, but it just evolved naturally over time and became transparent armor.

Scotty was the one that got the ball rolling, it just grew from there .

[MeiSooHaityu]

Brody319, on 12 November 2014 - 10:15 AM, said:

Still stupid, To be honest I think Gurren Lagann and Gundam are a better depiction of what a cockpit for a real mech would be. Totally enclosed with a lot of cameras giving a projected 3D space for the pilot to navigate. Any windows or holes would be a weak point (sorry crabbies you do have a weak point). 360 complete view of the area around your mech without having to expose yourself. Titalfall came close but the cameras are kinda stupid since they are so exposed. Just imagine a ton of tiny cameras all over the mech between the armor panels and joints. That would also be interesting because losing a limb would mean that some of your cameras would go out, so you would have to adapt to the slowly decreasing POV.

Sci-Fi writers can only predict what the future will bring based on what they can perceive at the time it was written. That is why Sci-Fi can feel dated just a decade later.

Designers of these robots felt windows would be needed, they couldn't picture technology making windows obsolete...so we have "windows" on our stompy robots.

Besides, windows are also relatable. If mechs didn't have them, people might not understand how they work (with out a detailed explanation of the systems at work). Sometimes...you can see because it has windows...is just easier .

[xe N on]

Actually, most people underestimate the size of mechs. However, some cockpit interiors would need to be rescaled (they are mostly shown larger then they really are)

There was a thread started in 2013:

http://www.google.de...ved=0CFkQrQMwEw


PS: Actually the Size of the Cockpit of the GRF is quite consistent:

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__3013022

Edited by xe N on, 12 November 2014 - 12:29 PM.