What if i don't but the expansion pack ?

[Enride]

- Elite dangerous is out now and everybody can play the game, travel/trading fighting in multiplayer, exploring the whole galaxy.

No, Elite Dangerous BETA1 is out, where you can try out some of the features, and help the developers nail down bugs and certain balance issues.

The trading, as well as the multiplayer is only implemented in a very limited feature, what is "out now" is not even close to half the features and experience you will get with the full release.
Exploring the whole galaxy??? Where did you get that from?


As for the expansions, I dont know. Id hate to see them being required for a player to experience planetary landings and walk about stations, but what else could an expansion feature in a game like ED, a freeform open "world" sandbox where there is no singleplayer story to follow?

Time will tell, but for the love of everything, dont think that BETA1 is anywhere near what the complete product will feature!

 

[Cosmos]

Well the released game is slated for the end of the year. Even if its released then were not going to see an expansion pack for quite some time, at least a year perhaps even two.

You dont get the expansion you don't see the extra content but I'd imagine you'd still be able to play ED.

 

[dognosh]

No, Elite Dangerous BETA1 is out, where you can try out some of the features, and help the developers nail down bugs and certain balance issues.

The trading, as well as the multiplayer is only implemented in a very limited feature, what is "out now" is not even close to half the features and experience you will get with the full release.
Exploring the whole galaxy??? Where did you get that from?


As for the expansions, I dont know. Id hate to see them being required for a player to experience planetary landings and walk about stations, but what else could an expansion feature in a game like ED, a freeform open "world" sandbox where there is no singleplayer story to follow?

Time will tell, but for the love of everything, dont think that BETA1 is anywhere near what the complete product will feature!

no, you misunderstood him, he was giving an example of "what if"

quote : "In order to better formulate the question i need to explain a possible typical situation in the future:"

 

[Ben Ryder]

Within all this incredibles stuff we actually see as 'working in progress' a huge question came out of my mind.

Ok, it's all wonderful but...

what will happens to a player who doesn't buy the future expansion ??? :S

In order to better formulate the question i need to explain a possible typical situation in the future:

- Elite dangerous is out now and everybody can play the game, travel/trading fighting in multiplayer, exploring the whole galaxy.
But you cannot land on planets and you cannot walk around your spaceship.

Later the 'walk on your spaceship' expansion is announced :
what will it happens exactly at who doesn't buy it ?
they still have the same point of view in the cockpit blocked ''somehow''..?
or they will be not able to play the game anymore ''somehow''.
or what ?

same for the 'landing on planets' expansion_:
who doesn't buy will be simple not able to land on planet ?
and how the devs will prevent this ?

I guess it would be treated in the same way as instancing but treating the instanced objects as build components rather than player objects.

 

[irongut]

That's a really nice idea. The addon would sell itself if it allowed you wander around in your ship but not go out and explore the station or ship you were docked with.

Or it could be like the Captain's Quarters in EVE which not only caused the cancellation of their Walking in Stations feature but also the cancellation of a completely separate game that was to use the same engine.

 

[Wolf]

That's a nasty thought! I'd been intending to not install my walking around expansion to avoid having to worry about stowaways, but I see you've managed to come up with a way that I still will have to .

I am quite confident that for people not buying the EVA expansion the game will not change at all. Meaning players with the expansion can't board the ships of players without it.
Everything else would be too big a disadvantage for the latter.

Same for planet landing. Players without don't see the equipment needed in outfitting.
They can continue playing the game as if the extensions don't even exist.

Also planet bound missions or missions requiring leaving your ship just don't show to not ruin the experience of those who legitimately choose not to buy them.

 

[Memnoch]

Have I lost the plot (as if I ever had a full grasp on the slippery little devil!) or was the Planetary landings add-on going to be available to everyone who backed for free? I seem to remember something like that being talked about during the KS. Could be wrong, probably am in fact.

If you pledged above a certain level you got it, and future expansions for free. That was the £80 pledge I believe. But I don't remember anything about PL being free to everyone.

 

[Philip Coutts]

If you pledged above a certain level you got it, and future expansions for free. That was the £80 pledge I believe. But I don't remember anything about PL being free to everyone.

There was definitely talk of the planetary landings being a freebie but as tinman says it was probably just amongst the rabble and not from Frontier! I always though the expansion pass level in the Kickstarter was a steal.

 

[Yaffle]

There was definitely talk of the planetary landings being a freebie but as tinman says it was probably just amongst the rabble and not from Frontier! I always though the expansion pass level in the Kickstarter was a steal.

Here's KS reward text:

Pledge £80 or more

485 backers

Digital Download Pack. This includes a single digital download of the game, and any expansions, and all the other rewards above except those requiring physical delivery.

There was no mention before that of expansions or planetary landings etc.

 

[Patrick_68000]

I can not imagine a person does not buy, the extension of planetary landings.
How could she resist ?

 

[Bromley86]

I am quite confident that for people not buying the EVA expansion the game will not change at all. Meaning players with the expansion can't board the ships of players without it.
Everything else would be too big a disadvantage for the latter.

Same for planet landing. Players without don't see the equipment needed in outfitting.
They can continue playing the game as if the extensions don't even exist.

Also planet bound missions or missions requiring leaving your ship just don't show to not ruin the experience of those who legitimately choose not to buy them.

I suspect that you're wrong and we'll just have to resign ourselves to it. Otherwise it's make for really weird play for those that purchased the add on. Sure, you could explain them not getting into a ship by having some "the security is too tight" kind of event, but it'd be hard to explain why they can't laser open the airlock and board.

Assuming it's as Robert envisages, all players would still be able to run around their ship to defend it. Another way of handling it that's already been mentioned is to just not have space suits on the un-expanded players' ships, so they'd have to launch their escape capsule when boarded.

 

[technome]

Hmmm... Let me see... Would I like to do this?

Spoiler

Nah. Don't think I'll bother...

 

[Adept]

Maybe you are under quaranteen? Are not allowed to leave your ship.

 

[Obosi]

I want to spacewalk on to the asteroid to investigate the anomalous signals.

I want to EVA to repair my critically damaged ship. ("and turn certain death into a fighting chance for survival.")

I want to board the derelict ship, repair the computer and find out who murdered the crew.

I want track the scum down in Zaonce city and make them pay for their crimes.

I want to study the cave paintings in the jungles of Leesti IV and learn of the alien civilization they describe.

I want to infiltrate the Imperial research base in Proxima Centauri and steal the prototype weapon system.

And I want to go to the planet Thrum, find that merchant prince and demand my money back!

y'know... stuff like that.

Me too mate. Me too.

 

[Wolf]

I suspect that you're wrong and we'll just have to resign ourselves to it. Otherwise it's make for really weird play for those that purchased the add on. Sure, you could explain them not getting into a ship by having some "the security is too tight" kind of event, but it'd be hard to explain why they can't laser open the airlock and board.

Assuming it's as Robert envisages, all players would still be able to run around their ship to defend it. Another way of handling it that's already been mentioned is to just not have space suits on the un-expanded players' ships, so they'd have to launch their escape capsule when boarded.

Possibly. But the other way around would make really weird play for those who didn't buy the extension.

Luckily I don't have to solve this dilemma, but FD has to.

I don't think they will split player base, as it is their declared goal not to.
But you can use a lot of tricks to get the job done. Ships in docked state without expansion despawning for players with expansion, ships without the expansion triggering alarm and police reaction, and so on.
Perhaps you could still enter the ship as a co pilot though, if the player gives permission, i imagine.

I don't rightly know, but I expect FD trying hard not to put anybody in disadvantage over chosing not to buy expansions, as being able to get yor ship stolen but not being able to steal other ships is a big problem and would trigger an outrage, I think.

As I do have the expansin pass, it will not concern me, but so far FD has not dissapointed me in finding very good solutions for gameplay and balance. Even if in some cases the numbers stll have to be adjusted, like weapons damage and trading prices, but that's what beta is for.

 

[Athan]

I've been thinking about the WalkAbout expansion and ship boarding and see three possible ways to handle only some players having it:

1. You get to board them, but they can't defend due to being stuck in their seat. This conveys too much advantage to the WalkAbout players.
2. You're just not allowed to board them. This will suck for the WalkAbout players, artificially limiting their options. You might say that FD could instance/session them away from non-WalkAbout players, but that's a whole can of worms with matchmaking, friends lists etc.
3. You can board them, and for this encounter 'only' (or others like it) they can move around and defend.
   
   *ding ding ding*, this sounds like a winner. Those with the expansion still get free choice of targets to board and those without get a taste of what it's like and may very well choose to buy the expansion as a result!
   
   "I got boarded, and could defend myself, but I'd had no practice due to not having the expansion, I'm going to go buy it now so I can get that practice in, and anyway it was cool seeing around the interior of my ship."

Note that in a multi-crew situation a ship's captain initiating a boarding action on another ship would still not allow any of his non-WalkAbout crew to join in said action, they'd just be stuck in whatever crew seat they're in. Conversely the "can do it temporarily" will of course apply to any non-WalkAbout crew on a WalkAbout captained ship, but only when caused by an enemy boarding action.

 

[Capt. Hook]

That's a really nice idea. The addon would sell itself if it allowed you wander around in your ship but not go out and explore the station or ship you were docked with.

You would need something like this if boarding other ships will be allowed; Not least from the point of view that you will need to be able to get out of your seat to defend yourself from a boarder

 

[StayFrosty]

Well they DID say on numerous occasions that they won't only release paid expansions, but also release free updates. Walking around ships might be a free one, though walking around space stations and exploring planets will be part of the expansion.

They'll strike a nice balance where they give many more gameplay possibilities to those with the expansion, without completely leaving aside those that don't have it.

But then I suppose the problem gets much more complex once you take into account the fact that there are going to be several expansions: what happens if you buy the expansion allowing to walk on planets, but not the one allowing to walk in stations? Will the expansions be standalone or will there be dependencies? What if you're a bounty hunter trying to kill a criminal that has the expansion allowing him to walk around stations, but you don't, and he's jumping up and down around your ship, sabotaging it, as you can only watch him from your pilot's seat?

That's going to be one huge challenge for Frontier, because I can see all kinds of ways this could go wrong. I think it's likely that expansions won't revolve around features (walking, boarding...), but environments, with one centered around all activity on airless moons, one around stations, one around planets... so as to limit the differences between players in the same environment.

 

[nats]

Paradox, in their games, have got around this by releasing paid expansion content along with free core game improvements at the same time. You dont need the paid expansions to play some of the new stuff just the more exciting stuff.

So I would guess in this game you will be able to see all the extra stuff like planet surfaces/starports/interiors but just not make use any of them. I would imagine a basic GUI will cater for the core game requirements of trading/communications etc but the expansions will make these areas so much more visceral.

 

[huwthomas]

I've been thinking about the WalkAbout expansion and ship boarding and see three possible ways to handle only some players having it:

1. You get to board them, but they can't defend due to being stuck in their seat. This conveys too much advantage to the WalkAbout players.
2. You're just not allowed to board them. This will suck for the WalkAbout players, artificially limiting their options. You might say that FD could instance/session them away from non-WalkAbout players, but that's a whole can of worms with matchmaking, friends lists etc.
3. You can board them, and for this encounter 'only' (or others like it) they can move around and defend.
   
   *ding ding ding*, this sounds like a winner. Those with the expansion still get free choice of targets to board and those without get a taste of what it's like and may very well choose to buy the expansion as a result!
   
   "I got boarded, and could defend myself, but I'd had no practice due to not having the expansion, I'm going to go buy it now so I can get that practice in, and anyway it was cool seeing around the interior of my ship."

1. would be unfair, I can't see FD doing that.

2. could be okay, maybe you get a docking port fitted to your ship when you install the expansion. No docking port, no ship-ship action whether as attacker or defender.

3. To avoid immersion-breaking illogicality, I think this option would need to allow for defenders to perform a full range of aggressive "counter-boarding" actions, including taking the attackers' ship if they win.