News 2.3 Dev Update

[Hydrino]

I'm looking forward to everything in 2.3 except multi-crew.

Commander Creator gives me hope that we will see lots of cool NPC walking about relatively "soon", even if we cannot interact with them. That would add huge feeling of life to the game so I have high hopes in that area.

The new camera features sound interesting. FD should use them to create an "in game style" weekly news show and stop the CQC with the Devs which seems like a weekly CPR session for the CQC module.

Now for the criticism!

Like CQC, for Multicrew there is no lobby to let players find each other with any intelligence? No way to select shared language or type of play for the session; mining, combat, exploration, etc.? Yes, unless you have a friend invite you specifically. I can never get CQC to start due to not enough players, so I fully expect to request to crew and end up staring at a request screen for 30 minutes with no idea what is happening, if anything.

The no-penalty crime-spree thing is just a griefer's dream, not going to be good and needs to be reversed.

It is time to focus on the core professions/mechanics before moving on and before any more weak multi-player stuff like SLFs and 2.3 Multi-crew turrets as described. Give all the v1.0 professions/activities and current core travel and sensor mechanics the "1.7 missions" and "Outfitting" update treatment. Those were two awesome updates to original features that really enhanced the game. To me that is what David Braben meant after launch when he said FD would move furniture into the house- it isn't just new weak multi-crew features but implementing DDF items and expanding the very basic mechanics for all possible "careers", and ways to interact with the environment and find things in a reasonable amount of time in a sci-fi cool way.

 

[Miklos Atreides]

One thing that I currently think of and needs maybe some explaination how it will work.
If a crew is committing a crime, who gets wanted?
Helm? Gunner? Crew? are the bounties (fines) also dublicated or shared?

Regards,
Miklos

 

[ArcaneEyes]

One thing that I currently think of and needs maybe some explaination how it will work.
If a crew is committing a crime, who gets wanted?
Helm? Gunner? Crew? are the bounties (fines) also dublicated or shared?

Regards,
Miklos

Sounds like helmsman (ship owner) gets the crime no matter what, but the gunner/slf-pilots can rescind themselves of the crime when leaving, though at the cost of not getting any bounty vouchers with them out either.

 

[Net-FX]

What is the situation regarding mined / gathered resources for engineers upgrades? one ship gathers scanned data, does each crew member get the data? And, multi-SRV's?. 1 size 6 vehicle hangar = 4 SRV's, can each crew member grab one SRV and go have fun on a planetary surface?

No doubt more questions will follow.

 

[Bobbydylan]

Multicrew is another "feature"... A name to slap on the box / Website. Sorry, dont mean to come across salty, but it's pretty clear the community is a lot more interested in NPC crew. all the time and effort that FD invest into multi-crew I fear will be as widely appreciated as the time and effort they invested into CQC and Powerplay.

Disappointing that basic turret control was the best they could come up with.

 

[Spacecat]

More play options are a good thing though.

 

[Sunleader]

Multicrew is another "feature"... A name to slap on the box / Website. Sorry, dont mean to come across salty, but it's pretty clear the community is a lot more interested in NPC crew. all the time and effort that FD invest into multi-crew I fear will be as widely appreciated as the time and effort they invested into CQC and Powerplay.

Disappointing that basic turret control was the best they could come up with.

The more Worrying part to be honest.
Is that they are apparently planning to compensate the lack of Options with Offmap Buffs.

Additional Power Pups for each Crew Member. Means that an Multi Crew Ship with a Human Gunner can will have 7 instead of 6 Pips.
And depending on how they do it. An Multicrew Ship with 3 Additional Crewmembers in the Seats will have 8 Pips to Distribute.
Meaning the Ship will Run Full Weapons and Full Shields at the same time.

This sort of Offmap Buffs makes the Game even more Inconsistent.
I had hoped for an way better Solution.
For example they could have Allowed Players to use their Regular Smaller Ships to Dock with a Bigger Ship. And then said. Ok the smaller Ships Reactor will be Slaved to the Bigger Ships Reactor thus allowing an Additional Pip. That would at least be a Consistence for the Game World. And not Draw Power Magically around.
They could have finally done something about the laughable Weapon Arrays that Bigger Ships got and could have Implemented some more Turret Mounts for Bigger Ships which are Aiming to the Sides and Rear.
Thus allowing for several Gunners on a Ship each manning an Array Side Weapons.
But most of all they could have left this Feature for 2.4 and could have worked towards adding Frigates and Destroyers to the Game. So we actually got Ships in the Size where it makes sense to have more than max 2 People aboard.



But I think the Step itself is Positive.
Having 2 Fighter Pilots Aboard means that the Bigger Hangars that Larger Ships can Carry Finally have a Meaning.
And the remaining Crew being Able to use the Full Sensor Arrays. Also means that I can go on an Exploration Trip. And Approach Moons etc Scanning Several Objects at the same Time.
Having someone to Man Turrets will give Bigger Ships an Option to actually Deal with Chaff Spamming.

The Rewards being Duplicated rather than Shared is Inconsistent as well. But at least it will mean that its going to be worth something to work together for this.


I really Hope they will add the Ability to use SRVs on Multi Crew Ships so that one Player can use an SRV and the other can Follow with the Ship.
Moreover I hope the Duplicating also goes Exploration Data so it makes sense to use Multi Crew for Exploration.

Finally I hope that this is just the Start and not the End of this.
I hope we will See Larger Ships like Frigates and Destroyers in the Future. Which will actually give Players the Options to not only Participate as Magic Warp Crew. But to actually Dock on another Players Frigate.
Moreover I hope we will see more Options for Multi Crew on Bigger Ships.


There is alot of Potential after all.
Bigger Ships would have much more Limited Firing Arcs and slower Turning Guns. So having more than just 1 Gunner would have a Meaning.
Also why limit it to Gunners and Fighter Pilots.
Drones and Missiles could be Crew Controlled as well.
Especially on Larger Ships we could have Long Range Missiles and Torpedoes which an Multi Crew Player can Actually Fly to the Target and thus Attack on over 6km away.
Larger Ships could also be Too Big for Shields. So an Multicrew Player would be Required as Engineer. Which Monitors Module Damages and Starts Repairs.
By giving each Weapon Array on a Larger Vessel its own Power Bar. The Engineer would also serve to Distribute the Power among the Different Weapon Arrays.

There is Potential like this.
Question is just if Frontier will ever give up this All Fighter Approach and start thinking in the Scale this Gigantic Universe Deserves.

 

[TheRealTommo]

I have no problem with instant transfer as this needs to be quick.

 

[JosiahD]

Multicrew is another "feature"... A name to slap on the box / Website. Sorry, dont mean to come across salty, but it's pretty clear the community is a lot more interested in NPC crew. all the time and effort that FD invest into multi-crew I fear will be as widely appreciated as the time and effort they invested into CQC and Powerplay.

Disappointing that basic turret control was the best they could come up with.

I have much the same fear. Gunner position? Only useful in combat. Fighter Controller? Only useful in combat. On top of limiting multicrew to multiplayer by virtue of no NPC alternative (yet?), just as occurred with Wings, this seriously reduces the utility of multicrew for a lot of people because unless they have the friends to fill the crew positions AND you're engaging principally in combat, those crew positions are going to get mighty boring mighty quick....or simply not used at all. Where's an Engineer station to improve ship systems performance (in all roles)? Where's a Science station option that might have actually been of use in exploration (such as improved surface scans to find those elusive geysers, fumeroles and such)? Just feels underdone to me and only half of what we should be getting. Maybe Frontier will have some surprises in store (2.4 to increase beyond the 2.3 crew positions perhaps?), but this is not filling me with confidence I'm afraid.

 

[FrodoHobbits]

Sorry, dont mean to come across salty, but it's pretty clear the community is a lot more interested in NPC crew.

Exactly!

 

[Metacon]

Awesome

Only problem I see:
Im a nice pilot.
I get crewmembers.
They commit crimes firing turrets or fighters at unsuspecting targets.
We all become wanted criminals.
The crew players log out and decide to skip the bounties and the crimes.
Result:
I am the only one who is a wanted criminal - and i could do nothing to prevent my crewmembers from framing me.

 

[racer1]

Multicrew is another "feature"... A name to slap on the box / Website. Sorry, dont mean to come across salty, but it's pretty clear the community is a lot more interested in NPC crew. all the time and effort that FD invest into multi-crew I fear will be as widely appreciated as the time and effort they invested into CQC and Powerplay.

Disappointing that basic turret control was the best they could come up with.

It is the way of the world though. There has to be a headline feature - even though a lot of people will never use it.

There will be lots of QoL and bug fixes as well though. Plus the networking code will also have received some attention to help multi crew so wings hopefully will also be improved. Personally I have found multi cmdr instances less stable in 2.2.03...

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Ship re-buy premiums are also reduced for each crewmember. Again, the purpose with this is to lower the bar to access and ease of use, especially when dealing with vessels that can cost a lot of credits.

All bounties and vouchers that the helmsman (ship owner) receives are duplicated for each crewmember, making multicrew a great way to have fun with friends without missing out on money-making opportunities.

However, as they share the benefits, so too do they share the punishments. Any crime that the ship suffers is applied to all crewmembers equally. But when a Commander leaves or ends a session, the crew will have the option of avoiding taking the crimes with them, but in doing so, will lose all credits earned. It will be their choice.

Will this also apply to exploration data? I mean, for example I'm in M67 cluster just now in a multicrew-capable Anaconda, where it's almost impossible to return exploration data to civilisation (unless, well, let's not go into that again). Could some pals of mine hop in to my ship, we go off exploring, and once we're done the crew then leave with my exploration data?

 

[NeilF]

Some observations:-

All bounties and vouchers that the helmsman (ship owner) receives are duplicated for each crewmember, making multicrew a great way to have fun with friends without missing out on money-making opportunities.

So Wings, which are harder to organise, get paid less than multi-crew which is easier to orchestrate?

ie: I could invite to friends to multi-crew on my ship and they'd immediately appear etc and bounties are multiplied. With Wings, we all need to fly there, but bounties are split.

Does this also mean I could just invite a couple of friends to sit onboard, who do nothing, and get free bounty CRs?



There's also no talk of the damage multiplier effect that was suggested before? Hopefully that means it doesn't exist!

 

[Esso]

So if i join a friend as his co-pilot i am "magically" teleported to his ship anywhere in the galaxy? You are kidding right? This better not be the case. If this technology exists, why cant i teleport to Jacques as a ship owner? Even if i get placed in a sidewinder. This seems half- and borderline stupid.

I propose the following to bypass this immersion and distance-as-a-thing-to-be-reckoned-with breaking feature.

1. If i have a friend joining my ship from anywhere that is not the station im docked with, the think sitting next to me better be a hologram or an empty seat being controlled via telepresence.

2. If i have a friend joining my ship and we are both in the same station, by all means, sit his jolly next to me, all good.

While on the subject, why does my SLF have a body sitting in it, if it is supposed to be controlled by "telepresence"?
Why does my SRV have a body sitting in it, if when i blow up, i dont die but just magically reappear in my ships cockpit?

What is the point of making a point towards realistic orbital properties, ship inertia and all that other immersive jazz, if there will be these huge glaring issues? Who are these sacks of meat that can teleport instantly betwen SLF and SRV?

 

[Cippa]

All bounties and vouchers that the helmsman (ship owner) receives are duplicated for each crewmember, making multicrew a great way to have fun with friends without missing out on money-making opportunities.

Why? While in wing bounties and vouchers are divided, why now are duplicated???
Must be duplicated for wing too...

 

[magnaram]

What is your problem, really, multicrew with teleport. Like another mmo, i try to believe in you Frontier but you make it hard for me. You make things simple and seem made with laziness. Crimes without punishment in multicrew, really?

I don't know what is the real problem with your designers or your developers, the community gives great ideas, you only have to make them real, but you only hear the whining.

This update is a bad joke and a deception

 

[Sacman]

Focus is now on PS4 version development ... it has to be made "casual" and "simple".

 

[Alec Turner]

Out of curiosity can I ask what people think NPC multi-crew would actually bring to the game (aside from plonking an avatar in that empty seat and/or adding some kind of statistical ship buff due to things like the extra pip).

The thing is, would having an AI controlled NPC crewmember operating my turrets be any different from having an AI controlled gun mount operating my turrets? Errr - no?

And we already have AI pilots flying our SLFs so the only difference here would be that we could have two (so just another combat buff really, not actually any more gameplay).

P.S. I've probably missed something glaringly obvious ... that's cool, if someone could just point it out to me.

 

[L.S Algir]

As long as AI npc is not buffed in order to match a potentially players based ship, I am ok with this feature.

Except that it's some kind of useless update for me as :
- I play 90% alone
- npc fighters launched are still limited to 1
- another pew pew full combat oriented feature
- not even a thought about SRV sharing which could at least helped me do the effort to play with friends in exploration.
- regarding above point : nothing for exploration AGAIN , where this feature could have given a lot.

But stil waiting for CMDR creator though
And happy to read a dev update agin.