67 replies to this topic

[Raggedyman]

So we have sensors that can ID the damage on a mech, a floating cam for 3rd person view, UAVs, ECM, a million and one bits of assorted marvels of engineering and electronics blahblahblah

but
no rear-view mirror

Seriously? Did no-one think of putting a $100 camera and a £50 screen in the cockpit so we could see behind us when reversing the $100,000,000,000 walking-tank!?

Very random thought and undoubtadly not at the top of the to-do-list but the idea got stuck in my head so I thought I would share.

[Wiley Coyote]

I think it's a limitation of the game engine if I remember previous posts from other users correctly.

[Throat Punch]

[Alistair Winter]

No other Mechwarrior games had this feature, so why would you expect it from MWO? It's impossible. Just like multiple targeting buttons (nearest enemy, etc).

[Metus regem]

Raggedyman, on 27 April 2015 - 12:22 PM, said:

So we have sensors that can ID the damage on a mech, a floating cam for 3rd person view, UAVs, ECM, a million and one bits of assorted marvels of engineering and electronics blahblahblah

but
no rear-view mirror

Seriously? Did no-one think of putting a $100 camera and a £50 screen in the cockpit so we could see behind us when reversing the $100,000,000,000 walking-tank!?

Very random thought and undoubtadly not at the top of the to-do-list but the idea got stuck in my head so I thought I would share.

Well in all fairness, a modern tank (even some LAV's) lack a rear view mirror... so yea... even today we have 4.3 million dollar piece of equipment being backed up by someone with a minimum grade 10 education and no way to see behind them....

[MeiSooHaityu]

Lostech.

The knowledge needed to manufacture reflective surfaces was lost during the first Succession War (along with the knowledge to make toothpicks, bottle openers, and disposable lighters).

They recovered the tech to make shiny things from a Star League vault shortly before the clan invasion, but it wasn't ready to be implemented by this point in the timeline.

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 27 April 2015 - 12:32 PM.

[Kristov Kerensky]

Alistair Winter, on 27 April 2015 - 12:27 PM, said:

No other Mechwarrior games had this feature, so why would you expect it from MWO? It's impossible. Just like multiple targeting buttons (nearest enemy, etc).

NONSENSE! We don't need to stinking rearview or multiple target type buttons, heretic!

The reason PGI didn't give us a rearview option is that the CryTek engine doesn't handle that sort of thing well, again, this is according to PGI.

In actuality, no idea why they didn't give us this, I really don't believe their given reason since I know other people have had no issues getting it to work using the CryTek engine.

[Alistair Winter]

Metus regem, on 27 April 2015 - 12:30 PM, said:

Well in all fairness, a modern tank (even some LAV's) lack a rear view mirror... so yea... even today we have 4.3 million dollar piece of equipment being backed up by someone with a minimum grade 10 education and no way to see behind them....

A modern tank does have a turret with a number of periscopes that allow at least 2 crew members to see in pretty much in every direction, including behind them. So while the driver cannot see what's behind him, other crew members can.

A mech has only one crew member. So in all fairness, that dude should have some way of seeing what's behind him

[Alienized]

rear mirror on tanks? its called infantry support.
mechs with rear mirror or camera?
do you engage backwards?....
usually mechs are supported by recon drones, infantry support or other military stuff.
not to mention dropship and aerial recon.
also, mechs have sensors and radar. we just cant see those monitors.
just install a seismic sensor and you see stuff that come sup from behind^^

[Jetfire]

Maybe I am missing something by a rear view mirror allows you to see through the rear window of a car. Mechs are all armor in back...

[RedDragon]

Alistair Winter, on 27 April 2015 - 12:27 PM, said:

No other Mechwarrior games had this feature, so why would you expect it from MWO? It's impossible. Just like multiple targeting buttons (nearest enemy, etc).

Weeell, while no MW had a dedicated rear view mirror, all of them had some way to look behind you. The best and I guess easy to implement way would be like MW 4 where you just shifted your view to the back. That should be doable even with CryEngine, because no second rendered view would be needed.

[rolly]

Alistair Winter, on 27 April 2015 - 12:27 PM, said:

No other Mechwarrior games had this feature, so why would you expect it from MWO? It's impossible. Just like multiple targeting buttons (nearest enemy, etc).

MW2 via mini camera on your HUD. A game developed in 1995. It also had another crazy feature. A camera for below you. Death From Above was so much easier.

The real reason why the Clans attacked is because they lacked mirrors. Everyone had ****** hair. Hence the the clanners had Enhanced Imaging Tattoos. It was their attempt at makeup without mirrors. Wearers eventually went crazy.

Edited by rolly, 27 April 2015 - 12:47 PM.

[Metus regem]

Alistair Winter, on 27 April 2015 - 12:34 PM, said:

A modern tank does have a turret with a number of periscopes that allow at least 2 crew members to see in pretty much in every direction, including behind them. So while the driver cannot see what's behind him, other crew members can.

A mech has only one crew member. So in all fairness, that dude should have some way of seeing what's behind him

Sorry for not knowing as much about tanks as I should, most of my time dealing with them, was spent in the air, blowing them up with AGM-114 missles...

[FupDup]

Personally, I've never really understood the "necessity" for a rear-view feature. The impression I get is that a lot of people just don't want to have to turn around to see what's behind them, and/or they don't want to have to watch their back for light mechs.

[Alistair Winter]

RedDragon, on 27 April 2015 - 12:37 PM, said:

Weeell, while no MW had a dedicated rear view mirror, all of them had some way to look behind you. The best and I guess easy to implement way would be like MW 4 where you just shifted your view to the back. That should be doable even with CryEngine, because no second rendered view would be needed.

rolly, on 27 April 2015 - 12:38 PM, said:

MW2 via mini camera on your HUD. A game developed in 1995. It also had another crazy feature. A camera for below you. Death From Above was so much easier.

Don't be ridiculous. Next thing you'll tell me that old MW games had multiple controls for jump jets, instead of just using the space bar.

Bah! Humbug!

Edited by Alistair Winter, 27 April 2015 - 12:41 PM.

[Vandul]

[Khobai]

Quote

Personally, I've never really understood the "necessity" for a rear-view feature.

so you dont run over your child while backing up

[Kristov Kerensky]

Alienized, on 27 April 2015 - 12:36 PM, said:

rear mirror on tanks? its called infantry support.
mechs with rear mirror or camera?
do you engage backwards?....
usually mechs are supported by recon drones, infantry support or other military stuff.
not to mention dropship and aerial recon.
also, mechs have sensors and radar. we just cant see those monitors.
just install a seismic sensor and you see stuff that come sup from behind^^

Actually, according to BTech, Mechs present the pilot with a full 360 view at all times compressed into a 160 'window', so we SHOULD be able to see directly behind us without any issues. Previous MW titles did this by giving us a PiP for rearview and even downview for MW2(great for getting on target for a DFA), so there's really no reason we can't have at LEAST a rearview option.

PGI's reason is that the way CryEngine handles the PiP means it renders EVERYTHING twice, what you see out of your cockpit AND everything seen in the PiP. Evidently that would cause issues with how the game runs for everyone. Again, this is what PGI has stated. I am not so sure that's really the issue since I know others have used the CryEngine to do this WITHOUT any issues.

[Alistair Winter]

FupDup, on 27 April 2015 - 12:41 PM, said:

Personally, I've never really understood the "necessity" for a rear-view feature. The impression I get is that a lot of people just don't want to have to turn around to see what's behind them, and/or they don't want to have to watch their back for light mechs.

For me, it has more to do with my mechs getting stuck on rocks, tree trunks and invisible walls at moments where I'm under fire and I don't really have the luxury of turning around to see what's blocking my path. And so I'm hitting reverse throttle 100%, but going nowhere, because I can't see the little pebble blocking the path of my 100 ton mechanical walker.

Metus regem, on 27 April 2015 - 12:39 PM, said:

Sorry for not knowing as much about tanks as I should, most of my time dealing with them, was spent in the air, blowing them up with AGM-114 missles...

You monster

[Paigan]

Raggedyman, on 27 April 2015 - 12:22 PM, said:

So we have sensors that can ID the damage on a mech, a floating cam for 3rd person view, UAVs, ECM, a million and one bits of assorted marvels of engineering and electronics blahblahblah

but
no rear-view mirror

Seriously? Did no-one think of putting a $100 camera and a £50 screen in the cockpit so we could see behind us when reversing the $100,000,000,000 walking-tank!?

Very random thought and undoubtadly not at the top of the to-do-list but the idea got stuck in my head so I thought I would share.

Took me a while to understand that myself:

Difference between realism (= complex, cumbersome, very strategical, diplomatical, etc etc) and a only half-way realistic, roughly plausible but fun game.
Having no rear mirror is a tactical element.

You can either live with it or join a real life army to get full realism.

I prefer the first one.