Offline Mode or moddable Private Server

[Rickardo]

Hi
Before I start I am very impressed of this game.
But I am wondering if there are any plans for an offline mode or creative mode since many people are looking for a place to test and modify ships and gameplays or create the ability to run private multiplayer servers with the opportunity to mod (raise the starting money, change xp, raise the earnings of each mission...) This would bring more people into this game who are looking for a way to test vehicles or just have fun in different places. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who would appreciate an offline mode or a modded private server.
Kind regards

 

[Icybow73]

There is no way an offline mode will be present. The only reason is all of the systems are randomly generated on the server. To have all of the systems' data, we would need a whole lot more storage for this game. I'm guessing about a terabyte

 

[Arioch]

There is no way an offline mode will be present. The only reason is all of the systems are randomly generated on the server. To have all of the systems' data, we would need a whole lot more storage for this game. I'm guessing about a terabyte

Seeing as the Galaxy is procedurally generated, then it’ll take up as much space on our computers as it currently does

The vast majority of the online stuff is to do with instancing with fellow players, a bit of it to do with the BGS, and some for the discovery database. With a static Galaxy and only one player discovering things, offline would be eminently doable - FDev were going to do so.

 

[Robert Maynard]

If you take a look back to the Kickstarter, Offline mode was added to the scope about half way through - then cancelled just prior to launch. The cancellation caused quite a bit of fallout for Frontier at the time - and I doubt that they'd re-open that wound by even considering an offline mode now.

 

[Florenus]

Do I remember correctly that David Braben said something along the lines that if EliteDangerous will at some point in the future stop being supported, they will release last working build for people to play offline in galaxy frozen in time (as I understand there will be bo way to change system states, or influence BGS in any way)?

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

Conan Exiles uses a system of 'offline', private servers and official servers, allows customizable rulesets and mod support.

The 'offline' mode still requires an internet connection and pulls world-data from there. At least that's my limited understanding of how it works.

It's potentially possible for FDev to do something similar with ED - at least as far as pulling galaxy information from the official server as needed.

 

[Arioch]

Do I remember correctly that David Braben said something along the lines that if EliteDangerous will at some point in the future stop being supported, they will release last working build for people to play offline in galaxy frozen in time (as I understand there will be bo way to change system states, or influence BGS in any way)?

You do remember correctly, but hopefully finding out the answer to that is a while away yet.

Conan Exiles uses a system of 'offline', private servers and official servers, allows customizable rulesets and mod support.

The 'offline' mode still requires an internet connection and pulls world-data from there. At least that's my limited understanding of how it works.

It's potentially possible for FDev to do something similar with ED - at least as far as pulling galaxy information from the official server as needed.

That was one of the ways the proposed offline mode was going to work, you’d have the option to update to the “correct” Galaxy state.

 

[Rickardo]

There is no way an offline mode will be present. The only reason is all of the systems are randomly generated on the server. To have all of the systems' data, we would need a whole lot more storage for this game. I'm guessing about a terabyte

You don't have to generate a new system. They can just access the current one. And what about the private - modded lobby?

 

[Gully Foyle]

Maybe in 10 years

There is no way an offline mode will be present. The only reason is all of the systems are randomly generated on the server. To have all of the systems' data, we would need a whole lot more storage for this game. I'm guessing about a terabyte

It's about 3 fiddy.

 

[Robert Maynard]

And what about the private - modded lobby?

A modded lobby could not reasonably affect the shared galaxy nor could assets gained in it be transferred across.

 

[Rickardo]

A modded lobby could not reasonably affect the shared galaxy nor could assets gained in it be transferred across.

Yes so you just use the galaxy but don't affect it and you use a new data bank for the players.

 

[ZeroAi]

Hi
Before I start I am very impressed of this game.
But I am wondering if there are any plans for an offline mode or creative mode since many people are looking for a place to test and modify ships and gameplays or create the ability to run private multiplayer servers with the opportunity to mod (raise the starting money, change xp, raise the earnings of each mission...) This would bring more people into this game who are looking for a way to test vehicles or just have fun in different places. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who would appreciate an offline mode or a modded private server.
Kind regards

It would be awesome, but it's highly unlikely...

 

[CMDR X]

Seeing as the Galaxy is procedurally generated...

Just a quick question about this, as it was never clear to me.
Do the servers grind away at generating systems day and night
or are they generated one at a time during someones first visit?
This then being saved and propagated to every consecutive visitor?

Because we have to be in an identical galaxy after all.

Thx.

X

 

[Rickardo]

Just a quick question about this, as it was never clear to me.
Do the servers grind away at generating systems day and night
or are they generated one at a time during someones first visit?
This then being saved and propagated to every consecutive visitor?

Because we have to be in an identical galaxy after all.

Thx.

X

Well I don't know but however if you want to play offline or on a private server you should need Internet to always have an up to date map. Just the data bank can be local on your computer

 

[Arioch]

Just a quick question about this, as it was never clear to me.
Do the servers grind away at generating systems day and night
or are they generated one at a time during someones first visit?
This then being saved and propagated to every consecutive visitor?

Because we have to be in an identical galaxy after all.

Thx.

X

It’s all done by clever maths, it’s how Space Engine has a Universe of multiple Galaxies in a few gigs of data and it’s the same for all players, or how Frontier Elite 2 fit a Galaxy of 513,982,470 star systems on a single floppy disk.

David Braben gave a very interesting talk on it a few years back:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GEVutbSqBI0


But for Elite, basically the Galaxy is already on your computer - the online check is to see what state the system you’re jumping to is in, discovery tags*, who to instance with, stuff like that. Your computer will generate the actual system according to the procedural rules, the physical layout as it were.

*the last time I saw the discovery database mentioned by the devs, it was up to 67 million entries, a few years ago (Edit: 2016)

 

[Rickardo]

It’s all done by clever maths, it’s how Space Engine has a Universe of multiple Galaxies in a few gigs of data and it’s the same for all players, or how Frontier Elite 2 fit a Galaxy on a single floppy disk.

David Braben gave a very interesting talk on it a few years back:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GEVutbSqBI0


But for Elite, basically the Galaxy is already on your computer - the online check is to see what state the system you’re jumping to is in, discovery tags, who to instance with, stuff like that.

So it should be no problem for an offline mode if I understand this correctly? Let's hope the developers read this and might put it in the game

 

[CMDR X]

Thanks Arioch!

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Based on statements by FD, only when the game reaches end of life might we see an offline version.

 

[Rickardo]

Based on statements by FD, only when the game reaches end of life might we see an offline version.

Hm OK. What do you think about the modable private server with extra database for the players? That would still be online but would not affect the normal multiplayer