Everybody loses their mind about the Thargoid encounter, but you know what I'm really hyped about?

[TiSoBr]

Frontier finally found a way to build scripted sequences into Elite. That Thargoid encounter is just the first step and technically the tip of an iceberg gamedesign-wise.

Just imagine a couple of scenes, which now are possible:

• Scripted pirate encounters
• cutscenes for storyline missions
• scripted animations for old gameplay mechanics (broken canopy, etc)
• exploding bases
• MOAR

Sure, the Tharg encounter is a hell of a kickoff. But maybe think about what's to come. That's pretty rad.

 

[CMDR Ofan]

Frontier finally found a way to build scripted sequences into Elite. That Thargoid encounter is just the first step and technically the tip of an iceberg gamedesign-wise.

Just imagine a couple of scenes, which now are possible:

• Scripted pirate encounters
• cutscenes for storyline missions
• scripted animations for old gameplay mechanics (broken canopy, etc)
• exploding bases
• MOAR

Sure, the Tharg encounter is a hell of a kickoff. But maybe think about what's to come. That's pretty rad.

I can tell you first hand they are really really well done too.

 

[GunnerBill]

I agree! This is the kind of play ED has been needing for a good while. Fingers crossed

 

[Foxiol Eagle]

Finally a very good way to punch us in the face with a proper narrative. I would love to see tons of "events" like this from now on. This all looked like an evolution of "cut-scenes" but all working in real time with you actually interacting...I mean this is incredible work by Frontier.

 

[Heavenly-Hammer]

Exciting times indeed.

 

[QorbeQ]

I also agree. There are a great many things they can do now.

Imagine things like entire stations being destroyed, but in front of just one CMDR in the whole game ... then news spreading about it.

Or "Mass Effect" style missions where you get to make actual game-affecting choices rather than maybe getting a bonus or failing a mission.

I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing

 

[DustyArne]

i agree, but, capital ship arrivals were already scripted as well right..

 

[Weps]

 

[Mechanist]

And if they could get rid of the scripted griefers around every CG and major ED event ... that would be great too

 

[TiSoBr]

Oh and imagine corpses could drift around in the void after a battle and hit the canopy of other commanders. Shiiiit..

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Frontier finally found a way to build scripted sequences into Elite. That Thargoid encounter is just the first step and technically the tip of an iceberg gamedesign-wise.

Just imagine a couple of scenes, which now are possible:

• Scripted pirate encounters
• cutscenes for storyline missions
• scripted animations for old gameplay mechanics (broken canopy, etc)
• exploding bases
• MOAR

Sure, the Tharg encounter is a hell of a kickoff. But maybe think about what's to come. That's pretty rad.

Hm, Scripted encounters is basically all we ever had ?!
The last ELITE Anaconda interdicting me and that died - over a Cargo Hold full of non-Mission Biowaste (!) - was a Scripted Encounter. Precisely what makes these encounters to boring, repetitive, predictable and often nonsensical.

I'd get hyped once we get unscripted encounters, based on a Sandbox and Variables & Events set in motion that the Player might even have forgotten about already or didn't even realize...

So if anything... Less Scripted stuff please. Like... Alot less.

Scripted = no surprises.

So that's what you get then... An Alien Ship triggered by carrying a UA, doing its scripted mini-show and being the scripted, invincible and non-triggerable fixed event that does its 30 Second PowerPoint presentation.
Over and over if you wish. 100x over if you wish. Always yielding the exact same results, down to the second of the playscript.

Stuff like that reminds me of these "Interactive Movies" back in the 90's. Good show, almost no Gameplay value. Zero replay value.
No thanks. But your mileage may vary.

I'm sure Players will go all havok over this little Script-Demo and soon try it Hyperspacing FA off backwards, carring a specific selection of Cargo carefully collected over several weeks , all enchanted at SagA, dropped off and picked up again with an SRV at Beagle point and then Discovery-Scanned by a synced Wing of 4 honking at the same moment.
Not surprisingly, all to the same effect. Script is a Script. Script don't care, unless it's scripted to trigger. But I'm sure folks will find that enjoyable and keep toying around with it, so I guess that's something.

 

[mojododo]

Hm, Scripted encounters is basically all we ever had ?!
The last ELITE Anaconda interdicting me and that died - over a Cargo Hold full of non-Mission Biowaste (!) - was a Scripted Encounter. Precisely what makes these encounters to boring, repetitive, predictable and often nonsensical.

I'd get hyped once we get unscripted encounters, based on a Sandbox and Variables & Events set in motion that the Player might even have forgotten about already or didn't even realize...

So if anything... Less Scripted stuff please. Like... Alot less.

Scripted = no surprises.

So that's what you get then... An Alien Ship triggered by carrying a UA, doing its scripted mini-show and being the scripted, invincible and non-triggerable fixed event that does its 30 Second PowerPoint presentation.
Over and over if you wish. 100x over if you wish. Always yielding the exact same results, down to the second of the playscript.

Stuff like that reminds me of these "Interactive Movies" back in the 90's. Good show, almost no Gameplay value. Zero replay value.
No thanks. But your mileage may vary.

I'm sure Players will go all havok over this little Script-Demo and soon try it Hyperspacing FA off backwards, carring a specific selection of Cargo carefully collected over several weeks , all enchanted at SagA, dropped off and picked up again with an SRV at Beagle point and then Discovery-Scanned by a synced Wing of 4 honking at the same moment.
Not surprisingly, all to the same effect. Script is a Script. Script don't care, unless it's scripted to trigger. But I'm sure folks will find that enjoyable and keep toying around with it, so I guess that's something.

This, so much this.

Fdev said how the first encounter played out would set how everything goes after that. Well its scripted, we have no control over any part of it even after we regain control.
What would have been awesome is the entire first encounter by the first player set what/how the next interdictions went with the next cmdr's. But alas we couldnt because it was a script and that is how fdev wanted the encounter to happen.

Edit: adding how awesome the encounter did look though! But just like current npcs, theres no interaction or differences or change etc, and i dont hold much hope currently based on our current ai / npcs that our in near future alien interaction will be any better.

 

[Apos]

At least it will get people to realize that scripted events are thrilling only once and stop asking about making the galaxy full of them.

 

[Tyrit Shadowstalker]

So that's what you get then... An Alien Ship triggered by carrying a UA,

Actually there's a couple commanders over on the reddit that've gotten pulled out of hyperspace with empty holds.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Actually there's a couple commanders over on the reddit that've gotten pulled out of hyperspace with empty holds.

Hmkay then, at least that might make the next Palin trip a tad less routine.
Hope I don't see a Chat line like "[Auto-Translated]Cargo Tasty Human Has. Can I has it?"

 

[TiSoBr]

Hope I don't see a Chat line like "[Auto-Translated]Cargo Tasty Human Has. Can I has it?"

Has to clean my keyboard now. Thanks.

 

[Loskene]

Hm, Scripted encounters is basically all we ever had ?!
The last ELITE Anaconda interdicting me and that died - over a Cargo Hold full of non-Mission Biowaste (!) - was a Scripted Encounter. Precisely what makes these encounters to boring, repetitive, predictable and often nonsensical.

I'd get hyped once we get unscripted encounters, based on a Sandbox and Variables & Events set in motion that the Player might even have forgotten about already or didn't even realize...

So if anything... Less Scripted stuff please. Like... Alot less.

Scripted = no surprises.

So that's what you get then... An Alien Ship triggered by carrying a UA, doing its scripted mini-show and being the scripted, invincible and non-triggerable fixed event that does its 30 Second PowerPoint presentation.
Over and over if you wish. 100x over if you wish. Always yielding the exact same results, down to the second of the playscript.

Stuff like that reminds me of these "Interactive Movies" back in the 90's. Good show, almost no Gameplay value. Zero replay value.
No thanks. But your mileage may vary.

I'm sure Players will go all havok over this little Script-Demo and soon try it Hyperspacing FA off backwards, carring a specific selection of Cargo carefully collected over several weeks , all enchanted at SagA, dropped off and picked up again with an SRV at Beagle point and then Discovery-Scanned by a synced Wing of 4 honking at the same moment.
Not surprisingly, all to the same effect. Script is a Script. Script don't care, unless it's scripted to trigger. But I'm sure folks will find that enjoyable and keep toying around with it, so I guess that's something.

Some delicious critical thinking to cut through the sea of fanboy froth. Thank you for telling it like it is. Yes the effect is shiny and pretty and all that but like everything else in Elite once you've seen one you've seen them all, and that's the attitude that needs to change before this game will get anywhere.

 

[DirkLarien]

Well done Frontier its really nice scene.

I think they should really go the way of scripted missions.
People love it. Its like with books or movies.
Embrace it frontier people are willing to pay for this. They always were.

 

[NeilF]

IMHO depth/variety of mechanics is what we need, with interplay/feedback between them providing interesting gameplay!

(As I've mentioned before) Imagine if we had by now the following sorts of mechanics/gameplay elements:-
- Convoy escort mechanics, escorting ships from Nav beacon A to B (in standard flight), at the very lest PvE, with a Wing of NPC you gould give simple attack this/defend that commands to, or even better with a Wing of CMDRs working togethor. Nav Beacon A and B could even be in an asteroid field
- Station Blockade mechanics, where you'd exit supercruise a long way out from a station and need to then fly in.
- More dynamic interesting background sim behaviour, such that it could react to extremes such as plague and wars initiating creating huge number of civilians trying to get out of the system and more passenger missions, or lack of supplies arriving increasing demaind/prices for good. As long last food is a lucrative commodity?

Now bring all this togethor now with hostile Thargoid aggression as a driving factor?

Thargoid appear in a system. Background sim goes mad! Huge public terror... Loads of civilians trying to get out. Supplies not arriving. Stations trying to ship people out... Get supplies in.

Stations/bases on planets go into blockade mode, missions pop up to enforce the blocakades or break/run the blockades? You can try and deliver food? Evacuate civilians, with a wing of ships protecting you? You can do this in NPC/CMDR wings? Convoys of passengers ships in the system need protecting etc etc...

This could be utilitsed on the fly by the background sim creating these events, or CGs could even utilise them?

In short, a whole number of mechanics/scenarios that can be pulled upon to create a more living breathing environment. Because as it stands at the moment, given the current tools available, a while back I suggested all the Thargoids will offer might be random interdictions and rebadged combat zones. And it's seemingly one out of two so far...

 

[Iskariot]

Oh and imagine corpses could drift around in the void after a battle and hit the canopy of other commanders. Shiiiit..

That would be so cool.
That would rally make things real and personal.