Rational Concepts for the "beyond" cockpit experience

"Space legs" is this large crayon drawing people point to and ramble on about cool stuff they can imagine or things they hate.
Being rational, with concrete, well defined and detailed concepts for gameplay and scope is something excitable fans, very rarely do.

Frontier broke "Walking around" into two expansions:
- Walking Around Ships
- Walking Around Stations


The marketing team, bigged up the Ships layout was already built, prepped and ready to go.
In the "future of Elite", Sandy and others gave examples of cleaning up Spills and other hijinx as a part of the "walking around ships" gameplay.
The concept art for the stations shows a heck of a lot of detail and intention in the art for characters, corridors, shops, vistas of station interiors and FDEV have repeatedly mentioned how "walking around" is a much larger undertaking than Elite Dangerous itself and is effectively an entirely separate game-development project.
So rationally let us explore why.

Ships interiors Assets & Gameplay
Graphical Assets for ships interiors will be a "limited" experience, x-amount of ship and y-amount of scenarios those ships can be in, (looking good, under attack, derelict).
Gameplay, boarding, repelling boarders, mopping up spills, eva and repairing the ship, salvaging from derelicts, zero-g combat, - where all mentioned early on.
And seam basic extentions of the current "pilot" gameplay.
It's limited.

station interiors Assets & Gameplay
stations are massive structures, and we have MULTIPLE stations, in space and on planets.
Detailing the many "playable" areas would be a scary undertaking.
As for the gameplay......well we can layer out some frame-work.

Background sim
BGS is the first rational framework we have to apply.
Every action a pilot takes, affects the background sim.
Every action of a grounded Citizen should also imply a similar setup. Super-powers, Power-play, local Factions, rep, influence.

RPG - Role-Playing-Game
Elite's core game is all about being a member of the Pilots Federation and making a living flying a ship in space.
This is effectively a ship-based RPG, being able to get out of your ship pretty much implies a similar gameplay experience when we walk around the stations, as for the ships - that could be debatable.
But already the NPC faces, clothes, offices for faction based missions are being generated.
As for types of missions? Merchant, Soldier, courier, stealth operative, hacker/slicer, explorer&prospector (biological and mineral samples).
Since the pilots-RPG experience is skill based, and not down to levelling up skill tree system, if we assume those "skills" are modules and tools of varying prices, we could quickly assume Pilots with billions in their bank account, defeats the object.
So either a skill-tree system needs to be implemented for "gameplay", or we port over a staple of Elite Dangerous, Missions, modules and weapons hide progress bar grinds.
Yeah to buy that super-stealth silencer for your gun you need to be "Dangerous" Stealth, "Competent" Combat, and "Friendly" with the faction Merchant offering you the equipment.



NOT LEGS Gameplay
The Galaxy is a sandbox created by stellar forge, limiting it to gameplay based around locomotion such as walking, swimming, driving, flying, might be a little short sighted.

Frontier has excelled themselves with the "park" simulation games.
Showing off complex systems for constructing buildings, maintaining and integrating components, like a walkway, stands how that affects the happiness factor of the visitors.

So What about building and planning a space farm mini-game?
Or being an administrator for a base, needing that extra revenue from the tax on units of commodities shipped, or increasing the docking fees to buy those extra heat radiators. Has that prospector (you placed an order for) found a better sub-surface deposit so you can now order in and deploy a mining rig, or do you need to offer up to the factions
What if the inhabitants are rebelling?

The graphics are in place as are some of the interconnected "rules" that define the RNG of base-building and The gameplay mechanics exists in other FD IP's.

What about being an administrator within a faction. Organising raids, trying to maintain trade-routes. thing of how we already have Power-play, and now with the "possible" upkeep of a Squadron fleet-carrier, such mechanics could trickle down or ripple up from Missions or Player requests.
 
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"Space legs" is this large crayon drawing people point to and ramble on about cool stuff they can imagine or things they hate.
Being rational, with concrete, well defined and detailed concepts for gameplay and scope is something excitable fans, very rarely do.

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If space legs were to be added my only hope is that it would have more depth than Horizons had at the beginning.
 
Things do get weird around here when there's a gap between beta and release. People need to just drink more alcohol to fill the time.
 
Ship gameplay:

Having to get to an escape pod when your ship is about to blow, this would entail zero g maneuvering.

Stowaways on board would be fun in the big ships which would require hand held scanner like that seen in Aliens. When stowaway is located would branch out to various mission scenarios or you blowing said stowaway out the airlock.

Fire in the cargo bay which has to be manually extinguish for reasons.

Hull breach which heeds repaired internally or externally with equipment.

Passenger problems ,fix problem or airlock.

Xenomorph / bacteria/toxin etc loose on ship, locate/fix/airlock or keep as pet.

Something has attached to he outside of the ship which wants or is breaking something you need , remove thing.

Injured in fight/accident or infected with xenomorph/bacteria have to get to autodoc fix problem.

Maybe should bring in health stats for ourselves where we need to eat/sleep etc maybe bring in body enhancement s such as eyes ears limbs all which need maintenance.

Station gameplay:

Casinos where we can play poker etc with other commanders for credits etc and shoot the breeze.

Arenas, integrate cqc into the main game and have the arenas at main hubs where we can challenge other commanders for Credits etc.

Assasinations , kill NPCs or other commanders for whatever reason as they sit at a poker table.

Bars, enjoy a virtual pint with whoever and shoot the breeze, pick up work or other shadey activity.

Various crimes etc

Racing arenas for ships or srvs.

Hotels/shops/homes/showrooms which would need the ED store to be integrated into the game.

Xenomorph infestation which need found and cleared out.

Hostage scenario, private client wants his wife etc returned but does not want police involved.

Terrorists have taken over an allied controlled station ,clear them out.
 
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