The Galaxy - Is its size now considered to be a barrier to gameplay by the Developers?

[Kitster]

Thanks again for answering questions from the community, Michael.

Concerning the ship transfer, I don't think it's a small QoL feature. In contrary, I think if one considers all the gameplay ramifications such a feature brings, it will have a larger impact on peoples experience than ship launched fighters or any other feature coming in 2.2. Wouldn't such a big impact feature warrant more development time and resources put into it?

Micheal has already said this is a little QoL feature with a considerable (I read huge) impact on gameplay. This shake up of gameplay within the bubble is intended as well as 'removing barriers'. Personally I'm dead against insta-summoning of ships but FD see it as a low cost, low development option to achieve the results they want.

I personally prefer delayed options like shipping companies or delivery crews, or Ziljans super fuel(tm). Heck, I'd even prefer a jump gate network but all these things would take an increased amount of design and development and introduce more points of failure. Updating a ships location on dB table does not. A cop-out I agree, but what can you do apart from rail on the forums.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Yes, we take note of what is discussed. If there was something new to post on the topic then we would, but I think Sandy has already covered it. If anything changes, we'll post accordingly.

Michael

Thanks Michael. The community is heard as often. A hope for the next weeks

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

It is nice to see Mr Brookes way in on this discussion what I would like to ask him is this would not elite be better if we had more player interaction. If players had the ability to make ship transfer contracts and other players haul the ships as missions would that be more engaging. Yes their would be risk involved but it also make the game more immersive. And space hauling would also become a new job in game.

I want to say I feel elite is a great game and I am in it for the long haul but going forward please consider designing new features with more players interacting with each other instead of us interacting with NPC's.

And proper FLEET MECHANICS WOULD BE NICE TOO

 

[Sardu]

Thanks for the Replies Michael.

My problem has always been with the breaking of my Immersion this feature will bring. I think it's far too hard to just ignore it.

But instant repair of a ship whose hull and components have been turned to swiss cheese doesn't? Way to pick and choose on a whim.

 

[Weps]

Hey Michael,

As you say the point of the feature is to allow greater use of people's ships, have you considered to instead give a range boost to every ship in the game, for the sake of convenience and THEN add ship transfer with a delay (for the sake of believability and to avoid that whole 3d printing handwavium) for those wanting to actually relocate a large fleet of ships? The end result would be virtually the same but wouldn't pose such verisimilitude issues.

No, because that then shrinks the initial journey to levels that are lower than we want.

Michael

Can someone please explain to me what was meant here in more detail? I honestly don't get it.

If I travel in a 50ly AspX then summon my other ship, or if I travel in my other ship which also has a 50lyange, isn't it absolutely the same? Isn't the journey shrunk to the exact same level?

 

[AndyJ]

As mentioned earlier the point is better enable players to use their range of ships more effectively.

Michael

Hi Michael, if you're still about then can I ask this - if the point is to "better enable players to use their range of ships ", why are we are still getting stuck in them due to (slightly off-topic) scenarios such as this:

I just did some mining and have a hold full of metals. I need to travel elsewhere to sell it, but actually I'd like to jump into my Vulture that's docked here also and do some combat in the RES site.

Why can't we store our ship including its cargo?
We keep asking for this and we keep getting a "No".

The main complication that I can see is if you have mission specific cargo on board, and which might need to become "stolen" if the mission expires whilst you're not in that ship.

The reason we are given though is it'll be used to break the background sim... is that really likely?

So is there really no middle ground on this, it must be a far more common situation than having your ship too far away?
Won't Adam flying his T9 and seeing a CZ on his travels have the same issue for instance?

Having to dump all the cargo on the local market just to switch ship is extremely annoying. And if you're carrying something rare or hard-earned then you probably won't want to, and you become trapped in that ship.

Cheers

 

[MarcusKross]

We like the potential effects this could have on interactions in the galaxy, and the benefit comes from instant transfer. We'll see in beta how it pans out.

Michael

No offense intended but Michael no...

Just like as the fish for Engineer upgrades in the last beta people won't realize the ramifications until the feature goes live that includes the whole playerbase and even you guys.

Now as a player who sinked more than 3200 hours in this game i like to believe i have some grip on how the gameplay will turn out. So for the last time i implore you devs to reconsider the magic teleport.

 

[Wyaston Hypatia]

But instant repair of a ship who's hull and components have been turned to swiss cheese doesn't? Way to pick and choose on a whim.

Who says it doesn't. Just because the features in the game, doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

But instant repair of a ship who's hull and components have been turned to swiss cheese doesn't? Way to pick and choose on a whim.

No. It's based on which one has a mechanic attached to it.

If repairs took player action you'd have a point. Travelling does have players action involved.

 

[Leo Sagan]

We're still discussing that - currently the idea is to limit it on cost, but a hard cap on distance cap on it is being discussed - say 10 light years ;-)

Michael

Good Lord, an answer at last. Thanks Michael, I'll name my first born after you.
Well, maybe not, but I'll definitely give him a plastic axe for christmas. ;-p

 

[AstroCreep]

I wonder if the Devs have even noticed that the biggest talking point from Gamescon is this "feature" and not one of the (many) brilliant other additions to the game and the blatant fact that the vast majority are against this feature too (Instant Transfer that is...obviously!)

 

[Odys]

All they had to do was let you do something else while you're waiting.

This is my big frustration.

The game has a lack of things "to do" and that makes the best thing to do is own several ships and do multiple different activities based on the ships. If I was ACTUALLY flying interstellar travel I wouldn't own multiple ships like some billionaire with a dozen sports cars in a garage.

Instead of making it faster to GET to your other ships I recommend they keep the scale, keep the difficulty to go the distance and instead:

• Allow Creation of Multiple Commanders
  • Instead of needing to move your main character TO ships, have multiple characters playing the role of those ships.
  • You would want all your work to help your gameplay, so there should be a mailbox system to share credits between your characters
  • This would also allow sending money to friends and other players which could be the begin of a true player market
• Have things to do on your ship while you are travelling
  • Add a module to the game where your ship computer handles all jumps.
  • Freeing your gameplay up while you jump, you can do things in your ship
  • This would mean desiging first person or third person character control to the game (which I would love to have) and designing gameplay of something to do.
  • I would hope this gameplay isn't just character dialogue like walking around in your ship in Mass Effect. I would want it to be gameplay designed around planning your participation in game missions, community goals, having an "internet" that allows you to see the missions of other stations in advance to decide where to go. Kinda doing the chores of the game on the fly instead of once you get to a station.
  • Even more cool, would be interaction with your guests on your ship.
• Experience the flight as you would if you were really out there exploring deep space.

In short, give us a way to have multiple accounts to sign into and live THEIR unique stories instead of making ship transfers mystically instant when nothing else is. And develop gameplay you can do while you jump instead of being stuck in the pilot seat to stare at star after star and wait for the next FSD cooldown to hit the jump button once again.

 

[CMDR-AD]

Can someone please explain to me what was meant here in more detail? I honestly don't get it.

I had thought Mr. Brooks was referring to early career CMDRs. Their Sidewinder and early ships having 50+LY ranges, available with a Class 2A FSD... Well perhaps the progression through the early ships and starting systems becomes changed too early vs. their income earning progress?

I can imagine that even with the 2nd ship available for starting out, a Hauler... Decent cargo ship for starting, but not going to earn a fortune. You need to look at the Adder and soon the Cobra Mk3, Viper Mk4, etc.

But not if that Hauler can do 50+LY hops... Just minutes to Sothis/Robigo, and minutes to practically any ship in the game, skipping everything in between.

At least that was my thought.

 

[Arubeto]

We're still discussing that - currently the idea is to limit it on cost, but a hard cap on distance cap on it is being discussed - say 10 light years ;-)

Michael

Haha, nice idea, I can live 10 LY instant ship transfer !

 

[lysan]

Haha, nice idea, I can live 10 LY instant ship transfer !

sure, I'd just leave this here...

Spoiler

 

[Weps]

I wonder if the Devs have even noticed that the biggest talking point from Gamescon is this "feature" and not one of the (many) brilliant other additions to the game and the blatant fact that the vast majority are against this feature too (Instant Transfer that is...obviously!)

What I take from this is that the number of active players must be quite high.

We have more than 1500 active forums members who have explicitly expressed their disapproval of this feature, but Michael did not address this. However he insisted that the feature will be beneficial to the vast majority or players, which means that the 1500 guys are just a drop in a bucket.

At least it's good to know that player numbers are healthy.

 

[Jypson]

No. It's based on which one has a mechanic attached to it.

If repairs took player action you'd have a point. Travelling does have players action involved.

Only at the most basic level. To repair, you need only navigate to the right button and push it. To travel, you need only point your ship in the right direction and press a button, over and over and over and....

One can be a massive time sink, the other is blessedly not.

 

[Julio Montega]

What I take from this is that the number of active players must be quite high.

We have more than 1500 active forums members who have explicitly expressed their disapproval of this feature, but Michael did not address this. However he insisted that the feature will be beneficial to the vast majority or players, which means that the 1500 guys are just a drop in a bucket.

At least it's good to know that player numbers are healthy.

It is a bit satirical to see a detail get so much attention,
and the main feature gets ignored on a broad basis.
Yet this feature has apparently a larger impact on the game,
than launching a fighter to assist you in combat.

And yes, i got your "drop in a bucket" reference.

 

[Weps]

At least that was my thought.

Thanks, I don't know how I did not understand that. So it's the journey of the player through the game world.

 

[fennster]

Question:

When you store a ship, it retains any damage that has been not repaired, right? So when you "print" this ship in another location, Does it build it with or without damage (Why?!!?)? And if it repairs it, do you have to pay extra or can I skip repair bills and just transport it from now on?