Polygon and Twinfinite interviews - more Odyssey details, unknowns, and Walking-In-Ships not at launch

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I dunno, I think people are assuming that quote (in an article fdev have apparently said does not reflect their interview with them) means that fdev haven't even thought about how these things work. Do you really think that's likely? Isn't it more likely they just haven't decided which of a few options they will go with?

Not yet being settled on which method of transitioning from cockpit to outside doesn't mean the options haven't been considered and even prototyped.

they have said it also in the video...so they really don t know.
 
I saw the follow up on Buur Pit's discord, thanks for that.

The Polygon interview only says that Frontier are "considering" ship interior exploration, and keeping VR "in mind", which is what you would reasonably expect, and which is not a confirmation of either of those features, or a promise for their inclusion at launch.

I don't see why Frontier would backtrack from saying they're merely thinking about things, unless simply to manage expectations or not raise hopes about potential features that are as yet unconfirmed. I'm going to take it at face value, as they probably are considering both of those things, even if they end up not implementing either.

The Polygon article is weird, its hard to imagine they only have a few months to release and are "undecided" about so many things. Reads to me like it was conducted some time back and they've only now been allowed to release it, so it's probably out of date information in an article written by someone a bit frustrated that fdev didn't directly answer questions.

Most probably work is/was being done on interiors that is still "nice to have", at the point they did that interview they were still trying to answer questions about what they could achieve by the launch of Odyssey as with any development (especially games) there is an awful lot of proof-of-concept work and unknowns and stuff being cut-out or put or simply blocked by something else and we all know what the community reads PROMISES anytime they state they are working on anything.
 
They probably think otherwise because according to the Polygon article, Frontier do not yet know how atmospheric handling will work, or how we will transition from our pilot seats to the ground. Those seem like pretty fundamental aspects which should have been figured out a long time ago.
They probably think otherwise because according to the Polygon article, Frontier do not yet know how atmospheric handling will work, or how we will transition from our pilot seats to the ground. Those seem like pretty fundamental aspects which should have been figured out a long time ago.
1. We have no idea when the interview took place.

2. Some of it has already been confirmed as wrong.

3. Ship handling in the atmosphere is probably very easy to sort out.

But even if it was correct, they are all pretty easy things to sort out and don't really see an issue.
 
3. Ship handling in the atmosphere is probably very easy to sort out.

Then why isn't it sorted out yet? In a game about FLYING SPACE SHIPS, how the ships handle in the new atmospheres is a very key element to the expansion. Like top five priority in my opinion.

I feel it is very alarming that this key element is seemingly still not planned out in detail this close to release and after three years of development.
 
1. We have no idea when the interview took place.

2. Some of it has already been confirmed as wrong.

3. Ship handling in the atmosphere is probably very easy to sort out.

But even if it was correct, they are all pretty easy things to sort out and don't really see an issue.
The other possible aspect is that they were probably interviewed remotely and didn't have a PR person in their ear telling them what to say (which is often the case for these kind of press interviews) and defaulted to a safe, non-committal answer (that they had probably been briefed to respond with ;)).
 
Walking around planets can be awesome, but it can be also quite boring. This depends only on gameplay content added by developers. Walking in ships is nice to have but does add less options to improve the gameplay. Therefore I am fine with the "not at Release" statement made.

Atmospheric Landings are only on bodies "with very thin Atmosphere", but there's a huge span, so what does that mean? I've seen stellar bodies ranging form 0.1 atm to more than 200000 atm. Hence "very thin" is here very relative.

All in all I keep waiting for more details and will wounder if they manage to hold the release date. To be honest I do not expect this.

Regards,
Miklos
 
Then why isn't it sorted out yet? In a game about FLYING SPACE SHIPS, how the ships handle in the new atmospheres is a very key element to the expansion. Like top five priority in my opinion.

I feel it is very alarming that this key element is seemingly still not planned out in detail this close to release and after three years of development.

from one of the articles:

“I know it sounds like a bit of a cop out, but it really isn’t,” Hughes said. “We’ve had to get so many of the the kind of fundamentals in place before we can look at almost this layer of sophistication and presentational elements on top. And we’re just finding [...] the development focus to start really looking at those now.”
 
Well its clearly not everything because they've not shown the missions, fps, bases etc yet. That doesn't mean you'll still not be disappointed, but it's not everything...

Of course.

I really do always hope I have got things wrong, because I am awfully cautious about what things will turn out like when they talk about new updates.
 
Then why isn't it sorted out yet? In a game about FLYING SPACE SHIPS, how the ships handle in the new atmospheres is a very key element to the expansion. Like top five priority in my opinion.

I feel it is very alarming that this key element is seemingly still not planned out in detail this close to release and after three years of development.
We don't know if it's sorted out or not though as we do not know when that interview took place. I'm sure getting the assets in first would be of paramount importance then getting some easy stuff in which needs to be done afterwards anyway.
 
After the updates so far, it sounds like the only thing finalized is how to squeeze PUBG/Fortnite type of FPS gameplay into the ED universe.

The announcement statement StuartGT quoted tracks with what the Devs are saying so far.

Everything else is TBD.

ONE GIANT LEAP
See the galaxy like never before. Touch down on breathtaking planets powered by stunning new tech, soak in suns rising over unforgettable vistas, discover outposts and settlements, and explore with unrestricted freedom

FORGE YOUR OWN PATH
Take on a wide variety of contracts and play your way, from diplomacy and commerce to lethal stealth and all-out combat. Diverse settings, objectives, and NPCs offer endless mission variety and a near infinite amount of content to enjoy.

ASSEMBLE YOUR CREW
Social hubs spread throughout the galaxy give Commanders the ideal place to plan their next move. Form alliances, procure services, and even find expert support in highly coveted Engineers. These public outposts also help you acquire and upgrade weapons and gear to perfect your playing style.

THE SPHERE OF COMBAT
Experience intense first-person combat, kit out your character with an array of weapons and gear, and coordinate with teammates to master a multi-layered, deep, tactical environment where Commanders, SRVs and Starships converge.
 
I mean the basis for the flght model is there already, how they tweak it for atmospheres which don't have complex wind/weather will not be something that requires a year of development, I hate to break it to you.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect anything more than a subtle impact on the flight model of some of the large ships at these kinds of pressures.

It's definitely worthwhile if they can do it though. Especially if it, for example, gives small ships an advantage in atmospheric flight. Anything that encourages more strategy, decision-making, and variety, however minor, would be good.
 
Polygon is by far the most trustworthy gaming news site, and Charlie Hall is that very rare thing, a journalist with integrity.

Cheers,

Drew.

Was he the guy who was the only one to actually try to contact you when writing an article about the whole Salomé story? Or was that just sarcasm I didn't catch?
 
Tinfoilery..

What if Odyssey is merely a "prologue" for ED 2. A testbed of sorts. They won't bother adding ship interiors, walking in them, seamless transitions et cetera to ED because once Odyssey is out they'll ditch (so to speak) ED and begin working on ED 2, which will include all this new tech and then some, including freely moving in, out and about our ships.
 
Tinfoilery..

What if Odyssey is merely a "prologue" for ED 2. A testbed of sorts. They won't bother adding ship interiors, walking in them, seamless transitions et cetera to ED because once Odyssey is out they'll ditch (so to speak) ED and begin working on ED 2, which will include all this new tech and then some, including freely moving in, out and about our ships.

I did notice in the Dev Diary, the guy with the hyper-blue eyes says words to the effect of "Elite Dangerous, in its current form, is a massively multiplayer game"... 😉

Is there some future form that isn't? Or are those words just specific to a question we didn't hear?

But nah, I don't think they'll move over to Elite Dangerous 2 at this point. It's not a natural break point and it's a lot of bad press if they shaft LEP guys like that. Even the dev they had for the Discovery Scanner, who rarely seemed to be on the marketing train (or even all that enthused tbh), talked unbidden about ED hopefully continuing for years to come.

Bit I would not be surprised if some of FDev's future games happened to be more linear, story-based products set in the ED universe. Not as a sequel, but a spin-off.
 
So as I understand it, the upcoming expansion is about first person shooter gameplay, plus improved graphics on some planets.
 
So as I understand it, the upcoming expansion is about first person shooter gameplay, plus improved graphics on some planets.

That's what's been talked about so far.

Well... improved graphics on all acessible planets, including existing Horizons planets. Plus new exploration tools and "diplomacy", whatever that means.
 
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