News Elite Dangerous 2.4 - The Return

[zimms]

I doubt it. Let me grab my crystal ball:

2.4 will be disappointing to the people who are generally disappointed. 2.4 will be great fun to those who actually like ED. A bunch of people will claim this or that is make-or-break for them, yet you will find all of them still complaining no matter what happens afterwards. As with every patch, every time.

This guy knows what he's talking about.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I doubt it. Let me grab my crystal ball:

2.4 will be disappointing to the people who are generally disappointed. 2.4 will be great fun to those who actually like ED. A bunch of people will claim this or that is make-or-break for them, yet you will find all of them still complaining no matter what happens afterwards. As with every patch, every time.

Hey, I never said the majority and we have no idea how many people are looking at the expo with some hope that it will make the game a better experience.

I very rarely complain and I am looking forward to 2.4 personally, but i have questioned some of the design decisions on the way. But if the expo announcments look very bad (I actually doubt they will), then I may also stop playing, but again I doubt that will happen as I still enjoy the game now and I can't see how it can change it for the worse.

 

[iadesdragon]

The simplest explanation is usually the right one:
1) spent time developing planet coaster / console ports of elite
2) there is no dedicated "elite surface engine folks", they're cobra developers, or even users - and the core cobra engine is developed by another team entirely responding to feature requests from elite and planet coaster teams).
3) Ed Lewis mentioned a few times that the Elite team is he thinks "the biggest it ever was now".

My advice - brace for impact, and not a good one. I think we will hear about QoLs and new mechanics. There will be usual "pie in the sky" talk from Braben and maybe Sammarco, but "no etas, no guarantees". And of course THE THARGOIDS OMG THE THARGOIDS.

I would LOVE to be wrong about this, I really would. Because I will pick my vive headset (helmet?! imuurshionnn! ) the moment EVA / atmospherics appear and go exploring! Sadly I am rather preparing to put away Elite for at least year or two knowing their official plans for not one but TWO new franchises by 2019 (so jurassic coaster (pardon, park) and something yet unannounced). We will see. Like I said I am willing to cut them some slack for the supposedly tough business decisions made during horizons. It's only waiting game is hard, and its been two frikkin years now. </vent>

Just guessing... you never would oay a monthly fee to support the effort of running the servers and developing new content right?

then stop wining about FDev not having all of the 230+ emplyees working on stuff you won't pay for...

 

[WindWpn]

Now that 2.4 beta is done, I wonder "how" 2.4 will begin?? Will we see a steam update, or perhaps some server only experience? Galnet posting, something elsewhere online?? When, where, how, why??!!?!

 

[Ian Skippy]

Now that 2.4 beta is done, I wonder "how" 2.4 will begin?? Will we see a steam update, or perhaps some server only experience? Galnet posting, something elsewhere online?? When, where, how, why??!!?!

Definitely needs a client upgrade.

 

[NeilF]

Just guessing... you never would oay a monthly fee to support the effort of running the servers and developing new content right?

then stop wining about FDev not having all of the 230+ emplyees working on stuff you won't pay for...

In his defense, he's not at fault for not paying a monthly fee for the game as promoted, and isn't suggesting there should be 230 or so employees?!

He's simply questioning the odd divide between a hundred+ staff, three years, and what we see...

 

[Ian Skippy]

He's simply questioning the odd divide between a hundred+ staff, three years, and what we see...

And what is this odd divide, other than your desire to get more stuff faster? That may have been a weak but legit point if there were indeed many rival space games that did so much better. But there aren't. So maybe, just maybe, that stuff in your head is just a collection of unrealistic fantasies? People pay about E4-E8 per update, depending on when you bought Horizons. The disconnect between what you expect and what normally people expect for a E5 DLC is pretty wild, really.

 

[discocat]

Also, of course they are teams working on future content cause spoiler it takes years to develop those things !

The fact that you think it's easy doesn't make it actually easy.

Atmospheric planets for example : that means dynamic weather, gas/cloud density, turbulences... That's not a thing done in a month or two. Or even 6. Not if you want to do it properly, with decent performance and stability and pretty visuals.

 

[Mengy]

Like said, fexpo will make it or break it for me.

I'm disgruntled with the game's development and I haven't played Elite for well over a month, but the Frontier Expo isn't a "make or break" moment for me. I'm hoping they announce some great 3.0 core improvements and a general change in development direction for the game's future, but honestly I'm not expecting it. I expect I'll still be disppointed after the fexpo without much to look forward to (I'd love to be wrong though!). That said if Frontier ever does decide to develop exploration and other non-combat aspects to the game with improved mechanics and content then I'd start playing again in a heartbeat. I want to play the game and I love the franchise, I just want something more than combat content and development, and the non-combat side of the game has grossly stagnated over the past three years. Passenegers kept me entertained for awhile, I wish they'd develop that a bit further to make it more than just cargo missions with different destinations and names. The Search & Rescue stuff for 2.4 sounded great until we learned that it's just a UI change with nothing else. There is much potential for non combat gameplay in Elite Dangerous, it just needs to be developed.


I'll wait without drawing a definitive line in the sand, and hopefully I'm still interested when (if?) it ever does come to pass.

 

[NeilF]

And what is this odd divide, other than your desire to get more stuff faster? That may have been a weak but legit point if there were indeed many rival space games that did so much better. But there aren't. So maybe, just maybe, that stuff in your head is just a collection of unrealistic fantasies? People pay about E4-E8 per update, depending on when you bought Horizons. The disconnect between what you expect and what normally people expect for a E5 DLC is pretty wild, really.

Indeed... All valid points...

But personally, when I look at where ED is after three years, and with 100+ people working on it, if there's hasn't been significant development of assets/advancements ready for V3 (& V4)? Then the books just don't seem to balance for me.

Indeed, consider how much the core gameplay depth has moved forwards in three years - Not a lot really. Consider how much exploration has improved in three years - Not a lot really. Consider how much much co-op and PvP gameplay has moved forwards in three years - Not a lot really...

So if after three years we are quite literally where we are in the game, without significant other stuff having been developed, ready to bring in over the next year or two, then at the current development rate, what can we expect over the next three years? Or nigh on well towards the end of the supposed 10 year plan, in six more years? It doesn't bode well IMHO...

Unless there has been significant other development being going on for the past 1-2 years for other significant features/mechanics, then why should we expect significantly more progress over the next three years compared to the last three? And for me at least, another three year development ethos and pace like the last will be a nightmare!


I still hope there has been significant development going on of features/mechanics we've not been told about. I fear this isn't the case. I think the next 6 months will point to which of these is the case...

 

[Rhassalan]

Something I find hilarious are the people not expecting FD to take their time with these updates or bring them out with perfect precision to people's own expectations. Yes, they're small usually, but FD really work their asses off. Not only are they using an engine of their own making, which takes a good bit of extra work, but they're trying to do things that other games aren't. Ground breaking work takes effort. Other games are doing their best to keep up (or do better) e.g. Star Citizen with planetary landings. Do you think they originally planned for it so early or was it something tacked on to try to rival ED? SC isn't even using an original engine, they just modified the cry engine. But just look at how EvE has evolved over the years, and early on that game was a mess, too.

ED may not perfectly fit our expectations but they are trying hard to enact their vision, even if it doesn't match our own. I have played since launch and will continue to play for many years to come. As long as there is a galaxy out there to fly in, I will fly, even if they bring out something that doesn't match my own expectations (such as Multi-crew). Even if I may not experience the Thargoid beginnings first hand, I look forward to what I may experience. The people who make these YouTube videos that others complain about are the people who are actually out there looking for this stuff, not special cases that are handed it on a platter. Everyone seems to want content spoon fed specially for them. This isn't that kind of game, and I'm glad FD are working towards their own vision and not to the expectations of the masses.

Just sit back and enjoy the ride rather than get your hopes up, what will come will come. We can hope for spacelegs, we can hope for atmospheric planets, but don't get your panties in a bunch when it doesn't come when you expect. They are working with their own time table, not ours, and the harder we push the more disappointed we'll get. It'll be here and I'd rather have it take time and launch well rather then be a buggy mess because everyone wants it NAO. We may not get things fully developed, but at least we have the foundations on which FD can build later. Using their own engine they can always go back and make things better when they need to.

Love your work FD! Keep it up, I'll be here until the end.

TL;DR Let's all relax and enjoy the ride. It'll come when it comes, better to enjoy rather than constantly complain.

 

[IiliI PEL IiliI]

Coming into the conversation as a player that started in April, I've been smashing this game everyday, playing every chance I can.

Now I'm at a place where I've amassed 800m, bought and outfitted and engineered all the ships I'll ever need for different specific roles like combat (FDL) passengers/bubbler (orca) and exploring (conda, asp X and dbx) also trading/cargo runs (type 7 and 9)...I've been to colonia...yawn city and sag A...even more yawn.

I've recently tried doing some mystery hunting by going to CD-86 4 (system description says it has mysterious sightings) and I spent a good week checking that place out only to find the usual randomly generated crap like cargo containers and data points...even more yawn.

Exploring is pointless now coz all I'll find are barren planets with nothing of interest on them. Missions are pointless coz all they give is money, which I don't need.

This game seriously needs to increase the incentive to play, to reward the player for time spent. Cg's simply don't do it for me either because it's just the usual 'pick this up and take it there' mechanic. Even if the quota isn't reached the cg thing still gets built regardless.

It must be really infuriating for those players that have stuck with it for all these months maybe years. I've only been playing since April and I'm at the stage of boredom.

I'm looking forward to 2.4 and I haven't yet experienced the update dissatisfaction so I can't comment on how this incoming update may or may not reflect past examples. However...if 2.4 does not bring something new and fresh and exciting to the table...given how important these thargoids are to the universe in elite, then I fear it may become a slippery slope for Fdev.

I sincerely hope this will not be the case because I love this game, I've wanted a game like this for ages and as a 36yr old gamer I fully embrace this world and respect all of the work that has gone into it.

I just worry that although the speed of development may not be to everyone's liking....the direction is way off and it needs a community based hand on the steering wheel to help steer it out of the path of the incoming sun that could engulf it.

Eventually it may be steered into the right direction, but it could be irreversibly scarred from the damage of its off-course trajectory.

Once again...love the game, looking forward to 2.4....I just hope it steers the game in a more enjoyable direction.

 

[NeilF]

Coming into the conversation as a player that started in April, I've been smashing this game everyday, playing every chance I can.

Now I'm at a place where I've amassed 800m, bought and outfitted and engineered all the ships I'll ever need for different specific roles like combat (FDL) passengers/bubbler (orca) and exploring (conda, asp X and dbx) also trading/cargo runs (type 7 and 9)...I've been to colonia...yawn city and sag A...even more yawn.

I've recently tried doing some mystery hunting by going to CD-86 4 (system description says it has mysterious sightings) and I spent a good week checking that place out only to find the usual randomly generated crap like cargo containers and data points...even more yawn.

Exploring is pointless now coz all I'll find are barren planets with nothing of interest on them. Missions are pointless coz all they give is money, which I don't need.

This game seriously needs to increase the incentive to play, to reward the player for time spent. Cg's simply don't do it for me either because it's just the usual 'pick this up and take it there' mechanic. Even if the quota isn't reached the cg thing still gets built regardless.

It must be really infuriating for those players that have stuck with it for all these months maybe years. I've only been playing since April and I'm at the stage of boredom.

I'm looking forward to 2.4 and I haven't yet experienced the update dissatisfaction so I can't comment on how this incoming update may or may not reflect past examples. However...if 2.4 does not bring something new and fresh and exciting to the table...given how important these thargoids are to the universe in elite, then I fear it may become a slippery slope for Fdev.

I sincerely hope this will not be the case because I love this game, I've wanted a game like this for ages and as a 36yr old gamer I fully embrace this world and respect all of the work that has gone into it.

I just worry that although the speed of development may not be to everyone's liking....the direction is way off and it needs a community based hand on the steering wheel to help steer it out of the path of the incoming sun that could engulf it.

Eventually it may be steered into the right direction, but it could be irreversibly scarred from the damage of its off-course trajectory.

Once again...love the game, looking forward to 2.4....I just hope it steers the game in a more enjoyable direction.

When you consider your hours invested in the game, you (like me) will in reality have nothing to complain about.

However, when you consider the core gameplay areas, and consider how little (if at all) they've moved on in the past 2-3 years, and that development time has been dedicated to things like CQC and Multi-Crew, then that's when eye brows might be raised...

For me basically nothing of any meaning/significance has been added since planetary landings... And prior to that, Wings... That concerns me at least.

 

[Uvelius Sång]

For me basically nothing of any meaning/significance has been added since planetary landings

Speaking of significance, I noticed prior to Open Beta ending that the Community Goal had vanished both from the Mission Board (as it should), AND from the Nav panel (which it technically shouldn't). I know I was registered as 100% or 75%, so it should have shown as "completed". No decal in the livery/Holo-Me neither.

Does this have ... significance concerning the significant decal? Anyone able to access it already?

 

[discocat]

Speaking of significance, I noticed prior to Open Beta ending that the Community Goal had vanished both from the Mission Board (as it should), AND from the Nav panel (which it technically shouldn't). I know I was registered as 100% or 75%, so it should have shown as "completed". No decal in the livery/Holo-Me neither.

Does this have ... significance concerning the significant decal? Anyone able to access it already?

That decal will arrive in 2.4. We're still on 2.3 in live... so you'll just have to wait it out

 

[Uvelius Sång]

That decal will arrive in 2.4. We're still on 2.3 in live... so you'll just have to wait it out

Seems so ... though people reported it showing up during the Beta, where it wasn't. But I am faithful that it all will be just fine at 2.4 ... fine ... besides the galaxy being torn apart and other insignificant stuff ...

 

[IiliI PEL IiliI]

When you consider your hours invested in the game, you (like me) will in reality have nothing to complain about.

However, when you consider the core gameplay areas, and consider how little (if at all) they've moved on in the past 2-3 years, and that development time has been dedicated to things like CQC and Multi-Crew, then that's when eye brows might be raised...

For me basically nothing of any meaning/significance has been added since planetary landings... And prior to that, Wings... That concerns me at least.

Aye...from a money to time spent playing viewpoint, I've definitely had my money's worth. Can't argue with that...but as a player who still wants to continue playing due to a love of the game...I'm really having a hard time picking up my pad and finding anything to do any longer and that saddens me.

That's the crux of the matter.

Until 2.4 there's nothing left to do anymore and I really hope that it's not just more scripted hyperdictions and thargoid cz areas. That to me would just scream laziness and only add more discontent.

I joined a week after holo-me was added and it took me another month or so before I even bothered making one. It just seemed like knitting a fancy pair of socks for yourself...barely anyone is gonna get to see em and when they do it's just going to get a....oh...reaction. A bit pointless really.

I tried multicrew for 20mins and it didn't really do anything for me.

From a company that has such a stellar reputation from base building games and the like, it still bewilders me that base building isn't in this game in one form or another. Done right, the ownership of settlements could really have a major positive impact on that "incentive" thing and push players into caring for and continuing to play.

 

[NeilF]

Aye...from a money to time spent playing viewpoint, I've definitely had my money's worth. Can't argue with that...but as a player who still wants to continue playing due to a love of the game...I'm really having a hard time picking up my pad and finding anything to do any longer and that saddens me.

That's the crux of the matter.

Until 2.4 there's nothing left to do anymore and I really hope that it's not just more scripted hyperdictions and thargoid cz areas. That to me would just scream laziness and only add more discontent.

I joined a week after holo-me was added and it took me another month or so before I even bothered making one. It just seemed like knitting a fancy pair of socks for yourself...barely anyone is gonna get to see em and when they do it's just going to get a....oh...reaction. A bit pointless really.

I tried multicrew for 20mins and it didn't really do anything for me.

From a company that has such a stellar reputation from base building games and the like, it still bewilders me that base building isn't in this game in one form or another. Done right, the ownership of settlements could really have a major positive impact on that "incentive" thing and push players into caring for and continuing to play.

Powerplay - Dedicated very little time to it, other than to farm the weapons I wanted.

CQC - Spent a couple of weeks play. Got bored at the stand alone simplicity of it.

Passengers - A simplistic rebadge of cargo to create warm cargo. Fair enough I guess...

SLFs - A simplistic fighter element. (eg: Could have had military tours of duty in fighters had CQC been implemented into the core game).

The Engineers - An unnecessary higher teir of performance, with basically no new gameplay added. Did a bit of it, but got very bored of its grind.

Multi-Crew - With no mechanics of note added in 2-3yrs, is it surprising there's precious little to do when a single players role is broken down into smaller ones?


I started wondering where the new significant gameplay was in 2016, and the question remains for me...

 

[Rhassalan]

....the direction is way off and it needs a community based hand on the steering wheel to help steer it out of the path of the incoming sun that could engulf it.

Actually, it's the opposite. I feel the problems have been BECAUSE they were listening to their forum community far too much. In the beginning they were very open in development, taking suggestions from forum goers as well as a special lifetime pass forum. Why multicrew is an instant swap in to a ship? People complaining on the forum about no instant play with friends. Why things feel so sparse and unfinished? People on the forums complaining that updates aren't coming fast enough. Why CQC was such a mess? People complaining that they couldn't get into real PVP combat fast enough.

It's only recently, since they've started doing things on their own and used a more closed development process that they have started going in the right direction. Look at Star Citizen, once again. Their development process is taking FOREVER because their community demands so much and they want to appease EVERYONE. When something is designed by committee it usually becomes a bland mess trying to appease the vocal minority. When you have too many people trying to drive it in so many different directions you have something that spins wildly out of control and becomes something that no one is happy with.

To use your analogy, the forum community are the ones steering it directly into the sun, it's only recently that they've been trying to veer away and fix what has been done to it already.

 

[who?]

I'm disgruntled with the game's development and I haven't played Elite for well over a month, but the Frontier Expo isn't a "make or break" moment for me. I'm hoping they announce some great 3.0 core improvements and a general change in development direction for the game's future, but honestly I'm not expecting it. I expect I'll still be disppointed after the fexpo without much to look forward to (I'd love to be wrong though!). That said if Frontier ever does decide to develop exploration and other non-combat aspects to the game with improved mechanics and content then I'd start playing again in a heartbeat. I want to play the game and I love the franchise, I just want something more than combat content and development, and the non-combat side of the game has grossly stagnated over the past three years. Passenegers kept me entertained for awhile, I wish they'd develop that a bit further to make it more than just cargo missions with different destinations and names. The Search & Rescue stuff for 2.4 sounded great until we learned that it's just a UI change with nothing else. There is much potential for non combat gameplay in Elite Dangerous, it just needs to be developed.


I'll wait without drawing a definitive line in the sand, and hopefully I'm still interested when (if?) it ever does come to pass.

Likewise, I'm very interested in the Expo but it's not some kind of doomsday ultimatum.

I've a lifetime pass anyway, but I've accepted this game is going to move on slowly and I'm ok with that. Given the hours I've put into the game I'm not sure I can complain about lack of value, but if they at any stage announced there would be no more updates I'd stop playing today. For me the gameplay is still incredibly shallow and repetitive; the missions are only worth doing for the reward not any thrill from doing the mission itself. I'm playing the game for its potential rather than what it is right now, to be honest!