Does anyone else feel like Beyond is a graceful exit strategy ?

[SentineI]

the games price has declined sharply over time...in line with it's popularity.

By that logic, free-to-play games (with a price of zero) must be a financial disaster.

Hint: Maybe FDev makes more money off game extras, than they do with the game itself. That leads to bringing the main game's price more in line with free-to-play (i.e. reducing the price), so as to increase overall profit.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

By that logic, free-to-play games (with a price of zero) must be a disaster.

Hint: Maybe FDev make more money off game extras, than they do with the game itself. That leads to bringing the price closer in line with free-to-play (i.e. reducing the price), so as to increase overall profit.

Because - and I am just spitballing here - cosmetics bring constant stream of revenue which company can rely on to finance development and infrastructure.

Sales of the games however are one off deal most of the time, especially with massive online game without sub.

 

[znôrt]

By that logic, free-to-play games (with a price of zero) must be a financial disaster.

Because - and I am just spitballing here - cosmetics bring constant stream of revenue which company can rely on to finance development and infrastructure.

critical mass?

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

critical mass?

In nutshell yes. I think Beyond is direct result of FD looking at numbers and saying 'we can keep financing part of the team via MT so we better flesh it out and make people come back even more' while of course working on much desired items like other paid for dlcs in background. It is healthy thing to have because no one including FD and us wants Horizons model. We want to have thing, see thing what's developed and decide buy it or not. So working on Beyond gives them breathing room to fix and improve base game they always wanted while giving space for other part of team working on next paid for dlc.

 

[znôrt]

In nutshell yes. I think Beyond is direct result of FD looking at numbers and saying 'we can keep financing part of the team via MT so we better flesh it out and make people come back even more' while of course working on much desired items like other paid for dlcs in background. It is healthy thing to have because no one including FD and us wants Horizons model. We want to have thing, see thing what's developed and decide buy it or not. So working on Beyond gives them breathing room to fix and improve base game they always wanted while giving space for other part of team working on next paid for dlc.

i agree in general, but i don't think the shop is really a race horse. it's more that the last worry they have right now is liquidity, and anything is enough to keep going until the next flush.

what worries me is that the first beta alone, and the anounced rushed release, is already a mockery of any previous compromises on 'core issues' and 'quality'. bunch of lies, really. but, hey, that's business!

 

[SentineI]

what worries me is that the first beta alone, and the announced rushed release, is already a mockery of any previous compromises on 'core issues' and 'quality'. bunch of lies, really. but, hey, that's business!

Not really, they announced that 2.3 (or was it 2.2?) was delayed (by months) to focus on quality... and it turned out to be anything but (being a buggy nightmare).

ED is not particularly in any worse shape than it's been in before. It's just the sales model has changed (*), and change can be worrying...

(* I expect it to change again in 2019, when they will presumably have a big 'Expansion' for atmospheric planets or whatever... However they choose to sell it.)

 

[Ian Skippy]

exactly. however, i'm skeptical that the handful forumdaddies buying paintjobs by the dozens constitute a solid revenue stream, no matter how much they tout it around on the forum. i have no numbers either, but my guess is the revenue is just enough to argue against scrapping the project for now before shareholders. this is why i take this to be a 'stay low' strategy. they know the gameplay is substandard, they don't know how to do better, they'll try their best to get by because the real revenue is in the hype feeded launches. they are just preparing for the next. it is probably 2019, and probably atmo landing, since console expansion already is done and there's no more easy fish in sight.

Then why argue against those who do present numbers. Other than that it doesnt support your narrative and undermines your chronic complaining?

what worries me is that the first beta alone, and the anounced rushed release, is already a mockery of any previous compromises on 'core issues' and 'quality'. bunch of lies, really. but, hey, that's business!

Yeah, releasing Beyond pt1 with way more in it that expected way sooner than expected is terrible. They are lying, dying and probably laughing at us right now.

 

[ilo]

Frontier is doing wrong with ED and ships need more cannons on both sides, and sails, and doesn't have treasure hunting or wind gusts, they have to change that too. ships don't even have anchors, what year is this, 1814?

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

i agree in general, but i don't think the shop is really a race horse. it's more that the last worry they have right now is liquidity, and anything is enough to keep going until the next flush.

what worries me is that the first beta alone, and the anounced rushed release, is already a mockery of any previous compromises on 'core issues' and 'quality'. bunch of lies, really. but, hey, that's business!

Beta will close down this week, but release is not announced yet. I don't see how it is rushed considering we had beta for 3 weeks. If we take this as collecting feedback, I think it has been quite successful.

Not lies. Just how reality goes. Not everything will be improved at first go. Changes are huge and far reaching. This is best ED release in long, long time. Possibly since 2.0 release.

 

[znôrt]

Beta will close down this week, but release is not announced yet. I don't see how it is rushed considering we had beta for 3 weeks. If we take this as collecting feedback, I think it has been quite successful.

first, this was no beta if it generated 50 pages of bug reports in the first 3 days. second, i take you are not familiar with software engineering if you say 3 weeks of beta (of an alpha) is enough. enough for what, exactly??

Not lies. Just how reality goes. Not everything will be improved at first go. Changes are huge and far reaching. This is best ED release in long, long time. Possibly since 2.0 release.

sugar lies. marketing. bullcrap. i'm ok if you choose to believe it. there's nothing wrong with that. happiness is a product

looking forward for this best release in long time. you just piked my curiosity. i'll be there in a month aprox!

 

[znôrt]

Then why argue against those who do present numbers.

what numbers, again? (this was about the shop. if you have some, i'm curious)

also, sleutl, i'm not complaining. far from it. i'm just such a disgruntled guy, and i do not buy bull. i'm more, like gluttony put it, chuckling in the background.

but i can be nice too, if the occasion is worth!

 

[znôrt]

ED is not particularly in any worse shape than it's been in before.

that was exactly my point. nothing really changes. thanks for getting it! you won a signed znôrt miniature to be delivered ... soon (tm)!

 

[SAB380]

ED has been developed on 1/10th the budget of the other game, the other game has produced 1/10th the game ED is.

Haha truth!
Have some rep!

 

[SAB380]

Is this another "game is dead" thread?

Seems like it. Never realised there are so many unhappy people playing space games.

Wasn’t meant to be.
More of a ‘are they done with huge updates after Beyond?’ Will we move to minor/cosmetic only?
People have (rightly) pointed out that the ‘premium DLC’ may be those game changers I was referring to.
I still like Frontier and Elite and will support what they release. I’d have no problem paying full price for Elite: Deadly if Frontier go that route.

 

[Stewart_]

Wasn’t meant to be.
More of a ‘are they done with huge updates after Beyond?’ Will we move to minor/cosmetic only?
People have (rightly) pointed out that the ‘premium DLC’ may be those game changers I was referring to.
I still like Frontier and Elite and will support what they release. I’d have no problem paying full price for Elite: Deadly if Frontier go that route.

Consider this:

FDev business model is franchise games. These are long running projects.

if FD were to cancel ED now, PC and other future games may suffer sales. False rumours would spread about PCs imminent cancellation.

Current and potential customers would lose confidence in FDev and the commitment to their products. After all, ED would have only have had a life span of 3/4 years after it’s v1 release. That’s not long at all. For PlayStation... only months old.

Cancellation of ED would reflect negatively on FD and may affect their future business performance.

 

[Lee Archer]

I stopped play since my engineer burnout, sitting on billions, waiting I don’t know what for really.
Felt a bit like a puppet on strings, and the payoff was to small for the tedium.
I felt like I was working for a stingy boss- I’m retired here at 57, so I said screw that, went back to WWII sims, looking at Star Citizen and X3:rebirth, X4:foundations.

My personal interest is in video making well music video and vr with EliteD.
It’s the best at that, but the gameplay is a bit scripted, static set piece oriented.
Totally fixable, just loosen things up and let the stellar engine and API do it’s work.
People will make their own events if it’s facilitated.
I’ve already read more ideas on this forum than could be implemented in 5 years.
So, I guess it’s time
to
Bring out the Dinos!

 

[Blackcompany]

....ships don't even have anchors, what year is this, 1814?

Judging by the way we spot stuff on planets...more like 1492...

 

[JLS1981]

Hey it could all be worse... This could be No Man's Sky.

Reflect on that a while and bask in what FDev has brought to space games.

 

[babelfisch]

first, this was no beta if it generated 50 pages of bug reports in the first 3 days. second, i take you are not familiar with software engineering if you say 3 weeks of beta (of an alpha) is enough. enough for what, exactly??

So the purpose of beta is not finding bugs?

Wasn’t meant to be.
More of a ‘are they done with huge updates after Beyond?’ Will we move to minor/cosmetic only?
People have (rightly) pointed out that the ‘premium DLC’ may be those game changers I was referring to.
I still like Frontier and Elite and will support what they release. I’d have no problem paying full price for Elite: Deadly if Frontier go that route.

Very unlikely. Why should they put so much effort and manpower in Beyond when they want to abandon the game immediately after it? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[krylite]

first, this was no beta if it generated 50 pages of bug reports in the first 3 days. second, i take you are not familiar with software engineering if you say 3 weeks of beta (of an alpha) is enough. enough for what, exactly??

In my beta playthrough so far, I encountered no "bugs" on my part much less anything gamebreaking. I'd suspect a lot of those "bug" reports are preferences, complaints, suggestions, and worries from the changes. Even if some bugs reported were UI mistakes, those are hardly beta breaking. Not a beta? FD already said it's a beta. That's means it's been over alpha and their alpha QC already. "enough for what?" answer is enough and stable for release probably next week. There seems to be enthusiasm to release other great updates forthcoming than being stuck on chapter1-beta for the rest of the year. Far better than that development farce over at cig-arrets that delay alpha releases over a year among other overindulged marketing distractions and shenanigans that no sane gamedev company stoops to such a low level to.

Not lies. Just how reality goes. Not everything will be improved at first go. Changes are huge and far reaching. This is best ED release in long, long time. Possibly since 2.0 release.

Right , the proven reality that Frontier's ED dev has never been about lies, but proven three years of a professionally developed great product the best space simulator of its kind in the genre, and many hours of working gameplay. I thought the release of fighters /w npc crew and later avatar design (and the multicrew feature to get those personalized avatars into the same ship and a host fighter) were also some of the best released updates since 2.0 in their own right.