Atmospheric Worlds. A Start?

[Mav359]

i was just stumbling around You Tube and was looking at some of the planet coaster vids and i got to thinking...

Would you be happy with (just as a start) frontier making earth like worlds that we could land on with the basic starting backdrop from planet coaster? forget the effects of atmosphere on the hull entry and all the physics and details just basic trees, green fields blue sky etc & the ability to knock around in an SRV with the knowledge that the detail would follow.

I'm not going to say it would be easy for them because i don't know what exactly would be involved, maybe impossible but they do already have that infrastructure and knowledge in place

In other words would you rather have a basic something now or wait for the bigger everything later?

Just thinking

 

[yolomcbobbinz]

We likely won't be able to land in earth likes, it would kill most machine's or look absolutely terrible, it will most likely basic ones like some of the HMC or ammonia worlds and probably gas giants

We may get something like the screen shot you uploaded but it will be further in the future

 

[Marc_Hicks]

We likely won't be able to land in earth likes, it would kill most machine's or look absolutely terrible, it will most likely basic ones like some of the HMC or ammonia worlds and probably gas giants

We may get something like the screen shot you uploaded but it will be further in the future

Yes, I also predict a staged release of atmospheric planets, starting with quite barren worlds with relatively trace atmospheres, then stepping it up to more complex-but still "barren" worlds with thicker atmospheres.....and so on.

 

[askavir]

I'd rather wait for the "real" thing later (*). Either do something well, or don't do it at all.

(*) Assuming it wil ever be done at all.

 

[Vardaugas]

I rather have them do it properly, step by step, adding more details to the planetary engine and with each detail adding more planets that qualify. Earth like worlds are at the very end of this development with the greatest variety of details required. Half-assing it will not do anyone a favor.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Would you be happy with (just as a start) frontier making earth like worlds that we could land on with the basic starting backdrop from planet coaster? forget the effects of atmosphere on the hull entry and all the physics and details just basic trees, green fields blue sky etc & the ability to knock around in an SRV with the knowledge that the detail would follow.

So, a placeholder? Then no.
They already do that, and it's led the game into the state it currently is.
Their team is too small; the individual user stories for each patch too many.
I prefer less user stories; with each story fleshed out and finished, albeit with room for improvement.

 

[Kerrash]

People initially thought the rocky worlds were amazing but given enough time they complained that they were bland.
If ELW's with jungles and little else are released, I would predict a similar response.
There has to be a meaningful and compelling reason for them to exist and for players to want to visit them other than "It looks cool"

 

[Arthur Shappey]

Hurricanes, rivers, tides, tsunamis, wildlife, cities, forests, agricultural land, icebergs.... where do you start?

Let's face it, anything done here is _always_ going to be a disappointment to a number of vocal moaners.

I prefer FDev to do as they have suggested, and concentrate on improving the core game mechanics first.

But I back a phased approach if/when they dare do atmospheric planets.

I would just love the current beige planets to be made more interesting [although new seams of colour implies easier to get materials] - I would love lava flows, earthquakes - more unstable geological activity - in certain worlds.

Then I'd quite like gas giants with floating megacities to dock at. Although given the FDev loathing of anti-grav, not sure this would make in-game sense.

But how do you explain how ships can cope with a thick & hostile atmosphere of a gas-world but not cope with earth-like atmospheres? You can't. So I think we are many years, if ever, from this happening.

I also think you should need different craft to land in proper atmospheres. Or at least, not all current ships would be suitable, thus shaking up peoples rather dull obsessions with Asps, Pythons, Anacondas etc...

 

[Leper Messiah]

I'd rather it be done in steps, 1st stage like the picture in the OP. Get the basic features done and done correctly, concentrating on flora. Then 2nd stage add non intelligent (animals) lifeforms to the planet, then stage 3 add intelligent lifeforms and "structures". Obviously FD need to give us plausible reasons to go to these planets, need proper planetary mining IMO...not this shooting at rocky outcrops malarky. So proper planetary mining should be stage one actually, using existing atmo less planetoids as a start.

Personally I can see stage 1 and even stage 2 being possible even now with limitations on the flora and fauna (unless some super brilliant LOD ideas come into play). Stage 3......yeah that's probbaly not possible with current PC/console tech levels and is years down the line. Only way around that is handwavium and have restricted landing zones and colonised planets having no fly zones over pretty much everywhere. That would get those planets doable sooner.

 

[Boff'in]

which was David Braben's point in the dev diaries.

Making sure there is reasons to go down, before making something to go down to.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Yes, I also predict a staged release of atmospheric planets, starting with quite barren worlds with relatively trace atmospheres, then stepping it up to more complex-but still "barren" worlds with thicker atmospheres.....and so on.

Pure speculation, but on multiple occasions FD have hinted atmosphere planets (primitive ones) and gas giants are next on hit list for new features. That's certainly what many people want as well.

When and how they will arrive remains to be seen. My pick though we might see some visual hints or even reveal of expansion pack coming next year with atmos planets quite soon.

 

[Rock-Hermit]

which was David Braben's point in the dev diaries.

Making sure there is reasons to go down, before making something to go down to.

Agreed, there has to be a reason. If we look at reasons why players bother ladning on airless worlds its only to see the game from a different perspective and take screenshots, or collect materials, or visit a base/engineer. There's not a lot of in depth reasons beyond that. I think once atmosphere worlds are added FD could tag on procedurally generated lifeforms to study/hunt/collect. Even if its just primitive life. That's one extra incentive and could be a good start on 'things to do', but I don't think we'll ever see whole thriving city-scapes with npcs going about their business, I think it'll be bare bones on the actual content side.

 

[babelfisch]

The game already has enough of a tech-demo, do it properly or don't do it at all.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Agreed, there has to be a reason. If we look at reasons why players bother ladning on airless worlds its only to see the game from a different perspective and take screenshots, or collect materials, or visit a base/engineer. There's not a lot of in depth reasons beyond that. I think once atmosphere worlds are added FD could tag on procedurally generated lifeforms to study/hunt/collect. Even if its just primitive life. That's one extra incentive and could be a good start on 'things to do', but I don't think we'll ever see whole thriving city-scapes with npcs going about their business, I think it'll be bare bones on the actual content side.

On airless moons you can:
* Enjoy driving around in SRV, discovering things in SRV or either ship, like persistent POIs, stations, etc;
* Collect materials;
* Attack bases, get information, acquire kills;
* Visit Engineers;

No need for "in-depth reasoning", it is good enough for this point. Stop looking for excuse that you might not enjoy that game loop.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

We likely won't be able to land in earth likes, it would kill most machine's or look absolutely terrible, it will most likely basic ones like some of the HMC or ammonia worlds and probably gas giants

We may get something like the screen shot you uploaded but it will be further in the future

I think it would be staged as well basic atmospherics to begin with, like mars of today. But I see no reason why earthlikes would cripple machines or look terrible. Seems an odd statement to make.

 

[matlars]

I would think earthlikes are way off in the future. Rocky worlds with thinner atmosphere would be cool to see. One thing that I get "bored" of with the current planets is the lack of erosion. I am hoping that worlds with some athmosphere (with rain and wind) would make more interesting geological features, eroded cliffs, sharper peaks and interesting valleys.

but i'll settle for gas giants

m

 

[Leper Messiah]

On airless moons you can:
* Enjoy driving around in SRV, discovering things in SRV or either ship, like persistent POIs, stations, etc;
* Collect materials;
* Attack bases, get information, acquire kills;
* Visit Engineers;

No need for "in-depth reasoning", it is good enough for this point. Stop looking for excuse that you might not enjoy that game loop.

Outside the bubble most of that is irrelevant, apart from mat collecting...which in all honesty is not the most interesting gameplay is it?

 

[Vardaugas]

Reasons to go down to a planet can be mostly resource surveying and scientific research. You do a survey scan with a module on your ship close to the planet, get a few PoI/Search Zones to go down for verifying your findings and get data worth xxx from it. Planets with life allow you cataloguing of species for cash, with the more complex and diverse life being more valuable than basic bacteria in a primordial pool. Gas giants, apart from possible life, could allow cold fuel scooping if you have a refinery on board. Some places may have "unique" oddities, which you can then haul back home and sell to collectors or researchers, with the value being greater, the farther out the oddity was discovered. Lots of things that can be done with exploring planets.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

On airless moons you can:
* Enjoy driving around in SRV, discovering things in SRV or either ship, like persistent POIs, stations, etc;
* Collect materials;
* Attack bases, get information, acquire kills;
* Visit Engineers;

No need for "in-depth reasoning", it is good enough for this point. Stop looking for excuse that you might not enjoy that game loop.

There should be MORE things one is able to do on an airless moon when those other things get boring, which they do.. very quickly.

* Map terrain; discoveries could include rare mineral deposits, alien ruins, deep crevasses, exploring caves (both with an SRV and with a remotely controlled probe)
* Limited base building; both personal, and faction or PowerPlay orientated. E.g.: You might want to set up a mining operation. Either on your own, or for a faction/Powerplay mission. Or perhaps set up an observatory to monitor an interest star, or parent planet or whatever.
* Drill deep into an ice moon; uncovering million year old secrets, or better yet, manage to drill through an ice cap and discovery a body of water beneath - where you then launch a probe to explore/collect samples (both for cash ("Science Guild" .. kinda like Stellar Cartography, but for science nerds), or your own experiments).
* Harvest gas vents which can be sold at market.
* Harvest from those heat vents; charging power adapters or batteries or something; which can also be sold at market.

Driving around an airless moon, collecting rocks .. not my idea of a good time.


.. I think the underlying problem is that "good enough" is just not good enough.
"Good enough" in development means "the bare minimum that can be released" - and that is something I simply cannot stand.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Outside the bubble most of that is irrelevant, apart from mat collecting...which in all honesty is not the most interesting gameplay is it?

This is true at the moment. But hopefully the core gameplay updates will fix this, so that there is more to do on these planets.