K18 - Indicators, headlights and braking lights (ideas 70-74/176)

[Krzeszny]

Topic: Simple changes to the indicators system, engine and lights.


Short explanation (in notes):
1. Braking lights should turn on when braking with S (when driving backwards - with W).
2. Indicators should turn off when you start turning the opposite way.
3. Turning off indicators by pressing the mouse button on the opposite side as the indicator is (like in real cars). In other words, turn the right indicator on with RMB, turn it off with LMB.

Detailed description (why should it become added/...):
1. Obvious one. In real life you don't use the handbrake to slow down, so pressing spacebar is like braking hard, while pressing S (or W) is like braking lightly, except the latter doesn't activate braking lights. It's easy to fix, isn't it? Just coding an action to a button. Or at least it seems easy.
Additionally I've witnessed many people braking with the spacebar which is very dangerous, just because the braking light shows up - to warn people behind them, which is a paradox.
2. Seems extremely easy to code - right indicator turns off when you press +left, left indicator turns off when you press +right.
3. First of all, imagine how you turn indicators on and off in a real car. Tilt the lever clockwise (right) to turn on the indicator and vice versa. Tilt it counter-clockwise (left) from the right direction to turn it off. It's counter-intuitive to press the same button to turn an indicator off, so I suggest disabling it and replacing with turning right indicator off with LMB and left off with RMB.


Optional additions:
5. Faster indicators (3 cycles per 1 seconds instead of 2)
Reason: it's hard to notice someone using indicators because they blink so slowly.
6. Being able to turn the headlights on with the engine off.
Reason: when your car gets wrecked on the highway, hazard lights aren't enough. Besides that if it's possible in real life, why shouldn't it be possible here?

 

[JC Denton]

A good thing to add would be reversing lights to work when headlights aren't turned on.

 

[StephenPuffs]

1. Your client has no reason to know whether or not someone else is holding a specific key, in this case the S key. So while it may be possible to add, it also adds a fair bit to the server load. So it's more than simply "coding an action to a button" because you have to transmit your braking information to everyone else which can't be done from your client alone. Additionally, I don't know how much driving experience you have in real life but to say light braking doesn't turn on your brake lights isn't true. Have you ever been behind one of the drivers who constantly flash their brake lights while the road is clear? That's caused typically by someone driving an automatic transmission using one foot on the throttle and another on the brake, so they accidentally keep tapping the brake enough to trigger the lights but not necessarily slow down much if any.
2. Not only then do we have to track your key presses but we also need to know if you've made enough of a direction change to constitute turning off your indicator, and to me this hardly is worth adding because you're more than capable of turning off your indicator yourself.
3. Um, what kind of car have you ever driven? You can easily go from signalling one direction to switch signalling the other direction. The idea here on the server is fairly clear, left click toggles left indicator, right click toggles right indicator, so if you need to go from going left to going right, just press the right indicator. I think it's less straightforward to press the opposite way to turn off the indicator instead of switching to signalling that direction. If you find it still confusing, simply double click the opposite direction and it will fix your problem.
4. There is no #4
5. I don't find it hard to notice personally but it may be possible that we adjust the blink speed and a few other timed events regarding lights at some point.
6. I guess you're posting this without already testing it... Because this is already possible, not only that, but it's been possible since I remember adding it back in Evo City in 2013.

 

[Krzeszny]

@StephenPuffs
1. That was a misunderstanding. What I was trying to say that braking with S doesn't turn the braking light on. And Miami had a good idea to make it turn on even when the headlights lights are off (at least when pressing space).
2. I'm not talking about them turning off after making enough of a turn. I'm talking about turning off after just pressing the opposite key.

Anyway, is it a big problem to track key presses and bind an action to a key? The game already does it when you're turning, turning the indicators on and off etc. And if it is a problem, is it the same problem with each additional key to track or just generally to make the system work? Keep it in mind that I don't know Source works.

3. I had really hoped you would accept it.
In real cars you don't turn the indicators on and off with buttons. When the right indicator is on, you have to tilt the lever left to turn it off. When you move the lever left from the center or right positions, the left indicator turns on. To turn it off, tilt it right. That's why I think that in-game it's counter-intuitive. Switching from the one to the other indicator would be then about as easy as double clicking. I want it to be more like in real life and intuitive and it's the only way to make it like that. I'll add a poll to find out what drivers think about it.
You want me to press the other button to switch from the left to the right indicator. Ok. But first - it rarely ever happens that I need to immediately switch from one side indicator to another. Secondly - when I want to turn it off, I need to press the same button, which is counter-intuitive.
I just think that turning them off with the opposite button would make it better.
4. oops
5. Anyway, why are the indicators synced with the server? To make it lag the server less?
6. Never mind then.

 

[rogue]

I think it's fine as it is. Also, headlights do show if your vehicle is broken down. I think the best thing to do for now is to keep your distance from other cars to realise if they're slowing down or not. And the indicator idea is just pointless.