Elite Dangerous AMA on reddit (multicrew)

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Only responding to info here without context is...not always wise...

well maybe if FD posted onto their official forum then it would not be a problem. I posted all the info in the op as I thought was pertinent at the time which i had been able to pull out of the redit. I had not intended to confuse or to show bias by including a lack of context. sorry if it comes across like that, however no matter how it is sugar coated imo there is very little in multicrew for the solo player imo, and it is a hollow shell compared to

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8258

FD must have known this ages ago, and imo if they are happy with the content they are offering they should have managed expectation and been ok to warn us and say DDF is subject to change, it is not coming, at least not any time soon, then they should have had no worries at all clearing up fully before launch day.

If I'm not mistaken, the only ships that will be able to launch fighters are the Keelback, Anaconda, Cutter and Corvette?

I may be wrong (often am) but i think i saw a video of a T9 launching one (I think it was the original xbox 1 announcment)

 

[Hadron-Higgs-Boson]

DB's comment doesn't make it clear either way.

really, wow, that's never happened before, other than every time

 

[h347h]

If I'm not mistaken, the only ships that will be able to launch fighters are the Keelback, Anaconda, Cutter and Corvette?

Federal Gunship as well.

 

[Darth Krayt]

For those who haven't been to Ehrlich City in Sol, it's worth a visit just to see the massive scale of the base.
The striking thing about it though is that the base is utterly deserted apart from a few ships taking off and landing. It's completely lifeless as if the inhabitants deserted the city for some unknown reason.

 

[Insomnia]

"Ship-launched fighters will have the option of an AI pilot on your side.

Multicrew is all about playing on a ship with your friends, and doesn't include AI."

Elite disappoint me yet again... I feel empty now.

 

[lysan]

I don't know if this are due to difficulties regarding NPC behavior, such as communication etc. or this is a game design decision.
From the answer from DB its kind of floating in the air.

However we need to know if this will come down the time line or not. I understand if this is because of the interaction between the player and the NPC, however this could be solved at some point.

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For those who haven't been to Ehrlich City in Sol, it's worth a visit just to see the massive scale of the base.
The striking thing about it though is that the base is utterly deserted apart from a few ships taking off and landing. It's completely lifeless as if the inhabitants deserted the city for some unknown reason.

They were all hit by the strange polio space virus, and are now stuck in their seats.

 

[Cevap]

Everything FD expands seems half-baked come to think about it. No npc SRVs is dumb, no npc crew, missions a joke, PP basically has 2 things to do and repeat to infinity,one is shooting and the other hauling, cqc is not accessible from the game, has only weird pre-constructed ships etc..

I think they are rushing from one marketable mechanic to the next without really fleshing things out to create something good. Its why you are expected to switch careers all the time because no mechanic is thought trough enough.

But mission system overhaul, semi-persistent npcs and basic dialogue options make for bad pre-release trailers so tough poop for us.

 

[Insomnia]

Well, good for those that play in groups... obviously not useful for the presumably large group that doesn't do that.

Don't know what benefits MultiCrew would offer though, so maybe it's something lone Players won't need or miss anyway.

I'm a lone player because I don't want to be limited by other players. Loosing NPC crew is a significant disappointment.... I don't know if it's worth to even hope anymore.

 

[Flea King]

Any indiaction of what advantages a human crew would bring to the task at hand? As it stands, thanks the hardpoint placement on many ships, unless we insist on running turrets we can manage our own weapon systems. Likewise much of the tasks are readily managed by a single pilot. (And for those of us with Mumble access and who are members of organised groups, we have fellowship and company.)

Mining
- Sort out hopper while mining.
- Select mining targets, using prospectors

Combat
- Man fighters
- ??? Fire turrets ???

Trading
- Plot courses?

Exploration
- Contribute to cabin fever
- Axe murder crew

 

[Hadron-Higgs-Boson]

and Michael Brooks on the live stream just confirmed NO NPC v's player dogfighting in Horizons anytime soon! Not a surprise at all, even after DB(obe) had said it would be in game

so

Wings - No mixed NPC/Player Wings
Horizons - 1st expansion for flying and driving on planets, neither flying or driving NPC's anytime soon
Multi Crew - no NPC crew

Now its not the end of the world, but it's a serious set of omissions and I think it would be good if FD could start to explain it rather than embarrassingly brushing it under the carpet and pretending no one noticed. NPC content is, imho, vital to any game, its not about open/solo, its about life to deal with in the galaxy.

 

[JimSpitfire]

What is the point of empty seats?

What is the point of teaming up in, for example, a Python, when you can have 3 or 4 Pythons?

I enjoyed the way it was implemented in Frontier and First Encounters, it worked, and worked well.

For very many of us, wings and crews of players are a waste of effort for FD.

Indeed, very disappointing news. A game released over 20 years ago shouldn't be outdoing the current one in terms of features.

 

[Riedquat]

and Michael Brooks on the live stream just confirmed NO NPC v's player dogfighting in Horizons anytime soon!

what a wasted opportunity.

Unbelievable.

 

[deMangler]

I was looking forward to NPC crew as one of the main features of Horizons. I really don't get FD.

 

[Cevap]

and Michael Brooks on the live stream just confirmed NO NPC v's player dogfighting in Horizons anytime soon! Not a surprise at all, even after DB(obe) had said it would be in game

Wait...why then even release Horizons -.- Im sure the game is nice as a tech demo, but for those who read on the front page that ED is supposed to be a "living, breathing galaxy" dont they think having at least some form of ship combat on planets and their orbit kinda essential to the experience?
Did the AI forgot to buy the new season, is that it?

(dont know to laugh or cry but this info feels it should have been a thread all on its own)

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

I'm honestly glad there won't be AI co-pilots. Current AI behavior would either result in them overheating my ship til we explode, turning on modules that don't need to be on and shutting down everything, deploying landing gear in the middle of a turn... Who knows what evils they're capable of

I'll stick with real people, thank you. They talk back, and make attempts to correct their mistakes instead of ignoring them or making them worse.

Edit: That being said, this is another example of the game's development falling behind and going over budget, and features being cut. Good luck on that 10 year plan.

 

[jabokai]

I'll stick with real people, thank you. They talk back, and make attempts to correct their mistakes instead of ignoring them or making them worse.

Would you actually bother? Playing one sub role in a ship rather than all of them at once? I can't really see the point except for a beer fuelled laugh once every 6 months or so.

 

[Hadron-Higgs-Boson]

it will be fun, but without a complete re-working of ships systems, assuming multi crew are not only going to target a gun, its going to make a ship with a few crew a very easy target, a sort of kill 3 for the price of 1

Would you actually bother? Playing one sub role in a ship rather than all of them at once? I can't really see the point except for a beer fuelled laugh once every 6 months or so.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Sounds to me like Solo just got bent over the desk and..... At least we know now that the main focus of the game will be on mechanics that work in Open with some making it down to Solo mode. Not really a surprise though and it follows what i can now only describe as a pattern:

Wings - No AI - No solo play version - No hired help for traders
CQC - No AI - No solo play version
Multicrew - No AI - No solo play version - Not made clear while being used as a selling point for Horizons pre-orders (Terrible marketing to do this especially if trading standards gets wind)

I can tell FD now this is a huge risk - no other game calling itself an MMO has ever survived having 3 different modes of play that differ in what you can do in them. Personally I think this stinks of not having the manpower or knowledge to create these features.

One thing you can guarantee though is that the AI will still fly in wings in solo, especially those 3-4 Sidewinder/Eagle mobs... But you can't.

Wings should have AI versions but should be expensive, come with a cost.
Multicrew, cant see the problem really, we can control everything anyway, and also the fighters in the fighter launch bay can be AI controlled.

 

[Midian27]

and Michael Brooks on the live stream just confirmed NO NPC v's player dogfighting in Horizons anytime soon! Not a surprise at all, even after DB(obe) had said it would be in game

Well my horizons hype train just crashed and is now burning.

 

[Weps]

Pretty bummed to hear this... the fact that there are currently no NPC wing options to balance player wings is one of my main complaints about the game, and I hope this doesn't turn out to be the same.

Frankly I would just like for FDEV to flesh out existing mechanics than introducing incomplete new ones. Game improvements can be advertised just as well as new features if marketing the game is so important.