∞ probes?

[thistle]

For which reason is that?!

Actually the idea of making alot of probes from 1 mat is the correct answer potentially. 1 mat is equal to 1 ton in this game. How much should a probe weigh and how many equal 1 ton. That should tell you how many it should make.

Why?

I mean ... why? They are probes, not cargo, not even ammo. They are magic probes, or tiny pulses of energy, or boxes of kit-kats for all I care.

When do we stock up on food and drink in our Asp Explorers? I seem to have missed that stage. Do we replicate food, like Picard? When do we pay for all the bog roll, toothpaste, and hilarious off-colour Yamiks travel tapes we clearly must consume in space? Or is it just so insignificant it's not worth bothering about, relative to other expenses?

In a game.

Seriously. Why?

 

[bitstorm]

Obsidian Ant submitted a poll on his channel, which everyone can take part in:

• 7.6K votes total
• 27% = Infinite probes
• 63% = Infinite probes, and craftable "better probes"
• 11% = Craftable probes only

It looks to me like 89% of 7.6k players want infinite probes, so congrats to FDev for choosing the correct option.

A huge number would also like craftable better probes, so fingers-crossed they'll do that too - at a later date of course

NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE EVEN TRIED THE PROBE MECHANIC!

Their opinion is worth jack-* at this time.


"Congrats to FDEV for choosing the correct option"?? Lol.

FDEV are the only people who've actually tried it.

The criteria for judging whether an implementation is successful, is now by forum vote on polls by people who haven't used the feature their voting on??

How about we judge success by how it plays? Y'know like normal people would?

 

[thistle]

Without Citizen Condoms and No Man's Oxter deodorant, I am NO LONGER immersed! We must swap mats for these essentials forthwith.

Can someone start a thread on this? I can't be bothered, but it's really *really* important.

 

[Stigbob]

NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE EVEN TRIED THE PROBE MECHANIC!

Their opinion is worth jack-* at this time.


"Congrats to FDEV for choosing the correct option"?? Lol.

FDEV are the only people who've actually tried it.

Block caps don't change anything, infinite probes for all get used to it.

 

[Bryan K]

1 mat is equal to 1 ton in this game.

Mats are massless, though...

 

[thistle]

Mats are massless, though...

lol. Good point.

edit - either that or my SRV is a TARDIS.

 

[bitstorm]

Block caps don't change anything, infinite probes for all get used to it.

Just to spell it out to you.

I have not voted on anything.

Only an idiot would make a decision on a feature they haven't actually tried.

It is stupid in the extreme to set your stall out before you've even tried the thing.

 

[thistle]

Just to spell it out to you.

I have not voted on anything.

Only an idiot would vote and make a decision on a feature they haven't actually tried.

This decision isn't a vote though, even if some people have voted to give their personal opinions to Ant, which is fine.

The actual decision? This isn't democracy. And it shouldnt be. Frontier will decide.

 

[Roybe]

NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE EVEN TRIED THE PROBE MECHANIC!

Their opinion is worth jack-* at this time.


"Congrats to FDEV for choosing the correct option"?? Lol.

FDEV are the only people who've actually tried it.

The criteria for judging whether an implementation is successful, is now by forum vote on polls by people who haven't used the feature their voting on??

How about we judge success by how it plays? Y'know like normal people would?

Knowing, roughly, the amount of time it takes to farm any mats...it becomes apparent that the mat collection time will be increased (since a player will run out of probes, sometime)...all for immersion...no other reason...another time gate to keep people from playing...and tied to more grinding. This is a rehash of the instant ship shipping vs wait for ship shipping.....

Determining how well it plays, is unimportant...it's all about taking more time to do things before you can do what you want.

 

[Stigbob]

Just to spell it out to you.

I have not voted on anything.

Only an idiot would vote and make a decision on a feature they haven't actually tried.

I have not made any decision on infinite because it's idiotic in the extreme to set your stall out before you've even tried the thing.

I thinks its idiotic to start ranting in block caps about something so trivial.

 

[Noobilite]

Why?

I mean ... why? They are probes, not cargo, not even ammo. They are magic probes, or tiny pulses of energy, or boxes of kit-kats for all I care.

When do we stock up on food and drink in our Asp Explorers? I seem to have missed that stage. Do we replicate food, like Picard? When do we pay for all the bog roll, toothpaste, and hilarious off-colour Yamiks travel tapes we clearly must consume in space? Or is it just so insignificant it's not worth bothering about, relative to other expenses?

In a game.

Seriously. Why?

I actually hope they go that route one day. 1 cargo size is 1 ton. That is a lot of cargo space in a ship. It might actually be interesting to play out. They just need to do real cargo and have dimensions and walkable ships etc with full realistic dimensions for items instead of just an item and a single value.

Mats are massless, though...

True. So I guess that makes it work out logically for now. But I would prefer a lot more detail one day. How are the mats stored lore wise. Is it in the ship in energy form and transformed like star trek. Or does it represent things stored off ship in an inventory and we just don't see it happening in game?

 

[Philip Coutts]

I'm not really seeing the issue with infinite probes to be honest, It's a game, it's for fun. Free unlimited probes for all I say!

 

[bitstorm]

This decision isn't a vote though, even if some people have voted to give their personal opinions to Ant, which is fine.

The actual decision? This isn't democracy. And it shouldnt be. Frontier will decide.

Except weve got people like OA pushing these polls out like they're somehow helpful.

And people like StuartGT now announcing it's been proved Frontier chose the correct option!!!


The reasons polls were removed from the forum was because of exactly this sort of thing.

They become propaganda tools to push certain agendas, using the argument that it's accurate data because people were asked, when in fact the data being used is usually, for many reasons, completely worthless. As we have with OAs poll of people who haven't even tried the thing.


You only have to look at the instant transfer poll to see how it plays out when you ask people to vote on game features they haven't tried.

 

[Stigbob]

Except weve got people like OA pushing these polls out like they're somehow helpful.

And people like StuartGT now announcing it's been proved Frontier chose the correct option!!!


The reasons polls were removed from the forum was because of exactly this sort of thing.

They become propaganda tools to push certain agendas, using the argument that it's accurate data because people were asked, when in fact the data being used is usually, for many reasons, completely worthless. As we have with OAs poll of people who haven't even tried the thing.

You only have to look at the instant transfer poll to see how it plays out when you ask people to vote on game features they haven't tried.

The decisions already been made by FDEV probes are infinite.

Conspiracy theories about propaganda are mistimed.

 

[bitstorm]

Knowing, roughly, the amount of time it takes to farm any mats...it becomes apparent that the mat collection time will be increased (since a player will run out of probes, sometime)...all for immersion...no other reason...another time gate to keep people from playing...and tied to more grinding. This is a rehash of the instant ship shipping vs wait for ship shipping.....

Determining how well it plays, is unimportant...it's all about taking more time to do things before you can do what you want.

That's absolutely fine, and you may well be right, but you might not.

Maybe you play it and fine some other completely different reason apart from "immersion" that might mean non-infinite may be good. Maybe you don't, you really can't say at this time.

But at least bloody try the thing first before jumping to conclusions, and certainly before we start polls for "how it should be done".

 

[znôrt]

The reasons polls were removed from the forum was because of exactly this sort of thing.

They become propaganda tools to push certain agendas

and there went democracy.
(sorry, couldn't resist, don't care about the probes a bit, but for a moment i thought you were talking about the near future of our species)

 

[Stigbob]

That's absolutely fine, and you may well be right, but you might not. Maybe you play it and fine some other reason beyond "immersion" that non-infinite may be good. Maybe you don't.

But at least bloody try the thing first before jumping to conclusions, and certainly before we start polls for "how it should be done".

I don't need to, I like the infinite idea and understand what I think are the very sensible reasons behind it.

 

[bitstorm]

I don't need to, I like the infinite idea and understand what I think are the very sensible reasons behind it.

Sure I agree.

But you can't really say it's the right choice till you've actually tried it.

 

[Lestat]

Here's an update on the voting numbers. Still only 11% of those who voted are fully opposed to infinite probes, poll now has ~8.4k votes.

I wish you had more detail Polls. Like infinite probes slower respawn with craftable probes.

 

[CMDR-AD]

My primary thinking is that it's a shame to have *fully new* content which doesn't leverage existing mechanics. Frontier have mentioned the DSS/Probes having support for Engineering. I see no big complaints happening about this.

I don't see a big issue if Frontier also included an optional layer of support for Synthesis. Just like every other Synthesis offered, some 10% or so bonus for a limited batch of probes enhanced via Synthesis. As with all Synthesis, this is completely optional, it takes zero away from anybody, and *adds* to the gameplay choices available to players. Those who want a small aspect of resource management can enjoy it.

What's even more awkward, is that Engineering is something that has to happen in populated space, at a base. Even though Explorers way out in the black may not come home for months to visit the only place in the galaxy where this Engineering can be taken advantage of. And yet this design is OK for probes.

Yet Synthesis is already with every Explorer, full time, if they want to use it. And this mechanism seems to be not OK?

In closing, those are my thoughts. Waiting to play before having (or even expressing) this opinion won't change my thinking. My opinion on probes is formed by taking Frontier's word: No Synthesis was mentioned. No resource management gameplay option was mentioned or demonstrated as possible. And that's unfortunate, in my opinion. I'd like to see them find some way to tie these parts of Elite together.