Petition to bring back the DDF/DDA and get back on track.

[Sanderson]

Pretty sure most of that will show up...someday. We have just got the tier 1 NPC's. We just got the capabilities to deal with more complicated missions....via in game messaging. This is laying the foundation for interactive NPC's. In some respects, things like the announcements in SC are stepping towards these items.

NPC wingmen, interactions, and passengers....even the orrery view...will get here someday. The game is quite enjoyable without them...and might be more enjoyable with them later. When I read the devs idea they would be developing this game in a similar manner to Minecraft...I believed everyone playing at that time understood what that meant. A very base game that would be developed over many years. It took years for Minecraft to become what it is today. Please sit back and enjoy the ride....or take a break and come back in 6 months.

On top of all the above, people might still be unhappy with the outcomes, as reality NEVER matches the fantasy that comes from imagination. I would love fully acted NPC's with AI responses equal to human iteractions with the likes of Leelu, Jean Luc, and Garibaldi. This is covered completely by the DDF....'make it so!'

My point is people need to get their expectations in line with what a developer is reasonably able to produce. Time is the enemy of developers...only because people have expectations...many exceedingly out of balance with human capabilities.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0eqSgkDuW0

Problem is; FD didn't come out with "this was always the plan" or "rolling development" until AFTER release, or they forgot to tell us about it.

IMO a good Minecraft analogy would be if Notch had left out building and everyone was asking why and when it'll be implemented.

Well said though, have some rep

 

[Nagual]

I'm not saying I'm all for it, but it is what it is. And fact is, backers aren't entitled to choose the direction of the game. And for that matter, they aren't entitled to anything else than playing the game and having the expansions for free. That's why I never backed anything on kickstarter, and probably never will.

Backers never did, the purpose of the DDF was to give thoughts on the ideas that FD were bringing out. It was never design by committee or a promise for backers to be able to design elements. There were other ideas for the use of the DDF members, but they too have fallen by the wayside.

 

[Ryder35]

Like Jezzah the DDF/A got me to back at Alpha level. Of course I want it implemented as fully as possible. I do wonder though how much that is possible. Take exploration for example... the idea was

"Players explore to build up the details on their galaxy map
Players can use scanning equipment and probes to detect systems and record new hyperspace routes
Scanners are used to detect any nearby systems that are within the players jump range
Players can then launch hyperspace probes that will give the player more information on the part of space they are looking at
Using the data they have gathered the player must align their ship as best they can with the target system and activate the hyperdrive to jump to the system
If a player’s jump is not accurate enough they may suffer a miss jump "

And that was just to discover the system, not the planets etc inside it!

Sadly this would need a total reboot of the galaxy map to implement. Never going to happen and Frontier must have known this when they released the game in this state.

There was so much great detail and complexity in there and now for exploration all we have is jump>honk>scan if water world or better. It is not exploration it is just space tourism.

 

[Sanderson]

Isn't that, in effect, a petition to re-develop ED from scratch ?
That's a thing even my blurry crystal ball can predict won't happen.

No, it's a petition to get back to developing the game we all wanted and paid for, your ball is probably right though, unfortunately.

- - - Updated - - -

Like Jezzah the DDF/A got me to back at Alpha level. Of course I want it implemented as fully as possible. I do wonder though how much that is possible. Take exploration for example... the idea was

"Players explore to build up the details on their galaxy map
Players can use scanning equipment and probes to detect systems and record new hyperspace routes
Scanners are used to detect any nearby systems that are within the players jump range
Players can then launch hyperspace probes that will give the player more information on the part of space they are looking at
Using the data they have gathered the player must align their ship as best they can with the target system and activate the hyperdrive to jump to the system
If a player’s jump is not accurate enough they may suffer a miss jump "

And that was just to discover the system, not the planets etc inside it!

Sadly this would need a total reboot of the galaxy map to implement. Never going to happen and Frontier must have known this when they released the game in this state.

There was so much great detail and complexity in there and now for exploration all we have is jump>honk>scan if water world or better. It is not exploration it is just space tourism.

Sounds like a winner to me!

Elite: Rebirth lol. Where have I heard that before? Or maybe a sequel? Elite: DDA, this time we mean it! LMAO

I'll go back and weep in a corner now....

 

[CMDR Brock Samson]

I say we let Xbone players lead us into the future.

 

[deusx_ophc]

Show me where prior to release Fd said the game will be released barebones or "unfinished" if you like. While you're at it, please direct me to anything that states a "10 year plan" BEFORE release.

We use quotes and provide references whenever waranted, we don't tailor words to fit our agenda, we use FD's words, quoted. Funny our "agenda" used to be FD's, and that's the problem init?

what did you (i assue you used the royal we) quote exactly in the current context?

"10 year plan" ?! well as you so nicely pointed out to others in this thread, how about you do some homework before talking about a particular issue. go on brush up on your knowledge of the regulatory statements by FDEV. you should be able to find them, if not holler and i send you that way

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Like Jezzah the DDF/A got me to back at Alpha level. Of course I want it implemented as fully as possible. I do wonder though how much that is possible. Take exploration for example... the idea was

"Players explore to build up the details on their galaxy map
Players can use scanning equipment and probes to detect systems and record new hyperspace routes
Scanners are used to detect any nearby systems that are within the players jump range
Players can then launch hyperspace probes that will give the player more information on the part of space they are looking at
Using the data they have gathered the player must align their ship as best they can with the target system and activate the hyperdrive to jump to the system
If a player’s jump is not accurate enough they may suffer a miss jump "

And that was just to discover the system, not the planets etc inside it!

Sadly this would need a total reboot of the galaxy map to implement. Never going to happen and Frontier must have known this when they released the game in this state.

There was so much great detail and complexity in there and now for exploration all we have is jump>honk>scan if water world or better. It is not exploration it is just space tourism.

However I can see reasons behind it - if exploration would be implemented closely as proposal says, it would end up being role played by very few with lot of money and patience. That would hardly sell any copies of the game

 

[Viajero]

+1 Signed!

Having said that I reckon many here would be surprised of how much of that DDA or dev diaries has been implemented already in one way or another. And that includes for example some key features of Powerplay.

I also have to acknowledge that in order to keep the game commercially alive long term, some compromises will have to be (or may have already been) taken by FDEV: i.e. some of the DDA will never make it or may make it in a modified way. And that is ok too.

In order to make this thread actually usefull it would be great if we could actually agree on, and list, the main headers of what we think has not yet been implemented.

 

[Sanderson]

what did you (i assue you used the royal we) quote exactly in the current context?

"10 year plan" ?! well as you so nicely pointed out to others in this thread, how about you do some homework before talking about this particular issue. go on brush up on your knowledge of the regulatory statements by FDEV. you should be able to find them, if not holler and i send you that way

Wouldn't it be easier to prove me wrong and educate all us misinformed people by providing quotes and links?

I'll be happy to be proved wrong. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone that has followed ED development or knows more about it than I, sadly, as all that has gone before is now just a marketing ploy to get people to pay $500.

 

[Cyda]

Signed +1

You can have my first born if you make this so!

(He'll be a little miffed but he'll get over it)

 

[Sanderson]

+1 Signed!

Having said that most here would be surprised of how much of that DDA has been implemented already in one way or another.

In order to make this thread actually usefull it would be great if we could actually agree on and list the main headers of what we think has not yet been implemented.

It would be easier to list what you think has been realised as there's too much to list, other than quoting the entire DDA.

 

[MarcusKross]

Signed and repped.

 

[Sanderson]

Signed +1

You can have my first born if you make this so!

(He'll be a little miffed but he'll get over it)

I'll ask the mods to change my name to rumplestiltskin

 

[andrak]

Signed. Yes

 

[Viajero]

It would be easier to list what you think has been realised as there's too much to list, other than quoting the entire DDA.

Not really, and that is irrespective of the proportion for each (done / not done), especially if the goal is to zoom in on what is actually missing, as opposed to what has been done. Note I suggest headers, not detailed descriptions.

 

[Obsidian Ant]

However I can see reasons behind it - if exploration would be implemented closely as proposal says, it would end up being role played by very few with lot of money and patience. That would hardly sell any copies of the game

It's a shame that the problem seems to keep coming back to selling copies of the game. The more Frontier need to broaden the game to give it more mainstream appeal (after all Elite was always a niche game), the increasingly more likely it becomes that the game will divert further and further away from the initial plan. People often say that the new funds will allow the game Frontier planned to be made.

In my mind the overall situation is playing out like this (and maybe I am wrong); we have a small number of people that backed and funded the development of the game. That got the game funded and released. New sales furthered development, this brought in a new crowd of players, a crowd that is a lot larger than the initial small "niche crowd". But Elite needs more money, so Frontier start broadening the appeal of the game bringing in MMO players that like progression and time-locked activities. They then move onto console players with arena modes. At this point the initial "niche audience" is becoming an increasingly smaller percentage of the overall Elite audience. So we move to the point where the new audience purchased Elite for progression mechanics and time-based unlocks, as well as arena combat. This is now the main audience for Elite. And this new larger audiance have demands for more of the same game play they purchased the game for...and Frontier need to deliver that in order to keep this audience as well as to continue to sell to mainstream crowd. As I see it, at this point it make no business sense for Frontier to develop Elite for that very small percentage of the "niche audience" and give then the features they want.

Maybe Frontier need to look at a different method of funding development.

 

[Strangepork]

...time to let go.

 

[Nagual]

However I can see reasons behind it - if exploration would be implemented closely as proposal says, it would end up being role played by very few with lot of money and patience. That would hardly sell any copies of the game

Nonsense. I loved that idea, as did many many others. M Brookes said exploration was his love, during the early videos we were given. Exploration like mining etc has been cut up into tiny pieces and brushed into the bin.

 

[Obsidian Ant]

In order to make this thread actually usefull it would be great if we could actually agree on, and list, the main headers of what we think has not yet been implemented.

Personally I don't feel whether or not they have implemented a specific feature is the issue. For me the issue is how they have implemented them.

But I agree it would be useful - at least from a discussion point of view - to make such a list. But there is a conflict between the two points I raised above. Some people with have issues about missing / included content, where as others have issue over implementation. That will cause a lot of arguments and cross wires I'm sure.

 

[Roybe]

Problem is; FD didn't come out with "this was always the plan" or "rolling development" until AFTER release, or they forgot to tell us about it.

IMO a good Minecraft analogy would be if Notch had left out building and everyone was asking why and when it'll be implemented.

Well said though, have some rep

I just went looking for the quote...however, I know that DBOBE said it...in a few different places...but the quotes are buried within videos...or written interviews, neither of which Google is finding currently.

This has always been my expectation. But I disagree with the idea that the DDF has been thrown out...or mislaid. Many of the promises of video interviews are actually in the game now. Most agree when they are pointed out..but still complain that the promises are not 'something'....with 'something' meaning 'not meeting my fantasies of what it should have been'.

This game has issues...I am not trying to white wash those. However, I really do believe the DDF is still the guiding hand behind the game. It just will take time to get these ideas into the game...as per the planned development path.