Game's future

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I doubt the exploration improvements in 3.3 will be enough to satisfy me either. I truly expect them to make up for four years of stagnation, but that would honestly require an entire update completely focused on just exploration, and we already know that a LOT of other stuff is in Q4 too. The delays in the reveal are not promising either. I am still slightly hopeful but the waiting has taken its toll on my morale.

You are right though, after enough time and effort trying to bring exploration improvements to the forefront of Frontier’s attention, it does begin to come across as desperation and whining. Admittedly, especially for myself when I am so passionate about the game improving in this manner. I’ve often wondered why I still care at all when Frontier obviously wants to focus on other directions with the game. Q4 is likely my last stand, if it isn’t enough to get me playing again then I’ll probably walk away completely, because honestly I don’t like coming across as a desperate whiner, but I agree with you it can seem that way.

After a certain point I guess I just have to admit Elite might never be what I expected it to grow into back during the alpha days. Maybe Q4 is that point for me, and why I am so frustrated at the long drawing out of it.

I think it is very simple - Q4 will have first exploration improvements since game's launch. I don't know how it is not a positive thing. Will it be enough for you to play will be for you to judge after release.

Before that I think it is pointless for this drama. Granted, delaying FF is not something FD seems wanted to do - otherwise they wouldn't set release date for it so early - but I doubt it will impact quality of release, considering that FF is mostly for fine tuning things (as we know). They are preparing base for next stage of exploration and most likely will add more new things later on too. I doubt they will be done.

Just...take a break. I shouldn't be on these forums as well. We just argue and discuss is to level of numbness. It feels pointless. In the end, games live and die by it's delivery, and if Q4 won't deliver, it won't. If it will, we will forgot these discussions even existed.

 

[Brett C]

Hahaha, great post Brett

Quick one: does your forum software allow you to see the top repped posts/threads of all time? A ranked list of links would be very interesting

It's possible, would require a little bit of SQL handiwork to see counts.

 

[Sir.Tj]

It's possible, would require a little bit of SQL handiwork to see counts.

See what I mean his banter is appalling...

**Runs away**

 

[Brett C]

The reason your friend have disappeared.. its just natural gaming attrition. People discover a game, play it like mad, play it less mad, play it occasionally, then don't play it. If you've been playing ED for a long time your initial friends will probably have disappeared. Its a bit like the half life of radioactive sources.

This is quite correct.

To iterate on it: Every game has this; even EVE, WoW, and the countless other online-based games - all have it in some form or another. People leave games for various reasons, people come to games for various reasons. If said persons do not enjoy X or Y game, there's high changes they'll drop it and move on to the next one.

Large game updates will always pique people's interest, and they'll flock back, sometimes in droves (unless said company has burned the trust of said customers and merit of their image). It is the ebb-and-flow of just about every game.

 

[Slopey]

He cant do that, because FDEV have zero intention of actually delivering on their promises. Or even trying to. They have had four years in which to BEGIN developing the mechanics that support the promises they made. Instead, they used those years for time gating, time sinks and RNG grind. And vain combat betas to try and fix the things RNG broke.

At no point have they even attempted to deliver on the game Braben promised. No will they. Frankly, I dont know why i thought checking on this "update" would be worth the time. I hoped. But as usual, hoping for actual game play in Elite is a long wait for a train dont come.

No - he can't do that because that information is commercially sensitive.

FD are a publicly listed company, so announcements affecting revenue generation (and hence share price) are controlled by legislation, and are commercially sensitive.

And yeah - why are you still here if you hate ED so much????? After all this time, it might just be that you're not going to get the game you wanted, so hey ho - happens all the time, but if you're that upset about it, you should probably look at some other games and hopefully that'll make you happier.

The mind boggles.

 

[Brett C]

Hi Brett,

thanks for coming here.

I see you are pretty confident with the number: so, would you be so kind to show us the number of players playing elite in the last month as known by (only) by Frontier?

And, if I may, wcould you show us the work of 100 people (don't worry: just 2-3 images is enough for me) about Lep's content.

And, again If i May, would you give us a more precise roadmap (well a roadmap) about how and when frontier plan to relase space legs and atmo planets just like your Company promised in newsletter 29?

Thanks for your time: I am sure you would not have any problem catching those data

[yesnod]

Unfortunately, I cannot give such numbers of our player base. Not exactly privy to such data.

As for Lifetime Expansion Pass content, that sort of news will generally come from Ed and people higher up the chain than I.



I assume you're referring to this section of the newsletter?

We do intend to release small, free updates after launch, but expansions that include significant new features and content will be charged for separately. For example, our current roadmap is to add (in no particular order):

• Landing/ driving / prospecting on airless rocky planets, moons & asteroids
• Walking around interiors and combative boarding of other ships
• Combat and other interactions with other players and AIs in the internal areas of star ports
• Accessing richly detailed planetary surfaces
• Availability of giant ‘executive control’ ships to players

If so, I believe we still intend to have such features in the future. Especially when technology can properly handle such content.

 

[The Lawful]

"Some of you may die bazmeson, but that's a price I'm willing to pay..."

Well, this one is far from being dead yet.

O7,
[noob]

 

[Brett C]

I’m positive we’ll never get an Exploration Feedback Forum nor reveal.

Referring to the focused Feedback Forum section, or? [where is it]

 

[playfuldreamer]

Especially when technology can properly handle such content.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Referring to the focused Feedback Forum section, or? [where is it]

Yes, he is. I think he refers - understandably I might add, because it got delayed - lack of Exploration FF, which he worries might impact roll out of Q4 release.

 

[Jenner]

This is quite correct.

To iterate on it: Every game has this; even EVE, WoW, and the countless other online-based games - all have it in some form or another. People leave games for various reasons, people come to games for various reasons. If said persons do not enjoy X or Y game, there's high changes they'll drop it and move on to the next one.

Large game updates will always pique people's interest, and they'll flock back, sometimes in droves (unless said company has burned the trust of said customers and merit of their image). It is the ebb-and-flow of just about every game.

This 100%.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Unfortunately, I cannot give such numbers of our player base. Not exactly privy to such data.

As for Lifetime Expansion Pass content, that sort of news will generally come from Ed and people higher up the chain than I.

If so, I believe we still intend to have such features in the future. Especially when technology can properly handle such content.

Well best of luck Brett and hope the hierarchy isn't too hard at frontier. If its any consolation, we as the community treat your posts as well as other frontier staff with equal status.

By chance did you just drop a hint on the hidden status of space legs? Given our pc's are very well okay, we now must assume its the cobra engine, or consoles!

 

[Jenner]

Well best of luck Brett and hope the hierarchy isn't too hard at frontier. If its any consolation, we as the community treat your posts as well as other frontier staff with equal status.

By chance did you just drop a hint on the hidden status of space legs? Given our pc's are very well okay, we now must assume its the cobra engine, or consoles!

Well it's not exactly a revelation that FD *want* to include such content. I mean the only reason we keep talking about it is that it's been mentioned from time to time by FD themselves as something cool they're looking into at some point in the future.

 

[Blackcompany]

I doubt the exploration improvements in 3.3 will be enough to satisfy me either. I truly expect them to make up for four years of stagnation, but that would honestly require an entire update completely focused on just exploration, and we already know that a LOT of other stuff is in Q4 too. The delays in the reveal are not promising either. I am still slightly hopeful but the waiting has taken its toll on my morale.

You are right though, after enough time and effort trying to bring exploration improvements to the forefront of Frontier’s attention, it does begin to come across as desperation and whining. Admittedly, especially for myself when I am so passionate about the game improving in this manner. I’ve often wondered why I still care at all when Frontier obviously wants to focus on other directions with the game. Q4 is likely my last stand, if it isn’t enough to get me playing again then I’ll probably walk away completely, because honestly I don’t like coming across as a desperate whiner, but I agree with you it can seem that way.

After a certain point I guess I just have to admit Elite might never be what I expected it to grow into back during the alpha days. Maybe Q4 is that point for me, and why I am so frustrated at the long drawing out of it.

I have decided to give it this year. Until the Q4 update. If that does not bring substantial new game play mechanics, I am uninstalling and moving on for good. Based on what I have seen so far this year, I fully expect to be underwhelmed once more.

 

[CMDR Exorcist]

why are you still here if you hate ED so much????? After all this time, it might just be that you're not going to get the game you wanted, so hey ho - happens all the time, but if you're that upset about it, you should probably look at some other games and hopefully that'll make you happier.

The mind boggles.

This is a perfect response to the incessant flow of criticism for this game. In the end, no one is forcing people to play. I play for an extended period of time and then I go back to Skyrim or whatever else is interesting me at the time. I have found that sometimes I will get frustrated with an aspect of ED, go off to another game, then realize how grateful I am for what ED offers because I'm faced with an even more frustrating feature in another game. We should appreciate what we have and be patient. I'd rather have a stable experience that works versus a bunch of flashy features that break the hell out of the game. My $0.02 (exchange rate).

CMDR Ex

 

[Blackcompany]

...<SNIP>...

If so, I believe we still intend to have such features in the future. Especially when technology can properly handle such content.

So...what tech cannot handle walking around on planets? Is it your game engine? Your back end servers? Because its not your players PC's and consoles. Huge open land masses are not exactly revolutionary tech. And its not like you have to load the whole planet just because we are walking on a part of it.

So you have basically admitted what I suspected all along: Your tech isnt capable of delivering on the things you promised you could deliver. Which means you either:

A. Knowingly lied, OR
B. Made a bunch of promises without first ascertaining your technological capacity for delivery (which means you still basically lied)

I'm not trying to be offensive here. I really am not. But this feels like being told, "Sorry, we know we promised, or at least continually expressed interest in, delivering these sorts of things, but...you know, that was before we bothered to discover that we, you know, couldn't.

"Oops. Sorry about that. Here's some RNG grind while we continue to researching dinosaur movements."

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Well it's not exactly a revelation that FD *want* to include such content. I mean the only reason we keep talking about it is that it's been mentioned from time to time by FD themselves as something cool they're looking into at some point in the future.

Yep, but this is the first mention of a possible cause of the delay / no show! Space is hard, it makes sense, and good to understand.

 

[NetAxiz]

Im really loving playing the BGS, it has brought new life to Elite for me. I would love for FD to improve the rewards for working the bgs, for example after you've done 100+ missions for a faction you should get special percs, and no longer get interdicted by that factions ships. Get to hear a super friendly voice at traffic control, who doesn't give you lip for bouncing off another ship, in fact because you've got the perc the voice must give the other ship lip for not moving out the way from the factions esteemed commander. After doing 100+ missions for a faction is far more than being allied and will indicate that the player is playing the BGS, which should kick in some serious rewards. I think more players will be attracted to play the BGS and feel some connection with the faction that they support. the BGS creates its own storyline and content for that player and seeing your faction progress and take control of stations and systems is far more exciting and engaging than solving puzzles to unlock more guardian kit or adding more ships to elite, that you have to grind out more credits and materials to engineer. Give the BGS some love, its a wonderful part of Elite that if FD just added some worthwhile rewards to players that play it would give players that depth in content that they are looking for.

 

[utlk]

Oh great we are doing one of these threads again. ED is fine, its notgoing anywhere anytime soon. Stop trying to spread this doom and gloom . As for development time, do remember that the Horizons expansion started development before ED was out. Its almost as if complexity of the stellar forge means that things take time to create! Whoda thunk it! Not to mention that something like space legs involves fd basically making a new game on top of the old one.

 

[Stigbob]

So...what tech cannot handle walking around on planets? Is it your game engine? Your back end servers? Because its not your players PC's and consoles. Huge open land masses are not exactly revolutionary tech. And its not like you have to load the whole planet just because we are walking on a part of it.

So you have basically admitted what I suspected all along: Your tech isnt capable of delivering on the things you promised you could deliver. Which means you either:

A. Knowingly lied, OR
B. Made a bunch of promises without first ascertaining your technological capacity for delivery (which means you still basically lied)

I'm not trying to be offensive here. I really am not. But this feels like being told, "Sorry, we know we promised, or at least continually expressed interest in, delivering these sorts of things, but...you know, that was before we bothered to discover that we, you know, couldn't.

"Oops. Sorry about that. Here's some RNG grind while we continue to researching dinosaur movements."

You are flinging comedy conspiracies in the wrong direction, Brett's a community manager.