Terrain can be frustrating, but flight is maybe too accessible

[Neen]

I often felt like I was cheesing the game a little when I completed most of the challenges I could with the Ore Hauler, which I unlocked with my friend pretty quickly. Jets have been very good, perhaps TOO good. I like when a game lets you bypass its challenges in creative ways, but I started pulling out the old Ore Hauler at the start of missions once I was a little frustrated, and I figure I skipped a lot of tough, but fun terrain navigation. I like having unlimited thrust to cruise over the landscape, but maybe some balance can be struck where I'm not boosting all the way from point A to point B without nearly as many obstacles. Wind/dust storms maybe??

EDIT: Thinking about it, some of the terrain I skipped over was very frustrating to climb. As a lot of other people have pointed out, a solution could be to make some of the terrain less frustrating instead of nerfing jets, which are pretty fun.

[Gob]

I got fed up with the driving very quickly, so getting the rockets meant I stuck with the game when I might otherwise have quit.

[Neen]

I agree with you on that. I wish the driving wasn't so much harder than flying. Some terrain will have you surrounded by steep cliffs and bumps from all sides and the easiest way through is just to fly. Hopefully there will be more added to actually be able to approach that kind of terrain.

[ZuphCud]

I desperately want some form of controllable flight. Not from the beginning of course. Make us work for the parts.

[Cynwraeth]

I posted on the early access forum the desire to see better suspension controls in the game, either through settings or (preferrably) through parts like springs, shocks, etc. Even using hydraulic cylinders as shocks would be nice if they had adjustable strength parameters. Would make traversing the terrain a lot more fun if you could build a rock crawler whose wheels never leave the ground.

[Gob]

Originally posted by ZuphCud:

I desperately want some form of controllable flight. Not from the beginning of course. Make us work for the parts.

Its not too hard to set something up for this, its just that there are no examples provided by the game and so its not obvious.
One way is to have a single rocket centrally mounted on two controlled swivelling parts set 90° apart. By assigning, say, the cursor keys to the parts you can angle the rocket forward/backwards and left/right to get some steering. It is crude compared to other games but its better than driving for ages over rough terrain.

[Neen]

Also, maybe driving would be extra satisfying if you could slowly build a big road like in Death Stranding. That's a pretty big effort to add, especially procedurally, but I really liked that in Death Stranding. Long-term progression of establishing a big central route that lets you get past some of the challenge while still having to go the last mile over terrain would be very fun.

[zxcv]

I have to agree that flying right now is too easy. I made a modified version of the ore hauler capable of controlled flight using 8 rocket engines, so far I've been able to complete every contract with it or with a slightly modified version of it, so it seems pretty op.

Maybe there could be a fuel requirement for longer flights or some kind of a cooldown system for the rockets to make them more balanced. I also noticed that there seems to be automatic stabilization when using rockets which makes flying with them significantly easier, removing that would make them more challenging to use.

[Neen]

One more little papercut I had with terrain navigation: It can be hard to tell how steep the terrain in front of you is due to the shader on the terrain. I often times hit a rough patch of terrain that was invisible from one angle (terrain was a totally flat color with no lines) and upon turning the camera, saw that there was a ditch the size of one of my wheels that I was running into.

[Devil Dog]

Originally posted by zxcv:

I have to agree that flying right now is too easy. I made a modified version of the ore hauler capable of controlled flight using 8 rocket engines, so far I've been able to complete every contract with it or with a slightly modified version of it, so it seems pretty op.

Maybe there could be a fuel requirement for longer flights or some kind of a cooldown system for the rockets to make them more balanced. I also noticed that there seems to be automatic stabilization when using rockets which makes flying with them significantly easier, removing that would make them more challenging to use.

Can u guys post screen caps of your builds? I added those swivel things to some rockets and only got flipping end over end.

[zxcv]

Originally posted by Devil Dog:

Can u guys post screen caps of your builds? I added those swivel things to some rockets and only got flipping end over end.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2995643002
Here is one variation of my flying machine. Each rocket has it's own keybind that can be used to turn and rotate the vehicle. No swivels are needed. It's also important to pay attention to the placement of the rockets, so that they deliver thrust in the right spots.

[A-Space-Turkey]

I mean, that's good. Right?
Very accessible to those who enjoy flight.
Too accessible for you? You can choose to not fly. :)

[TheBlueBomber343]

Originally posted by A-Space-Turkey:

I mean, that's good. Right?
Very accessible to those who enjoy flight.
Too accessible for you? You can choose to not fly. :)

Having to choose not to take the obvious best option in a game all about solving challenges just because it's TOO good is just... Not fun. It really can ruin the experience.

But if that's unconvincing, let me give you an example as to why it's a problem. See, while jets stay in this current state, most players are left with 2 options:

1. I can not use it, which basically means I'm missing out on a part of the game that could be a fun end-game goal if balanced correctly.

2. I use it and obliterate most of the challenge the game has to offer.

[Illuminia]

I've tried to use rover designs for a lot of the game so far, but the fact that there is only one speed ("fast and slippery") - and the fact that any tiny little bump or slight hill that causes 1 wheel to lose traction and immediately spin you out - makes driving so frustrating.

If we had some sort of suspension, traction control system, or a manual gear shift - it would make a huge difference in driving ability.
Lower gear for more torque and lower speed? Yes, please!

The actual Mars Rovers aren't trying to drive Fast and Furious on Mars - so why is that the only option for the rovers?
It leaves me constantly tapping keys to try and drive "slower".

.... I eventually just gave up and am starting to build rocket-powered vehicles for everything instead. :(

[Devil Dog]

Originally posted by Illuminia:

I've tried to use rover designs for a lot of the game so far, but the fact that there is only one speed ("fast and slippery") - and the fact that any tiny little bump or slight hill that causes 1 wheel to lose traction and immediately spin you out - makes driving so frustrating.

If we had some sort of suspension, traction control system, or a manual gear shift - it would make a huge difference in driving ability.
Lower gear for more torque and lower speed? Yes, please!

The actual Mars Rovers aren't trying to drive Fast and Furious on Mars - so why is that the only option for the rovers?
It leaves me constantly tapping keys to try and drive "slower".

.... I eventually just gave up and am starting to build rocket-powered vehicles for everything instead. :(

All of this + there's a lot of snapping with the lifting, pulling, rotating and pushing parts. I spend more time struggling with something in a claw, fork or hook than building a rover because the adjoining parts snap into place with way too much force.

[Devil Dog]

Originally posted by zxcv:

Here is one variation of my flying machine. Each rocket has it's own keybind that can be used to turn and rotate the vehicle. No swivels are needed. It's also important to pay attention to the placement of the rockets, so that they deliver thrust in the right spots.

Ok how did u manage to get all of those rockets plus the jaws and looks like a servo motor on separate channels? I hate that there's only 9 channels, but didn't u run out?