1.4 brings explorer love?

[Ziljan]

... discovery will only be the first step in investigating and making sense of it (and there will be some sense to be made).

That would be awesome

Given the amount of unresolved fervor that was applied to the UA puzzle, Frontier must realize how hungry people are to solve these kinds of mysteries. But will FD to create procedurally generated puzzles that are solvable in game? And ones that remain interesting in the long run? I sincerely hope so. I think the key will be whether the reward is just money/baubles, or more clues to more mysteries that eventually lead you to interesting/unique astronomical objects.

The alien isolation computer hacking mini-game was a decent approach to this kind of thing. The game itself was reasonably simple yet complex enough given the time constraints, and it didn't require any previous level of education or knowledge. More importantly, the information you got was varied and led to different kind of puzzles to be solved through other existing game mechanics. Imagine if the scanned data from the system where you found the object was actually part of the clue to solving it! Then you could actually incorporate exploration with these found objects

 

[MarcusVatta]

Imagine if the scanned data from the system where you found the object was actually part of the clue to solving it! Then you could actually incorporate exploration with these found objects

A wrote a "lost civilization" concept that could be 100% procedurally generated over here:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57019

I think it's definitely possible to create something very cool that doesn't require a large writing team. Emergent content is often the best content.

So far, exploration has really been focused on the "mountaintop" explorers: The ones who just want to go there and look as its own reward (it's nice that we don't have to do other things in game to progress, but if exploration didn't pay, we'd still be out there). The UAs have been tickling the "mystery solvers" and I'm sure there are a few miners who find a pristine belt, stake a claim, and grow a beard while hunting for gold. I'm curious to see what type of explorers this new feature will engage.

 

[dnamurphy]

I really hope they flesh out some of the explorer functionality with the galactic map: setting waypoints or markers for key systems, a viewable course history (maybe system notes in-game?), being able to maximise the jump range of my ship (it has 35ly: why won't you give me a route >30ly?), better filtering (highlight where we've already been, for example) and subset selection...

Any extra features welcome in terms of gameplay, but I'd rather they put it into improving what we've currently got.

 

[Mysturji]

Globular clusters?
Bok Globules?

 

[Raiko]

One of the changes in the CQC update allows us to place items for collection as part of scenarios in specific locations. As well as supporting new story options it allows us to create treasure hunts and similar activities. These won't necessarily be telegraphed and I'm quite looking forward to seeing how these evolve.

I've not had chance to read the whole dev update thread yet, just the first post, but this bit sounds really good - especially going forward into Horizons (and future seasons with Atmospheric landings).

Regarding module space and buggies/SRVs, I've been kind off assuming that the most basic vehicle is probably carried by default on any ship, but that you'll be able to allocate space for bigger vehicles. The reason that I've been thinking this is that the whole buggy thing is clearly a (great) workaround to allow meaningful planetary landings before they've added in first-person walk-arounds.

Before the Horizons announcement I'd thought that initial planetary landings would just allow you dock on the surface and access a menu, like in a station or outpost. I'd even posted my pessimistic prediction on here somewhere.

 

[FunGas]

A camera module would be nice, especially if you can sell the images "to the right person"...

 

[dan_b]

It would be great if we could see things like;

Newly forming stars
Super-nova remnants
More visual effects with black holes
Pulsars
Comets

Then also more artificial objects like
remains of other explorer vessels to scan/ salvage their explorer data
signs of other, perhaps dead, civilisations in the life-bearing worlds we find, e.g. collectible relics

Then something more tangible that we can do with the exploration data when it is sold, e.g.
You can visualise on the galmap the systems you've discovered
Finding a terraformable world triggers a colonisation community goal
You get naming rights on water worlds/earth-likes

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Indeed this is a great day for scavengers and salvagers, but what about explorers?

FD wouldn't recognize an explorer if one wrote an angry post on the forum about lack of exploration features.

 

[Raiko]

FD wouldn't recognize an explorer if one wrote an angry post on the forum about lack of exploration features.

Please write another angry post Ziggy. On a forum so full of angry rants, your angry post was the nicest and best angry post ever!

Probably best to wait until 1.4 is actually released though, just in case. I'm stubbornly determined to be optimistic.

 

[Whiterose]

I would like to be the first to complain about 1.4 and its lack of exploration features. Also CQC? what the hell has the Care Quality Commission go to do with ED?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Please write another angry post Ziggy. On a forum so full of angry rants, your angry post was the nicest and best angry post ever!

Probably best to wait until 1.4 is actually released though, just in case. I'm stubbornly determined to be optimistic.

I'll too wait until the specifics of 1.4 are released to judge if FD considers us a sideshow as I expect they do.

If not I will happily chow down on crow.

 

[Ziljan]

I'll too wait until the specifics of 1.4 are released to judge if FD considers us a sideshow as I expect they do.

If not I will happily chow down on crow.

Someone mentioned that a Dev said we'll be finally be using that screen between our legs, and this second hand source implied that it had something to do with exploring. Maybe surface scanning? And possibly before Horizons. I don't have a quote or a source to back this up unfortunately so this post is just held together with hope and bubble gum.

 

[MarcusVatta]

I'll too wait until the specifics of 1.4 are released to judge if FD considers us a sideshow as I expect they do.

If not I will happily chow down on crow.

Of course we're a sideshow! Exploration is niche gameplay. Explorers are rightly considered to be crazy by other people. Admired, perhaps, from a distance, but driven to do things that are clearly dangerous wastes of time with little or no tangible reward.
But look on the bright side: Everyone else is trapped in a bubble 500 lys across, while the explorers have 120,000 lys to play with. Sideshow, maybe, but it's a hellova big stage.

 

[HailVectron]

I hope cargo holds are NOT involved. Its difficult enough kitting out a light enough rig for max jump distance without having to keep an almost always empty cargo hold, just in case. No, I would want it all to be 'data'. So you could scan ruins, wrecks, alien tech, and be rewarded for it when you get back. Maybe there could be multiple pieces of info making up a whole story, history, or device, and you get higher rewards for each piece.

 

[Ziljan]

I hope cargo holds are NOT involved. Its difficult enough kitting out a light enough rig for max jump distance without having to keep an almost always empty cargo hold, just in case. No, I would want it all to be 'data'. So you could scan ruins, wrecks, alien tech, and be rewarded for it when you get back. Maybe there could be multiple pieces of info making up a whole story, history, or device, and you get higher rewards for each piece.

An empty cargo hold doesn't hurt your jump range one bit. And increasing your weight by 1T would reduce your Asp's jump range by a whole 0.06LY

 

[HailVectron]

An empty cargo hold doesn't hurt your jump range one bit. And increasing your weight by 1T would reduce your Asp's jump range by a whole 0.06LY

If you can afford an Asp what do I leave out to allow for a hold tho? One of the two auto-repairs I suppose...


http://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondba...--320q022f2i.Iw1-kA==.Aw1-kA==?bn=Beagle XIII

 

[Ziljan]

If you can afford an Asp what do I leave out to allow for a hold tho? One of the two auto-repairs I suppose...


http://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondba...--320q022f2i.Iw1-kA==.Aw1-kA==?bn=Beagle XIII

Well we begged Mike Evans to not gimp the DBX during 1.3 beta, but our cries fell on deaf ears. But fortunately you only need a mere 2.1 M extra and you can fly this instead

http://coriolis.io/outfit/asp/02A4D5A4D3D5D5C------0002--3f0v0l43022i2f.Iw19gDJZA===.Aw18WQ==

more range
more defense
more speed
faster scooping
more repair
more
more
more

You can earn 2M in 1 hour of trading in a T6. So why not?

 

[IronGremlin]

I'm guessing we'll get comets and rogue asteroids.

I hope that they focus on smaller, high value items if cargo space is necessary- it would be a bit ridiculous to find lug a few tons of cargo space several thousand light years just to sell it at 15k or less per ton.

Honestly, one of the greatest things about exploration currently is that the reward ceiling per trip is non-existent - I would hope that additional rewards added by frontier would continue following that basic pattern, and not leave us limited by cargo hold.

 

[HailVectron]

I'm guessing we'll get comets and rogue asteroids.

I hope that they focus on smaller, high value items if cargo space is necessary- it would be a bit ridiculous to find lug a few tons of cargo space several thousand light years just to sell it at 15k or less per ton.

Honestly, one of the greatest things about exploration currently is that the reward ceiling per trip is non-existent - I would hope that additional rewards added by frontier would continue following that basic pattern, and not leave us limited by cargo hold.

That's why I want it to be a massless reward - schematics, or recorded info scans, etc. Can you imagine planning a 20KLy trip, only to find a 2T something a 1000ly out, then have to lug it around for the rest of the trip!

 

[Nexolek]

I'm hoping that they'll fix all the graphical issues that 1.3 brought. Maybe we won't have to edit configs to make shadows work in an Asp and get high res planets and backgrounds. Maybe asteroids will cast shadows again some day. It was beautiful.