Is it just me or have other people realised that this isn't the 16th of December yet?

[StayFrosty]

Except they're doing it wrong.

It's been said time and time again, but the paint jobs are overpriced.

I'd like to add something to this: they completely failed their implementation of microtransactions, but the merchandise is spot on. This is one of the rare times in my life where I considered getting a video game related tshirt, and I may just buy it this evening, and I might order more than one.

Could they maybe finance the game by selling tshirts?

 

[Badd Mongo]

Well you can actually see your tank in this game, and there are well enough players around you to see it too, obviously it's of an entirely different value than a paint job for a ship you can only see on the outfitting screen, and that other players will rarely ever see because they're nowhere to be seen.

And then, WoT camo sets start at $0.14, you can still earn them from playing the game, and even then, you at least have a couple free ones to choose from. As it stands in Elite: Dangerous, the only way to get skins is to pay them with real money.

You are only going to get camo sets for $0.14 if you are buying them for a tier 1 noob tank. Camo sets for a standard Tier 8 cost 200 Gold and for a full set of camo for any one tank you need to buy the different winter, summer and desert versions for a total of 600 gold. 600 gold is worth about 2.50 which incidentally is the same price as most of the paint packs in the Elite: Dangerous store.

Agree that it would be better if you could admire the paintjob on your ship from the outside, but plenty of people will still probably still buy them anyway because they care about how they appear to others.

 

[StuartGT]

Really ? I'd say that 7/10 is a very good game, which in current state ED is simply not mainly because it's not really a game yet tbh. For an outsider (I consider myself an outsider as I never played any elite game before) this looks more like a Space Engine. Seriously. There very few actual gameplay features in it right now.
The Civ5 comparison doesn't work either. I enjoyed Civ5 quite a lot after launch. The 7/10 for that game was accurate IMHO. It was a very good game. As for ED in it's current state (never mind the bugs, just the actual game) I would rate it 4/10 and that's mostly for the nice graphics and sound.

Absolutely agree with post #30:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64910&page=2&p=1088190&viewfull=1#post1088190
+ what countless many have said about the lack of features and gameplay in the general and gamma forums

Cheers for the reply

The 7/10 for me is where I find ED at now, in comparison to the previous Elites all of which I lost countless hours to. ED has around 90% of the features (awaiting: more missions, ships and planetary landings) that made Frontier:FE superb for me, and some parts (combat & in-system travel) are already huge improvements. This niche - former Elite & Frontier players - are ED's target audience, and I'm guessing that many are very happy (excluding the offline issue of course) and eager to see the new things to come over the next 18-36 months.

To me Civ V is a good analogy, as I chose to go back to playing Civ IV about a quarter way into my first Civ V playthrough - there just wasn't the featureset I'd expected after the brilliance of IV+expansions. Now with BNW & the latest updates Civ IV doesn't get a look in, V trumps it in every way. Ergo I'll be waiting a year or so before getting Beyond Earth while the in-game systems are improved and tweaked.

Either way, each to their own, but it's always good to find a fellow Civ player

It's safe to say not everyone will enjoy ED. Kinda like a Marmite thing (which I hate). If you get chance try out Frontier:FE, and you'll see how the gameplay formula has evolved, yet follows the same path.

 

[ste]

6 months ago..

Frontier 'Hi guys how would you like an early taste of Elite, be a part of the development process and help us look for bugs so the finished game can be as good as possible?'
Beta Testers 'Love to.... wait a minute.... this game feels unfinished, it lacks content, it should be finished now, so says wiki, and how an I suppose to grind with all these bugs, I hope my stats dont get wiped.'
Frontier 'yeah, but we are adding content as we go, and will continue too long after release, this is the development process'
Beta Tester 'yeah, but it feels unfinished and bugs are seriously putting me off'
Frontier 'We know, you are suppose to be helping us look for them, not praying you dont find any '
Beta Tester 'Yeah I know, but how am suppose to grind in these conditions'
Frontier 'It doesnt matter about grinding because its testing, everything will be wiped'
Beta tester 'Yeah I know, but I think I think I should keep my stats'
Frontier 'I dont think your really listening to a word I say'
Beta Tester ' I sure am, you tried to sell me a duff unfinished product and now I demand a refund'


People have been complaining that the game felt unfinished since pre summer, when it was clearly an unfinished product, thats the mentality of some of the people who bought the beta.

I have never heard anything as stupid as some of the complaints we have had about bugs, and missing features and lost grind in a game clearly still in the process of being developed. Its been completely ridiculous.

And Frontier have admitted it still wont be finished by the 16th yet either, and yet people are still puzzled that the game feels unfinished months before then.

If they couldnt get their head round the fact that the beta is an unfinished product, they certainly arent going to understand when the game releases and still isnt finished.

 

[Pille]

So guys, what's the excuse going to be on the 16th?
We can't use "IT'S BETA!" or "IT'S GAMMA!" anymore once it's released.

Are we going for "IT'S ONLY JUST RELEASED!"?
Should hold us over for a month or two.

Features missing, broken or only barebones?
It's still Alpha, wait for Beta! It's still Beta, wait for Gamma! It's still Gamma, wait for Release!
On December 16th: It's still Release 1.0, wait for Updates!
Next year: Wait for Expansions! Buy DLC!
Don't worry, just keep repeating your new mantra: "a game like this is never 'finished'"

 

[Glock_17]

As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
There are some really good points in the game atm and also some really lacking ones. So what would the score be where people also base their purchase on? 7/10?

I think we all agree that the foundation that has been laid so far is pretty decent. But also that its basically only that, a foundation.
The graphics, sounds design, flight, fight and trade mechanics are all in decent working order and all together they create a good atmosphere to the game.

But .... The reputation system is odd, it works counter intuitive to say the least. (as in killing a criminal with a 20k bounty can loose you rep from the main faction who issues the bounty ..... )
The missions feel like 13 in a dozen.
I stil feel that the chosen communication system is a missed chance.
Exploration and mining stil need some love to make them interesting carreer choices.
Unless you get a lucky starting point it can take you hours to find even the most basic upgrades to very common ships.

I really hope FD makes me eat my own words and pulls a rabbit out the hat at the release.

 

[ste]

Its going to have a negative effect releasing on the 16th and calling it 'the release'.

Reviewers will review it as a finished product, and down mark it for seemingly lacking features.
New buyers are going to be even more confused that a finished game still seems unfinished than old players were with a beta.

They should have kept with what I thought they were originally going to do...

Release the game on the 16th but label it a Gamma still. Like they said they were going to do, a prolonged public release gamma like minecraft, and make it clear that its still unfinished with content and features still to come.

When people are expecting a finished game and are not getting one it will be even worse in here than it is now.

I think it would have made a big difference. Not that it worked during the beta like

 

[StayFrosty]

You are only going to get camo sets for $0.14 if you are buying them for a tier 1 noob tank. Camo sets for a standard Tier 8 cost 200 Gold and for a full set of camo for any one tank you need to buy the different winter, summer and desert versions for a total of 600 gold. 600 gold is worth about 2.50 which incidentally is the same price as most of the paint packs in the Elite: Dangerous store.

Agree that it would be better if you could admire the paintjob on your ship from the outside, but plenty of people will still probably still buy them anyway because they care about how they appear to others.

Still doesn't change the point: entry price is much, much, much, much lower, and you can still get them without paying money, two key elements we have yet to see in Elite: Dangerous, yet this is how microtransactions work: bait people with very low transactions they won't mind paying, but there's neither low transactions nor any free bait paint jobs to tempt you to get more.

 

[macneisd]

Disclaimer: I am one of those who rather likes the game even as it stands right now. I haven't logged nearly as many hours as some, so that may well be a factor.

Having said that, I doubt if many actually disagree that more depth and 'content' will be needed to really grab newcomers and keep our interest up. The question seem rather whether we think that can happen for the 16th.

Surely it depends on what form we see the content taking? Those who feel that significant new features are necessary are probably right to be concerned. For me, I can see FD using gamma to test stability etc as stated, but have a plan to enrich the experience on release through, for example, vastly improved Galnet content, a less random feeling to the board missions and probably more personalised 'faction' based missions.

If we accept that there is a good framework in place, as seems to be then general consensus - forgive me if you disagree - then I would argue that we have reasonable cause for cautious optimism for the 16th.

Good flying Commanders.

 

[Thylacine]

Release the game on the 16th but label it a Gamma still.

What's the difference really, I rather prefer to have a clean "release". Not a fan of never-finished games. I rather have a core game and later add-ons to that. Problem is, even the core is missing basic features. You can't "do" much at the moment. I find myself hauling things from the mission board, scanning a planet here and there on the way and fighting sidewinder NPCs when they interdict me (run if cobra or viper is after me).

I think these things should be (or rather: should have been) implemented in a first release version:
- Walking around the hangar bay to access mission computers and traders (NPCs)
- NPC voices for docking permissions etc.
- Features for social play (forming groups, trading goods etc)
- Real dynamic changes, politics, power to influence wars to be won/lost
- Real seamless super-cruise entry/exit, it is still too stuttering
- Co-pilots

This would have made for a proper core game. But I guess we'll have to take it as it comes and hope that the updates and add-ons come in fast

 

[ste]

What's the difference really, I rather prefer to have a clean "release". Not a fan of never-finished games. I rather have a core game and later add-ons to that. Problem is, even the core is missing basic features. You can't "do" much at the moment. I find myself hauling things from the mission board, scanning a planet here and there on the way and fighting sidewinder NPCs when they interdict me (run if cobra or viper is after me).

I think these things should be (or rather: should have been) implemented in a first release version:
- Walking around the hangar bay to access mission computers and traders (NPCs)
- NPC voices for docking permissions etc.
- Features for social play (forming groups, trading goods etc)
- Real dynamic changes, politics, power to influence wars to be won/lost
- Real seamless super-cruise entry/exit, it is still too stuttering
- Co-pilots

This would have made for a proper core game. But I guess we'll have to take it as it comes and hope that the updates and add-ons come in fast

For exactly the reason I said, so people are more likely to understand that the game is still a work in progress.

You had people complaining the game is unfinished in the beta, imagine how bad it will be when the game is unfinished at release. Calling it a gamma still, at least they wont be confused as much as thinking that this is it.