Elite Dangerous | System Colonisation Beta Details & Feedback

[Neestar]

quick ( minor ) feedback for @Paul_Crowther ... There is a very minor spelling-mistake ( extra letter ) within the ingame Codex--->System Colonisations-->System Architect page , on the 2nd paragraph 1st word there are 2 'S's by mistake ( so it shows "SSystems" instead of "System" ) .

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Also, for all CMDRs: i haven't seen this particular detail posted yet ( maybe i missed it within 33 pages + 2 sticky threads ) and i haven't personally begun any Colonisation attempts yet, so pardon my newbness... But has anyone noticed you have to now assign a NEW 'fire group' called SC-Suite within panel-4 on all ships?

 

[Kort]

Man, this CMM Composite thing needs to be sorted out properly. Apparently the quantities have gone up but I've visited 8 systems and still only have 231 tons of the stuff.
This is not viable.
I'm building a Coriolis solo and as long as the availability is there it's no problem to shift the materials. That I don't mind. I delivered over a third of the steel last night alone so it's totally doable. If the availability is there.

I am also building solo and I can't find enough of the CMM's either. The amounts at each location I find in Inara are either too small or they are already gone.

 

[Ameeleean2]

I want to try out this feature but I'm repelled by the prospect of making many, many, many... many runs within short time limit with my cutter to deliver materials which appear to be in shortage atm. I do not want to make a claim just to find out I cannot deliver goods due to real life time constrains and in-game market shortage so my own attempt will have to wait until I have enough time.

I also think this is done not exactly as it should be imho.

What we should get 1st is ability to use fleet carriers to supply colonization ships in more direct way- and I do not mean manually hopping between station and carrier in the same system- what I think is we should get an option to use fleet carrier cargo space in market menu as long as fleet carrier is in the same system. Once exchange on market interface is done carrier would be prohibited from leaving system until goods are transferred. The same mechanics can be used to deliver goods from fleet carrier to colonization ship.

The second change I would make is to allow paying more for a claim in exchange of "deluxe" option of having premade prefab factory station deployed in system, capable of manufacturing goods from alternate materials including raw minerals mined by players (or surface mining outposts).

Another issue I have that considerably lowers my interest in this feature is colonization range. Bubble seems to be crowded with system claims atm. I have visited two systems at the edge of bubble to see if there are claims available and it turned out they are but... I had troubles leaving those systems due to constant disconnects- I can only assume that happened due to increased traffic. I would like to have an option to pay a lot more for raising colonization range a lot further (maybe hundreds of ly) by hiring special colonization megaship which would deploy the same factory outpost used in deluxe system claim option. There can be additional limitations like having high enough exploration/trading rank or limited number of ships available to hire per week- rights to use each of those ships once could be granted after winning weekly auction. If even this is too much right to participate in such auctions can be obtained by participating in special community goals.

 

[JohnDow]

does this mean i cant start building the rest as well?

It doesn’t allow you. Guess it is bugged or smthing. Like, I mean… You can click on a green spot with a “+” icon, select what you wanna build, but after that nothing simply shows up( where to deliver materials, etc.)

 

[T3chnation]

I am also building solo and I can't find enough of the CMM's either. The amounts at each location I find in Inara are either too small or they are already gone.

squads are starting to stockpile on their FC's

 

[JohnDow]

It doesn’t allow you. Guess it is bugged or smthing. Like, I mean… You can click on a green spot with a “+” icon, select what you wanna build, but after that nothing simply shows up( where to deliver materials, etc.)

Oh and after relogging it starts to tell you to finish primary starport and everything becomes gray. So weird

 

[BDelacroix]

I am also building solo and I can't find enough of the CMM's either. The amounts at each location I find in Inara are either too small or they are already gone.

Did you start out trying to build a big station?
I'm finding it will be about 10 runs for all the cmm I need for a commercial outpost and places with plenty to fill the hold are scattered all around me.

 

[Ian Fleming]

Oh and after relogging it starts to tell you to finish primary starport and everything becomes gray. So weird

When i finished my outpost earlier it allowed me to start building stuff in which i placed a refinery hub on a planet. It told me i had to leave so i logged off, when i logged back on i had no ability to keep building stuff. Now there is a construction pad on the planet i can bring stuff too. i wonder what will happen if i finish it before thursday though..

 

[JohnDow]

When i finished my outpost earlier it allowed me to start building stuff in which i placed a refinery hub on a planet. It told me i had to leave so i logged off, when i logged back on i had no ability to keep building stuff. Now there is a construction pad on the planet i can bring stuff too. i wonder what will happen if i finish it before thursday though..

Whoa… I didn’t even get a chance to see the construction site( Nothing just appeared(((.

 

[Ian Fleming]

Here is a photo i took of it, it takes about 9k or so total to build, i may try and finish this before thursday and see what happens. though i feel like we should be allowed to construct stuff once the main port is done

Whoa… I didn’t even get a chance to see the construction site( Nothing just appeared(((.

 

[Rip_Steakface]

Strongly recommend NOT leaving any ship on the constuction megaship when construction completes.
Especially if logged off and another commander finishes construiton efforts.

View attachment 418581

Ouch, hope they'll sort this out for you!

Do stations get finished automatically once all the materials are delivered? Or does the architect has to activate the station in some way?

What about the local colonization contact, will they be there automatically once a station is finished?

 

[Ian Fleming]

Ouch, hope they'll sort this out for you!

Do stations get finished automatically once all the materials are delivered? Or does the architect has to activate the station in some way?

What about the local colonization contact, will they be there automatically once a station is finished?

From what was said it becomes "active" on the thursday tick, before that its still in a reduced state, inside its all dark (minus 1 apex interstellar person who will fly you places.) the colonization contact is there from completion so someone else could use it to spring off the completion

 

[Factabulous]

The Construction Points system is too opaque.

You get told what points you get from building something (if you look, I can't say I did), but don't get told how many points you need to build something new until you hit the very final step of the deployment process

I hadn't gone that far so only found out I can't actually build ant T2 / T3 locations after I had already built a couple of locations (there are only 3 locations in my first system, so I should never have even started)

Would be good if the first stage of the construction wizard would tell you how many points required / earned for each level so at least I would have known that points are important.

Or else ditch the points - making people build low level stuff just so they can build more complex stuff is going to end up with a lot of trash being built.

I just worked out - and I think I need to build 18 T1 outposts / installations and 6 T2 Coriolis/asteroid bases in order to get the points to build a single Ocellus / Orbis. Or just build one when I claim the system, but have no control over where it goes. Being able to earn extra points without building junk might be better? And allow us to remove things we don't want.

Otherwise good job - fun mechanic

 

[JoeShmo33]

@Paul_Crowther can you please relay the information to the devs that the CMM composites is very annoying to get and that even a 4k for a small outpost is too much it should be 10% of that for all requirements and please just inform the devs they did a great job. The CMM numbers are just too little and take too long to restock across most stations. If the goal is to have fun and engaging gameplay ... this is not it.

 

[Ian Fleming]

The Construction Points system is too opaque.

You get told what points you get from building something (if you look, I can't say I did), but don't get told how many points you need to build something new until you hit the very final step of the deployment process
View attachment 418596

I hadn't gone that far so only found out I can't actually build ant T2 / T3 locations after I had already built a couple of locations (there are only 3 locations in my first system, so I should never have even started)

Would be good if the first stage of the construction wizard would tell you how many points required / earned for each level so at least I would have known that points are important.

Or else ditch the points - making people build low level stuff just so they can build more complex stuff is going to end up with a lot of trash being built.

I just worked out - and I think I need to build 18 T1 outposts / installations and 6 T2 Coriolis/asteroid bases in order to get the points to build a single Ocellus / Orbis. Or just build one when I claim the system, but have no control over where it goes. Being able to earn extra points without building junk might be better? And allow us to remove things we don't want.

Otherwise good job - fun mechanic

T2 installations give T3 points as well and are cheaper then starports. Also installtions and planet stuff are not "junk" its meant so that you cant just spam T2/3 starports and cheese the economy.

 

[aRJay]

Thanks for the reply! Are there any plans of enabling colonization in the region? Maybe after fine tuning. etc. By the way Colonia region w\o colonization even sounds oddly. Star density is much better, than in old bubble indeed, and Colonia bridge will route to growing region, not a small village, the area is now

Probably, once it is out of ‘beta’.

 

[Mile 13 Gaming]

That would be nice. I could send an o7 to anyone with a kind heart that helps me build.

Right?

 

[HvyHauler]

The new boost in CMM Composite availability is still not enough. Systems started with 800+, dropping to 80-120 every 10 minutes.

Give those workers some overtime pay to increase productivity!

 

[Yewdale]

Having done the grind for 2 days now and made really good progress: gathering the materials to make a facility after we make a claim seems wrong.

FDev have to keep a limit on the speed of expansion (none of us want to loose our open unexplored galaxy) and they need to keep a lid on how long a player can 'lock' a system for with a deployed colonisation ship. But the way they have done it leaves the large majority of the player base (those playing alone or in very small groups) with tediously intensive grind if they ever want to create an orbital station with a large landing pad. It shouldn't take less materials, it shouldn't be done faster, it shouldn't be possible for a player to lock a system for longer and organised groups should progress faster... but it should not be mind numbing repetitious gameplay either.

We might instead gather materials before hand, at leisure, and store them at a new warehouse station in a 1-per-player warehouse contact, perhaps for months. These stations wouldn't have a marketplace of course, moving materials from 1 column to another would be cheating. Groups could contribute to Squadron or Friend warehouses and forge ahead. When ready we might then make a claim somewhere and order it all put onto a colonisation ship and sent to our claimed beacon and start a 1 or 2 week build cycle. Players could even choose the station / settlement type at the time of arriving at the beacon as long as the requisite materials were present. Even better, having loaded it up over time, we wouldn't have to unload it. It would 'be' the colonisation ship. The ship would only ever be able to be moved once, and that would be the time it's sent to a claim beacon.

If we gathered materials first groups would still have faster development and expansion, groups could still build more than 1 station in a system at once, those who relish the grind could still grind it out but also players with busy lives could still take part (albeit much much more slowly) without locking themselves in the basement

 

[Ezekil n Amai]

Still not enough CMM composites. I can't say if it's because of the hype or just because there aren't enough of them yet, but... They still need to increase in generation speed. Waiting for the sake of waiting is exhausting.