FX17 - content

[StiTch]

So this is about the event itself, not the announcements.

Bit the bullet, went to FX17 with a couple of mates.

Grabbed us some food, got mah loot, wandered around the room back to where the food was, wondered what we were supposed to be doing.

Aside from a couple of occupied banks of PCs that featured pretty standard hardware, a shop that featured a grand total of I think two different ED shirts, and the stage where you could try to listen to some mumbling from the back of the room, what was supposed to be there to do from FD?

Props to the groups that set their own stalls up, as FD surprisingly seems to have left it on your shoulders to keep each other entertained and thought we might not notice there was actually naff all content.

We headed home about an hour after arriving so we could watch the livestream with dank-a-lank and friends.


TL;DR: content lacking. What else is new?

 

[zimms]

Lack of content? You do realize that this was just the first iteration of ExpoLegs. More expoplay will be added step by step.

 

[StiTch]

ExpoLegs. More expoplay will be added step by step.

10/10 pun.

 

[Nick Sticks]

The queue for ExpoVR needs to be nerfed.

 

[Kerrash]

I am not exactly sure what you were expecting?
Have you ever been to an expo before? This is what they are like.

Dammit, I just can't be mad at you with that avatar

 

[nathdixon92]

So this is about the event itself, not the announcements.

Bit the bullet, went to FX17 with a couple of mates.

Grabbed us some food, got mah loot, wandered around the room back to where the food was, wondered what we were supposed to be doing.

Aside from a couple of occupied banks of PCs that featured pretty standard hardware, a shop that featured a grand total of I think two different ED shirts, and the stage where you could try to listen to some mumbling from the back of the room, what was supposed to be there to do from FD?

Props to the groups that set their own stalls up, as FD surprisingly seems to have left it on your shoulders to keep each other entertained and thought we might not notice there was actually naff all content.

We headed home about an hour after arriving so we could watch the livestream with dank-a-lank and friends.


TL;DR: content lacking. What else is new?

Have to agree, I don't know what I was expecting to be honest but I left with a slight sense of disappointment. For me, the only interesting bit content wise was the special reveals - I could have done without the self congratulatory frontier stuff and the talks in alien life and palaentology. I'd have liked to have seen more stuff regarding the design of the games; evolution and things like that rather than what effectively amounted to university lectures.

There was definately more elite presence that anything else, but it didn't feel like there was an awful lot aside from stand around. Time on the HOTAS' should have been restricted person to person as well.

The venue itself while nothing inherently wrong with it, was a bit of a trek from any local tube/train stations (about 20 mins walk which when you've already been standing around for 9 hours is the icing on the cake for bad backs and sore feet). The catering was also pretty poor (a chicken caesar wrap, packet of crisps and 250ml bottle of orange coating £9 in total was a bit eye watering.)

Still it was good to put faces to names, get selfies with YouTubers and have quite a lengthy one to one discussion with guys in audio, Sandy and Dav seemed to balance it out a little. Ed is much shorter than I expected- felt like you could just pick him up and pop him in your pocket.

As I said to my buddies when we left; the content was a little lacking but it was definately the community that brought it up to being somewhat worthwhile.

(and whoever decided it was a good idea to have a curtain dangling half way down the ceiling in the centre of the main hall needs a clip round the back of the head )

 

[Reina Kaede]

Given it was a one day event, not something like E3, Gamescom, etc, I'm not sure what you expected... it was a presentation with some food and some swag and a way to meet up with other Elite fans or content creators like Obsidian And. Basically a one-day get-together with the added bonus of some people from FD actually being there was well. From what I've seen some people got to speak with Sandy and Ed and others.

Oh, and there's the vegetable smell...

 

[Kerrash]

...I'd have liked to have seen more stuff regarding the design of the games; evolution and things like that rather than what effectively amounted to university lectures...

You must have missed the second stage area with the talk on building the galaxy then?

 

[nathdixon92]

You must have missed the second stage area with the talk on building the galaxy then?

The usher wouldn't let us in once the talk had started as we only released there was a second stage a bit later on - was kind of tucked around the back.

 

[MarktJones]

So this is about the event itself, not the announcements.

Bit the bullet, went to FX17 with a couple of mates.

Grabbed us some food, got mah loot, wandered around the room back to where the food was, wondered what we were supposed to be doing.

Aside from a couple of occupied banks of PCs that featured pretty standard hardware, a shop that featured a grand total of I think two different ED shirts, and the stage where you could try to listen to some mumbling from the back of the room, what was supposed to be there to do from FD?

Props to the groups that set their own stalls up, as FD surprisingly seems to have left it on your shoulders to keep each other entertained and thought we might not notice there was actually naff all content.

We headed home about an hour after arriving so we could watch the livestream with dank-a-lank and friends.


TL;DR: content lacking. What else is new?

There was the museum of Frontier which was quite good fun. And there were at least 5 t-shirts! Outside was quite interesting and some of the people that did the bag searches were good fun. I found the secret was popping out a couple of times and doing other things. You could leave and go back for the talks.

 

[StiTch]

I am not exactly sure what you were expecting?
Have you ever been to an expo before? This is what they are like.

Dammit, I just can't be mad at you with that avatar

Well anything.

Something to just keep people occupied. Even anything to buy, dammit - you'd think that with FD working on all its projects, they'd have at least tried to capitalise on merchandising; we couldn't even buy anything as gifts, because the available ED merchandise was an SRV (great when you're into the game) and a tharg (great when you're into the game, looks completely NSFW if you aren't). Nothing else.

I understand all too well an expo is effectively promoting your product(s), but it was supposed to be span potentially over 12 hours or so. There has to be something to actually do in between that time, and FD put notable resources into a few computers that'd keep the best part of a few people happy.

 

[Vorxian]

I must say that the day itself was a one off good day. I didn't meet as many people as I wanted.. Got to have a banter with a few other commanders about what I can spend 60bn credits on (thanks for the beer btw!!)..

Got to atleast see some of the Gov's.. and, yeah.. as a one off it was a good day. I didn't get anywhere near the VR, depressing, but was certainly there for the announcements at the end.. Luckily I parked the car at the office, so no real hassle grabbing a cab.

Missed most of the galaxy thing, but that was my fault.. timing and all that... From the get go- had four things in mind.. see if I could find (impossible?) many of the forumers.. and hopefully prove i'm not a sarcastic little gitoid in real! Try ED in VR... yep yep.... TRY to meet, or atleast hear what some of the ED devs / senior team had to say, and ofc the reveal.

Glad to say I got 2 and a bit of 4 done. lol. (saw the reveal, met the seniors, and got to meet a couple o' ya).

I'd go again.. if it happened locally

 

[StiTch]

Outside was quite interesting and some of the people that did the bag searches were good fun. I found the secret was popping out a couple of times and doing other things. You could leave and go back for the talks.

Glad to know the highlight of your day was being outside the building and the bag searches

But pretty much what I said outside of that. If you were desperate to listen to the talks in person, great, but it was...basically that. Standing around for a 10 minute announcement on the game you actually play, which was as well heard from ye living room.

I don't mean to be unduly negative, and it's great if your sole intention is to mingle. Again, props to the roleplaying and generally lunatic folk that had stalls set up - this is more about what FD themselves were offering.

 

[Vorxian]

Well anything.

Something to just keep people occupied. Even anything to buy, dammit - you'd think that with FD working on all its projects, they'd have at least tried to capitalise on merchandising; we couldn't even buy anything as gifts, because the available ED merchandise was an SRV (great when you're into the game) and a tharg (great when you're into the game, looks completely NSFW if you aren't). Nothing else.

I understand all too well an expo is effectively promoting your product(s), but it was supposed to be span potentially over 12 hours or so. There has to be something to actually do in between that time, and FD put notable resources into a few computers that'd keep the best part of a few people happy.

Can't disagree...

For me.........more VR stuff next time please! Now I still have to make the blind call if I get one. Gah.

 

[Vorxian]

I don't mean to be unduly negative, and it's great if your sole intention is to mingle. But I already had my minglin' peeps and we had nothing to do while minglin'.

Meh, Stitch. You missed all the clapping and whooping live, in person. (until people started to calm down a bit and then stopped clapping and whooping at the prospect of clapping and whooping ). I did have a chuckle at times at it.. You could really pick out the starry eyed fanboys... Awesome to 'people watch'.. Wonder if it was anyone here?.. lol..

 

[Shanaeri]

Well anything.

Something to just keep people occupied. Even anything to buy, dammit - you'd think that with FD working on all its projects, they'd have at least tried to capitalise on merchandising; we couldn't even buy anything as gifts, because the available ED merchandise was an SRV (great when you're into the game) and a tharg (great when you're into the game, looks completely NSFW if you aren't). Nothing else.

I understand all too well an expo is effectively promoting your product(s), but it was supposed to be span potentially over 12 hours or so. There has to be something to actually do in between that time, and FD put notable resources into a few computers that'd keep the best part of a few people happy.

I guess it depends on your expectations.. Personally I didn't go primarily for the content reveals(Could have watched them from home) or the stalls. I went to meet up with people, chat and for the social side.

 

[StiTch]

Meh, Stitch. You missed all the clapping and whooping live, in person. (until people started to calm down a bit and then stopped clapping and whooping at the prospect of clapping and whooping ).

Were they chuckling at the consecutive overuse of the word "amazing" or "narrative"?

I guess it depends on your expectations.. Personally I didn't go primarily for the content reveals(Could have watched them from home).

Seems odd that the focus of the entire event was this talk, which involved waiting hours for and ironically was the only bit of the expo not exclusive to attendees...

 

[Kerrash]

Me thinks this is akin to people wanting to go to the F1 for the 'experience' vs just watching the highlights on TV
To each their own I guess, but I will pass on the feedback for more activities next time

 

[VR jefranklin18]

The usher wouldn't let us in once the talk had started as we only released there was a second stage a bit later on - was kind of tucked around the back.

The second stage was where all the "Frontier content" was - i.e. talks given by Frontier staff with the main stage being used for the guest speakers. There were a few signs around indicating main stage and second stage, the Expo website also had a schedule for each stage plus there were plenty of staff wandering around to ask.

I do agree on the prices of the food, that however is an unfortunate side effect of attractions in London and why it pays to speak to a trusted local for advice.

 

[StiTch]

Me thinks this is akin to people wanting to go to the F1 for the 'experience' vs just watching the highlights on TV
To each their own I guess, but I will pass on the feedback for more activities next time

As I said mate, not to be unduly negative. We almost simultaneously went to ask "so we're gonna be here for another 6 hours. There's only so much of that time we can watch buckyballers or crowd around a radio station. What do?"

Some hotseat CQC games or custom merch or "behind the scenes" exhibitions among many others would have gone a long way. Give me an experience to actually "experience", ya know? Don't need to be babysat, but give me a reason to be at a £40 announcement that was made on youtube other than "talk to each other".