Why I regret joining the DDF and not a fan of Open Development...

[kilvenny]

DDF was a declaration of intent for functionality, not a project plan. FD have the project plan, we don't and we don't know when they have decided to add things. Could be next month or 10 years down the line, maybe never.

 

[el_tel]

I suspect exploration saw these changes because it would seriously limit exploration only to hardcore gamers, thus removing very considerable sales point for the game...

If true then that's a terrible shame, and would appear to mean that every aspect of ED has been given over to the casual gamer.

Surely FD could have left something for those of us that like to think when we play, instead of giving it all to the instant-gratification crowd?

 

[Jordan Cobalt]

Says who?

Says Frontier's actions, out of the last 9 months of patches and updates, how much of it was from the ddf?

 

[Neo-ST]

Says Frontier's actions, out of the last 9 months of patches and updates, how much of it was from the ddf?

AFAIK, planned development/growth span is for the next 10 years, beginning with "Horizons", which is the first true bigger update (actually, a set of updates to both content and functionality).

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Says Frontier's actions, out of the last 9 months of patches and updates, how much of it was from the ddf?

Well, there's lot of content coming from DDF, people just seem to choose bits they like, ignoring others, thus not being completely honest in their DDF love.

PP introduced 1st tier NPCs and meta game described in many DDF topics. It is not completed, but it is there.

 

[xyphic]

Frontier has not proven to listen to its customers; they would rather go for the easiest cosmetic things rather than adressing the real challenges.
Since the game has been release not a single release has made a real impact in term of gameplay depth and universe consistency.
We are now given a game within the game (cqc) and zero content. Even planetary landing is not going to bring anything else that landing, maybe having a ground base like any other space station and enjoy a buggy to "watch the sunrise" to quote Braben.
Like someone famous affiliated to the game has said: “So, they are not going to be making stuff for us. They have already got us. They have already made as much money as they can out of us.”, and they prove it with each expansion.

Eh? If anything, Frontier are guilty of listening to the community too much. There are accusations daily that they have "dumbed the game down" or "nerfed the game" to cater to the vocal segment of the community. I find it hard to disagree in all honesty; it does feel like the game is easier than it ought to be. Some of these would be resolved through the (much needed) AI revamp, but that's still on hold AFAIK.

Even CQC was borne from the community's complaints that there wasn't any way to get instant gratification pew-pew, again another fair comment. This should at least appease those who are looking for a mode they can dip in and out of without having to block out hours of time.

 

[Roybe]

Well, there's lot of content coming from DDF, people just seem to choose bits they like, ignoring others, thus not being completely honest in their DDF love.

PP introduced 1st tier NPCs and meta game described in many DDF topics. It is not completed, but it is there.

Or they think it is supposed to be bigger than it is...and are waiting for 'depth'...case in point.

 

[Cody]

I suspect exploration saw these changes because it would seriously limit exploration only to hardcore gamers, thus removing very considerable sales point for the game.

<grumbles> Thus removing any sense of the scale of the galaxy. Sag A* in nine hours? <howls in anguish>

 

[Theodrid]

<grumbles> Thus removing any sense of the scale of the galaxy. Sag A* in nine hours? <howls in anguish>

Agreed 100% Cody, if what Pecisk says is true then they went too far in that direction, Sag A in 9 hours, as you said is ridiculous. At the very least a 'middle ground' could have been reached, Sag A in 9 hours is so far down the, 'lets make it easy for the casual gamer'road, there is plenty of scale and room in Elite D to be able to cater, to some degree at least, to various play styles, available time to play and complexity levels witohut making a huge galaxy somehow seem smaller.

 

[Nagual]

Please, not more bloody tags!

Indeed, I like mine clean.

 

[Herik]

Says Frontier's actions, out of the last 9 months of patches and updates, how much of it was from the ddf?

You start that Jordan, you will get answers...Alliances -(Wings), Powerplay. To name two...

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

<grumbles> Thus removing any sense of the scale of the galaxy. Sag A* in nine hours? <howls in anguish>

It certainly didn't remove scale of it. It decreased work needed for exploration, and thus have limited sense of accomplishment. That's pity. But as I say I understand some of reasons why FD might have do it. Eventually I would be more happy about more complex exploration at this level though.

 

[Cody]

It certainly didn't remove scale of it.

No comment!

 

[AnnuverScotinExile]

You start that Jordan, you will get answers...Alliances -(Wings), Powerplay. To name two...

... one of which went nowhere near the DDF, and the other being a subset of the wings functionally in the DDF, neatly avoiding all the stuff about NPCs.

 

[Soliluna]

indeed... I know I have said this before so appologies for banging the same old drum, but imo when the thargoids come they need to implant a virus in all our computer systems and wipe out all our exploration data imo. The lore behind this would be they are getting worried we are getting close to discovering their home systems so want to destroy our ability to find them.

Further more they need to take down the entire nav beacon system. I would say keep the beacons there, but remove their ability to communicate with each other so we need to fly to them and connect to their data.

IMO we should then be all essentially in the black. The galmap being empty and then when we do a scan with the trumpet the only distant systems we pick up are systems that are in our jump range. (sure have some start on our gal map because we can see them after all, but there would be no way to plot a jump to them till we got suitably close to be able to plot said jump

When we fly to another system IF it has a nav beakon, if we fly there and connect to it, and download data from it, it could then show us the location of any stations in the system.

Further more, I do not think it would be that much of a stretch to add into lore that tidal masses affect hyperpace, so to plot the most efficient jump you need as much data as possible, therefore selling fully scanned system data to universal cartographics would be worth more money as people would pay more for complete jump data which makes it more fuel efficient.

Personally i would go 1 step further and make it so you get a (tiny) amount of ship damage for jumping to a system not fully scanned (because your jump plots would be out a little bit).

Not a huge amount of damage, just enough to mean we cant just plot a route to the centre of the galaxy. It would force us to expand slowly, fully scanning as we go, then returning back and selling the data.

"jump data" - separate from economical data - would be sold in grid fashion, so I would not buy a single system of jump data but an entire 3D grid of an area. this would also then show me where was fully explored as well as the fringes so i would know where to go to to explore.

To keep the 1st explorers happy from the existing set up, you could keep their names on when they are found again if you wanted (though me, i would be tempted to wipe the job lot but to give every pilot in the game who had fount a unique system a 1 off explorer skin for a ship of their choice.

Should have been done this way from the start - why didn't you get FD by the throat Mike?

 

[Theodrid]

It certainly didn't remove scale of it.

Pecisk, in real life on Earth and in games, when vehicles, mounts and travel becomes faster and more trivial then the real world or game world is shrunk, to argue otherwise is folly.

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

The easiest way of saving exploration for later improvement would have been to restrict everyone to the bubble of known space, just like in Beta. The explanation for this (in lore) could be that only the military posesses the equipment necessary to establish routes to new stars, and the rest of the galaxy could still be shown on the galactic map, just greyed out.

Then when FD was ready, allow the equipment to be bought.

Agreed. And that's along the lines I envisioned it would work.

When I look back with hindsight, the biggest single mistake FD made (personally speaking) was opening up the entire galaxy with all its predefined hyperspace routes already in place. That one decision made a gameworld of 400 billion destinations paradoxically small and shallow due to the ease in which we could race out to its furthest reaches and explore anything we liked, unopposed.

I honestly think if the original DDF travel mechanic, with players having to create hyperspace routes one at a time, the galaxy (and game as a whole) would still hold that mystique and awe we were all so excited about during the DDF days. Players would most likely still be consigned to the Orion Spur as a whole, and probably only now beginning to make tenuous 'highway' links and headway towards Sag-A, with the far side possibly still a year away. That would have bought FD an enormous amount of time to seed meaningful content out there for players to discover, a little at a time. Sadly as it stands, we know how shallow exploration is and some of us are just hanging on hoping for FD to throw exploration a bone.

(As Mad Mike also alluded to) I too keep hoping the UAs have been sent from someone out there who has become wary of humans spreading far and wide unopposed, and are seeding human space with a computer virus that will wipe out all predefined hyperspace routes from our databanks and navigational archives, confining us back to the bubble... Would love to see something like that implemented as a way that gives us back at least one fantastic idea the DDF mentioned.. an exploration/travel mechanic that took time and a semblance of skill to get anywhere, and kept us in suspense of what the next jump that little bit further out would bring.

 

[jabokai]

I agree with most of the OP except that I don't love the game! It's okay, but that's all IMHO. Haven't played it in weeks and haven't even been bothering reading the forum on a daily basis, which is something I had been doing from the start.

 

[Banana's_Are_Good_For_You]

I feel some of the problems this game had were how it was advertised. It looked like a pew pew game.
There would have been a lot of us old timers who would have thought better but actually had to go check to see as the launch trailer was a bit confusing.
However, I believe this did upset a good few new players, to the franchise, so I think FD have had to pretty much accommodate the pew pew crowd.
Hence PP (I'm bored crowd) & CQC (focused PvP).
This, in turn, seems to have delayed other aspects of the game, including DDF related suggestions, from coming to fruition sooner and now everyone is losing patience a bit. I can fully understand that.


Sucks but what do?
Can be hard to stay the course.
If I had a magic wand I would fix it but I can't.

I think if I had of been part of the DDF, I'd probably feel the same way as OP.
Patience is hard after being overly excited.

 

[Flin]

Making hyperspace to everyone one day IMO is the wrong long-term move, but I can understand why they did it.

So, they do need to retcon it and make exploration more challenging such that it will be more of a trailblazer experience than speed-sightseeing.

Sending hyperspace probes, placing nav beacons, etc.