Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit when I called them paper thin. I guess I'm not supposed to be able to take down a ship from an SRV, right?
Yes, while this is in fact possible - in some special cases - I'm also doubt that this has been regarded as a "mainstream" solution=)
I just wish there would be more content built around it and it would've been great if they made it customizable, like the ships. Ummm...come to think of it...I also dislike the ships' design in this game - aesthetics wise - so all in all I guess the SRV is OK.
I hope we will have more models and/or customizations coming with Odyssey, may be also some kind of engineering. However I assume that at some point I will be even a bit nostalgic about the present times, when you have the same vehicle for all (with customizable skins), fully functional from the very beginning (without requirement of some another endless grind in order to stay "competitive") =)
Up to now I wasn't tempted to go deeper into the planetary content because it feels a bit...shallow. Like there is a lot of unexploited potential. Maybe Odyssey will change that.
Hmm, may be it will sound a bit surprisingly, but I think that there is quite a direct relation between the approach demonstrated in the video posted earlier and that impression of settlements being more as placeholders than the actual content. May be I'm completely wrong but I think that our own (as the playerbase) habits have affected may be not the design decisions themselves, but - let say - design priorities.
As you have shown some interest in "more stealth" planetary mechanics, here is a rather sad story of planetary settlements, and the conflicting approaches of "stealth" versus "burn them all" (assaults) - as I see it.
Settlements have been introduced in-game with the first release of Horizons. However their first versions were slightly different from their current states.
1. There were no guarding ships.
2. There were no point defenses.
3. They have had less "global" restricted zones, and they have been much more "personalized" for each individual layout.
4. There were no "unlimited" stocks (waves) of skimmers. Their final numbers were finite and more logical, related to the size and security.
However there were all those "strange" terminals/generators that one can interact with, and at least some of them have had some visual functionality (temporary opening/closing gates, disabling turrets/platforms/skimmers, etc). But in most cases this functionality were... useless (the state it remains up to now).
5. Yes, there were already this data point chain scan minigames, that have resulted in obtaining some "data type materials" - but that was even before the release of the Engineers, so that was also useless at that stage.
6. Good opportunity to remind that at that time all that datasources (or their chaines) were "immune" to relogs due to 2-week long cooldown timer after each successful scan. And scanning CDT's were much more lucrative (3KK)=).
7. Inevitably there were bugs. Even worse situation was with the related missions. (Besides, the mission stacking along with "board flipping" were available at that time)
In fact there were no much related - and playable without too much annoying bugs - content. Pretty the same situation as it is now.
8. Ah yes, there were SRV's. And - I have nearby forgot it! - our ships were not equipped with the on-board datalink scanners. That was an SRV-exclusive tool=)
I will never deny that there is some gap that one must overtake to master srv-driving skills, as always practice is necessary to feel comfortable.
At that stage everyone have a choice - study the settlement, figure out a good path, is it necessary to take down defenses or there are other ways, and yes, master srv handling... Or just use you ship - that you have mastered already - burn them all, take no prisoners and finish the job. Time is money. Dumbfire missiles? Where I can buy them? Oh, at the very end you'll be probably obliged to use your srv - to scan something, so blow generator-type missions will be you preferable choice (no need to drive that thing). Board flip, stack them, blow one - and here is you money. No need for any different and more complicated approaches. It's fun! Burn them all...
So, quite logically with the nearest update there were introduced the patrol ships and point defenses as a new part of stationary defenses.
What does that have changed in commanders relations with settlements?
Quite a few of high/medium security large/medium size bases became quasi-inaccessible by srv/solo commanders. SRV versus ships don't last for long. Creating effectively a new kind of gameplay for groups. First battles near the planetary surface! Take down ships, and blow up all the defenses. Burn them all, then may be use an srv for occasional scan - but hurry up, new ships on approach...
However that was also time for the introduction of the Engineers. That have produced some particular interest in all that data-type materials. And in settlements as one of their sources. Data point chained scan minigames - srv required (for datalink scanner). "Cooldown" timers still present - so one need to travel from one settlement to another (boring!). Probably that was the only time when playerbase have tried to dial with settlements "as intended". Maps - and related "lists"/spreadsheets - released =)
Time pass, game changes. Honestly I do not remember the exact order of thing, I was not always present and settlements were not always under the scope of my interest.
At some point they became targets of some exploit(s).
Skimmers kills have counted as ship kills. Skimmer massacre missions to gain ranks. Board flipping, stacking missions - all that stuff. Still "Burn them all" is the most efficient (and fast) approach. Bombing with mines - when it have became possible - was quite spectacular and very effective!
Due to some related to skimmers bugs with mission generation (asked for more skimmers then the particular settlement can supply, or of the wrong type) that developers have corrected... no, not the bugged missions! Instead they have corrected settlements - we now have unlimited stock of skimmers even under the tiniest of settlements. Kill'em all! Burn it!
To countermeasure - not really effectively - planetary "bombing" - they have enlarged and unified the restricted zones for ships for all settlements (with some rare exceptions) - now they are enclosed in 4x4x4 km cubes, same for the largest and for the tiniest ones... Probably that was corrected "in a hurry", as... one of the medium size settlements have lost this zone completely... ok, it still there, but only ~ 100x100x100 meters. But the saddest consequence is that quite a few previously unpunishably accessible on srv settlements have adapted quite large ground-restricted zones, and those areas - "by simple coincidence" - have the same geometry and placement as the "discarded" older versions of the "flight restricted zones".
At the same time - for different reasons - our ships are now equipped with an on-board datalink scanner (there are some limitations, but..). Why bother with an srv?
Also, at some moment cooldown timers were retired (except some rare cases) - hello, relog fests!
Settlements now provide exclusively "scan fast from ship" or "burn them all" kind of content. And, imo, if speaking honestly, that's our own choice.
Sneaking, stealth... Too long, too time consuming. Not profitable.
Probably, Odyssey will change that approach.
But if one will be capable to do the same tasks while remaining on-board... Then - "Burn them all! It's fun!"
sorry for that wall of text=)
o7
