66 replies to this topic

[Source Control]

Buttons are better; safer in a combat situation.

Imagine if a bee was let loose inside a cockpit equipped for natural user interface. The pilot would make the mech look like it's swatting off evil spirits and have gone mad. It might make the enemy pause for a moment to chuckle at the crazy mech dancing around, but that laughter would wear off quickly. :-)

Edited by Source Control, 07 February 2013 - 09:56 AM.

[merz]

Thontor, on 07 February 2013 - 09:49 AM, said:

Duing The Roman Empire, Western Europe had...

concrete. and then its secret was lost until we reverse-engineered it in the late 1800s.

Source Control, on 07 February 2013 - 09:55 AM, said:

Buttons are better; safer in a combat situation.

buttons are the only kind of interface military hardware had in the 80s. the aesthetic of this game's canon, though set in a far future, happens to originate in a time when touch interfaces or complex visualisation were as unfathomable to its creators as neural interfacing is to IS scientists in the early 3000's

Edited by merz, 07 February 2013 - 10:00 AM.

[FerretGR]

NitroDev, on 07 February 2013 - 07:56 AM, said:

We have touchscreens and stuff now, you'd think by 3050 they could come up with something other than all those switches, *****, buttons, and dials in a thousand years, right? I'm thinking Minority Report type interface by then, or maybe even something from District 9 where you have to put your hand in some bowl of goo or something to run your mech.

I have a job for you. Read up on the lore.

[Skylarr]

Some sale rep has you convinced that a touch screen would be the best thing for you in your cockpit. Is he going to be sitting in your cockpit and hand you the joystick that you will have to plug in because your touch screen went dead after you were hit by a PPC?

That must be the same sale rep that convince the Star League that the Urbanmech was the best mech for the CIty defense role.

[Trauglodyte]

NitroDev, on 07 February 2013 - 07:56 AM, said:

We have touchscreens and stuff now, you'd think by 3050 they could come up with something other than all those switches, *****, buttons, and dials in a thousand years, right? I'm thinking Minority Report type interface by then, or maybe even something from District 9 where you have to put your hand in some bowl of goo or something to run your mech.

Its not like we're carrying coffee in our cockpits that might spill on those switches/buttons after we hit a bump that causes leg damage (had to put that last part in there). I'm more concerned why it is that when I'm piloting my Awesome, I automatically turn into nothing but thumbs. Did I break my pointer finger getting into the cockpit?

[Tank]

Real men use buttons, I want to kick my control panel with a boot just to fire my gun and I want to see thing get blown to peaces in the end result.

[FerretGR]

NitroDev, on 07 February 2013 - 09:44 AM, said:

I knew I'd regret making this thread. You guys have fun with it, I'm out.

No need to get all angsty. We're not coming down on you, just telling you why you're wrong. This thread (or a version of it, ie. why do we have jumpships/giant mechs/lasers but no touchscreens/advanced guidance/energy shields) comes up often, and it wouldn't if people understood the lore. Instead of arguing your point, go to sarna.net and read up on what's being said; it'll be a lot less frustrating.

[pedropars]

Skylarr, on 07 February 2013 - 10:01 AM, said:

Some sale rep has you convinced that a touch screen would be the best thing for you in your cockpit. Is he going to be sitting in your cockpit and hand you the joystick that you will have to plug in because your touch screen went dead after you were hit by a PPC?

That must be the same sale rep that convince the Star League that the Urbanmech was the best mech for the CIty defense role.

Boy dont you talk **** about the Urbie...That´s the best mech ever!

[verybad]

NitroDev, on 07 February 2013 - 07:56 AM, said:

We have touchscreens and stuff now, you'd think by 3050 they could come up with something other than all those switches, *****, buttons, and dials in a thousand years, right? I'm thinking Minority Report type interface by then, or maybe even something from District 9 where you have to put your hand in some bowl of goo or something to run your mech.

Dials are a lot less vulnerable to EMP than touchscreens are, also easier to use when wearing gloves.

Also the Battletech Universe had a huge technology loss during the 250 years of Succession Wars.

[Skylarr]

pedropars, on 07 February 2013 - 10:38 AM, said:

Boy dont you talk **** about the Urbie...That´s the best mech ever!

I actually like the Urbie allot. As a city defender with heavy infantry, SRM and LRM carriersfor support the Urbie is nasty.

[Iwaslost]

F-22 Raptor. The most advanced fighter in use. Still has buttons and switches.

[topgun505]

Very nice pic Lost.

[CygnusX7]

Couldn't your mech be taken control of if by the enemy it was all "digital"?

Edited by CygnusX7, 07 February 2013 - 11:48 AM.

[Iwaslost]

CygnusX7, on 07 February 2013 - 11:47 AM, said:

Couldn't your mech be taken control of if by the enemy it was all "digital"?

Not necessarily. Actually probably not. They would need a way to access the systems which either means wiring a port directly into the system to upload a virus or something or gaining access through a wireless network which wouldn't make sense because why would you have a wireless network telling your legs to move and gun to shoot. And even then it really wouldn't be likely that you could tell it to do anything.

[Green Mamba]

Iwaslost, on 07 February 2013 - 10:49 AM, said:

F-22 Raptor. The most advanced fighter in use. Still has buttons and switches.

Oooooo did you mess up, NSA probably gonna pay you a visit as that Jet is Still highly Classified,Haha..Thanks for the Picture though

[Iwaslost]

Green Mamba, on 07 February 2013 - 01:40 PM, said:

Oooooo did you mess up, NSA probably gonna pay you a visit as that Jet is Still highly Classified,Haha..Thanks for the Picture though

Hope not I might end up working there.

[Herodes]

Buttons are eternal. Fancy touchy stuff is not for serious Mechwarriors.
Even nowadays, I prefer buttons. You press, it does something. No stoopid menu, no multi-clicks, just simple and reliable buttons. Good when adrenaline is high.

[Ilxuss]

Iwaslost, on 07 February 2013 - 10:49 AM, said:

F-22 Raptor. The most advanced fighter in use. Still has buttons and switches.

I just had the same idea - to post cockpit of some modern plane to show that buttons, switches and joysticks are still in use.

[Adrienne Vorton]

the lowtech flair is part of what makes this universe the mechwarrior universe...there is way enough hightech universes out there.... i like that special charme... i for my part am just happy that it´s not steampunk

[Budor]

Iwaslost, on 07 February 2013 - 10:49 AM, said:

F-22 Raptor. The most advanced fighter in use. Still has buttons and switches.

Lacks a bowl of goo!