Getting across Akua on either motorcycle or the tutorial HV is unbearably frustrating mainly due to the large amount of small shrubs that stop vehicles as if they are large trees or in the case of the HV completely spins out of control on contact. Visually they do not appear to be an obstacle and should be trampled over hovered over but instead there is a collision and drops wood resource. Getting around to the mission points (Camp, Supply Bunker, etc) is far too arduous because of how frequently it happens.
I had a little difficulty with this when I started with HVs. If you fly in 1st person and take a little time to dodge things, and *very important* point the nose up a bit, maybe 10-15* you will cruise through most things.
That's really not the case I have been playing for over 1500 hours now I'm very aware HV can get over the steepest mountains and other obstacles but this has by far been worst experience when simply getting from point A to point B. Mind you I'm someone who even likes the motorcycle and have managed driving that just fine until now. I'll record a video later if necessary but I'd be surprised if other people aren't running into this issue.
The problem with the HV you get on the tutorial is that it uses the ground repulsor and not the hover engines, the hover can raise up to 2 meters while the GR can barely stay off the ground
Yes but even the ground repulsor HV at 2m, at least visually, still appears to clear many of the plants that it keeps colliding with so the hitbox for these small shrubs are much larger than the plant itself. I can get over rocks of the same size just fine. Visually they appear to be more like decorative grass than anything that would supply logs of wood so it would seem you can hover over them just fine when suddenly you're vehicle is sent into a dizzying and violent spin (I'm guessing due to the lightweight of starter HV) and inundated with the 'foraging wood' sound effect. Getting from point A to B in the starter HV makes me feel like a pinball getting smacked around. I am already seeing dozens of statements mentioning this issue so I'll leave it at that and will try to get pics/videos posted later today.
These things - Pleeeeease change their property so they are more like a fiber plant instead of a tree. Or make them actual trees. They may as well be landmines in it's current state.