A suggestion for a release of 1.3 next week...

[Slacker]

I don't know if the following is technically possible. But if it is I would really recommend FD consider it or run the risk of ruining the reputation of ED.

On Tuesday make an update which includes the technical improvements in the beta. The improved shaders, the stuff that stops much of the micro-stutters, the brilliantly improved sound and other very welcome bug fixes. You could also consider adding the two new ships and the new mining/drone system.

Delay all balance changes, the mission system changes and Powerplay itself. The beta has proved that most of these are highly unpopular and need a lot of work (and in some cases complete cancellation). Keep the beta open for more work to be done on it until all the problems are resolved.

I admit that doing this will by itself cause a rep loss to the game but in my view a lot less than bringing in a disastrous update which will make the game deeply unpopular.

 

[AnnuverScotinExile]

Yes it it technically possible. Unlikely to happen, though. It seems to be more likely that they would extend the beta. But they have dropped functionality from the beta before, so could do it again.

 

[Janichsan]

The hyperbole is strong in this thread…

 

[Ancipital]

The hyperbole is strong in this thread…

I dunno, having spent some time in the beta, it feels like understatement. A lot of the fixes and improvements are great. Powerplay is a load of foetid dingo's kidneys.

Edit:

(Oh, and VR is still a bit messed-up in 1.3, though some of the most egregious showstoppers have now been fixed)

 

[Slacker]

Do you think so? Perhaps one could remove 'highly' and 'deeply' but I tend to the florid. I think the sentiment is fairly accurate though.

edit: forgot to quote Janischan, sorry.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Frontier had already postponed the release of the beta for a week. It can do the same for the offcial release

 

[Slacker]

Frontier had already postponed the release of the beta for a week. It can do the same for the offcial release

Yes I think it should at least be postponed, my suggestion gives us the obvious benefits quickly - if it's technically possible to unravel the various parts of the update code in a reasonable timespan.

 

[Ancipital]

Do you think so? Perhaps one could remove 'highly' and 'deeply' but I tend to the florid. I think the sentiment is fairly accurate though.

edit: forgot to quote Janischan, sorry.

No worries, we got the sense of what you were saying.

I agree- the motivations and mechanics in PP all seem a bit ass-backwards. Your most deadly opponents are your team-mates, and your biggest rewards seem to come from leafleting disadvantageous systems. There are loads of examples like that, it's all terribly incoherent and jumbled. The way that it is designed to reward N hour per day basement dwellers (and actively punish people who sometimes have other commitments) sticks in my throat too.

It'd be an awful shame if it wasn't fixed. I played OOlite for years because it was an excellent solo Elite game. ED is now a jawdroppingly gorgeous (trust me, play it in VR and a little bit of wee will come out) but slightly incomplete Elite game with slightly shonky multiplayer. It could be amazing- but if it continues down this road, it will turn into an incoherent grindathon for exploit-happy nolifers, rather than the glorious Elite game that it's supposed to become.

(Yes, there was some hyperbole in that last paragraph, it's a fair cop. However, as a beta backer and Elite anorak of some vintage, I'm a little over-invested, perhaps )

 

[DrakeAurum]

I can live without the technical improvements for another week. If they still need to work on 1.3, let them devote all their attention to working on 1.3.

 

[Ancipital]

Yes I think it should at least be postponed, my suggestion gives us the obvious benefits quickly - if it's technically possible to unravel the various parts of the update code in a reasonable timespan.

There's a bit of me thinking about Git rebasing and shuddering. Sadly, it's seldom as straightforward as you imagine. Even if they could unpick the different commits in their source management/build system, they'd end up with a completely new beast that needed testing internally and pushing out to beta. It's non-trivial.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Yes I think it should at least be postponed, my suggestion gives us the obvious benefits quickly - if it's technically possible to unravel the various parts of the update code in a reasonable timespan.

Your suggestion is interesting. But perhaps complicated to be implemented or quite simply would create an overload of work for the dev team ? I don't know, of course

 

[jmp470]

I disagree. I cannot wait for 1.3. 50% of the people will complain 50% of the time anyways. So bring it on.

 

[Slacker]

It'd be an awful shame if it wasn't fixed. I played OOlite for years because it was an excellent solo Elite game. ED is now a jawdroppingly gorgeous (trust me, play it in VR and a little bit of wee will come out) but slightly incomplete Elite game with slightly shonky multiplayer. It could be amazing- but if it continues down this road, it will turn into an incoherent grindathon for exploit-happy nolifers, rather than the glorious Elite game that it's supposed to become.

Yes, well said. It's the spectacular quality of the underlying engine that make the increasingly poor game-play mechanics even more of a jarring disappointment. The graphics, audio and AI are all really very well done.

I look forward to the wee experience when the final Occulus (or possibly Steam) VR device become available.

 

[Zieman]

FDEV should have run the powerplay through DDF before committing to implementing it.

 

[Patrick_68000]

I disagree. I cannot wait for 1.3. 50% of the people will complain 50% of the time anyways. So bring it on.

Yes but in the case of a beta, this situation is less bitter, because it is a beta

 

[Slacker]

There's a bit of me thinking about Git rebasing and shuddering. Sadly, it's seldom as straightforward as you imagine. Even if they could unpick the different commits in their source management/build system, they'd end up with a completely new beast that needed testing internally and pushing out to beta. It's non-trivial.

Yes I'm a (very) small time game developer myself and it may well be out of the bounds of possibility in a update as big as this.

 

[JeffRyan]

FDEV shold have run the powerplay through DDF before committing to implementing it.

Damnit, I can't rep you again. Virtual +1.

 

[2chill]

Don't do it!

 

[Zieman]

Damnit, I can't rep you again. Virtual +1.

Thanks!

 

[Ian Skippy]

This wont be popular but IMHO FD has consistently improved the game since launch with the beta backers consistently complaining about way too much way too often. So just like with the last patches the backers are proclaiming the end of the world again with what appears to be comical levels of hyperbole: experimentation is totally impossible, the courier must be changed, the diamondback is the worst explorer ever, BH can never be done, exploratation now kills all your rep forever etc etc. Last few times it was boy cried wolf. Maybe they are right this time but I dont care anymore. Release it on schedule and continue as required.