I know the base you are talking about, where the on site director was arguing with the executives in the story... Elite needs more flavour stuff like this
Season 3 and beyond
- Thread starter Crook
- Start date
I know the base you are talking about, where the on site director was arguing with the executives in the story... Elite needs more flavour stuff like this
TBH, I'm not really on board with the "scrap and redo" thought.
1) It'd be a massive amount of work, probably more than just fixing what's broken with Elite currently.
2) Obvious Time and cost savings areas (like reusing assets) would result in people being put off with paying for the "same game again".
3) FD's reputation would all but be ruined. Since they're' hardly one of the biggest dev studio's out there, their reputation has tangible value.
While I would love for Elite to either ditch solo and make a proper MP game (Guilds, factions, Player economy) or better yet (in my opinion) ditch the MP game and make a proper Solo game (Like Elite Frontier, or FFE), I can't see that happening.
My hope for the future of the game is that they just spend time adding depth to each of the "careers".
Exploration: for FD to add planet scanning and material collection like is detailed in the "year of concepts thread:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...op-concepts!?highlight=year+of+elite+concepts
Military: for these carriers to be almost mini-SP campaigns. Kind of like ranking up in the guilds in a TES game. Make it worth doing to, with rewards apart from credits. Things like unique ships, or unique modules.
Bounty Hunting: Dead or alive contracts. Having to scoop up an escape pod from a ship you've destroyed to collect the full bounty (why is this not already a thing?)
Smuggling: Made somehow different to just regular hauling.
1) It'd be a massive amount of work, probably more than just fixing what's broken with Elite currently.
2) Obvious Time and cost savings areas (like reusing assets) would result in people being put off with paying for the "same game again".
3) FD's reputation would all but be ruined. Since they're' hardly one of the biggest dev studio's out there, their reputation has tangible value.
While I would love for Elite to either ditch solo and make a proper MP game (Guilds, factions, Player economy) or better yet (in my opinion) ditch the MP game and make a proper Solo game (Like Elite Frontier, or FFE), I can't see that happening.
My hope for the future of the game is that they just spend time adding depth to each of the "careers".
Exploration: for FD to add planet scanning and material collection like is detailed in the "year of concepts thread:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...op-concepts!?highlight=year+of+elite+concepts
Military: for these carriers to be almost mini-SP campaigns. Kind of like ranking up in the guilds in a TES game. Make it worth doing to, with rewards apart from credits. Things like unique ships, or unique modules.
Bounty Hunting: Dead or alive contracts. Having to scoop up an escape pod from a ship you've destroyed to collect the full bounty (why is this not already a thing?)
Smuggling: Made somehow different to just regular hauling.
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What they could do is split the builds like Star Citizen is doing with Squadron 42, and the Persistent Tech demo
Elite Dangerous (the solo one)
&
Elite Dangerous ONLNE (the MMO one)
that way they can let each version of the game go their own route...
somehow how I think this is treading into the open vs solo vs cheese vs concrete vs bla bla argument
but as I said, Elite needs a "Finesse" patch, where they go back to basics, and use all the new tech (they most likely developed in the cobra engine since Elite first came out) to spice up the game mechanics
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"Horizons 2.4: Finesse" which just updates the base game would provide zero incentive for a player to purchase Horizons. A subscription model would mean that FD would be paid to work on 'the core game', an expansion model means that FD are basically only paid to work on expansions.
I think the game maybe needs to look at new financing models. For example a kickstarter-style donation scheme for developing specific 'core modules/functionality'.
Since 2.4 wasn't sold as a names feature, FD could do with it what they want. Which, I suspect, they don;t even know what that is. But a 2.4: Depth update would not be complained about by anyone, I think.
"I think the game maybe needs to look at new financing models. For example a kickstarter-style donation scheme for developing specific 'core modules/functionality'"
NO NO NO, lets not throw more money at them for not doing things properly in the first place!
whats next, kickstarter nr3, the patch to fix the patch that was supposed to fix the first patch?
I'm talking about a minor point update, like a 2.3.xx = Finesse patch like decembers combat balance patch
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All good reasons why they won't do it, and to be clear, I don't think they will scrap 3.0 either - for exactly the reasons you have given. It is not what I am hoping for though.
Continuing with the current model where updates become more infrequent (now about 6 months between updates, used to be 2 -3 months), until the game development grinds to a halt and is then canned for another 20 years is not the outcome I would prefer.
In terms of cost, paying the price of a game for a season, or paying the same for a sequel makes no difference to me.
Maybe an option is to pre-announce 3.0 as the "last season"? - This would mean that stopping [EDIT: as in rebooting] after season 3 would not be viewed as a failure.
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If you'll don you'r tinfoil hat for a moment, there's a suspicion going around that season 2 has been intentionally lengthened (slowed) so that when season 3 eventually does land, it's all the content in the season at once. But if Season 2 has been dragged out so that season 3 land a a complete expansion, I'd be presently surprised.
NO NO NO, lets not throw more money at them for not doing things properly in the first place!
whats next, kickstarter nr3, the patch to fix the patch that was supposed to fix the first patch?
I'm talking about a minor point update, like a 2.3.xx = Finesse patch like decembers combat balance patch
. Your first comment seems a bit weird, core functionality from 1.0 was paid for by lots (millions?) of players because it was "good enough" - that "years later" we want changes is hardly "not doing things properly in the first place!". It's more "with hindsight, this area of the game should be expanded/redone".In terms of a "2.3.02", sure. But, there are obviously limits to what can be put in that sort of patch... personally I would want to see new core features, and that simply can't happen in a minor release - tasks need prioritising/scheduling etc.
Season 1 was sold as a work in progress.
[video=youtube;8yd-m9AR7mY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yd-m9AR7mY[/video]
Yes - it was sold as a work-in-progress in terms of it's season, but it was understood that on-going development would be funded by expansions. The plan was never that you'd pay for ED in 2014, and somehow FDev would magically finance 10 years of further development.
The problem is that it's hard to wrap 'updates to the core game' into an expansion without:
a) breaking the core game for people who don't have the expansion.
b) making it free, which basically causes the on-going development to be unfunded.
Ideally FDev would receive payment for 'doing what the customers want' (and that way everyone's objectives are aligned). The current model maybe doesn't do that - FDev get paid for adding flashy new features/buzzwords, rather than working on stuff that maybe players would prefer for them to focus on.
The problem is they add more bolt on features etc, but not more things to do, (Multicrew lets me jump onto another ship and earn less than I would in my own doing the exact same thing)
I mean multicrew doesnt even bring anything new, a turret cam that lets you shoot things that your turret would otherwise do automatically, and fly an slf (something we can already do)
no engineer role, nothing extra or new
mega ships, go there and stare at them, CQC assets, go there and stare at them etc
I want more things to do, not more places to go and do the same old things over and over.
the problem with multicrew may be that it took so much dev resources just to get the fundamentals to actually work (delayed beta, and bugs) that no dev time was left to actually develop the things to do whilst in multicrew
instead of Mega Ships... why not add more normal ships, then we can buy them engineer them, they can sell paintjobs for them etc
also lots of the stuff that goes in ends up being invisible, because on patch day you log in and its business as usual.
when you log in on patch day it should pop you a few messages in your inbox, "hey cmdr we've just sent you some sensitive data to be delivered to one of our mega ships" Accept/decline etc
Drive players to the new additions, don't wait for them to read a patchlog and then google or search reddit where to find the new stuff.
thats what make WoW's patches' cool, you log in and its like WHAM, look at all this cool S$%t we added, come and try it out
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I concur... The number of developments IMHO that have missed the mark and in truth added very little worries me!
I'll add my previously quoted email here informing some friends of mine about the all new asteroid bases now being added to the game:-
(So yes, just more bolt on stuff...)
And (again) a link to my post about how Multi-Crew is demonstrating how the lack of previous investment in a greater variety of things to do (& depth) is now penalising such new developments - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ite-ED-in-the-boosters!?p=5227174#post5227174
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It's an interesting idea to cut ED and start over, but I guess the core group who would want the game already have it, and asking them to switch to a sequel for more money is an impossible task. I just hope that paint jobs aren't paying to keep the lights on at frontier month by month, because I think season 3 is looking unlikely at this point due to there not being enough money for resources, artists and coders to dedicate to an expansion that's worth of £30 or so. Have we reached catch 22 with ED? Not enough revenue in frontier to make an expansion, and without the expansion they can't make new revenue?
Oh for the love of all things dangerous... It has been repeated over and over on these forums and beaten to death with a broken stick, but I'm in a good mood so here we go again:
Frontier is FAR from being poor indie studio.
At least judging from their financial statements which are out in the open if you're willing to do some research (also posted on the forums). They have two successful games E: D and Planet Coaster, both console types revenue streams (PS4 to drop any minute now), and have recently invested in a hollywood IP for a THIRD in-house game...
Where do you people get the idea that cosmetics store is funding the lights on?! On a stock market company?! Also, there are these things called investors and investment loans... so no catch 22 there.
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Thank you ... at last someone is talking sense. ED will not get a 'sequel' until such a time that the current engine cannot perform as required. Until then the seasons will continue.
That wasn't my point. Elite has been released. They've got the revenue from sales. Where do they get any further money from Elite? Paint packs and expansions. If their projections of sales from a season 3 expansion don't cover the cost of artists and coders to create it, it doesn't make business sense to fund it. Now, I know Braben loves Elite so he may use revenue streams from other titles to fund Elite development, but that's not sensible in the long run for a business.
My point was the opposite. FD are a big business. As that business, can you realistically see them funding Elite with other titles, or do you think that enough players will buy a season 3 expansion to justify the cost in making it? Let's say it was 5 guys working on it, coders, artists and the like, at a small £30k per year. That means 150,000 in wages, and for a £30 expansion, that means that 5000 of us have to buy it. I think from the coders, to the artists, sound engineers, voice artists, marketing etc people that Elite needs, and higher wages for them (£30k seems low for a AAA developer), it will need more people buying a season 3 to make up the cost. And that's just to break even, not keep the lights on at FD and pay for the business in addition to the wages.
This game needs Guilds for deep social gameplay and so that space conflicts and cooperation have true meaning for players with vested interests.
Also player-owned structures that cost a lot to build so it entices rich players to invest in those things and all kinds of players work together. This enriches multiplayer and the end-game phase.
Also player-owned structures that cost a lot to build so it entices rich players to invest in those things and all kinds of players work together. This enriches multiplayer and the end-game phase.
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![[VR] Mad Mike](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/27/27910.jpg?1553527108){kind=avatar}
i would counter this is what this game needs are rich persistant npcs and things for ALL players to do, and not making stuff out of reach for those not in cliques / guilds.
imo the factions are EDs answer to guilds... i would liek to see those fleshed out so we could pledge to what ever faction in game...... but the important thing for me is, it is always the BGS which controls them, NOT players.
technically we are all part of a guild in ED anyway... the Federation of Pilots.
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Completely agree with this. Expand the factions and more persistant NPC's.
And of course better exploration tools, better bounty hunting, better combat zones, and maybe a mining update as well.
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