Answers from the devs #2

Any chance you guys have decided to throw in a GUI color slider option yet?

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Any chance you guys have decided to throw in a GUI color slider option yet?
 
Well its a personal theory of mine based upon how things have worked out. I don't believe the devs play the game in the sense that it was originally explained - 'we are creating a game we want to play'.

Now then, I could be really wrong. This could be quickly cleared up, FD could show us ranks and progression from the devs personal accounts. I'd be particularly interested at this time in understanding how many CGs they participated in and how they ranked in that. Its understandable that they won't have the same as I, or others who have more time to play, but still.. If all these things are so great, and they are indeed playing the game they wanted to play, then the numbers should be respectable.

So then.. gauntlet laid.. lets see the info. ;)

I want to point something out here that might not be obvious to many since I am so often in conflict with others. I have Elite in my DNA. Its a game I wholeheartedly wish to see be an amazing success. Thats my drive and my focus and I do apologise if I upset people along the way but hurt feelings are not my concern. ED being great is my focus. ;)

I really don't think for a moment that FDev are going to generate a print out of their staff's CMDR names and ranks, etc. For many reasons, mainly as I expect they like to play in anonymity, so it gives them a better feel of the game. If they publish a list without the CMDR names you will simply claim they are making it up and won't be satisfied. I certainly don't think they would publish a list based on a forum post that reads as "Unless you give me the answers I want, then I am right and you are all wrong", either.

Back on topic

Q: Will there ever be an "Un-docking Computer" so you can sip a Martini whilst the Ensign takes you out of port?
 
Will Gutamaya ever make an Anaconda sized ship (Small frigate in my books)?

The Clipper is already a similar size (much wider than the Anaconda, a bit shorter; probably overall about the same volume).

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The Cutter is supposedly also coming, we've seen custom art; though perhaps that design has already become the Clipper as they're quite similar.
 
So everyone's assuming by process of elimination that the gamescon announcement will be planetary landings. OK - it probably will be, but I'd be far more excited at this present stage about an announcement about Tier 2 AI enabling branching missions, hiring AI wingmen, communication with wingmen and passenger missions. Oh, and an exploration overhaul with more astronomical features, better mechanics and the orrery view. All of which I hope some of the expanded teams at Frontier have been beavering away at. ;)
 
So everyone's assuming by process of elimination that the gamescon announcement will be planetary landings. OK - it probably will be, but I'd be far more excited at this present stage about an announcement about Tier 2 AI enabling branching missions, hiring AI wingmen, communication with wingmen and passenger missions. Oh, and an exploration overhaul with more astronomical features, better mechanics and the orrery view. All of which I hope some of the expanded teams at Frontier have been beavering away at. ;)

Same here, but I assume it's not that interesting to media - which Gamescon spotlight is all about - so it is getting obvious it's expansion material.
 
I don't necessarily want FD to change their answer, as I may have missed some aspect to the argument which would alter my view.
I do want them to at least show they acknowledge the various sides of the argument, and to explain their position *in that context*.

Unless they do that, my view is that they don't have a good explanation for their position, and they are just being pig-headed having decided on it a long time ago,
maybe they didn't foresee some of the issues and viewpoints that would arise with CG and PP, they find themselves between a rock and a hard place and would rather just dismiss it as per the OP.

But they have given you their answer, pretty categorically (on more than one occasion), and they don't owe you an explanation for it just because you don't like it.

FD know how many people log in and play, they know what modes those people choose, and they are presumably satisfied that the way things are now is the best way to continue.
 

Javert

Volunteer Moderator
I would like to ask an important question which I think is on all our minds, but nobody dares to ask.

I've heard that the ability to land on planets will be available at some point soon. I've also heard that you will be able to get out of your ship and walk around the planets.

However, I would like to express my mounting dismay at the rumours that when you go into buildings in first person walk around mode, and if you happen to visit the bathroom, you will not be simulating the difference between different brands of latrine. I feel that my immersion will be completely destroyed if I cannot see the various brands (Armitage Shanks, Portel, Lyon etc) or their 31st century equivalents.

I've also heard that people in solo mode in when walking around the planets will be able to get to the front of the queue at the bus stop or space elevator without having to wait behind people in open mode. This gives them an unfair advantage and I will not continue playing on this basis.

If this is true please reverse these horrendous decisions at once. This is just more evidence of the complete lack of game design expertise around here, and proof that most of us on the forum could easily design and build a game 10 times better than this in just a few weeks if we weren't a bit too busy this month.
 
Please tell me what major PvP battle have you participated in that pushes up toward the 32 players supposed instance limit without exceeding it.
True! It's a simple fact that the 'open' world is broken. I have spent the past few weeks trying to get my faction's players interested in pvp with other PP factions, groups and clans within the game, and it's not just big battles that do not work, it's battles involving only a couple of wings.
Unfortunately many players do not realise how broken 'open' is because they have not tried to arrange a battle, however, with the influx of new players after the Steam sale, complaints about this problem are only going to grow.
A simple illustration of what I mean by broken instancing: Wednesdy evening two wings from my faction met with one and a half wings from another in a nav beacon, for some fun pvp. Neither party could see the other. We all quit the game and restarted - still nothing. Then one of us added a member of the enemy to the wing - as if by magic, we could see our invisible enemy. This is not an isolated occurrence, it happens most of the time, furthermore, it is not easy getting a lot of players together at a certain time and date - there is a lot of disappointment when 8-14 players waste their free time on a Friday evening because of instancing issues.
This is not even a matter of instancing for multiple players, but it is only through engaging with multiple players that you realise how broken it is. We often discuss Solo v Open, but it is the Open v Open that really needs to be addressed, ASAP!
 
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With this "Answer from the Devs," I quit Powerplay.

In every post I make I try to be courteous and respectful, but your theory about balancing Powerplay simply sucks. And it kills me because I was looking forward to Powerplay more than anything else in this game. I am so disappointed. It makes for terrible role play, and I'll tell you why.

I quote:

"Currently it's more "profitable" from a merit-earning perspective to commit hostile actions in the territory of other Powers than to support your own Power's growth - unless you're willing to spend substantial credits on non-combat Powerplay actions. Are there any plans to change this, or is this working as intended?

Powerplay allows the background simulation to dynamically change on a much larger scale than interactions with minor factions. These changes are generally at their most interesting when they involve conflict – that’s partly why the premise of Powerplay is about territorial control; conflict is a great way of generating drama. With this in mind, we’re happy that hostile actions are incentivised."--- FD


I did not join Senator Petraeus because I want to shoot at Hudson or Winters. I JOINED SENATOR PETRAEUS BECAUSE I'M FOR SENATOR PETRAEUS! I want to BE for somebody--that's the HEART of roleplay. I don't want to simply be AGAINST someone and that's what dominates my roleplay. Why do I only get 1 merit for shooting down an enemy ship in an invasion area that is valuable FOR Petraeus.

Please take a step back and think about this proposition for a minute.

You get 15 merits for shooting down an enemy Adder in a random hostile system. You get 1 merit for killing an Anaconda in an invasion area that's highly valuable to the expansion of your power.

You get the same reward for killing 15 Anaconda's in the service of your Power that you do for merit farming in a random system. Who could POSSIBLY think that even enters into the realm of common sense?!

Are you SERIOUSLY going to argue to me that the adder I killed in the random hostile system was 15 times more important to destroy than the Anaconda in the system we are taking over? And you're going to argue that this balance system is an INCENTIVE for meaningful combat experience?

But let's be fair--the reason FD cited this balance choice was "we are happy that hostile actions are incentivized." In other words, who cares that it's senseless? It's more fun with hostile combat incentives. I'm sorry but Roleplay is more than PEW PEW. Frontier, if you want Powerplay to be fun without it making sense, it will be neither. You have to BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING to make roleplay fun. And how could someone believe in something so senseless?

Besides, please do tell me how getting 1 merit for killing an Anaconda in an invasion area incentivizes combat?

*sits back with popcorn and waits*

No? Oh, maybe you mean PVP combat? So what about the overwhelming majority of undermining farmers that are sitting in "Solo" mode to make bank off the system? Have you ever spent time trying to "catch" the underminers in the act? I invite you to try.

*sits back again*

Still nothing?

Maybe you mean conflict between the Powers? That's gotta be it. FD wants the drama of the Powers fighting over the same turf.

Turf that can't be invaded? Turf that can't be "warred" over because of the fictional cold war? Turf that players simply use to stage hit run run attacks on NPC eagles and haulers? That's the FD concept of a dramatic struggle between powers? Newsflash: 80% of the undermining being done is not to benefit a power--its for merit farming.

Weak. And also not roleplay. And the worst part of all? Working as intended.

This is the exact reason I do not bother with Power Play, it just does not seem to make any kind of real sense to me at all.

Its for this and many other reasons that I say that the devs dont actually play their own game. When my clan and I were engaged in PP we quickly realised that 1 merit for a ship for expansion was poor not just in terms of time and effort but wasted against 15 merits for group killing others elsewhere.

Ugh.. I don't wanna be nasty to FD, never did, and got to say I really like Sandro.. but dude, you are not playing this game. Where did the passion go from the devs? When did this all turn into a business? Coz if you just make a great game and concentrate on that then you'll be rewarded.

Who was that guy.. forget the name, Johnny Watts? I remember him saying he would give anything to work on the game, where is he? I don't know whats going wrong at Frontier but something isn't working. You guys have an awesome base to build upon and could create a masterpiece. What happened? All we are getting is grind upon grind. Its painful to see.

And FD please stop taking your queues from the white knights, flatterers and sycophants amongst the community. They are never going to give you the feedback you really need to make ED wonderful.

Just classic. "I know teh best" claim. I just keep loving these "you don't play your own game" claims too.

Don't fret, they don't take queues from anybody, even from us.

This sounds totally wrong to me, both from a gameplay and a roleplay perspective.

Why would all 10 powers be warmongers? Shouldn't the most profitable activities vary amongst the different Powers?

I mean, take Edmund Mahon for example. He is quoted (emphasis mine):






  • "Hi, I'm Edmund Mahon. I run a peaceful, trade-focused economy. Ranking up with my faction will boost the value of your resources, especially the rare kind!"

  • "Golly gee Mr. Mahon, that sounds swell! I sure do enjoy trading. What's the fastest way to increase my rank with your organization?"

  • "Well, that's simple, Timmy. Just outfit your trading ship for combat, head into the nearest hostile system, and murder innocent civilians for several hours every week."

........ wat?

Yup, and what about Archon Delaine - the pirate warlord and his NOMADIC band of pirates.

You know Archon...thats quite a landgrab and stationary HQ you have there....

Seriously, would it not make more sense for this guy to create tortuga style safe havens in anarchy systems and reward us merits for smuggling goods, looting cargo and piracy instead of intergalactic domination???
 
Is the mechanic where participation in certain PowerPlay activities, namely undermining, meant to incur bounties and criminal status? It seems that this precludes the player from participating in other lawful activities, such as bounty hunting at resource extraction sites, without resorting to gimmicky methods such as buying a sidewinder and flying into the station with shields off.
 
Useful information, Thanks Zac.

1) please could you guys publish a rough roadmap for when you are expecting key features to land.

2) please could Frontier start to work with the community as part of your development process, you have a very passionate community that would love to help you realise our collective dreams.

3) please could you reinstate the video development blogs - these were amazing last year.

4) please could you replace the clichéd and very tiresome 'soon' with rough eta's?

5) please use the NDA sledgehammer less, and be more transparent. There is nothing to fear from sharing with the community what you are doing before you start it, in fact, you may find the community can help you achieve those goals in a more robust way.

6) what about a PTR to enable us to help you test future patches and updates - this will go a very long way to make the community feel part of the development process.

7) Feature request - please can premium beta backers and backers, get their bobble-heads back in game?

Thank you!

Too much pleading,...and you know regarding a 'roadmap'.
 

Zac Antonaci

Head of Communications
Frontier
However, I would like to express my mounting dismay at the rumours that when you go into buildings in first person walk around mode, and if you happen to visit the bathroom, you will not be simulating the difference between different brands of latrine. I feel that my immersion will be completely destroyed if I cannot see the various brands (Armitage Shanks, Portel, Lyon etc) or their 31st century equivalents.

Hahaha, Amazing!
 
Hi Zac, thank you for this thread. Very heartening to see FD providing more info.

I'm sure others have already noted their opinion on this, but the Open/Group/Solo thing is distressing. They absolutely are not equal ways to play the game, especially with PowerPlay. The most efficient way to advance your faction is in Solo or Private Group, driving more and more players away from Open. It seems more and more that Open is the red-headed stepchild mode, and that is a great shame. Many of us came here looking for an online, social experience, and your attitude on this issue is puzzling.

Please don't look merely at hours logged to see which modes are most popular. I play a lot in Solo simply because it's the most efficient way to grind my PP merits every week -- I can alt-tab every half hour to pick up cargo, then run it once I'm full. I value my time logged in Open 10x that which I play in Solo.
 
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