Does Frontier hate explorers?
- Thread starter Mengy
- Start date
To gather materials for... Engineering... which benefits mainly...
Wait a second... how many Engineering blueprints actually specifically benefit explorers, again? FSD and scanners... and...?
Oh wait, we can make fuel. And now, heat sinks too.
Of course !
There is some mild scanning here and there also. We mustn’t forget that. Anyway. Before I sign off for the evening, I just hope Q4 is more amazing than we can imagine it to be with the info supplied so far.
The NMS [NEXT] update was apparently like playing a whole new game, rather than just an iterative update.
I hope the same will be said for exploration in Q4.
Flimley
I think it's one thing to say that they don't have the focus on exploration the way many here think they should, but quite another to say they hate explorers.
I simply believe they think the combat community is larger and more demanding (and maybe they are?) Or maybe they feel what they provide is all explorers expected until they were ready for something bigger (ie next paid DLC stage)
And then there's the division between explorer types as well. You mention neutron stars--well, I remember a number of explorers were very strongly opposed to neutron star boosts. They felt it killed the nature of exploration and the achievement of going for weeks or months out in the black.
Hell, there were those who wanted travel to any star outside of the bubble to be tricky and risky (as well as the means for explorers to lay down beacons or some such to allow people to follow them just as easily as if they were in the bubble, thus allowing explorers to expand the universe organically, while keeping the dangers of the unknown. And there are just as many explorers who say "Hell no!" to that concept. And there are those who want wormholes/portals to let us jump straight to Colonia.... you get the idea.
I'm certain Chapter 4 will have some good improvements for exploration mechanics, but here's my belief in Horizons as a whole:
The stars were set before we even knew about it.
Oh, I could be completely wrong, but I suspect the broad strokes for Horizons and Beyond were determined long long ago. Maybe so far back that explorer feedback hadn't really factored in, and everything we've seen is, by comparison, tweaking those broad strokes. Beyond was simply built upon what Horizons allowed for, and perhaps that's more limited than we know without going into a full-blown Next Big Thing (as they are now gearing up for).
My hope is that the Next Big Thing has been in pre-development with the full recognition of explorers desires in mind, and perhaps more attention paid to those areas of the game.
I simply believe they think the combat community is larger and more demanding (and maybe they are?) Or maybe they feel what they provide is all explorers expected until they were ready for something bigger (ie next paid DLC stage)
And then there's the division between explorer types as well. You mention neutron stars--well, I remember a number of explorers were very strongly opposed to neutron star boosts. They felt it killed the nature of exploration and the achievement of going for weeks or months out in the black.
Hell, there were those who wanted travel to any star outside of the bubble to be tricky and risky (as well as the means for explorers to lay down beacons or some such to allow people to follow them just as easily as if they were in the bubble, thus allowing explorers to expand the universe organically, while keeping the dangers of the unknown. And there are just as many explorers who say "Hell no!" to that concept. And there are those who want wormholes/portals to let us jump straight to Colonia.... you get the idea.
I'm certain Chapter 4 will have some good improvements for exploration mechanics, but here's my belief in Horizons as a whole:
The stars were set before we even knew about it.
Oh, I could be completely wrong, but I suspect the broad strokes for Horizons and Beyond were determined long long ago. Maybe so far back that explorer feedback hadn't really factored in, and everything we've seen is, by comparison, tweaking those broad strokes. Beyond was simply built upon what Horizons allowed for, and perhaps that's more limited than we know without going into a full-blown Next Big Thing (as they are now gearing up for).
My hope is that the Next Big Thing has been in pre-development with the full recognition of explorers desires in mind, and perhaps more attention paid to those areas of the game.
Don't knock the Hauler. She can actually be a pretty decent exploration ship. Besides, who cares about a dime a dozen Anaconda when you can do it in STYLE in a Hauler? Pipes and wires on the outside, not over your head. [big grin]
Clean Thrusters and Low Emission power plant are nice too, maybe low power shields depending on what you are trying to squeeze in there.
Plus it's not like doing exploration locks you out of doing other things...
You've got to love FDev.
They decide to can enhanced planets surfaces and fleet carriers, cancel any premium content for 2018, don't seem to have anything lined up for 2019 and they decide to shaft explorers by turning an exploration expedition into pew-pew at the point of embarkation...
... and then they decide to "be nice" by halfassing the upgrades to modules by building extra stuff into the DSS.
If they'd started a poll, in the Focused Feedback forum, asking if people would prefer new modules or for extra features to be added to existing modules, I wonder what the response might have been?
Hypothetically speaking, of course. If they'd ever bothered to have Focused Feedback related to exploration...
I knew there was something worse about the new changes as awesome as they look from space. Consoles. My memory wants to tell me that 2.0 or 2.1 looked the best for surfaces, remember back when people used to complain loudly about elite being unoptimised, and you used to see the rectangle patches everywhere? There was something about the ground that looked better even without the improved shadows.
Not to do with exploration, see dinosaurs. I was following jwe up to launch, and it wouldn't surprise at all if leading up to it there was a huge crunch at frontier with everyone working on the game to get it out. Even the community management dried up (or they've all been promoted to senior positions and are above grunt work). There's a chance that its still happening now, they have their first tangible patch out this week.
I agree that combat mechanics could use some improving too, but still combat as a whole (both mechanics and content) is FAR more developed than exploration is. Combat is in a much better spot today than any other aspect of the game, and it continues to get new content with every single update.
The Thargoid content alone is far more development than exploration has ever gotten, with multiple new Thargoid opponents of varying levels, many new AI combat scripts, a plethora of new weapons and blueprints, new signal sources, new system state and station assets, new ground structures, new space structures, lots of story content, many new combat ships plus SLF's, new mission types, and even new CG's (at least combat has CG's). And much of that is just in 2018 during the Beyond season, the "Core Improvements" season!!!
How can I feel like combat is pandered too? Look at the update history for the game, how can you not??!!? :S
verminstar
Banned
Nice read OP, repped. On retrospect now that Im more emotionally detached from this game, I can pinpoint from that list exactly when the magic began to fade with FD...Jacques and the whole way it was done. That one event started to turn the exploration milk sour.
Of course, I still came to call colonia my home, but it never really felt right...was a time when many thought it could be something else but alas no, that wasnt part of the plan and the rest is ancient history and best left in the past. Some ghosts are best left in peace methinks.
It too me about 3k of my total 4k hours in this game exploring one end of the forge to the other to finally come to the realization that it was best described as drop dead pick yer tongue off the floor gorgeous, and yet absolutely sterile and devoid of anything intriguing to find past a good spot fer selfies.
True story, but Ive never accidentaily found a fumerole while exploring...every single one Ive seen were doing passenger missions.
I dont know if they hate explorers...Id describe the vibe Im getting as indifferent. Guns and pew pew impress the mob, exploration is a passing fad harder to sell than boom boom bang bang...I would imagine that was the thinking in the think tank. How else does one explain why this situation hasnt actually changed?
The fiasco over the beigification...that was the first time I left the game entirely. Turns out its wasnt to be my last time...Q4 just around the corner they got till that and then cinderella goes back to giving massages to older guys ^
Of course, I still came to call colonia my home, but it never really felt right...was a time when many thought it could be something else but alas no, that wasnt part of the plan and the rest is ancient history and best left in the past. Some ghosts are best left in peace methinks.
It too me about 3k of my total 4k hours in this game exploring one end of the forge to the other to finally come to the realization that it was best described as drop dead pick yer tongue off the floor gorgeous, and yet absolutely sterile and devoid of anything intriguing to find past a good spot fer selfies.
True story, but Ive never accidentaily found a fumerole while exploring...every single one Ive seen were doing passenger missions.
I dont know if they hate explorers...Id describe the vibe Im getting as indifferent. Guns and pew pew impress the mob, exploration is a passing fad harder to sell than boom boom bang bang...I would imagine that was the thinking in the think tank. How else does one explain why this situation hasnt actually changed?
The fiasco over the beigification...that was the first time I left the game entirely. Turns out its wasnt to be my last time...Q4 just around the corner they got till that and then cinderella goes back to giving massages to older guys ^
No offence op. But the only people who believe the exploration community is sizable, is the Exploration community. There is a reason its pretty much the last thing Frontier are looking at.
Sure, at one time it was likely sizable, but you dont ignore an entire feature for nearly 5 years if it's where most of your community is.
Combat is "pandered to" because that's the biggest chunk of the community. 11k people on gnosis != 11k explorers. Most of the supposed explorers had no interest because how pathetic, etc.
Exploration is jump scoop maybe scan jump scoop audit system jump scoop scan. It takes a certain resilience to do that for months on end.
Exploration will be a fringe. Because of course it is. It doesnt help when some of them want to regularly break other people's legs because they can move to quick, or go too far.
How even does Frontier approach that? With great difficulty. Hence Q4 scope reduction. And it was the carriers most noise was about. Funnily enough some explorers thought that was fine. Same with losing planet rework.
Funny how it all matters, yet Frontier cannot change a thing. Dont you think?
Sure, at one time it was likely sizable, but you dont ignore an entire feature for nearly 5 years if it's where most of your community is.
Combat is "pandered to" because that's the biggest chunk of the community. 11k people on gnosis != 11k explorers. Most of the supposed explorers had no interest because how pathetic, etc.
Exploration is jump scoop maybe scan jump scoop audit system jump scoop scan. It takes a certain resilience to do that for months on end.
Exploration will be a fringe. Because of course it is. It doesnt help when some of them want to regularly break other people's legs because they can move to quick, or go too far.
How even does Frontier approach that? With great difficulty. Hence Q4 scope reduction. And it was the carriers most noise was about. Funnily enough some explorers thought that was fine. Same with losing planet rework.
Funny how it all matters, yet Frontier cannot change a thing. Dont you think?
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There's an old saying: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In the case of FD, when all you have is Thargoids, everything looks like combat.
I honestly don't believe FD hates explorers, or miners, or traders. It's just that they can't see drama or story or engagement in anything other than combat. The answer to everything is Thargoids!
I honestly don't believe FD hates explorers, or miners, or traders. It's just that they can't see drama or story or engagement in anything other than combat. The answer to everything is Thargoids!
They should put that in the marketing materials then. If there's nothing do they could describe it as ah...'historic', or since there's no history either maybe 'authentic'.
I think many players do exploration. Maybe not months in the dark but surely a week here and there?
To me at least it is a vital part of the ED experience. Of course it's not for everyone. I like it as a breather after prolonged combat jaunts. And nothing in this game is as nerve racking as the last jumps into civilization with all that precious data ready to be lost.
As for the empty lifeless void, that's what I expect and want space to be. I just wish there was more stuff to find/scan planetside. Just getting samples and stuff. So I don't just scan planets from a distance and jump away.
I don't think FDev hate exploration of course. It's just not priority. It is a sedate and peaceful activity and hasn't really any screaming need for more activities to be functional. But yes, more discoveries. Getting away from the standard scan mechanics, these things would be so good. Shooting probes to the distant bodies. Identifying poi's. Would be wonderful.
I know exploration is the ED universes trainspotting. It's a weirdo thing. But I like it and it's the perfect way to really realise and appreciate the majesty of the stellar forge.
To me at least it is a vital part of the ED experience. Of course it's not for everyone. I like it as a breather after prolonged combat jaunts. And nothing in this game is as nerve racking as the last jumps into civilization with all that precious data ready to be lost.
As for the empty lifeless void, that's what I expect and want space to be. I just wish there was more stuff to find/scan planetside. Just getting samples and stuff. So I don't just scan planets from a distance and jump away.
I don't think FDev hate exploration of course. It's just not priority. It is a sedate and peaceful activity and hasn't really any screaming need for more activities to be functional. But yes, more discoveries. Getting away from the standard scan mechanics, these things would be so good. Shooting probes to the distant bodies. Identifying poi's. Would be wonderful.
I know exploration is the ED universes trainspotting. It's a weirdo thing. But I like it and it's the perfect way to really realise and appreciate the majesty of the stellar forge.
Planet work and carriers are gone. Probes are it. And some fixes. Probably not all the horizon bugs that still exist and haunt people because they cant be reproduced.
Expect very little.