400 billion starssystems...is that 399.99bn too many?

[Yaffle]

Do not know if this has been mentioned, but why 400 billion systems, that means 800+ billion stars, since most systems is binary. That is 2 times the high end star estimate that astronomers give. So if they make the galaxy the correct dimensions, the systems will be too close to each other, compared to real-life.

Or did I get anything wrong?

There is general confusion about the number, and what there are 400 billion of exactly. I think David ended up saying something along the lines of "a metric truckload". It's a huge number, well beyond what could ever be seen in a human lifetime.

 

[rgb_astro]

I like the idea of simulating the universe but what i'm afraid of is that allot of the systems youre going to visit will be the same so i'm afraid it will get repetitive very fast and you wont even bother going further then a few systems.
Look at EVE people stay in the same cluster for years simply because there is nothing out there they cant do where they are right now

That's what real universe really is : a dull, unpopulated place. Or you'd like to see flying unicorns next to every star you hyperspace to ?

To make it an interesting experience I'm sure FD will put unexpected/random events around the universe. So expect to see chipmunks in spacesuits.

 

[Memnoch]

Do not know if this has been mentioned, but why 400 billion systems, that means 800+ billion stars, since most systems is binary. That is 2 times the high end star estimate that astronomers give. So if they make the galaxy the correct dimensions, the systems will be too close to each other, compared to real-life.

Or did I get anything wrong?

From a distance, a galaxy with 400 billion single star systems and 400 billion binary systems wouldn't look much difference. The reason is that two stars orbiting each other are much closer to each other than they are to their stellar neighbours, so form a distance it would still look like a single star. In other words the systems would not be any closer to each other whether they had one star or multiple stars.

 

[Dante80]

Its Elite guys...an elite game without a pretty silly amount of places to go to is..not an elite game.

 

[TheDoctor]

Nope I got the distance across which is 400 million light years mixed up with the 400 Billion star systems.

 

[Shepard]

You have got the amount wrong as it is 400 million, not billion. So your a factor of 1000 out.

Yes it is 400 billion. It is stars though not systems. ED made a mistake in their E3 advertisement and said 400 billion systems, which it was always stars. Some systems will have multiple stars. But it is still unrealistic to talk about such a vast number. Even if it was millions it's still unrealistic.

 

[Ervig]

You have got the amount wrong as it is 400 million, not billion. So your a factor of 1000 out.

Where did you get that number? The game is based on our Galaxy: The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy some 100,000–120,000 light-years in diameter, which contains 100–400 billion stars

//edit
this board is dangerous, so many ninja's here

 

[Mazhurg]

You have got the amount wrong as it is 400 million, not billion. So your a factor of 1000 out.

100 Billion systems, 400 Billion stars, take or give a little. - In any case, a silly number.

From the KS and the man himself.

 

[Darojax]

It has been said that they aim to recreate the galaxy as scientifically correct as possible, so whatever they say is the number of stars in the galaxy on wikipedia, that's what they'll go after. : )

 

[fljp]

This scale is exactly why I think Elite is a wonderful game, and thats why I backed it. I WANT developers to spend time doing this.
Otherwise, I just would buy another ordinary game.

 

[Rog]

You're all wrong...

It's actually 400,000,000,027.

I counted them this afternoon.

 

[Yaffle]

It has been said that they aim to recreate the galaxy as scientifically correct as possible, so whatever they say is the number of stars in the galaxy on wikipedia, that's what they'll go after. : )

I thought you said scientifically accurate?!?

 

[zynaps]

This discussion is quite pointless :/ Ships have a limited range, everyone starts near each other and out in unexplored space there are no stations or NPCs from which you can make money. There are ~400B systems (an approximation since not even the developers know) because it just happens to be a decent approximation of the real milky way galaxy.

 

[Stoo]

The only way to know for sure is to count them.... have fun

 

[Flin]

It is interesting that the 400 billion number is a point of topic.

If a star system is represented by N variables with defined range of values and probability distribution, you can run a random generator to generate X of systems.

It's like generating 400 billion NPCs by program.

The real question is will they all start to look alike and uninteresting. A vast desert with 400 billion oases without interesting people or features is going to be boring.

 

[Mazhurg]

A vast desert with 400 billion oases without interesting people or features is going to be boring.

This is where many misconception about PG arise. Interesting people and features can also be generated, it's just more content. The quality of it is in the hands and efforts of the artists doing the generation.

 

[Pinworm45]

There's no difference between 400billion and 400 million. You're only going to go to a couple hundred systems at best in your life. The hardcore players, maybe a couple thousand, MAYBE. But by the method they're generated, there's no difference. The only real difference is that this system allows it to be both insanely impressive, and also realistic and immersive. If there was only 400 million, you couldn't go to every star you look at in the sky. The galaxy wouldn't be realistic sized.

You have to understand that it's not "wasted" time or effort for them to have 400billion as opposed to 400 million. It's the exact same system. In fact, it would require them months of readapting everything to now lower this amount. They'd have to make a lot of changes to nearly every part of the game to lower the amount now - fixing the galaxy map, lowering amount of stars you see in the sky, etc

 

[Flin]

This is where many misconception about PG arise. Interesting people and features can also be generated, it's just more content. The quality of it is in the hands and efforts of the artists doing the generation.

Technically, the quality is I the programmer writing the code and variables

But I get your point.

There will be interesting star system dynamics like a gas giant with an satellite the size of Earth with an satellite the size of the Moon with its own satellite that is the size of a large astroid with a ring of melted metal clumps that appears that it could be the remains of an ancient spaceship.

But the reality of the vastness of space that they all can't all have that level of wow factor. I expect most star systems to be quite mundane.

 

[Mazhurg]

But the reality of the vastness of space that they all can't all have that level of wow factor. I expect most star systems to be quite mundane.

Of course! DB has alluded to this already that to drive events and game-play interesting things (that are not just background) have to be relatively rare. This is the whole point of exploration

 

[Bounder]

Well i for one entirely understand the OP's concerns - for instance i won't visit any restauraunt if the menu's too extensive for me to try every single item. And when i buy a new house, once i've stood in every concievable location inside it, i methodically start visiting every possible location outside of it, basically abandoning it and just wandering off, following a strict grid-mapped spiral, so i don't miss anywhere. Otherwise, what's the point of existence?

If i thought i couldn't visit every possible location and try every concievable thing then life would seem utterly meaningless and i'd just give up and top myself. Ideally, ED should be a smaller sandbox, about 4 feet squared (not cubed), and your ship a slightly-smaller box - say 3 ft^2, otherwise i'll get all sweaty and agrophopic and have to go sit in a cupboard doing breathing exercises.