Sim Update 2 - Still nearly impossible to complete SAR hoists from cockpit view w/o assists.
According to the Changelog:
Search & Rescue – Hoist (Rotorcraft)
- Added target kneeling animation when on liferaft
- Changed area detection to start hoisting
- Changed hoist actions to improve mission’s flow
- Added dialogs when detecting the wrecked boat to remind that the objective is to find the lifeboat
- Fixed cabin service state after back on track during hoist
- Fixed hoist step not validating before leaving hover area
- Fixed back on track not teleporting the target
- Added visual feedback for hover area
- Added step to show rescuer proximity to target
These last two points are present, but from a gameplay point of view insufficient to make these hoist missions more realistic. Below my opinions:
1 - The massive blue zone around the liferaft
The blue circular zone around the liferaft serves no function in cockpit view. Once a stable hover above the target is achieved, it cannot be seen from the pilots seat (considering I am not on VR) Therefore it does not provide any reference to the current position.
For 3rd person view, it was unneccessary to begin with. Additionally, the massive blue circle is quite immersion breaking, but that is subjective.
2 - The rescuer proximity step
I do not understand how this bar works at all. It is static while approaching the patient and then ramps up only if the Rescuer is touching the patient. Thus, it does not provide any information while it is required during the approach, making it a useless addition.
The concept of heli hoist rescue requires a lot of skill not only from the pilot but from the hoist operator. They have to communicate the current position and status to the pilot so that the aircraft can be positioned to a suitable position in relation to terrain and patient. Since the hoist operator is missing, another way to indicate this is necessary to make these hoist missions playable.
Circling back to P1 and P2:
P1 is the equivalent of a hoist operator telling the pilot “hey, theres the target, look!”, which is good on approach, but useless in the final stages.
P2 is the equivalent of “We are ready to pull them up!”, which, once again, is good to know.
Without all the other information such as relative position to the target and altitude, these two callouts are without any value.
So please integrate a UI system that gives us these informations.
