It's a BIGGGG sandbox!

I knew this game was big, but never actually realised it. Yes there are 600 Billion star systems. Yes you can travel 100's of LY but you do it through jumps. Yes it can take time in SC to get to that station or planet but with a few exceptions, that journey is over in minutes not hours. But last night I suddenly realised the enormity of this game. Decided I needed some mats so a quick check on EDDB, found a planet in my current system and headed out. Coming into it, selected a decent sized crater and decided that is where I will start my search. Landed near the centre spike, jumped in the SRV and off I went. 2 hours later after finding enough of the required mats to make the trip worthwhile, plus so many abandoned canisters I had to ditch some I had already collected to take the more valuable ones, I jumped in the ship and took off.

That is when the realisation hit me, I had just spent a couple of hours tootling around a planet and I had probably covered less that 0.1% of it's surface. And I found things that were interesting. Heck if I wanted I could spend a couple of days (game wise) just driving around one planet. Now I know that most would consider it boring, no pewpew except for the skimmers I encountered, no credits except for the containers I found, the few scans of crashed ships and the bounties (all up about 200K lol), no recognition, no glory. But dammit it was fun and that 2 hours went way quicker than I thought.

Could the experience be improved - HELL YES (of course). Sticking with what we currently have (airless worlds), just the introduction of random things like crashed ships would be good. They don't have to have any containers or things of value around, it could be something as simple as a memorial that you scan like "Here lies the body of Commander Stupid marking the position of his first attempt at landing on a high G planet". Remember, not everything in this game has to give you massive profits, some can just be for the awe and humour involved. Imagine cruising around on an Icy world and coming across an igloo or a McDonalds sign!

It has even changed my thoughts on atmospheric landings, there could be ruins to find and explore, different temperate regions on the one planet, islands, deserts, beaches the list is pretty endless.

So before anyone says it, the 'tl-dr' version is there is a lot of things to see in this game, if you are prepared to do it.
 
+1 Rep.

I've come across my fair share of what I believe to be Forntier's ATTEMPT at "crashed ships", they come in the form of wrecked and derelict cargo racks. Why the rest of the ship is seemingly dissolved leaving just the cargo bays, I have no idea.
 
It is a big openworld environment to explore, and when near the bubble scavenging (without missions) is my preferred activity, it just so peaceful.
 
I think you can find crashed ships? I've certainly seen landed ones and I know that somewhere out there - there's weird stuff to find! The truth is out there... doo doo doo doo.
 
Oh I have found 'crashed ships' normally with a couple of skimmers, a red warning barrier, some twisted metals, a component or two and the usual half dozen containers to salvage - even a life pod or three. I guess what I am talking about is just a crashed ship with a memorial, nothing to collect, humorous in content (cos I like to laugh).
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
The sheer size of the game world is quite impressive, yes. It's a game that you can lose yourself in for long periods. :)

Agreed that there should be even more things to find on planet surfaces, though.
 
The sheer size of the game world is quite impressive, yes. It's a game that you can lose yourself in for long periods. :)

Agreed that there should be even more things to find on planet surfaces, though.

Just give us atmospheric landings/flight and I'll never run out of a need to explore. Endless fun.
 
I knew this game was big, but never actually realised it. Yes there are 600 Billion star systems. Yes you can travel 100's of LY but you do it through jumps. Yes it can take time in SC to get to that station or planet but with a few exceptions, that journey is over in minutes not hours. But last night I suddenly realised the enormity of this game. Decided I needed some mats so a quick check on EDDB, found a planet in my current system and headed out. Coming into it, selected a decent sized crater and decided that is where I will start my search. Landed near the centre spike, jumped in the SRV and off I went. 2 hours later after finding enough of the required mats to make the trip worthwhile, plus so many abandoned canisters I had to ditch some I had already collected to take the more valuable ones, I jumped in the ship and took off.

That is when the realisation hit me, I had just spent a couple of hours tootling around a planet and I had probably covered less that 0.1% of it's surface. And I found things that were interesting. Heck if I wanted I could spend a couple of days (game wise) just driving around one planet. Now I know that most would consider it boring, no pewpew except for the skimmers I encountered, no credits except for the containers I found, the few scans of crashed ships and the bounties (all up about 200K lol), no recognition, no glory. But dammit it was fun and that 2 hours went way quicker than I thought.

Could the experience be improved - HELL YES (of course). Sticking with what we currently have (airless worlds), just the introduction of random things like crashed ships would be good. They don't have to have any containers or things of value around, it could be something as simple as a memorial that you scan like "Here lies the body of Commander Stupid marking the position of his first attempt at landing on a high G planet". Remember, not everything in this game has to give you massive profits, some can just be for the awe and humour involved. Imagine cruising around on an Icy world and coming across an igloo or a McDonalds sign!

It has even changed my thoughts on atmospheric landings, there could be ruins to find and explore, different temperate regions on the one planet, islands, deserts, beaches the list is pretty endless.

So before anyone says it, the 'tl-dr' version is there is a lot of things to see in this game, if you are prepared to do it.

I wholeheartedly agree. The game is massive and the planets alone are an immense amount of space. IIRC I read somewhere the overall area of the landable planets in elite is several AU2. Or some ridiculous number like that.

I was always thinking what FD should do with adding "interesting things" on planets. I came to conclusion that it's really hard to do. Not to come up with the interesting things themselves, but to actually place them so it makes sense. There would have to be some clever algorithm that would ensure such things would be found rarely. I mean, if you find crashed ship on a surface every ten minutes, how many ship must have crashed on that planet? And all the other planets? Suddenly it starts feeling very... gamey. Same with everything else. I believe these things will get sorted out, at some point. Till then, I, too, enjoy just speeding through the dust, shooting rocks, racing in the canyons and generally having a great time. :)
 
Last edited:
I wholeheartedly agree. The game is massive and the planets alone are an immense amount of space. IIRC I read somewhere the overall area of the landable planets in elite is several AU2. Or some ridiculous number like that.

I was always thinking what FD should do with adding "interesting things" on planets. I came to conclusion that it's really hard to do. Not to come up with the interesting things themselves, but to actually place them so it makes sense. There would have to be some clever algorithm that would ensure such things would be found rarely. I mean, if you find crashed ship on a surface every ten minutes, how many ship must have crashed on that planet? And all the other planets? Suddenly it starts feeling very... gamey. Same with everything else. I believe these things will get sorted out, at some point. Till then, I, too, enjoy just racing through the dust, shooting rocks, racing in the canyons and generally having a great time. :)

It is fun and awe inspiring at the same time isn't it :D

As for the 'interesting things', they already have the algorithm in place, the one they use to populate the planet - or at least the bit you are in - with the current crashed ships with containers/something to scan. All they have to do is do some rudimentary modelling for a bunch of other things, some in line with the BGS, some just plain silly for the lutz and use their wonderful RND methods to choose which pops up in your current locale.
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
I wholeheartedly agree. The game is massive and the planets alone are an immense amount of space. IIRC I read somewhere the overall area of the landable planets in elite is several AU2. Or some ridiculous number like that.

I was always thinking what FD should do with adding "interesting things" on planets. I came to conclusion that it's really hard to do. Not to come up with the interesting things themselves, but to actually place them so it makes sense. There would have to be some clever algorithm that would ensure such things would be found rarely. I mean, if you find crashed ship on a surface every ten minutes, how many ship must have crashed on that planet? And all the other planets? Suddenly it starts feeling very... gamey. Same with everything else. I believe these things will get sorted out, at some point. Till then, I, too, enjoy just speeding through the dust, shooting rocks, racing in the canyons and generally having a great time. :)

Gamey is a good word for it. I remember that's how I felt in Mass Effect 1 where you'd be out exploring a planet and come across an ancient probe, only to discover a sniper rifle and omni-gel inside.

(Cue Star Trek theme music) "To Boldly Go..."
 
Gamey is a good word for it. I remember that's how I felt in Mass Effect 1 where you'd be out exploring a planet and come across an ancient probe, only to discover a sniper rifle and omni-gel inside.

(Cue Star Trek theme music) "To Boldly Go..."

"To boldly go where someone conveniently placed a piece equipment for you that you will find very handy in the encounter with pirates just over the hill."

Yes, yes, exactly that can tear me out of the game pretty reliably. :D
Fortunately, in Elite, I don't encounter these things too much.
 
The OP makes a lucid point about the abyssally profound nature of ED that many munchkin type videogamers will never comprehend perhaps in a way that kids don't 'get' awe-inducing landscapes, Art or Greco-Roman dioramas of architecture.

When I told my nephew that I am going to spend the night in the mountains to see the sunrise, he asked me why. And even though I tried really hard to explain, I think he just thinks older people are crazy.
 
The OP makes a lucid point about the abyssally profound nature of ED that many munchkin type videogamers will never comprehend perhaps in a way that kids don't 'get' awe-inducing landscapes, Art or Greco-Roman dioramas of architecture, except in some jejune sense that it's 'pretty', 'cool' or some such trite blandishment.

I think the problem is that unless a feature or actively will earn someone 1M credits, gain them some reputation or give them the opportunity to shoot something, they just don't bother with it. And to me they are missing out on a major part of the game. But to tell them that would label me a fanboi or white knight evidently lol
 
I wholeheartedly agree. The game is massive and the planets alone are an immense amount of space. IIRC I read somewhere the overall area of the landable planets in elite is several AU2. Or some ridiculous number like that.

I was always thinking what FD should do with adding "interesting things" on planets. I came to conclusion that it's really hard to do. Not to come up with the interesting things themselves, but to actually place them so it makes sense. There would have to be some clever algorithm that would ensure such things would be found rarely. I mean, if you find crashed ship on a surface every ten minutes, how many ship must have crashed on that planet? And all the other planets? Suddenly it starts feeling very... gamey. Same with everything else. I believe these things will get sorted out, at some point. Till then, I, too, enjoy just speeding through the dust, shooting rocks, racing in the canyons and generally having a great time. :)

If there really are a trillion people in the bubble (and I think that's a low estimate) for 1000 years (of popularised personal space vehicles), then actually, every single planet 'could' be littered with them. lol
 
The OP makes a lucid point about the abyssally profound nature of ED that many munchkin type videogamers will unlikely comprehend, perhaps in a way that kids don't 'get' awe-inducing landscapes, Art or Greco-Roman dioramas of architecture, except in some jejune sense that it's 'pretty', 'cool' or some such trite blandishment.

Wow. Arrogant much?

Kids get landscapes and architecture. They just might not want to expound on their feelings to stuck up older folks.

Inclusive gaming eh?
 
Try doing that around the atlas generation ship, when I’m done with working out how piracy works I’m heading over to do some searching for the escape pods. Lots of SRV/ship exploring, just hope i’ve The time to do a decent job of the search.
 
Wow. Arrogant much?

Kids get landscapes and architecture. They just might not want to expound on their feelings to stuck up older folks.

Inclusive gaming eh?

What an odd response to a perfectly reasonable and well expressed sentiment. I haven't seen any kids lately that appreciate the profound and despite receiving a classical education, I can say for myself that profundity and deep thought were not my school chums. I know such children exist, but they must be frustratingly well protected from larger society.

If you think about the purpose of the statement, rather than the implication, it is an important point. This game does a fantastic job of weeding out those who wouldn't like it anyway, in the first three hours of play. Very important for the community. You say inclusive gaming, I say 'well done for keeping those foul mouthed CoDders out of my game'. :)
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom