No Man's Sky recent success is good sign for Elite and future Space games/sims

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

It's because when someone suggests using one's imagination in this forum, it's usually as a response to someone suggesting that the gameplay could be improved.

Ex:
-It would be nice to have more engaging missions with some narrative aspects added to them.
-Use your imagination instead!

In that case, the person saying "use your imagination" is basically making the statement that imagination should be seen as a replacement to actual gameplay rather than an addition.

Isn't that a moot point though? In open world game, gameplay possibilities are endless. And thus it is physically impossible to develop such game that 'fulfils it's potential' that way. In such games, imagination *always* works for better enjoyment. Issue is, some people can let it go and can make their own stories in their heads, and some need to be spelled that out. Especially when they try to push themselves trough and not try to enjoy game for what it is.

Demanding something to be improved is one thing, but you can play ED for what it is and role play heck out of it. Really do not require that much. It requires to let go a bit of your OCD and obsession with targets and goals.

 

[WR3ND]

*SPOILERS*

Wasn't that idea behind name that 'man' here was generic term (as being person), and it was implied you are actually undying android?

In Elite or NMS, Commander? I don't own NMS and haven't done a lot of research on it beyond watching a bit of a few let's-plays and the like. I was just assuming its name was based on the term no man's land, as it seems fairly apt, and of course is quite similar.

 

[babelfisch]

NMS showed a spectacular lack of judgement and lack of understanding of the market by excluding half the human race with the second word of the title. Just dumb.

In reference to Al Bundy they could've also called it "No Ma'am's Sky".

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

In Elite or NMS, Commander? I don't own NMS and haven't done a lot of research on it beyond watching a bit of a few let's-plays and the like. I was just assuming its name was based on the term no man's land, as it seems fairly apt, and of course is quite similar.

Actually I like name and interesting story dualism / hints it provides.

Heck, who knows, when all hype and measurement contests die down I will give it a swirl just for story alone.

 

[Vardaugas]

Yeah, go to be specifically inclusive. Wouldn't want any people to feel left out.

"Hello everyone."
"Every*one*? What? I identify as plural. You got to include everymany, too."
"Alright. Hello everyone and everymany."
"Not to be obnoxious, but I don't identfiy as anyone, could you include everynoone, too."
"What? Well, ok. Hello everyone, everymany and everynoone. Good?"
"Can we talk about the order you just said those? I feel..."
"NO!"
"Facist."

 

[obliterator]

Isn't that a moot point though? In open world game, gameplay possibilities are endless. And thus it is physically impossible to develop such game that 'fulfils it's potential' that way. In such games, imagination *always* works for better enjoyment. Issue is, some people can let it go and can make their own stories in their heads, and some need to be spelled that out. Especially when they try to push themselves trough and not try to enjoy game for what it is.

Demanding something to be improved is one thing, but you can play ED for what it is and role play heck out of it. Really do not require that much. It requires to let go a bit of your OCD and obsession with targets and goals.

The problem is when that line of thinking is used as an answer to players demanding improvements to the game. It's basically telling people how they should enjoy the game instead of discussing the changes proposed by the player.

It requires to let go a bit of your OCD and obsession with targets and goals.

Give me a break. Some people just don't like roleplaying in their head when nothing actually happens in the game, and it has absolutely nothing with being OCD or obsessed with targets and goals.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Give me a break. Some people just don't like roleplaying in their head when nothing actually happens in the game, and it has absolutely nothing with being OCD or obsessed with targets and goals.

There's always something happens in ED. That's simply not true. Now, question is, is it something meaningful to you, or all you see numbers and triggers?

 

[babelfisch]

The problem is when that line of thinking is used as an answer to players demanding improvements to the game. It's basically telling people how they should enjoy the game instead of discussing the changes proposed by the player.

Give me a break. Some people just don't like roleplaying in their head when nothing actually happens in the game, and it has absolutely nothing with being OCD or obsessed with targets and goals.

Let's do a quick test:
CMDR Eagleboy, would you be against improving the game?

 

[[VR] Merkir]

They could have called it "No Attack Helicopter's Sky".

 

[babelfisch]

Would it bother you when FDEV adds a NPC communication system so we can better identify with our CMDR and game world?
How about a journal that keeps track of notable actions and provides background info to the game world?
Is there a problem with further improving the mission system and adding better mission chains and wrinkles?
Could we get more persistent NPCs that remember us (for good and for bad)?
Would you mind NPC and wings being added to the game?

Of course I could just imagine all this stuff and ask for no further improvements of the game. I doubt that this is what people mean when they are saying use your imagination though.
What it's really about is that the game doesn't give us a predefined purpose, a linear storyline and the inability to save the princess. And I think that's one of the best parts of the game.

 

[M00ka]

Would it bother you when FDEV adds a NPC communication system so we can better identify with our CMDR and game world?
How about a journal that keeps track of notable actions and provides background info to the game world?
Is there a problem with further improving the mission system and adding better mission chains and wrinkles?
Could we get more persistent NPCs that remember us (for good and for bad)?
Would you mind NPC and wings being added to the game?

Of course I could just imagine all this stuff and ask for no further improvements of the game. I doubt that this is what people mean when they are saying use your imagination though.
What it's really about is that the game doesn't give us a predefined purpose, a linear storyline and the inability to save the princess. And I think that's one of the best parts of the game.

\
Agree with nearly all you said, especially the codex part with player input, that is so so needed.

Only thing on your list I wouldn't personally like is NPC comms. Come on Babel, how many times will we have to hear "Oh you have some tasty cargo" or listen to one more Cruise Liner bragging how it is nearly Number 1. Bad enough we have to read that drivel, having to listen to it would be a nightmare! We all know that FD isn't that good at coming up with snappy dialogue for the NPCs don't we lol

 

[WR3ND]

Let's do a quick test:
CMDR Eagleboy, would you be against improving the game?

To be fair, they might not actually agree on what would constitute as an improvement to the game.

For me, I would prefer more contextually relevant gameplay progression opportunities that made more sense for my Commander's narrative, or really most any Commander's narrative, as in general it seems more than a bit convoluted to me. I understand this is a game, of course, but I think it could do well with more realistic gameplay progression as apposed to arbitrary and repetitive meta gameplay progression.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Would it bother you when FDEV adds a NPC communication system so we can better identify with our CMDR and game world?
How about a journal that keeps track of notable actions and provides background info to the game world?
Is there a problem with further improving the mission system and adding better mission chains and wrinkles?
Could we get more persistent NPCs that remember us (for good and for bad)?
Would you mind NPC and wings being added to the game?

I so much want to see this in the game, more so then space legs and atmospheric planets at the moment.

Of course I could just imagine all this stuff and ask for no further improvements of the game. I doubt that this is what people mean when they are saying use your imagination though.
What it's really about is that the game doesn't give us a predefined purpose, a linear storyline and the inability to save the princess. And I think that's one of the best parts of the game.

Agreed. You use your imagination to give your commander some kind of purpose and yeah, that is one of the best parts for me too.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

\
Agree with nearly all you said, especially the codex part with player input, that is so so needed.

Only thing on your list I wouldn't personally like is NPC comms. Come on Babel, how many times will we have to hear "Oh you have some tasty cargo" or listen to one more Cruise Liner bragging how it is nearly Number 1. Bad enough we have to read that drivel, having to listen to it would be a nightmare! We all know that FD isn't that good at coming up with snappy dialogue for the NPCs don't we lol

I think when he is talking about NPC comms, he means having some kind of dialogue with an NPC. So a pirate interdicts you, you can then negotiate with them instead of them being homicidal maniacs. Also NPC comms could be used for NPC crew mates. It could really improve passanger missions, so you have cabin crew that would be there for the passanger needs, but would also need to communicate with you and so on.

 

[M00ka]

To be fair, they might not actually agree on what would constitute as an improvement to the game.

For me, I would prefer more contextually relevant gameplay progression opportunities that made more sense for my Commander's narrative, or really most any Commander's narrative, as in general it seems more than a bit convoluted to me in general. I understand this is a game, of course, but I think it could do more for more realistic gameplay progression as apposed to arbitrary and repetitive meta gameply progression.

That is what I consider the major problem with ED. Everyone (well with one or two exceptions) agree that there is something lacking in the game, doesn't mean they don't like the game, they just know it could do with some improvement. But that is where it stops, simply because of the very nature of the game, where everyone plays differently because they can, everyone wants something slightly different added to the game. It might be fundamentally the same thing, but with caveats, additions and exclusions that each player really wants. What happens in the end is that even if FD do fix something or release something, even those that were calling for it might still complain because the end result isn't exactly what they wanted or imagined.

And no, I don't have a simply solution to fix this anomaly - sorry

 

[babelfisch]

I think when he is talking about NPC comms, he means having some kind of dialogue with an NPC. So a pirate interdicts you, you can then negotiate with them instead of them being homicidal maniacs. Also NPC comms could be used for NPC crew mates. It could really improve passanger missions, so you have cabin crew that would be there for the passanger needs, but would also need to communicate with you and so on.

Exactly.

 

[M00ka]

I think when he is talking about NPC comms, he means having some kind of dialogue with an NPC. So a pirate interdicts you, you can then negotiate with them instead of them being homicidal maniacs. Also NPC comms could be used for NPC crew mates. It could really improve passanger missions, so you have cabin crew that would be there for the passanger needs, but would also need to communicate with you and so on.

That would be extremely difficult to implement. Imagine, you are in the middle of the interdiction mini-game and a damn dialogue box pops up giving you a series of phrases to say to the NPC. Yep that would work. Or we wait until you have dropped out of SC and back to normal space, same thing. Are you going to immediately throttle down to have a chat to some NPC who just pulled you from SC or will you dump chaff/boost and/or deploy weapons and open fire?

In any case, the dialogue tree would be very limited in it's response, even if there were a couple of hundred NPC phrases after a week we would have heard most of them!

 

[babelfisch]

That would be extremely difficult to implement. Imagine, you are in the middle of the interdiction mini-game and a damn dialogue box pops up giving you a series of phrases to say to the NPC. Yep that would work. Or we wait until you have dropped out of SC and back to normal space, same thing. Are you going to immediately throttle down to have a chat to some NPC who just pulled you from SC or will you dump chaff/boost and/or deploy weapons and open fire?

In any case, the dialogue tree would be very limited in it's response, even if there were a couple of hundred NPC phrases after a week we would have heard most of them!

It's not so much about the audio but about interacting with them. Currently all we can do is shoot them. How about asking them for some cargo in exchange for their lives? This isn't impossible to integrate and in fact FDEV already said they are going to do it.

 

[M00ka]

It's not so much about the audio but about interacting with them. Currently all we can do is shoot them. How about asking them for some cargo in exchange for their lives? This isn't impossible to integrate and in fact FDEV already said they are going to do it.

Well I guess so, hey maybe I will finally be able to send that snarky and highly sarcastic reply back the next time some NPC at a RES ask me 'How do you fools make a living' after he scans me - hint I make credits by turning his ship into space dust

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Let's do a quick test:
CMDR Eagleboy, would you be against improving the game?

Heck no. I want more. More stuff to do, more features. More improvements, small, big improvements.

It's not so much about the audio but about interacting with them. Currently all we can do is shoot them. How about asking them for some cargo in exchange for their lives? This isn't impossible to integrate and in fact FDEV already said they are going to do it.

Yeah, NPC comms is very high on my wish list. Might be even #1 (yes, above atmospherics and walking around).