ship interiors - will they happen

[DjVortex]

A thought came to my mind. Probably I'm not the first one to think this, but anyway.

Perhaps they will never implement full on ship interiors where you can walk everywhere inside the ship (corridors, captain's quarters, passenger cabins, exit ramp door...), but maybe one day they will allow us to stand up in the cockpit and walk around (at least for ships where the cockpit is large enough for this)? Also would allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship.

The Panther Clipper Mk2 looks like it's screaming for this to become a possibility, given its ginormous command deck.

The big advantage is that this would require only extremely minimal work from the developers, and thus would likely be well within their time and resources to do.

 

[Frankymole]

A thought came to my mind. Probably I'm not the first one to think this, but anyway.

Perhaps they will never implement full on ship interiors where you can walk everywhere inside the ship (corridors, captain's quarters, passenger cabins, exit ramp door...), but maybe one day they will allow us to stand up in the cockpit and walk around (at least for ships where the cockpit is large enough for this)? Also would allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship.

The Panther Clipper Mk2 looks like it's screaming for this to become a possibility, given its ginormous command deck.

The Cutter has plenty of room too.

But I can't see "allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship" amusing for more than 5 minutes.

 

[DjVortex]

But I can't see "allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship" amusing for more than 5 minutes.

If that was the standard, then half of the game wouldn't have been developed at all.

 

[thistle]

A thought came to my mind. Probably I'm not the first one to think this, but anyway.

Perhaps they will never implement full on ship interiors where you can walk everywhere inside the ship (corridors, captain's quarters, passenger cabins, exit ramp door...), but maybe one day they will allow us to stand up in the cockpit and walk around (at least for ships where the cockpit is large enough for this)? Also would allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship.

The Panther Clipper Mk2 looks like it's screaming for this to become a possibility, given its ginormous command deck.

The big advantage is that this would require only extremely minimal work from the developers, and thus would likely be well within their time and resources to do.

Yeah it's been suggested, it would seem like the simple solution to give the 'let me decorate my cockpit' crowd the basic legs functionality without creating huge ship interiors for every deck. But it still raises the same complications when it comes to when this would be available - simple if when landed. A different more complex challenge for ships in flight as we currently are functionally THE ship in flight.

 

[MUTILADOR]

Ah yes interesting that, the fact is though we don't know whether any of the people voting on reddit actually play the game, there are plenty of instances of votes being skewed due to manipulation by certain parties. This is one of the reasons votes on social media platforms aren't taken seriously by anyone, manipulation by bots or just by biased groups is far to easy.

Are you trying to imply that ship interiors aren't the most requested feature by Elite players for years? I've been visiting the Frontier forum for a couple of years, and without a doubt, the most requested feature on this forum, as well as on "all" forums that talk about Elite, is ship interiors.

 

[varonica]

Are you trying to imply that ship interiors aren't the most requested feature by Elite players for years? I've been visiting the Frontier forum for a couple of years, and without a doubt, the most requested feature on this forum, as well as on "all" forums that talk about Elite, is ship interiors.

The same few people asking over and over again doesn't equate to the most requested feature by most players, just the most frequent repeated request by a few players, I dare say there are more people who want thicker atmosphere worlds, but they just don't spam the forums endlessly with the same request.

 

[Rat Catcher]

I've been visiting the Frontier forum for a couple of years, and without a doubt, the most requested feature on this forum, as well as on "all" forums that talk about Elite, is ship interiors.

I've been here for a while too.

The most requested 'feature' by far, popping up altogether too often in various guises, until it was moved to its own megathread, has been for 'Open Only' with benefits for those participating in such (or just making it the only mode).

Just like ship interiors there are only a small number of forum members making the noise, but likely more names than those asking for interiors over the years.

 

[amigacooke]

The same few people asking over and over again doesn't equate to the most requested feature by most players, just the most frequent repeated request by a few players, I dare say there are more people who want thicker atmosphere worlds, but they just don't spam the forums endlessly with the same request.

Is it the same people asking again and again?

Ship Interiors - Why Can't We Have It? - Jul 3, 2025 - Apollo Cochrane
Ship interiors - Jun 5, 2025 - Lordbot3
Ship Interiors - Dec 17, 2024 - Morgaming
ship interiors - will they happen - May 25, 2024 - Woakes
A Letter to David Braben: Remembering the Dream - Jul 7, 2025 - RSFX
Non-Lethal Mechanics - Feb 26, 2025 - Suraru

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Are you trying to imply that ship interiors aren't the most requested feature by Elite players for years? I've been visiting the Frontier forum for a couple of years, and without a doubt, the most requested feature on this forum, as well as on "all" forums that talk about Elite, is ship interiors.

do you think? I mean dont get me wrong i would love ship interiors (with some gameplay associated with them of course - Design Decision Forum had features for them.

but most requested? more than dense atmosheric landings inc ELWs, WWs and flying through gas giants, EVA with ship salvage (which does share some cross over with ship interiors but not necessarily the same thing, or thargoid on foot combat, or a better functioning game economy, fleshing out the exobiology or ground combat with more content......?

I dunno..............

Personally i am at the point that i am less bothered about what major feature we get next..... i just hope we get one (in the form of a proper expansion so can be given the love it would deserve - I dont think we will get it now. imo the core of the game is too old and - whilst i do not know... i suspect there are not enough invested in the game any more to justify a paid expansion for a pushing 11 year old titlethat hasnt have any expansions for what....... 5 years?

 

[zimms]

A thought came to my mind. Probably I'm not the first one to think this, but anyway.

Perhaps they will never implement full on ship interiors where you can walk everywhere inside the ship (corridors, captain's quarters, passenger cabins, exit ramp door...), but maybe one day they will allow us to stand up in the cockpit and walk around (at least for ships where the cockpit is large enough for this)? Also would allow us to walk to and sit down on another of the seats in a multi-seater ship.

The Panther Clipper Mk2 looks like it's screaming for this to become a possibility, given its ginormous command deck.

The big advantage is that this would require only extremely minimal work from the developers, and thus would likely be well within their time and resources to do.

I kinda disagree, that doesn't sound like "minimal work". Rather, it sounds like doing most of the work and then stopping before the finish line.

If they do all the hard work and making walking inside a moving ship possible, they can also reuse some assets to create a few more corridors.

While I can see that the "immersion" aspect alone would be enough for a lot of people, I think gameplay is still absolutely mandatory.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Perhaps what FDev need to do is have a button, similar to disembarking, that sends you to a separate interior cell. People could wander around in there and have a button or two to repair stuff, a button to exit down the stairs to go outside and maybe some other buttons that replicate some of the cockpit functions.

Job done, "promise" kept. Still at the expense of something with some actual gameplay, but then they could move on with ship interiors being delivered.

 

[Frankymole]

Are you trying to imply that ship interiors aren't the most requested feature by Elite players for years? I've been visiting the Frontier forum for a couple of years, and without a doubt, the most requested feature on this forum, as well as on "all" forums that talk about Elite, is ship interiors.

Atmospheric worlds are more desired, in my experience.

 

[Frankymole]

do you think? I mean dont get me wrong i would love ship interiors (with some gameplay associated with them of course - Design Decision Forum had features for them.

What "Design Decision Forum"?
How do you mean "had features for them"? Suggestions?
Sounds like ancient history...

 

[PilotB]

but then they could move on with ship interiors being delivered.

We both know that if they do that it wouldn't reduce the amount of screaming for new interiors from fan(boys/girls/sidewinders). It's likely to increase the screaming. See colonisation the failed attempt at base building or Odyssey the partial attempt at on foot. There's no benefit to FDev doing it. They do work and still get yelled at constantly for more.

 

[zimms]

Obviously coming up with the worst implementation imaginable just to be able to say "promise kept" won't find a lot of love.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Obviously coming up with the worst implementation imaginable just to be able to say "promise kept" won't find a lot of love.

With no new gameplay potential, nothing will. It's all about ticking a box at this stage.

 

[Lukaz_Chrom]

With no new gameplay potential, nothing will. It's all about ticking a box at this stage.

Ship Repair

And in the same breath:

I can currently do that from the warmth and comfort of my ship.

Well then please enlighten me,
how exactly do I fully repair my Power Plant, damaged for example from refuel-overheating while exploring the unknown >1000Ly away from the next landing pad ?
Oh yeah that's right ... you can't
But why bother with such trivialities if we can instead hate on Ship Interiors right

PS:
IDEALLY, it should not be limited to the Power Plant ofc, even though that would already do in terms of guranteeing replayability.
There are core-components every Ship has, such as sensors, distributor, etc.
It is probably too much to ask to be allowed to repair EVERY module (absolutely possible but likely not within their budget [happy to be surprised ofc <D])
but the core internal modules should ideally all be repairable and that would be absolutely doable for FDev.
+ An AFMU is a very fine module indeed, but perhaps it would be nice if we could save a slot ;D
OR at the very least allow us to repair the AFMU itself so we don't have to have 2 of them XD

Ship Repair is a very real answer to the question of "what gameplay would it have", but this answer is all too often conveniently forgotten by certain people

 

[Arioch]

What "Design Decision Forum"?
How do you mean "had features for them"? Suggestions?
Sounds like ancient history...

This was a reward level from the Kickstarter - the Design Decision Forum (later changed to Design Discussion Forum) was a detailed breakdown of all gameplay mechanics proposed/presented by FDev and then bounced around by the backers and devs.

It’s the reason we have SuperCruise instead of point-to-point jumping for system traversal.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Ship Repair

And in the same breath:

Well then please enlighten me,
how exactly do I fully repair my Power Plant, damaged for example from refuel-overheating while exploring the unknown >1000Ly away from the next landing pad ?
Oh yeah that's right ... you can't
But why bother with such trivialities if we can instead hate on Ship Interiors right

PS:
IDEALLY, it should not be limited to the Power Plant ofc, even though that would already do in terms of guranteeing replayability.
There are core-components every Ship has, such as sensors, distributor, etc.
It is probably too much to ask to be allowed to repair EVERY module (absolutely possible but likely not within their budget [happy to be surprised ofc <D])
but the core internal modules should ideally all be repairable and that would be absolutely doable for FDev.
+ An AFMU is a very fine module indeed, but perhaps it would be nice if we could save a slot ;D
OR at the very least allow us to repair the AFMU itself so we don't have to have 2 of them XD

Ship Repair is a very real answer to the question of "what gameplay would it have", but this answer is all too often conveniently forgotten by certain people

imo the AFMU was initially put in there as a bandaid to get past the missing features in the game at launch. unfortunately it has been in the game so long now and (some) players would scream bloody murder if their 1 button press to fix everything was suddently swapped out with something more complex so, for multiple reasons i doubt FD would dare change it now.

mind you i could be wrong, they did change the detailed surface scanner......... but i am not holding my breath

 

[Capt. Hook]

would be lovely if they could add the procedural magic enjoyed in the other Frontier game, Standed Alien Dawn, to the planets in ED : Possibility

I would take that over ship insides, just saying