What will ED look like at the end of the 10-year plan?

[WeirdWizard]

Well, if you want a picture with David Braben holding a sign saying "TEN YEAR PLAN" you ain't gonna find it. However the DEVS have hinted many times "offline" and as quick side remarks that there is a 10 year plan for the game. Right now we are probably 4 years into that plan, that leaves us with remaining 6 years.

So from official statement from FD. (the seasons are speculation from me, the headlines are not)

Season 2, airless planets + more
Season 3, space legs + more
Season 4, Starting on atmospheric planets +more
Season 5, Continued adding content to season 4 (cities and wildlife)
Season 6, Player controlled cap. ships + more.

That will give you 10 years of DEVELOPMENT!

Well we can but hope you are correct, although back in the old days it was going to be a regularly updated game with occasional expansions. I get the distinct impression looking back on that prerelease era that Frontier expected to ship a much more complete game and probably had less overall they wanted to implement somewhere down the line, i mean the pricing of the original season pass is very telling, it kind of implied they were thinking about 3 or 4 expansion priced at £10-£20. Which makes sense as something like Rocky planets, walking around, atmo planets, something else. Somewhere along the line that morphed into what we have now which is a fairly incomplete but promising game that is having more and more added to the future updates season content bag.

Frontier have become much more bullish about the shared online galaxy component of the game which we never really heard that much about before, so their vision of the games future has clearly changed a lot even in the last year. I think a less ambitious and more finished product that got wrapped up in a couple of years so work could start on a proper sequel would of been a more guaranteed route to having the best space sim 10(9) years from now but we are where we are.

 

[Privata]

Hum...specifically at this point, this is not true. In some aspects such as the economy, fleet and fleet management, player stations, just to name an example X3 is much, much more complete and complex than the ED.

ED has its own strengths, like the galaxy, fligth model, combat, multplayer, but in other X3 is unbeatable.

Well I love X3 but prefere X2 and indeed it has its upsides but the economics in it dont actualy change the galaxy for example a dead economie in X just makes it hard for the player to make money and thats it. unless of course you instale mods (and I hope 99% of its players do)
I am still partialy part of the X devnet as you can see my name in the credits of Xrebirth I love that franchise but maybe due to my consent moding of it I can only see its limitations... I wish I never leanred how to mod it and just use mods instead that way the magic would still be there for me

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Player numbers and Horizons purchases have nosedived -- the community is abandoning this game in droves.

At the current rate, it's unlikely to see a season 3 release and will likely slip into maintenance mode until it shuts down or can fix its mechanics to the point where players come back and want to invest in future seasons... If FDEV really 'believes' in their product they might risk a season 3 release and gamble on some game changing mechanics in it, but I find this unlikely.

Most of the negative reviews are nonsens by users who find it to expensive or cant read the discrption.
A lot of them are complaining or rather whining that there is no content but ignoring that its 5 expansions not just 1.

Purchase rates tend to increase around new patches and massive events.
There are many negative reviews I understand but most of them go ignored the ones that talk about the gameplay issues are ignored the only negative ones that get listened to are the whiners about the price

 

[NMS]

Even the possibility of using mods already is a strength in itself.

I wish somehow in ED things could be done by the community.

 

[Ian Phillips]

Everyone. Please keep your posts limited to the content you are replying to, and don't make assumptions about the poster. Discussions are about the content, not whp posted the content. Thank you.

 

[lysan]

Player numbers and Horizons purchases have nosedived -- the community is abandoning this game in droves.

At the current rate, it's unlikely to see a season 3 release and will likely slip into maintenance mode until it shuts down or can fix its mechanics to the point where players come back and want to invest in future seasons... If FDEV really 'believes' in their product they might risk a season 3 release and gamble on some game changing mechanics in it, but I find this unlikely.

Another doomsday poster. Please take this bet, You will eat a ED SOCK if the game goes into season 3, I will eat two ED SOCKS if the game DO NOT enter season 3. Deal?

 

[Traven Mayhem]

Another doomsday poster. Please take this bet, You will eat a ED SOCK if the game goes into season 3, I will eat two ED SOCKS if the game DO NOT enter season 3. Deal?

Just calling it like I see it. I've been playing online MMO's since before the term existed (started in late 80's MUDS, tradewars, on to VATSIM and UO + other early 'always online' games) and I know the pattern of a sinking ship when I see one. If the game survives unexpectedly, I'll be happy for it.

 

[Privata]

Even the possibility of using mods already is a strength in itself.

I wish somehow in ED things could be done by the community.

I dont know if its still on the roadmap or not but there were talks of letting us do limited modding... but the online only style of the game may hinder that.
But I think even if it was limited to texture mods it would allready be a massive help towards FD.
Personaly I cant see mod tools coming to elite any time soon if at all.

 

[lysan]

Even the possibility of using mods already is a strength in itself.

I wish somehow in ED things could be done by the community.

Player modding tools are in the plan, however at the end of the scheduled content. So it will eventually get there if the interest remain.

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Just calling it like I see it. I've been playing online MMO's since before the term existed (started in late 80's MUDS, tradewars, on to VATSIM and UO + other early 'always online' games) and I know the pattern of a sinking ship when I see one. If the game survives unexpectedly, I'll be happy for it.

It will not survive unexpectedly, it will continue down the road as planned. Maybe a bump here and there. I read financial reports, and watch the stock marked, you can extract a lot more useful information there about most products than anywhere else.

Trust me, it's all good for now.

 

[Privata]

Just calling it like I see it. I've been playing online MMO's since before the term existed (started in late 80's MUDS, tradewars, on to VATSIM and UO + other early 'always online' games) and I know the pattern of a sinking ship when I see one. If the game survives unexpectedly, I'll be happy for it.

You could be right , but to me this looks more like what eve went threw were it got a lot of negative attention yet everything was fine after a few patches/expansions

 

[Lobstris]

I assume you're A. trolling, if that is the case your bridge is calling you or B. lazy

I assume you missed the point of my original post.

My specific question was "where was the 10-year plan" ever mentioned? As in someone from Frontier saying they had this decade long, monolithic, secret plan that seems to have become gospel around here. I'm well aware of what Frontier have stated publically. I wanted to know where the whole '10-year' thing had come from, as at this point it's a bona fide urban legend.

But if you want, please patronise me some more and tell me how to use Google, 'cus I never though of doing that myself.

*Edit* And cheers to Golgot for actually digging up a plausible sighting of the '10-year plan' as part of a paraphrased post from a forum user.

 

[lysan]

I assume you missed the point of my original post.

My specific question was "where was the 10-year plan" ever mentioned? As in someone from Frontier saying they had this decade long, monolithic, secret plan that seems to have become gospel around here. I'm well aware of what Frontier have stated publically. I wanted to know where the whole '10-year' thing had come from, as at this point it's a bona fide urban legend.

But if you want, please patronise me some more and tell me how to use Google, 'cus I never though of doing that myself.

*Edit* And cheers to Golgot for actually digging up a plausible sighting of the '10-year plan' as part of a paraphrased post from a forum user.

Well, to many people ask for the same thing over and over, we all know how to use google, so instead of using it as a "show me because I never heard of it" you could actually start digging yourself. You didn't, you used it to poke around knowing that people would start searching for it, for you. That is very close to just trolling people or just being lazy. So now you got it, from Frontier's financially report. However I got the feeling that unless David Braben stand with a huge sign with big fat letters saying "WE GOT A TEN YEAR PLAN" you and like minded will never stop with the doom mongering or forum poking around.

Everyone else who has a genuine wish to know if there is a plan or not, would have tried to google it, and then most likely come to the same conclusion. Yeah they do have a 10 year plan.

Just out of curiosity , now that you know, what are you going to do with that information, did it make you feel better?

 

[Lobstris]

Well, to many people ask for the same thing over and over, we all know how to use google, so instead of using it as a "show me because I never heard of it" you could actually start digging yourself. You didn't, you used it to poke around knowing that people would start searching for it, for you. That is very close to just trolling people or just being lazy. So now you got it, from Frontier's financially report. However I got the feeling that unless David Braben stand with a huge sign with big fat letters saying "WE GOT A TEN YEAR PLAN" you and like minded will never stop with the doom mongering or forum poking around.

Everyone else who has a genuine wish to know if there is a plan or not, would have tried to google it, and then most likely come to the same conclusion. Yeah they do have a 10 year plan.

Just out of curiosity , now that you know, what are you going to do with that information, did it make you feel better?

I asked the question because a) I'd searched for the '10 year plan' and nothing came up, b) I'd searched on these forums and 17-pages of hits had come up *but nothing from a representative of Frontier* and c) i'd looked at Frontier's financial reports a few months ago, and seen the 7-year figure. Is that really being lazy? Using three separate searches before asking the question? I asked because I was genuinely interested in specifically where the '10-year' thing had originated because in all my time on the forum I'd not seen anything that would explain the phenomenon, and nothing had come up in searches. Now you could say that's me failing to use Google, or the forum search properly if you like? I knew there were *plans*. There were plans back in the Kickstarter too.

Whilst you may think my posts were 'trolling' or 'negative', I'd suggest to you that these forums would be more useful if we didn't perpetuate ideas like '10-year plan' or 'vertical slice', when there is only superficial/hearsay evidence to back that up. I'd also suggest that I asked because I thought some of the old timers around here might have a better recollection of the original source. And as Golgot has provided the best answer to the question I asked, "The 10 year plan was first mentioned in a post by a forumite, paraphrasing or reporting on what was said at a Con" I'm happy with that as a response.

So, yes, Frontier have said they are 'in it for the long haul'. Yes they obviously have more plans for the game, yes it is a 'work-in-progress'. However, the information in that statement is now aged, plans change, neither you, nor I, are privy to the timescales, and it all fundamentally hinges on finances. Also, no plan survives contact with the enemy - so with Frontier's new dedication to quality, the '10-year' plan could actually now be a '15-year' one.

 

[NMS]

I asked the question because a) I'd searched for the '10 year plan' and nothing came up, b) I'd searched on these forums and 17-pages of hits had come up *but nothing from a representative of Frontier* and c) i'd looked at Frontier's financial reports a few months ago, and seen the 7-year figure. Is that really being lazy? Using three separate searches before asking the question? I asked because I was genuinely interested in specifically where the '10-year' thing had originated because in all my time on the forum I'd not seen anything that would explain the phenomenon, and nothing had come up in searches. Now you could say that's me failing to use Google, or the forum search properly if you like? I knew there were *plans*. There were plans back in the Kickstarter too.

Whilst you may think my posts were 'trolling' or 'negative', I'd suggest to you that these forums would be more useful if we didn't perpetuate ideas like '10-year plan' or 'vertical slice', when there is only superficial/hearsay evidence to back that up. I'd also suggest that I asked because I thought some of the old timers around here might have a better recollection of the original source. And as Golgot has provided the best answer to the question I asked, "The 10 year plan was first mentioned in a post by a forumite, paraphrasing or reporting on what was said at a Con" I'm happy with that as a response.

So, yes, Frontier have said they are 'in it for the long haul'. Yes they obviously have more plans for the game, yes it is a 'work-in-progress'. However, the information in that statement is now aged, plans change, neither you, nor I, are privy to the timescales, and it all fundamentally hinges on finances. Also, no plan survives contact with the enemy - so with Frontier's new dedication to quality, the '10-year' plan could actually now be a '15-year' one.

This 10-year plan, is like a crutch that the most ardent defenders of ED use when someone criticizes the game, even if you criticize the game to see it improve.

 

[shadragon]

Unfortunatly, you could be right...

Which makes my Lte a bad investment... Glad it was'nt a share after all

Two major releases and your LTE purchase price breaks even. Three or more and you save lots. Honestly, if you don't have that level of confidence in Elite then sell the LTE back to FD and I'll take it off their hands.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

In 10 years time there will be one Human Commander fleeing from all the other Commanders who have been assimilated by the Thargons (who found and defeated the Borg over in the Star Trek Galaxy!).

 

[Itaki]

Thy Holy 10 Year Plan.

 

[Zeta Legion]

This 10-year plan, is like a crutch that the most ardent defenders of ED use when someone criticizes the game, even if you criticize the game to see it improve.

I think most of these 10-year-plan people don't have a clue as to how long 10 years really is. The average development cycle for a middle-market game is not 10 years, people. That's an extraordinarily long time to wait for a game to be feature complete. Some of us may not even stick around that long. Hell some of us might not even be alive by that point. Overlong development cycles tend to kill games rather than nurture them.

Most of us posting "negative" comments actually want to see the game improve, which will attract more fans and in theory more money, which enables further development. Lots of people felt burned by Horizons and its blatantly empty launch feature set. I don't care what gets added in the upcoming patch because by the time it launches Horizons will have been out for six months. SIX MONTHS without any additional content beyond 1 SRV, 3 AI Drones, Barnacles, ammo crafting, and a ton of 99% empty planets. Can you imagine if an expansion to another MMO launched with next to no content and promised to patch stuff in six months? Especially when the base game the expansion is building on still has many outsanding issues? They would be crucified. But because it's Elite, and because FDev totes promised stuff, like for reals, it's all swept under the rug. Take a look at the review scores, people. Post-Horizons the once positively reviewed Elite saw its rating fall off a cliff. This is not good because positive word of mouth, either firsthand from players or secondhand from reviews, is one of the ways games that depend on maintaining a user base and drumming up repeat sales see success. Sweepingly negative or even mixed reviews put people off, plain and simple.

Bottom line, Horizons should have launched with more content, and the next expansion, whatever it is, needs to be more than a skeletal framework that gets a slab of tissue bolted on every six months. I want this game to do well and I will continue to support it, but I refuse to drink the Kool-Aid and mindlessly cheerlead for FDev while they wander aimlessly astray.

 

[shadragon]

This 10-year plan, is like a crutch that the most ardent defenders of ED use when someone criticizes the game, even if you criticize the game to see it improve.

Criticism, delivered thoughtfully, is an exceptional tool for feedback and re-assessment. "It sucks" does little. When combined with whining and personal agendas, it's useless.

 

[Julio Montega]

I think most of these 10-year-plan people don't have a clue as to how long 10 years really is. The average development cycle for a middle-market game is not 10 years, people. That's an extraordinarily long time to wait for a game to be feature complete. Some of us may not even stick around that long. Hell some of us might not even be alive by that point. Overlong development cycles tend to kill games rather than nurture them.

Most of us posting "negative" comments actually want to see the game improve, which will attract more fans and in theory more money, which enables further development. Lots of people felt burned by Horizons and its blatantly empty launch feature set. I don't care what gets added in the upcoming patch because by the time it launches Horizons will have been out for six months. SIX MONTHS without any additional content beyond 1 SRV, 3 AI Drones, Barnacles, ammo crafting, and a ton of 99% empty planets. Can you imagine if an expansion to another MMO launched with next to no content and promised to patch stuff in six months? Especially when the base game the expansion is building on still has many outsanding issues? They would be crucified. But because it's Elite, and because FDev totes promised stuff, like for reals, it's all swept under the rug. Take a look at the review scores, people. Post-Horizons the once positively reviewed Elite saw its rating fall off a cliff. This is not good because positive word of mouth, either firsthand from players or secondhand from reviews, is one of the ways games that depend on maintaining a user base and drumming up repeat sales see success. Sweepingly negative or even mixed reviews put people off, plain and simple.

Bottom line, Horizons should have launched with more content, and the next expansion, whatever it is, needs to be more than a skeletal framework that gets a slab of tissue bolted on every six months. I want this game to do well and I will continue to support it, but I refuse to drink the Kool-Aid and mindlessly cheerlead for FDev while they wander aimlessly astray.

I'd love to see the game evolve this way and include real content updates.
Alas, forgive the negative tone, i hoped so from the start of PB onwards,
yet what i have seen so far is not encouraging me to believe it will work out this way.

So i think that is a lot of wishful thinking,
and i had a word for major game updates of elite,
which i still use up to date: half baked.

There is always room for highlighting some good ideas
and tossing them towards FD, yet none of these i have yet seen
included.

Don't get me wrong, that won't stop me from trying to spill out
some ideas on how to improve stuff, yet it is a bit tedious to be on the waiting
end, left hanging on the outstrechted arm without infos and feedback about it.

If they want some real feedback, i'm sure a lot of CMDRs
are willing to read up on the concepts, before they start beta-phases,
with firsthand info, so they gain time to change features in advance.
The way FD seems to rate their additions is a mile away from the
playerperspective especially highlighting discussion about POI,
Missiles and SCBs.

 

[Doolittle]

Going by past experience, I'd think it'll be a lot more advanced than we imagine. Consider that FD already went from 32 bit to 64 bit from the first to second season. That's a significant accomplishment. It might not show on the surface, but it lays out a generous path for future improvement.

In 8 more years, I think we'll be looking at a new graphics engine and huge improvements in capabilities that will take advantage of future hardware.

I'm also looking forward to the sequel, which I suspect will include support for personal holodecks.

The only significant accomplishment was the first 2 iterations of the game. ED just doesn't cut it compared to the originals. The console game engine they used to design this PC game runs on 64bit. FD had to port it down to 32 bit. Going back was no big deal.

I don't see much going on with this game other than more arcade features. Adding what some of what the originals accomplished just doesn't seem to be considered part of the plan anymore. Doubt we'll see atmospheric planet landings, or walking around in space. As slow as FD is, and their seemingly wanting to profit and throw thrills into the game that have no real bearing other than fluff, I don't see the game progressing much farther. I can buy fluff from their other arcade games to apply to my ED experience.....whoot....LOL. Nothing short of amazing what happened to this game.