Notice GalNet changes

The thing is, we don't know how much effort is required to create CG's, Galnet and Interstellar Initiatives. The problem for me was that when Interstallar Initatives were announced, the videos and the announcements gave the impression that they were relativly easy to do as compared to creating something like the beyond season. The impression I got (and I don't know about anyone else) was there might be an I.I. Once a month until New Era, with additional bug fixes along the way.

I was quite excited about I.I.s because the MMO that did that kind of thing right was The Matrix Online, and that managed to keep that game going for 4 years with no engine update or major bug fixes.

The problem I say was overwhelming negative feedback about I.I.'s which I felt was unwarrented and in some cases a little overzealous. Even though (and I'm using steam charts for my example here), there were 25% more players playing the game when an Interstellar Initiaive was in progress, than there wasn't.

It does feel more than a coincidence that CGs, II's And Galnet get pulled and Fleet Carriers are delayed not long after that 'Open Letter' is published. That says to me that it forced fdev to change course and with the resources that they have available, it was a case of you can have the bug Fixes and Betas, or you can have the Ongoing events. While some of the bugs were horrendous, (I.e. Thargoid hearts, The station repair bugs) but do you think it was worth it for the empty feeling in the game now.

I suspect that the fleet carrier delay was caused by the amount of fixes that were needed by the September update and that would have happened anyway but my worry is that the CGs and IIs have gone for good, and the game is worse for it.
It's like a parent taking their kids phone from them cuz they whine too much. only in this case it's like a parent taking all of their kids' phones cuz one or two whined really really really loud
 
That says to me that it forced fdev to change course and with the resources that they have available, it was a case of you can have the bug Fixes and Betas, or you can have the Ongoing events. While some of the bugs were horrendous, (I.e. Thargoid hearts, The station repair bugs) but do you think it was worth it for the empty feeling in the game now.
I'll throw in the possibility that CGs and all that proceeds from them may be replaced in 2020vision, therefore it may be that Frontier have decided to stop wasting their time supporting soon to be obsolete functions.

This is, of course, a complete guess :)
 
My original point stands tho, "we" complained about a feature, they removed it. They could've handled it differently? For sure. Would it have been worth the effort? Unlikely :)
Two pigeons with one stone: they removed the source of the backslash and freed up a resource in the team (i.e., the writer that can now go and write stories about dinosaurs or animals).
Backslash \\\\\\\\ :)

There seems to be a lot more backlash now with no GalNet than there was from the fluff-piece GalNet. The backlash is also more potent, as the removal of features from a game definitely makes it feel like abandonware / maintenance mode. At least with fluff stories we could assume Frontier still cared about the game and the player base. And it's not just GalNet, but the removal of CGs, IIs, any meaningful Thargoid storyline - the game has been gutted of anything that makes it feel like a living galaxy. You really think this was the right way for Frontier to respond to criticism?

iu
 

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
fdev change many things based on forum feedback - which will be far less than 5% - because that is the feedback that they have. Look at the asbestos dolphin - literally requested by 1 guy ever 🤷‍♀️

I think it's slightly different when FDEV asks for feedback (i.e. ship transfer poll or Focused Feedback stuff they did in the past) and when a relatively small portion of the game community asks for something they think is right for the game. When it's backed by some shady ultimatum/threats (that nobody else but the authors have details about), then it's even worse. Not to mention the other parts of community not being able to directly oppose the "open letter", because it's a 1-way communication stream.

So honestly? I don't think comparing these two things is fair at all.

The thing is, we don't know how much effort is required to create CG's, Galnet and Interstellar Initiatives.

Obviously I don't work for FDEV, so I don't know know, but I would presume they have a template for CG's - so they should be relatively easy. I'd imagine II's are far more time consuming, due to bespoke (and varied) outcomes based on community actions.

Galnet? That's just a bit of text. It doesn't even have images or videos embedded in the articles. That's presumably a simple copy paste job.
 
Obviously I don't work for FDEV, so I don't know know, but I would presume they have a template for CG's - so they should be relatively easy. I'd imagine II's are far more time consuming, due to bespoke (and varied) outcomes based on community actions.

Galnet? That's just a bit of text. It doesn't even have images or videos embedded in the articles. That's presumably a simple copy paste job.

One thing I'll never do is complain about how easy something is to do in somebody else's code. Yes, it probably sounds easy to do in your head but you don't know what is involved, especially when you have to get the text translated into at least four different languages.

For example, most people don't understand why there is a 250 player limit to a squadron, or why you can't be a guest in another squadron (I.e. Being in more than one squadron at once). It's just an extra foreign key to a table right? Well, maybe if they try to pull down the status of 250 commanders every time you open the Galaxy map, it causes horrible delays, maybe the communication tabs can't handle more than one squadron in the chat, or if it can, the constant text traffic from all the guest might slow the net code down so much it makes the game unplayable.

The thing is we just don't know and have to take fdev's judgement about these matters, no matter how disappointing it can be some times. It's ironic that the original Elite inspired so many people to get into software development that it's sequel has to deal with developers with 20+ years experiance. 😁
 
If you can't write 150 words every two days and add them as a string or text file into a MMO lite game for technical reasons, you are in trouble.

With no ongoing lore ED has stopped dead and all its characters are doing nothing. All the effort for Thargoids, all the build up- for nothing.

Saying "you asked for it" with the open letter is like going to a doctor for some eye drops and the doctor removing your eyes to sort the problem.
 
fdev change many things based on forum feedback - which will be far less than 5% - because that is the feedback that they have. Look at the asbestos dolphin - literally requested by 1 guy ever 🤷‍♀️
Yep. Always astounds me how little it seems to get noticed. The worst are when you see FD listen and do something and then people start coming out with 'we never asked for this!!! :mad::mad::mad:' type comments. Oh, and the classic 'they never listen', of course!
 
Yep. Always astounds me how little it seems to get noticed. The worst are when you see FD listen and do something and then people start coming out with 'we never asked for this!!! :mad::mad::mad:' type comments. Oh, and the classic 'they never listen', of course!

Or, call me really crazy, FD actually ask us "do you want us to do this?". Even windows gives me the option of saying 'no' before I do anything.

Plus it takes all of ten seconds to come up with ideas to separate fluff from in game event based stories.

The proof of the pudding will come in New Era- will we see a return to the glory days? Or will everyone be used to what we have now- i.e. got used to having nothing?
 
Or, call me really crazy, FD actually ask us "do you want us to do this?". Even windows gives me the option of saying 'no' before I do anything.

Plus it takes all of ten seconds to come up with ideas to separate fluff from in game event based stories.

The proof of the pudding will come in New Era- will we see a return to the glory days? Or will everyone be used to what we have now- i.e. got used to having nothing?
ok, you're really crazy! ;)

Asking sounds great in principle, but what's the chances of them actually getting a clear answer that everyone agrees on? You've been around long enough to know the answer to that! :D

And while it might only take a short time to come up with ideas to separate fluff from in game event based stories, that's not really the trick. The trick is getting ones that will work well and most people will be happy with. That places a lot of restrictions on it.

Besides, that was just one factor in things. The diversion of narrative resource to the New Era was another side of things.

In terms of the glory days... well I'd assert that was when we had player submitted Galnet articles, but that's a different matter! I think we'll see a bit of a different approach in the New Era, and a lot more stuff will essentially be in place narrative-wise well in advance, with less dependence on having to wait for updates to progress things. Quite how that'll work in terms of galnet, it's a bit too early to say.
 
Asking sounds great in principle, but what's the chances of them actually getting a clear answer that everyone agrees on? You've been around long enough to know the answer to that! :D

How about asking us, and sharing the options they are considering?

And while it might only take a short time to come up with ideas to separate fluff from in game event based stories, that's not really the trick. The trick is getting ones that will work well and most people will be happy with. That places a lot of restrictions on it.

Its easy, since FD themselves invented hints and then promptly forgot about them. Or how about two channels for news? Main news, and 'other stories'? Then, why not simply have an entry in the pilots manual that tells players what the difference is? The latter would take ten minutes of writing, and Galnet having an extra subsection.


Besides, that was just one factor in things. The diversion of narrative resource to the New Era was another side of things.

Well lets hope we actually see something and not a backwards way of salami slicing ED down.

In terms of the glory days... well I'd assert that was when we had player submitted Galnet articles, but that's a different matter! I think we'll see a bit of a different approach in the New Era, and a lot more stuff will essentially be in place narrative-wise well in advance, with less dependence on having to wait for updates to progress things. Quite how that'll work in terms of galnet, it's a bit too early to say.

FD have been doing ED now for 5 years, the onus is on them now to actually sort themselves out.
 
If you can't write 150 words every two days and add them as a string or text file into a MMO lite game for technical reasons, you are in trouble.
Then you have to have them localised into all the other languages.

I'm not saying that should stop excuse Frontier from working on GalNet, I'm just mentioning it because people often forget that there's more effort involved than just one person hammering out a few paragraphs every few days or so.
 
Then you have to have them localised into all the other languages.

I'm not saying that should stop excuse Frontier from working on GalNet, I'm just mentioning it because people often forget that there's more effort involved than just one person hammering out a few paragraphs every few days or so.

How did that stop Galnet as a concept in the first place?

Did FD plan for Galnet to be translated to begin with? How many languages?

This sounds selfish, but you actually need content in English before you even think about translation at all- if the translating work is too hard drop languages and not the content, so at least you have something.
 
How about asking us, and sharing the options they are considering?
Depends what exactly is under discussion, but the issue with it is that a lot of people will take it as us being made part of the decision, but there will be a lot of factors that we (in general) are not party to, and when FD make decisions based on the full set of info which goes against the outcome of their consultation with players, then that will result in loads of people kicking off about it.



Its easy, since FD themselves invented hints and then promptly forgot about them. Or how about two channels for news? Main news, and 'other stories'? Then, why not simply have an entry in the pilots manual that tells players what the difference is? The latter would take ten minutes of writing, and Galnet having an extra subsection.
On one level sure that's easy. On another level, that's dumbing things down too much, gamifying it too much, reducing the ability to just give subtle hints, reducing the need for players to use their brains, and so on and so forth. It all needs squaring off with what Galnet actually represents in the game universe as well. And with how the game universe operates, with all the secrecy, subterfuge, propaganda, obfuscation, etc.

Galnet in of itself was actually fine the way it was IMHO. Perhaps in a non-resource scarcity scenario a different approach to the situaiton would have been taken.

Well lets hope we actually see something and not a backwards way of salami slicing ED down.
No genuine signs of the latter being the case IMHO.

FD have been doing ED now for 5 years, the onus is on them now to actually sort themselves out.
Which I'd say is quite clearly what they're doing. (When I say 'quite clearly' I'm of course saying how it appears to me, not that it universally appears so. Happy to expound on it.)
 
When FDev-gutted©®™ GalNet they said it would focus only on actual in-game happenings...just cutting the ''fluff''........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ then FDev-gutted©®™ ALL actual in-game happenings.... :rolleyes::eek::cry:😭🤬 o7 my ARX
 
Depends what exactly is under discussion, but the issue with it is that a lot of people will take it as us being made part of the decision, but there will be a lot of factors that we (in general) are not party to, and when FD make decisions based on the full set of info which goes against the outcome of their consultation with players, then that will result in loads of people kicking off about it.

Its easy.

Option 1: X Y and Z but no A or B

Option 2: Y and Z but no X or B

and so on. Slamming the brakes on everything blindly is not keeping people happy. It looks horrific in the launcher, and highly unfinished and unprofessional.

At least we could then see whats being discussed.

On one level sure that's easy. On another level, that's dumbing things down too much, gamifying it too much, reducing the ability to just give subtle hints, reducing the need for players to use their brains, and so on and so forth. It all needs squaring off with what Galnet actually represents in the game universe as well. And with how the game universe operates, with all the secrecy, subterfuge, propaganda, obfuscation, etc.

Real news channels do it- the "and finally" stories. Hints are just that- as Galnet stories populate hints appear in your codex that you may want to follow- it is then up to you to check your updates. This stuff is not hard- FD have done that hard work but forget to actually use the tools.

Galnet in of itself was actually fine the way it was IMHO. Perhaps in a non-resource scarcity scenario a different approach to the situaiton would have been taken.

I find it incredible FD who have a lore bible can't sit down for one day out of 14 and write seven 150 word lore stories about the multitude of companies, characters and places ED has in it.

No genuine signs of the latter being the case IMHO.

Sure looks that way- no IIs, CGs, lore for what, over a year before me might see them again? How many changes of direction has it been for ED? Brookes was the lore director, and since he was rotated out the lore focus has thinned to nothing.

Which I'd say is quite clearly what they're doing. (When I say 'quite clearly' I'm of course saying how it appears to me, not that it universally appears so. Happy to expound on it.)

I've given FD years of leeway for ED- year after year for Powerplay, years for CQC, it will be a year for lore and anything ongoing before I might see it return. Right now FD need to start adding meat to the broth, and not more water.
 
Then you have to have them localised into all the other languages.
Luego debe traducirlos a todos los demás idiomas.
Dann müssen Sie sie in alle anderen Sprachen übersetzen lassen.
Затем вы должны локализовать их на все остальные языки.
Ansin caithfidh tú iad a aistriú go gach teanga eile.
Ensuite, vous devez les faire traduire dans toutes les autres langues.
Så skal du få dem oversat til alle de andre sprog.
Então você tem que traduzi-los em todas as outras línguas.

Yeah, you're right - that was really difficult. Remind me, what is the Russian word for "sarcasm" again?
 
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