Firstly, apologies as this may turn into a long post...
I'm a forum lurker posting for the first time.
Elite was an amazing experience in '84 sharing the school BBC micro that was bolted to a trolley, then the C64 version and well every sequel and pretender since. I used to eagerly check FD's website every once in a while only to find they were working on other projects. I thought Mr Braben had 'gone off' Space.
Silly me ...
Now I don't buy many AAA titles at release and I have a very basic gaming rig but when I saw the news off Elite
angerous release I just automatically bought it.
After the lengthy download I fired up the game and ran a few of the tutorials (these are helpful - a Trading and Exploration tutorial would be v.useful to new space sim players).
I have to say that when I first entered supercruise and the hyperspaced to nearby star I had a profoundly moving videogame experience - up there with the original experience of Elite and moments in Tomb Raider or Planetside2.
What the team has achieved is astonishing, I'm really happy with the value that the game has delivered for my £40. I've played hard since release and have done a bit of everything on offer. Some of the current mechanics are good if a little threadbare - some others need more work.
I have been reading a lot of threads about game mechanics not working or content and immersion lacking. In the first case I will trust the devs to get core mechanics like transparent player/faction interaction working ASAP as these features were and are core to a 'living breathing galaxy'. In the second case I have some ideas and suggestions...
I have tried to come up with ideas that require few resources in terms of time, processing power and storage in line with the DDF and fit into or enhance existing content.
More cockpit animations: Like the hands 'idling' and manipulating the flight controls - is it possible to add an animation for all the other controls
eg. hands touch the 'supercruise' button - reach up for the 'cargo scoop' controls etc
Is it possible to animate some panels on the dashboard - it looks a little static.
HUD improvements
In supercruise when I freelook at a planet or star I get information as to what it is. I don't with other ships, this means I have to target them which changes my speed. I'd like some info on ships that I freelook at in supercruise.
Colour choice of HUD please in Graphics Settings.
Ship Camera Module - I'm sure its been mentioned - have a purchasable small module that enables external camera when docked and left right rear camera in supercruise and normal space. (Please!)
Persistent NPCs
This was mentioned in the DDF and as a release feature and yet in game NPCs seem random and players report interacting with them has no effect on the game.
Is it possible to keep the existing NPC system but assign them proper roles and better scripting to show this role to the player.
eg. I drop into a RES and observe a miner NPC that the game has spawned for me, currently I do see him mining and picking up the fragments but if I follow him he never seems to supercruise then jump to a refinery station. Could the game keep a track of which NPC type I had destroyed and how many (Miner, Trader, Bhunter, Pirate) in some small file and then send this to the galaxy server when I log off? In this way even though NPCs still aren't 'really' persistent, my actions can effect in a small in system trade, order/disorder etc. I'm not looking for a huge effect but if I destroy all the miners I find in a small population system then I would expect to see an effect on the price of minerals (and probably a police task force looking for me!).
Groups of NPCs
Can we have groups of NPCs to interact with? More reinforcements for all those single ship combat encounters - multiple smaller, lesser opponents to fight rather than one tasty Viper.
Extra USSs
More types of USS please!
eg. ongoing battles - small/large etc, ships in distress, pirate groups, drops of NON stolen cargo (loot!)
Frame shift traps, similar to a USS but whereas you need to fly to a USS a FST just auto drops you (no damage) into real space with little or no warning - they could be utilised by Fed or Empire Navy - maybe well equipped Pirates in the currently tame Anarchy systems or Anomalies (see below). Rarer than interdictions but adds some extra spice (essentially the same mechanic though)
A system which detects 'spikes' in player activity and adjusts the encounters you get accordingly
eg player milks a juicy trade route - game reacts by assigning more pirate activity to those sectors. player goes on a pirating spree - game reacts by assigning a police task force or bounty hunter posse to those sectors.
Use certain mined and refined minerals to restock auto repair systems. Make two repair systems one for hull and one for modules, then explorers can self sustain somewhat - explore and mine gamemode would give mining a new reason to exist. Note I'm not a crafting advocate - Elite purist here remember ...
Anomalies
Got to the outer reaches of the Galaxy - charting unknown space? I did a bit myself (still can't believe others thought to go to the Plieades before so I got no firsts yet lol) but its a bit repetitive with all the scanning - beautiful sometimes but still repetitive. Anomalies would be extremely rare USSs or FSTs found only in deep unexplored space. Anomalies should be large payoffs for dedicated explorers.
eg. Ancient Probe stuffed with Exploration Data (loot!), Abandoned Explorer ship - Asp or some such with scoopable data canister floating nearby, Hostile Explorer ship, Navy ship on deep space mission, I could go on...
But I'll give it a rest there,
If a Founder or passing Dev could reassure me that greater immersion and fleshed out content is indeed in the pipeline (after the core mechanics are all fixed) then thats great news. If however we're just getting a better multiplayer and new ships (and the core mechanics are fixed!) well,
I'll just keep playing, quite happy that my £40 and maybe some bits more on expansions weren't wasted on a 21st Century version of Elite that has some great moments.
Well done again.
CMDR Alderman Fury
I'm a forum lurker posting for the first time.
Elite was an amazing experience in '84 sharing the school BBC micro that was bolted to a trolley, then the C64 version and well every sequel and pretender since. I used to eagerly check FD's website every once in a while only to find they were working on other projects. I thought Mr Braben had 'gone off' Space.
Silly me ...
Now I don't buy many AAA titles at release and I have a very basic gaming rig but when I saw the news off Elite
angerous release I just automatically bought it.After the lengthy download I fired up the game and ran a few of the tutorials (these are helpful - a Trading and Exploration tutorial would be v.useful to new space sim players).
I have to say that when I first entered supercruise and the hyperspaced to nearby star I had a profoundly moving videogame experience - up there with the original experience of Elite and moments in Tomb Raider or Planetside2.
What the team has achieved is astonishing, I'm really happy with the value that the game has delivered for my £40. I've played hard since release and have done a bit of everything on offer. Some of the current mechanics are good if a little threadbare - some others need more work.
I have been reading a lot of threads about game mechanics not working or content and immersion lacking. In the first case I will trust the devs to get core mechanics like transparent player/faction interaction working ASAP as these features were and are core to a 'living breathing galaxy'. In the second case I have some ideas and suggestions...
I have tried to come up with ideas that require few resources in terms of time, processing power and storage in line with the DDF and fit into or enhance existing content.
More cockpit animations: Like the hands 'idling' and manipulating the flight controls - is it possible to add an animation for all the other controls
eg. hands touch the 'supercruise' button - reach up for the 'cargo scoop' controls etc
Is it possible to animate some panels on the dashboard - it looks a little static.
HUD improvements
In supercruise when I freelook at a planet or star I get information as to what it is. I don't with other ships, this means I have to target them which changes my speed. I'd like some info on ships that I freelook at in supercruise.
Colour choice of HUD please in Graphics Settings.
Ship Camera Module - I'm sure its been mentioned - have a purchasable small module that enables external camera when docked and left right rear camera in supercruise and normal space. (Please!)
Persistent NPCs
This was mentioned in the DDF and as a release feature and yet in game NPCs seem random and players report interacting with them has no effect on the game.
Is it possible to keep the existing NPC system but assign them proper roles and better scripting to show this role to the player.
eg. I drop into a RES and observe a miner NPC that the game has spawned for me, currently I do see him mining and picking up the fragments but if I follow him he never seems to supercruise then jump to a refinery station. Could the game keep a track of which NPC type I had destroyed and how many (Miner, Trader, Bhunter, Pirate) in some small file and then send this to the galaxy server when I log off? In this way even though NPCs still aren't 'really' persistent, my actions can effect in a small in system trade, order/disorder etc. I'm not looking for a huge effect but if I destroy all the miners I find in a small population system then I would expect to see an effect on the price of minerals (and probably a police task force looking for me!).
Groups of NPCs
Can we have groups of NPCs to interact with? More reinforcements for all those single ship combat encounters - multiple smaller, lesser opponents to fight rather than one tasty Viper.
Extra USSs
More types of USS please!
eg. ongoing battles - small/large etc, ships in distress, pirate groups, drops of NON stolen cargo (loot!)
Frame shift traps, similar to a USS but whereas you need to fly to a USS a FST just auto drops you (no damage) into real space with little or no warning - they could be utilised by Fed or Empire Navy - maybe well equipped Pirates in the currently tame Anarchy systems or Anomalies (see below). Rarer than interdictions but adds some extra spice (essentially the same mechanic though)
A system which detects 'spikes' in player activity and adjusts the encounters you get accordingly
eg player milks a juicy trade route - game reacts by assigning more pirate activity to those sectors. player goes on a pirating spree - game reacts by assigning a police task force or bounty hunter posse to those sectors.
Use certain mined and refined minerals to restock auto repair systems. Make two repair systems one for hull and one for modules, then explorers can self sustain somewhat - explore and mine gamemode would give mining a new reason to exist. Note I'm not a crafting advocate - Elite purist here remember ...
Anomalies
Got to the outer reaches of the Galaxy - charting unknown space? I did a bit myself (still can't believe others thought to go to the Plieades before so I got no firsts yet lol) but its a bit repetitive with all the scanning - beautiful sometimes but still repetitive. Anomalies would be extremely rare USSs or FSTs found only in deep unexplored space. Anomalies should be large payoffs for dedicated explorers.
eg. Ancient Probe stuffed with Exploration Data (loot!), Abandoned Explorer ship - Asp or some such with scoopable data canister floating nearby, Hostile Explorer ship, Navy ship on deep space mission, I could go on...
But I'll give it a rest there,
If a Founder or passing Dev could reassure me that greater immersion and fleshed out content is indeed in the pipeline (after the core mechanics are all fixed) then thats great news. If however we're just getting a better multiplayer and new ships (and the core mechanics are fixed!) well,
I'll just keep playing, quite happy that my £40 and maybe some bits more on expansions weren't wasted on a 21st Century version of Elite that has some great moments.
Well done again.
CMDR Alderman Fury
