Told you so.

[cpbtrading]

I'll address the hollow thing first. Unless you're working with voxels, but rather with polygons, like 99.99% of today's games, everything is hollow. This is because each surface is comprised of polygons; these are one sided surfaces defined by 3 vertexes each (possible to work with more but engines just subdivide them into 3 vertex polys). One sided surfaces means that they are only visible from one side; if you found yourself inside an ED planet, you'd see stars right through it. In short, every 3d model in every game is hollow. It's how our current 3d technology works. It doesn't really matter as an average player will never notice, for as long as collisions are on and you don't clip through anything.

I can't really answer your second question without having been on a surface of an ED planet yet. What I will say is that from space, they do indeed look correctly sized to me.

I appreciate what you said about 3d, yes I'm working voxel so different. But hollow isn't an issue and shouldn't be an issue. But its scale I'm looking at, to me they don't look anywhere near the correct scale. But until we get to the surface, we don't know. There again, in the video I am referring to, he got to the surface of the planet and collided with, yes granted didn't clip through .
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But at the surface the size/scale was not as I would expect it to be. That's if FD are correct in what they're saying, i.e. full size that planet would be over 4000km diameter, the curvature would be miniscule or indeed not noticeable, whereas its quite noticeable in the video.

 

[beelbeebub]

Generic cut scene

I suspect the transition between Supercruise, Planetcruise and normal space will have some sort of "loading screen" as SC to normal space does now. Not a cut scene (I'd define those as a cinematic shot, like Star Citizen seems to have from the demo I've seen) but some sort of "thermal flare" or "shockwave" effect.
:
Interestingly, the footage from NMS shows a "white out" effect as you transition from atmosphere to space, sort of like passing through dense cloud.

 

[Phyl]

Rocky planets with no Atmosphere are just the first step in a much larger goal of making the galaxy incredibly big, interesting and to Scale.

I am looking forward to the journey

I agree.

It's pretty common to release a minimum viable product, especially in software where we have agile methodologies and techniques like continuous integration to make it easy. It just makes sense to get something out if it is ready, and to learn from it. It helps the later, more richly featured products get to market quicker and help focus attention on developing the best features.

Honestly I think the approach FDev are taking is the right one and we will end up with a much better product at the end of the season that we otherwise would have.

 

[Gibbonici]

Will there be a supercruise type mode for travelling from orbit and around the planet?
:
Maybe you drop from SC into this new mode. You can then travel from orbit (where you leave the suckers who haven't updated to horizons) to the surface where various PoI (bases, cites, fortresses, mine etc.) can be seen and scanned. From there you can drop out into the planetary equivalent of normal space.

Indeed there will be. It was called Orbital Cruise in one of the Gamescom announcements.

 

[newman1702]

I appreciate what you said about 3d, yes I'm working voxel so different. But hollow isn't an issue and shouldn't be an issue. But its scale I'm looking at, to me they don't look anywhere near the correct scale. But until we get to the surface, we don't know. There again, in the video I am referring to, he got to the surface of the planet and collided with, yes granted didn't clip through .
.
But at the surface the size/scale was not as I would expect it to be. That's if FD are correct in what they're saying, i.e. full size that planet would be over 4000km diameter, the curvature would be miniscule or indeed not noticeable, whereas its quite noticeable in the video.

Guess we'll see when we first land and and take the Scarab for a ride Me, I'll be very surprised if the scale will be wrong. Videos aren't a great way to judge scale, especially not early alpha ones.

 

[beelbeebub]

same goes for reproduction

*Cough*

I eh..., I disagree with OP.

I appreciate what you said about 3d, yes I'm working voxel so different. But hollow isn't an issue and shouldn't be an issue. But its scale I'm looking at, to me they don't look anywhere near the correct scale. But until we get to the surface, we don't know. There again, in the video I am referring to, he got to the surface of the planet and collided with, yes granted didn't clip through .
.
But at the surface the size/scale was not as I would expect it to be. That's if FD are correct in what they're saying, i.e. full size that planet would be over 4000km diameter, the curvature would be miniscule or indeed not noticeable, whereas its quite noticeable in the video.

what we don't know in the video is the altitude above the surface. Because close approaches to planets wasn't supported, it's highly likley the clipping/collision distance was not correct. In other words, when you view the curvature from what you think is the surface (because you are colliding/clipping) you could in fact be many 100's of km up.

 

[mossfoot]

I like how "planetary landings" consist of asteroids and no atmosphere planets. Reason, they dont have the resources to do it any other way. Cant make a new flight system for atmospheric flight. Cant do true procedural generation. And its not due to a lack of skill, but a lack of funding. Well, you fanboys wanted it so bad, here it is. Enjoy a half baked expansion whil bugs a year old still persist and the universe is bland and barren. ED had one chance to weather the two incoming hurricanes of SC and NMS, and that was to fit a niche and not tryin g to compete. I loved ED untill I ran out of things to do. Props to Braben and co for making a fun game. But now i must mourn the dangerous.

You're adorable.

 

[cpbtrading]

Well, the thing with that video is that nobody was supposed to do that then, which is why they stopped people being able to do it. There's no way of telling what altitude the guy was flying at or at what point the clipping occurred at, or even if it was clipping at all. It could just as easily been the LOD code dropping out at an unimplemented range. But we don't know, all we know is what that guy was videoing wasn't even placeholder code for planetary landings.

But maybe I'm wrong and maybe you're right. The only proof will be when the beta arrives, but there's no technical reason why these planets can't be 1:1 scale.

I agree with you that they're not letting players get near to planet surfaces. although why not, if they are smooth, then we expect that, so no real reason to keep players away, certainly from that point of view.
However if they are not to size, which I believe they're not, then more reason to keep players away. Its not something that concerns me, I haven't played since last November. Its the scale that, I said right back half a dozen posts ago, that I'm interested in.
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FD state full size planets, they push that view in-game as being the case, but to me and from what I have seen in vids from early on, where players have attempted to get to a planet surface (not intending to find anything other than a smooth flat surface in low level detail). But they get there and the scale seems wrong to me.

 

[andyraptor]

I suspect the transition between Supercruise, Planetcruise and normal space will have some sort of "loading screen" as SC to normal space does now. Not a cut scene (I'd define those as a cinematic shot, like Star Citizen seems to have from the demo I've seen) but some sort of "thermal flare" or "shockwave" effect.
:
Interestingly, the footage from NMS shows a "white out" effect as you transition from atmosphere to space, sort of like passing through dense cloud.

Sorry... yes thats what I meant.... generic loading screen

ty

 

[pippo]

I like how "planetary landings" consist of asteroids and no atmosphere planets. Reason, they dont have the resources to do it any other way. Cant make a new flight system for atmospheric flight. Cant do true procedural generation. And its not due to a lack of skill, but a lack of funding. Well, you fanboys wanted it so bad, here it is. Enjoy a half baked expansion whil bugs a year old still persist and the universe is bland and barren. ED had one chance to weather the two incoming hurricanes of SC and NMS, and that was to fit a niche and not tryin g to compete. I loved ED untill I ran out of things to do. Props to Braben and co for making a fun game. But now i must mourn the dangerous.

 

[cpbtrading]

what we don't know in the video is the altitude above the surface. Because close approaches to planets wasn't supported, it's highly likley the clipping/collision distance was not correct. In other words, when you view the curvature from what you think is the surface (because you are colliding/clipping) you could in fact be many 100's of km up.

I agree, it could be that he was well short, without third person its even harder to tell, But to me he looked pretty close and if that is the case, not saying it is, then the scale is out by some considerable margin. But this is my view, others believe what they want, we will know if they let us near planets, well indeed we will know for sure when Horizon comes out. That first 'planet' though, really... That is more an asteroid than a planet, I have made dozens for Space Engineers that look larger, but we'll see. Getting to the actual surface is the only way we'll find out.
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Of course they could let us near a planet now, lets face it, we're not expecting anything other than a smooth sphere at this time. But something tells me they won't do that.

 

[Parmo]

True.... sometimes I do wonder if the principle of freedom of speech for all should be morphed to freedom of speech for people that have demonstrated basic comprehension and research skills.

Well, that excludes all scientists then!
But you forget the principle of freedom to hear and to listen.
Let some people speak but don't let the rest listen to them.
Politicians and voters come to mind!

 

[chrisragnar]

Sorry... yes thats what I meant.... generic loading screen

ty

The newsletter suggest that there will be more than one loading screen, one for entering atmosphere from space, and then another when landing on surface and turning into a rover. Sins it says ships cant see players that are in rover form.

 

[babelfisch]

Sins it says ships cant see players that are in rover form.

They said quite the opposite.

 

[Gibbonici]

I agree with you that they're not letting players get near to planet surfaces. although why not, if they are smooth, then we expect that, so no real reason to keep players away, certainly from that point of view.

The reason should be pretty obvious - the planets aren't ready for players to get close to them because the close range detail isn't implemented.

What possible reason would there be to let players get into parts of the game that aren't implemented yet?

 

[cpbtrading]

The reason should be pretty obvious - the planets aren't ready for players to get close to them because the close range detail isn't implemented.

What possible reason would there be to let players get into parts of the game that aren't implemented yet?

They are part of the game now, they just don't let the player near enough. When Horizon comes, then yes they'll let us get so far in towards the planet and then... what do you expect they'll do, I know what I'm expecting..

 

[Gibbonici]

They are part of the game now, they just don't let the player near enough. When Horizon comes, then yes they'll let us get so far in towards the planet and then... what do you expect they'll do, I know what I'm expecting..

Here, have a read of the Horizons pre-order page. 1:1 scale is mentioned all over it.

 

[cpbtrading]

Here, have a read of the Horizons pre-order page. 1:1 scale is mentioned all over it.

Yep, I was expecting to play SP offline too, but look how that turned out.

 

[beelbeebub]

I agree, it could be that he was well short, without third person its even harder to tell, But to me he looked pretty close and if that is the case, not saying it is, then the scale is out by some considerable margin. But this is my view, others believe what they want, we will know if they let us near planets, well indeed we will know for sure when Horizon comes out. That first 'planet' though, really... That is more an asteroid than a planet, I have made dozens for Space Engineers that look larger, but we'll see. Getting to the actual surface is the only way we'll find out.
.
Of course they could let us near a planet now, lets face it, we're not expecting anything other than a smooth sphere at this time. But something tells me they won't do that.

That's my point, you can't tell how close you got to the planet. Planet surfaces tend to be fractals, and one of the properties of fractals is that they look the same independent of scale. Look at a real picture of an asteroid, how big is it? It could be the size of Texas or the size of a potato, you have no way of knowing.
:
The canyon like features in the video could have been dried stream beds a few metres across or the grand canyon a few km across or the a rift valley hundreds of km across.
:
So on the one hand we have the dev telling us the planets are to scale and thousands of kms across, on the other hand we have you saying the planets are not thousands of kms across based on your interpretation of the altitude above a planet approached in beta with no means to judge scale, that you admit might be wrong.
:
I can see why people are sceptical.

 

[VR Morgan Grimes]

Scale is even harder to ascertain with no atmosphere causing any distortion of distant terrain, there's a whole slew of moon landing hoax 'evidence' based around this very fact.