Bring back Thargoids!

[SlickPBW]

Let’s be crystal clear. OP posted this:

Damaged starports with their panicky announcers and stressful time-limited and obstructed evacuation missions.

I said these don’t exist currently. There are no damaged stations with passenger evacuation missions currently. Someone can prove this wrong by posting a screenshot of a mission board showing the available missions, the station name and the current date/time. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

For others posting about derelict stations which were damaged by Thargoids, yes there are a small number of them, but they do not offer passenger evacuation missions like the OP wanted.

 

[CMDR-RIVEN]

Let’s be crystal clear. OP posted this:



I said these don’t exist currently. There are no damaged stations with passenger evacuation missions currently. Someone can prove this wrong by posting a screenshot of a mission board showing the available missions, the station name and the current date/time. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

For others posting about derelict stations which were damaged by Thargoids, yes there are a small number of them, but they do not offer passenger evacuation missions like the OP wanted.

Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Therinfluffs]

Let’s be crystal clear. OP posted this:



I said these don’t exist currently. There are no damaged stations with passenger evacuation missions currently. Someone can prove this wrong by posting a screenshot of a mission board showing the available missions, the station name and the current date/time. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

For others posting about derelict stations which were damaged by Thargoids, yes there are a small number of them, but they do not offer passenger evacuation missions like the OP wanted.

We traded so much content for a Powerplay map that has barely changed over almost 6 months (pp2.0 is just WoW dailies under the very thin disguise of a territory control game where not a single power can actually gain anything significant over another lol, they never will), a broken bgs, and the exciting colony gameplay of moving goods back and forth between stations and your carrier for infinity to get the wrong type of building because Fdev didn't assign them properly the 3rd time.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Let’s be crystal clear. OP posted this:



I said these don’t exist currently. There are no damaged stations with passenger evacuation missions currently. Someone can prove this wrong by posting a screenshot of a mission board showing the available missions, the station name and the current date/time. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

For others posting about derelict stations which were damaged by Thargoids, yes there are a small number of them, but they do not offer passenger evacuation missions like the OP wanted.

They do pop up every so often in Legacy. Something to do with running CGs for console achievements.

 

[Kira Goto]

impossible to solo

Actually… I totally haven’t beaten station conflict zones solo including a triple Hydra spawn at Jameson when the Thargoids gave it a side eye

But yes, made for good group content plus that one guy in the shard-a-Conda who keeps facehugging Thargoids and makes it almost impossible not to cause friendly fire and most people probably wouldn’t solo these AX CZs.

Similar for Barnacle fields with visiting thargoids.

Those are actually still there. Just like the Thargoids in the nebula regions. All you need is an “active” barnacle still producing meta-alloys.

(Oh, and the second mission needs Thargoid samples which are probably no longer available).

As above, you can still get those samples. Just need a research limpet controller and to go take one from an Interceptor in Pleiades or wherever else (as you would expect, they don’t like to be probed though).

Continuation of narrative hooks:

Quite simply… yes. I would hope for Frontier to have brought some writers back in after they fired most of them for cost-cutting reasons, but until we see more development of narrative arcs (both human and non-human, the former may have something in the works with these last two CGs), I’m going to stay away from hoping and more just… observing.

I also think colonizing might in some way set up for more Thargoid action - one of the things people didn’t much like about the war was its activity in unpopulated space (spires and Titan locations excepted), and having loads new populated system would ‘fix’ that - but we’ll see. I have a feeling things might get interesting after Cocijo set a precedent for Titan attacks deeper in human space… plus the spires are still sitting there, their end purpose unclear.

 

[SlickPBW]

They do pop up every so often in Legacy. Something to do with running CGs for console achievements.

Thanks. Interesting indeed. I never play in Legacy so I would never have run into this, but I'll keep it in mind. Although not stated, my statements above apply to the latest version of Odyssey.

 

[Jmanis]

As usual, FD taking too long to capitalise on their existing mechanics and any momentum they can gain.

 

[varonica]

PSA:

The war is over, the Thargoids have moved on, the human population is pining for the good old days of mass slaughter and kidnapping and possible bio-experiments.

The events described in this thread were unfortunately features of an active war between the Thargoids and Humans, why would they continue when the Thargoids have been defeated and driven out of the human bubble, leaving remnants for humans to pick over. The next lot of Thargoid content will no doubt be something entirely different and entirely up to FDEV when and how to implement.

End PSA

 

[V'larr]

There's been more than enough of them for the past 8 years. And they haven't left.

 

[Brrokk]

PSA:

The war is over, the Thargoids have moved on, the human population is pining for the good old days of mass slaughter and kidnapping and possible bio-experiments.

The events described in this thread were unfortunately features of an active war between the Thargoids and Humans, why would they continue when the Thargoids have been defeated and driven out of the human bubble, leaving remnants for humans to pick over. The next lot of Thargoid content will no doubt be something entirely different and entirely up to FDEV when and how to implement.

End PSA

Well yes, that's the in-game narrative. What I suggested was that the RL situation is that FD have built brilliant game assets which are presently unused. I think they could be beneficially put to use again just by providing narrative reasons.

E.g. we carry the fight to the Thargoids in the Orion nebula, or they attack again, or the pod people turn out to be their terrorists, or Salvation turns up again...

 

[Tifu]

E.g. we carry the fight to three Thargoids in the Orion nebula, or they attack again, or the pod people turn out to be their terrorists, or Salvation turns up again...

Let's hope it's not all 3

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Given the Scriveners turned up again who knows...

 

[varonica]

Well yes, that's the in-game narrative. What I suggested was that the RL situation is that FD have built brilliant game assets which are presently unused. I think they could be beneficially put to use again just by providing narrative reasons.

They could be used again true.

Narrative reasons? The problem is you have no idea what the narrative is! It's FDEV's game and FDEV's narrative, if they have something planned narrative wise that conflicts with your desired narrative guess which one takes priority. Basically, it's not your story, not your narrative, it's theirs, they get to continue the narrative however they want. If it means not re-using those assets, well that's their decision.

 

[Kira Goto]

Let's hope it's not all 3

You know there’s a thing about preparing for the worst case scenario. Not preparing for it was what got us the chaos which unfolded when the Titans arrived originally.

when the Thargoids have been defeated

I would argue that, maybe, we should first consider asking (ourselves or otherwise, not that the latter is possible currently, in this case) what the other side thinks before we unilaterally declare the war “over”. For all we know, the Titans being destroyed was nothing more than a small setback (if one at all) to the Thargoids, and they’re taking their time to plan out their next move with… whatever it was Cocijo came to Sol for. Frontier sure hinted at a purpose further than “Let’s wreck the place and give the annoying humans a scare”.

Of course, as you say, what and when is to be determined (I would hope they already have some idea though).

 

[Felix DiCestria]

You know there’s a thing about preparing for the worst case scenario. Not preparing for it was what got us the chaos which unfolded when the Titans arrived originally.

Well I did some assessment of sources of station repair commodities during the approach of the Stargoids, but that got superceded by the need to prepare for Live/Legacy split which I think would have been true for all console transferees.

 

[varonica]

what the other side thinks before we unilaterally declare the war “over”.

The war specifically referring to the invasion of the bubble, maybe I should have said battle, I am sure the Thargoids are out there waiting somewhere for humans to do something stupid again to attract their attention, like colonise too close to their home systems!

 

[varonica]

It won’t be long before they attack then

Well yes, but what form will it take, and how will players who have spent a lot of time and effort building out systems only to have them destroyed by thargoids express themselves in the forums, should be fun, a new forum game!

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

.

* Ground installations attacked by waves of Thargoids culminating in Hydras, impossible to solo and encouraging grouping.

I never got involved with the Thargoid war so I'm in no position to comment, but this point is something I can related to.

Sort of.

The ground installation thing would benefit from some on-foot content. Namely, fighting the Thargoids themselves i.e. not in their ships. There is scope for some really scary gameplay here and "Many Things" * could be included in that content.

* Not "Stranger" though; that's something else entirely

 

[Jmanis]

... Specifically, FD, bring back some of the amazing assets you've developed and which now aren't experienced by new players. These include:-

* Damaged starports with their panicky announcers and stressful time-limited and obstructed evacuation missions.

* Titans with the heat-vent-torpedoing activity and all sorts of caustic problems.

* Ground installations attacked by waves of Thargoids culminating in Hydras, impossible to solo and encouraging grouping.

* Spire sites with their unique salvage activities.

* Thargoid bases with their galaxy display (actually, I guess those are still there; some missions to activate the display and gather data could be good).

* Similar for Barnacle fields with visiting thargoids.

* Related Guardian sites and space installations, which are still there but now have no purpose.

* Ram Tah's missions: there's no way for new players to find these unless they happen to dock in the right place. Maybe revamp them? - Some guidance on what systems to go to; Obelisk displays which give clues but only fully activate when you approach with the right objects aboard; a credit buff to account for recent inflation? (Oh, and the second mission needs Thargoid samples which are probably no longer available).

* Narrative connections (missions) to Dav's Hope, crashed Thargoids and crashed Anacondas.

* Continuation of narrative hooks: the pod people; the Thargoid telepathy lady; what happened to Salvation; what's special about the Merope system; what the other system was in the Thargoid Probe message; what the final Thargoid message with the people-pyramid meant; tell new players where to get meta-alloys.

I know all this is work and would need to be given some narrative, but those were all great game experiences over the years and surely a pre-made asset is less expensive than new stuff. The development cash has already been spent; make more use of it.

The stage was ripe to open up Thargoid regions where these assets could continue to be engaged; even Titans too.

Now ironically... we're waiting for the return...

 

[Kira Goto]

Namely, fighting the Thargoids themselves i.e. not in their ships.

If they’ve been working on that, but I’m not sure they would be. And given the general (lack of) adeptness of the Odyssey AI, I’m also not convinced I’d like to see how derpy a live Thargoid in the game would (possibly) be.

and how will players who have spent a lot of time and effort building out systems only to have them destroyed by thargoids express themselves in the forums

Given how (a few) people took offense at Cocijo momentarily wrecking Archer’s Sol powerplay sphere and I recall there being some seething around the initial invasion wave messing with BGS [possibly wrongly?], there’d be some of that.

Me, well, I’d find it funny if a Titan came over to my colonized system with an ammonia world at star C of around 140k ls distance just for the troll factor. But a possible new Thargoid incursion is something that has me looking at building out those chain colonies at least a little too (plus giving people the opportunity to fight at surface stations since they’re the most popular). Although mine are potentially less liable to get the hammer unless the attacks focus on fringe colonies again, but I think that’d be less interesting than some mixups in the Bubble core.

(I also would prefer a return of Thargoids to the Bubble itself because you know, roleplay and stuff and that we caused the war so I wouldn’t go after our sometimes unfriendly space neighbors on their turf.)