We need things along the lines that DB mentioned like missions that require you to get out of your ship to complete. eg: Hunt down an animal or the like. But to generate missions like this would require a hugely complex set of mechanics, far up and beyond what we've seen thusfar in the game. And expanded/complex mechanics are what FD seem to be stearing away from if you consider PP and CQC? ie: Safer and simpler to maybe have self contained mini-games (eg: RES, or take X to Y, or go to X and blow up Y) than broader interconnecting "stateful" mechanics?
I sincerely hope FD deliver deeper core mechanics in ED. I sincerely hope FD give us astounding DLCs... But it appears it may take longer than I'd hoped. I really expected we'd have moved on by now at least as regards, missions, occupations, general space content and exploration content - Which have been left out to basically dry since (before) release really.
Just cherry picked part of your reply for my particular commentary, hope you don't mind.
While I don't disagree that having deeper mechanics for a new 'style' of gameplay is for the best I have to ask how deep the mechanics of most FPS or even indeed most first person games really are. FPS mechanics basically revolve around the idea of 'go to X, kill Y' that you've quoted earlier in your response. The only games I can think of from a first person perspective that really have the level of detail you're looking for would be something like Portal, which is - at its heart - a puzzle game, therefore the content is engaging because it requires you to think.
So, let's take a moment to consider the sorts of things that could be part of a first person expansion and -hopefully- I'll be able to throw out some more complete ideas myself that are not too divorced from existing mechanics.
Missions: Okay, so let's say for example that we have an existing package delivery mission, but instead of just docking at the station and clicking 'Done' on the menu, they add the additional step of 'go to location X, press Done'. Not too much different from how it works currently. You could be called over by an NPC, let's assume no voice acting and it's just text comms as it is currently and offered an alternative payment, or perhaps threatened if you make the delivery. Heck, this could happen after accepting the mission, if you've ahd to walk to your client and pick up the package. Accept and, as with the alternative mission NPCs now your mission text updates and you have to go somewhere else, refuse and you will 'be sorry' as the NPC disappears and leaves you to your business.
This could set some sort of flag that increases your chance at being interdicted by 'special' NPCs, either agents of your current employer looking to get the item back if you betrayed them, or agents of the guy you snubbed looking to act on his threat. Aside from this last point, this is all stuff that happens now, but honestly the addition of interacting with a model of a human being as opposed to a 'talking ship' should, I think, add to the immersion.
You could extend this even further if you assume that some sort of FPS combat is added in that you could get into a running gun battle on the way back to your ship, or even have to sneak into your ship which is being watched by enemy agents, but that's, as you say, a monumentally different task as you need to build a whole new game over the top of ED.
Random Events:You drop out of supercruise around a station, where you have to make a delivery as the above, getting out of your seat and heading to an NPC in order to give them parcel X, or a copy of your cargo manifest so they can organise some people to offload your cargo. You approach the rear door of your ship and hear a sound coming from your cargo hold. You choose to investiagte and find that someone stowed away aboard your ship at the last station. Much as before you can initiate some sort of dialogue in the text chat panel whereby they'll offer you a mission which you can accept, to either take them somewhere, or do something for them, or deny, kicking them off your ship. If you choose to let them stay aboard you might be interdicted by the police, or even approached by a police NPC in your next station 'Hello citizen, we're looking for this dangerous fugitive, have you seen them?' Do you turn them over, or keep their presence a secret.
Again, with the addition of a more advanced FPS combat module this could also turn into a pitched battle with the police if they find you harbouring a cirminal, or a desperate fight for your life if the criminal suspects you're turning them in and tries to kill you and steal your ship.
Those are just a couple of examples off the top of my head but I don't think they'#d be that tricky to implement with existing systems + a first person mode.
