18 months away - view from a returning player

Urbanski101

Urbanski101
So I've been back in the bubble for a couple of weeks now since my failed journey to the core...I posted about that a while ago so I won't go into it here but lets just say there is an AspX sized crater on a metalic planet 2000ly from SagA :(

Anyhoo, I set off on my doomed voyage after horizons dropped but before engineers landed to give you an idea how long I'd been gone and I have to say I've been pleasantly suprised by the state of the game since my return.

A few of the more pleasing touches / updates:

  • New station interiors...very nice and adds to the atmosphere
  • New things to be found near stations...came across a Farragut in dry dock outside a station the other day...again very nice and I'd like to see more stuff (convoys, dry docks etc..) outside stations
  • Station chatter and traffic control is a really nice touch...It's still new and I'm sure it will be background noise before long but I like it
  • Updated USS...these are still a bit tedious but at least you know what you may get before you drop in and the variety of USS is much grater than before
  • New station UI, I know the faces are wierd but it does add to the experience...I like to improve my rank now just to see a new avatar
  • Missions are soooo much better and rewarding now, still not as good as they could be but there is now a connection to the faction and it's easier to see their state and objectives
  • Missions cont... I also like the fact my rank actually means something and I'm getting the rewards
  • Engineers, I'm glad I missed the first few months of this, it sounded like a total pain but the new materials and data sources give me new things to try....like wake scanning, data missions, USSs etc..
  • Engineers cont - I'm not grinding, just playing but I'm collecting stuff all the time, I will need to focus in order to get the high ranked mods but I'm in no rush and it adds a new dimension to the game...PVE anyway
  • NPCs - the AI is much better, the roll of death is gone and some NPCs put up a very good fight, I had to run from a pair of Elite FAS who nearly had me on toast in a Haz Res

There are other little touches I've found and liked but these were the main ones.

I post this simply because there is a lot of negativity (rightly a lot of the time) about ED but I think with these additions FDev have really added a lot to the ED experience, makes it a more rich and immersive environment.

It's also easy to forget what the game was like especially when these things have been implemented bit by bit over time - I'm seeing them all at once after more than a year away and I like it...a lot.

So I'm now really looking forward to see where FDev can take this game with Beyond, get the missions rights, get the core professions right, get the immersion and depth right and ED will be ready for the next step.. whatever that is ;)
 
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Martind Forlon

Martind Forlon
+rep added. It's nice sumup. It's obviously hard work to please players in long term view and such game state mirrors are very needed.
 
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zarking

Z
Yep those all good.
Add to that; ship launched fighters, 20kly route plotting, module storage, ship transfer, neutron highway, holo me, the fancy camera suite, passenger missions and passenger ships, thargoid bases and Guardian ruins, new planet things such as brain trees, odd crystal things, space pumpkins lol, barnacles everywhere, crashed thargoid ships, multi crew (sort of), voice acted logs, INRA bases, the gnosis and it's sometimes wobbly jumps, better VR performance, the beginnings of a crime and punishment system, repair limpets, synthesis for life support and other things, and......

The new thargoid USS and new weapons for killing them.

So lots of stuff for anyone that had 18 months off. When you look at all of it like that, you realise that a lot of improvement has taken place. Still lots to be done, but it's much better than 2 years ago.
 
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Urbanski101

Urbanski101
zarking said:
Yep those all good.
Add to that; ship launched fighters, 20kly route plotting, module storage, ship transfer, neutron highway, holo me, the fancy camera suite, passenger missions and passenger ships, thargoid bases and Guardian ruins, new planet things such as brain trees, odd crystal things, space pumpkins lol, barnacles everywhere, crashed thargoid ships, multi crew (sort of), voice acted logs, INRA bases, the gnosis and it's sometimes wobbly jumps, better VR performance, the beginnings of a crime and punishment system, repair limpets, synthesis for life support and other things, and......

The new thargoid USS and new weapons for killing them.

So lots of stuff for anyone that had 18 months off. When you look at all of it like that, you realise that a lot of improvement has taken place. Still lots to be done, but it's much better than 2 years ago.
Click to expand...

Yup...those too.

I can't attest as I've not seen / done / experienced many of those things and some of them like holo-me and multicrew I could access from any distance.

But yeah lots of QoL changes for the better....
 
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Ryder35

R
Well said OP. I have my issues with FD and the game but most of it is fantastic. I am also deeply indebted to their commitment to VR. I backed both ED and that other game in the DK1 days because the both promised support. Only one has so far!

I think the reasons some folk (including me) are vocal in their criticism is that it is so close to greatness already.
 
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Cmdr Eagleboy

Cmdr Eagleboy
Nice little bit of feedback, thanks commander, repped. Funny how distancing yourself from game sometimes changes perspective, isn't it. Most of core elements got seriously boosted during Horizons. Funny how people tend to downplay that.
 
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PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
Urbanski101 said:
...It's also easy to forget what the game was like especially when these things have been implemented bit by bit over time - I'm seeing them all at once after more than a year away and I like it...a lot....
Click to expand...

Yup. Very quickly the new 'new', becomes yesterday's news.

Another good indicator to the actual state of the game 'today' are the PS4 reviews.
 
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Cupcake

Cupcake
Urbanski101 said:
So I've been back in the bubble for a couple of weeks now since my failed journey to the core...I posted about that a while ago so I won't go into it here but lets just say there is an AspX sized crater on a metalic planet 2000ly from SagA :(

Anyhoo, I set off on my doomed voyage after horizons dropped but before engineers landed to give you an idea how long I'd been gone and I have to say I've been pleasantly suprised by the state of the game since my return.

A few of the more pleasing touches / updates:

  • New station interiors...very nice and adds to the atmosphere
  • New things to be found near stations...came across a Farragut in dry dock outside a station the other day...again very nice and I'd like to see more stuff (convoys, dry docks etc..) outside stations
  • Station chatter and traffic control is a really nice touch...It's still new and I'm sure it will be background noise before long but I like it
  • Updated USS...these are still a bit tedious but at least you know what you may get before you drop in and the variety of USS is much grater than before
  • New station UI, I know the faces are wierd but it does add to the experience...I like to improve my rank now just to see a new avatar
  • Missions are soooo much better and rewarding now, still not as good as they could be but there is now a connection to the faction and it's easier to see their state and objectives
  • Missions cont... I also like the fact my rank actually means something and I'm getting the rewards
  • Engineers, I'm glad I missed the first few months of this, it sounded like a total pain but the new materials and data sources give me new things to try....like wake scanning, data missions, USSs etc..
  • Engineers cont - I'm not grinding, just playing but I'm collecting stuff all the time, I will need to focus in order to get the high ranked mods but I'm in no rush and it adds a new dimension to the game...PVE anyway
  • NPCs - the AI is much better, the roll of death is gone and some NPCs put up a very good fight, I had to run from a pair of Elite FAS who nearly had me on toast in a Haz Res

There are other little touches I've found and liked but these were the main ones.

I post this simply because there is a lot of negativity (rightly a lot of the time) about ED but I think with these additions FDev have really added a lot to the ED experience, makes it a more rich and immersive environment.

It's also easy to forget what the game was like especially when these things have been implemented bit by bit over time - I'm seeing them all at once after more than a year away and I like it...a lot.

So I'm now really looking forward to see where FDev can take this game with Beyond, get the missions rights, get the core professions right, get the immersion and depth right and ED will be ready for the next step.. whatever that is ;)
Click to expand...

repped, good write up. And I agree to your remarks regarding the state ED launched. However, while these additions are most welcome (for the most part, some not so much) I cannot help but feel a bit un-nerved by FD's often seemingly chaotic practices and launch attempts. The facts are these: Some players are not happy with the game, others are. For ED to be in a place where it can satisfy the majority of jaded players and fans alike would take too much effort for FD to bring to bear IMHO. I would rather they had taken the SC route and worked on the game pre-launch and MAYBE then it would be in a better place to compete in its genre. I say maybe because this is all conjecture at this point and means absolutley nothing :). In regards to the 2.4 update, liked some of the perephial stuff but the core content (Thargoids) is of no interest to me whatsoever in its current format and I havent even bothered to go beyond watching a couple of vids to see what was expected of me. Want to love this game so badly but it says something when I cant even bother to log in for more than 15 mins at a time, looks great but beyond the nice facade is quite litterally a treadmill.
 

Cmdr Eagleboy

Cmdr Eagleboy
Cupcake said:
repped, good write up. And I agree to your remarks regarding the state ED launched. However, while these additions are most welcome (for the most part, some not so much) I cannot help but feel a bit un-nerved by FD's often seemingly chaotic practices and launch attempts. The facts are these: Some players are not happy with the game, others are. For ED to be in a place where it can satisfy the majority of jaded players and fans alike would take too much effort for FD to bring to bear IMHO. I would rather they had taken the SC route and worked on the game pre-launch and MAYBE then it would be in a better place to compete in its genre. I say maybe because this is all conjecture at this point and means absolutley nothing :). In regards to the 2.4 update, liked some of the perephial stuff but the core content (Thargoids) is of no interest to me whatsoever in its current format and I havent even bothered to go beyond watching a couple of vids to see what was expected of me. Want to love this game so badly but it says something when I cant even bother to log in for more than 15 mins at a time, looks great but beyond the nice facade is quite litterally a treadmill.
Click to expand...

There's literarly no competition in this genre. And devs can't work for free forever, despite what kind of illusion CIG might want to make.

As for ED being released as MVP, looking back I think FD did right choice there. In last two years players have shaped more and more of the game and certainly has been possible due of community and devs interacting using existing game as way to weight out differences.
 
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Ian Skippy

Ian Skippy
Urbanski101 said:
So I've been back in the bubble for a couple of weeks now since my failed journey to the core...I posted about that a while ago so I won't go into it here but lets just say there is an AspX sized crater on a metalic planet 2000ly from SagA :(

Anyhoo, I set off on my doomed voyage after horizons dropped but before engineers landed to give you an idea how long I'd been gone and I have to say I've been pleasantly suprised by the state of the game since my return.

A few of the more pleasing touches / updates:

  • New station interiors...very nice and adds to the atmosphere
  • New things to be found near stations...came across a Farragut in dry dock outside a station the other day...again very nice and I'd like to see more stuff (convoys, dry docks etc..) outside stations
  • Station chatter and traffic control is a really nice touch...It's still new and I'm sure it will be background noise before long but I like it
  • Updated USS...these are still a bit tedious but at least you know what you may get before you drop in and the variety of USS is much grater than before
  • New station UI, I know the faces are wierd but it does add to the experience...I like to improve my rank now just to see a new avatar
  • Missions are soooo much better and rewarding now, still not as good as they could be but there is now a connection to the faction and it's easier to see their state and objectives
  • Missions cont... I also like the fact my rank actually means something and I'm getting the rewards
  • Engineers, I'm glad I missed the first few months of this, it sounded like a total pain but the new materials and data sources give me new things to try....like wake scanning, data missions, USSs etc..
  • Engineers cont - I'm not grinding, just playing but I'm collecting stuff all the time, I will need to focus in order to get the high ranked mods but I'm in no rush and it adds a new dimension to the game...PVE anyway
  • NPCs - the AI is much better, the roll of death is gone and some NPCs put up a very good fight, I had to run from a pair of Elite FAS who nearly had me on toast in a Haz Res

There are other little touches I've found and liked but these were the main ones.

I post this simply because there is a lot of negativity (rightly a lot of the time) about ED but I think with these additions FDev have really added a lot to the ED experience, makes it a more rich and immersive environment.

It's also easy to forget what the game was like especially when these things have been implemented bit by bit over time - I'm seeing them all at once after more than a year away and I like it...a lot.

So I'm now really looking forward to see where FDev can take this game with Beyond, get the missions rights, get the core professions right, get the immersion and depth right and ED will be ready for the next step.. whatever that is ;)
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Its us 'hardcore players' who consumer content ultra-fast that may struggle to see the progress at times. Advice: dont rush engineers. See it as a bonus (pve is fine without uber-mods) and dont stress it. That way it'll be a grand addition to the game instead of a major source of frustration. :)
 

Surprised Brony

S
People forget that they initially loved the game and it was great. Then they grew used to it and they say it's bad and boring. Eh, that's their choice but I'm glad to see that there are always different perspectives out there.

Perspective is the answer to any question.
 

saremun

saremun
Urbanski101 said:
So I've been back in the bubble for a couple of weeks now since my failed journey to the core...I posted about that a while ago so I won't go into it here but lets just say there is an AspX sized crater on a metalic planet 2000ly from SagA :(

Anyhoo, I set off on my doomed voyage after horizons dropped but before engineers landed to give you an idea how long I'd been gone and I have to say I've been pleasantly suprised by the state of the game since my return.

A few of the more pleasing touches / updates:

  • New station interiors...very nice and adds to the atmosphere
  • New things to be found near stations...came across a Farragut in dry dock outside a station the other day...again very nice and I'd like to see more stuff (convoys, dry docks etc..) outside stations
  • Station chatter and traffic control is a really nice touch...It's still new and I'm sure it will be background noise before long but I like it
  • Updated USS...these are still a bit tedious but at least you know what you may get before you drop in and the variety of USS is much grater than before
  • New station UI, I know the faces are wierd but it does add to the experience...I like to improve my rank now just to see a new avatar
  • Missions are soooo much better and rewarding now, still not as good as they could be but there is now a connection to the faction and it's easier to see their state and objectives
  • Missions cont... I also like the fact my rank actually means something and I'm getting the rewards
  • Engineers, I'm glad I missed the first few months of this, it sounded like a total pain but the new materials and data sources give me new things to try....like wake scanning, data missions, USSs etc..
  • Engineers cont - I'm not grinding, just playing but I'm collecting stuff all the time, I will need to focus in order to get the high ranked mods but I'm in no rush and it adds a new dimension to the game...PVE anyway
  • NPCs - the AI is much better, the roll of death is gone and some NPCs put up a very good fight, I had to run from a pair of Elite FAS who nearly had me on toast in a Haz Res

There are other little touches I've found and liked but these were the main ones.

I post this simply because there is a lot of negativity (rightly a lot of the time) about ED but I think with these additions FDev have really added a lot to the ED experience, makes it a more rich and immersive environment.

It's also easy to forget what the game was like especially when these things have been implemented bit by bit over time - I'm seeing them all at once after more than a year away and I like it...a lot.

So I'm now really looking forward to see where FDev can take this game with Beyond, get the missions rights, get the core professions right, get the immersion and depth right and ED will be ready for the next step.. whatever that is ;)
Click to expand...

Good for you dude, the problem i see from "fans" of any genre/game/movie or whatever is that they assume that unless you agree with everything then you are negative, you enjoy these things which is great but what many of us want is meaningful game play, we have been asking for a long time for the ability to have groups in game which you can join, have some kind of in game goal which provides physical or visibel benefit to the members of the group and have some kind of content which can be generated by the members and require the collective effort of the whole group. A lot of what i mentioned is coming in the Beyond updates, that is a good thing.

The state of the game currently is kinda pathetic tbh, you have this shallow endless grind in form of CGs and the main story/narrative of the game is controlled by a small number of people because unless a person somehow stumble upon the clue or a group like "Canon" find a clue the story is on hold which means the potential content is on hold too. I tried to engage in the story before but sadly the next stage of the story is always controlled by FD.
 

Urbanski101

Urbanski101
saremun said:
Good for you dude, the problem i see from "fans" of any genre/game/movie or whatever is that they assume that unless you agree with everything then you are negative, you enjoy these things which is great but what many of us want is meaningful game play, we have been asking for a long time for the ability to have groups in game which you can join, have some kind of in game goal which provides physical or visibel benefit to the members of the group and have some kind of content which can be generated by the members and require the collective effort of the whole group. A lot of what i mentioned is coming in the Beyond updates, that is a good thing.

The state of the game currently is kinda pathetic tbh, you have this shallow endless grind in form of CGs and the main story/narrative of the game is controlled by a small number of people because unless a person somehow stumble upon the clue or a group like "Canon" find a clue the story is on hold which means the potential content is on hold too. I tried to engage in the story before but sadly the next stage of the story is always controlled by FD.
Click to expand...

Hey...look i'm not saying everything is great, I know the game has some major issues and that some serious improvements need to happen which is what I hope Beyond will address.

I'm just comparing the game from when I was last in the bubble and I see a lot of improvements, sure some of those improvements are cosmetic or minor but the game back then felt totally flat and lacked any sort of personality, now I feel the game environment is much richer than it was.

There are still a number of glaring issues to address but as I said I was pleasantly surprised by what I've seen since my return.
 

NW3

NW3
OP, Rep++ for a nice summary of "new" features and positive attitude. Many of those are on my list of favorite additions. I particularly like the new stations interiors, neutron star boosts, capital ships, and improved SRV scanner. It will be even better, once my VR headset arrives!

It's easy to forget how much the game has improved, since I first bought it, over 2 years ago.
 

Turbosnowy

T
Best thing they ever did imo since beta was adding station voices, chatter and control talking to you - adds so much in my view - Mah Immersion! Was away for about a year when I came back and found they had added that in - made more difference to me than any of the other fancy stuff they had added in the meantime - probably still does :)
 
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Moritasgus

Moritasgus
Turbosnowy said:
Best thing they ever did imo since beta was adding station voices, chatter and control talking to you - adds so much in my view - Mah Immersion! Was away for about a year when I came back and found they had added that in - made more difference to me than any of the other fancy stuff they had added in the meantime - probably still does :)
Click to expand...

Would like them to expand the chatter to SC in inhabited systems and ditch the 1% of liners business, thats hopefully the next step.
 
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