Development Update 3 - August
- Thread starter Arthur Tolmie
- Start date
There are two playstyles in Elite in which grind is Not an Option.
1. AX combat
2. PvP
Love the clip, not a fan of the title though. I'm afraid that's a sure way to dissuade them from doing something like that again.
Is it 'mid-September' yet 
Another ten sleeps or so.Is it 'mid-September' yet
Frontier... Have you considered having the installer delete and rebuild the "AppData\Local\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\Graphics folder"? Because after months of ing and moaning it turns out that's all that was needed to get my Horizons FPS back. I'm cruising at over 120fps at triple the settings I was struggling with since release. It's actually playable and enjoyable to boot now!Please make EDO play 3/4 as well as the 160+ FPS I know and love from HorizonsOn lowest specs it is still under 70FPS at lowest settings! All I ask
i5 10th gen, 32gb, m.2, 1070ti, win8.1
Oh and I shutoff some building and helmet reflection shaders which further improved things.
Scratch that, crashes so frequently I can't even get data materials as everything disappears from a settlement if you need to log in.
Utter tripe that a game that crashes this frequently up and deletes everything you came to grab upon one reload.
Utter tripe that a game that crashes this frequently up and deletes everything you came to grab upon one reload.
uhm that sounds more like an oddly corrupted install or even a driver up
The long shuttle rides are not an "issue" for bug fixing, they are stupid in a game to play for fun. FDEV, I agree you should remove this from the bug-tracker but it is still an "issue". Please make shuttles and player ships accelerate faster- no need to change the game mechanics other than tweaking the subroutine that governs SC acceleration once out of gravity wells. Let me get to 1200c in 15 seconds or whatever instead of 10 minutes. That is one thing that would greatly help the utter nonsense of "clock watching" so endemic to ED game design (for unfathomable reasons).Greetings Commanders,
As we reach the end of the month, we are delighted to share our latest development update with you.
Issue Tracker
To kick things off we would like to update you on the key issues as voted for by our community on the Issue Tracker. Remember you can visit the Issue Tracker any time to vote for your top issues or make a report.
1. Lighting and Illumination in Odyssey
Since Odyssey’s launch we’ve made a large number of updates to in-game lighting to bring the experience more in line with Commander expectations. These changes included relighting ship cockpits, improving all materials and overhauling star light and station exteriors, to call out just a few.
Following the major changes in Update 6 we’ve now, based on your feedback, made additional changes to areas such as Fleet Carriers and exterior station lighting which will be deployed in Update 7.
Whilst we recognise that some Commanders may continue to have feedback around how the game is lit we feel that for the purposes of aiding further development this issue tracker entry, whilst still holding a number of votes, is no longer providing us actionable feedback to improve the game, with recent contributions unrelated to the specifics of the original report.
We will therefore mark this issue as fixed following the update, freeing up those votes to contribute to other issues in issue tracker. Of course if you observe any specific instances of poor lighting, please open a new issue tracker entry giving specific feedback.
2. Degraded terrain textures compared to Horizons
We’ve been monitoring your feedback following Update 6 and we are now satisfied that this issue has been largely resolved. This item will be marked as fixed with the final changes set to arrive in Update 7 - if you see specific instances please contribute to the issue tracker giving specific feedback.
3. FPS performance in Odyssey
Further improvements have been made in this area including optimisations to the Navmesh, lighting system, terrain, NPCs, glass shaders and scatter rock LODs. Our core code team is making good progress on more substantial optimisations, a number of which we expect to be included in Update 8.
4. Nothing to do on long shuttle rides
Update 7 will provide the opportunity for players to redirect Apex shuttles in transit, avoiding instances of players feeling trapped into long journeys. We will look to mark this issue as fixed in line with Update 7, freeing up your votes to contribute to other issues.
5. Invincible Thargoid Heart
We have identified a cause and are deploying a fix for this issue in Update 7, to ensure the fix has worked as intended, we will leave this issue open for a time. We would like to thank you for your patience with this issue and for your support in helping us to resolve it.
6. Frame Rate Drops post update 5
Update 7 will include changes to the games Navmesh which we believe resolves any potential performance impact from update 5. We will therefore be marking this issue as fixed following the release of Update 7 whilst retaining our wider focus on improving Odyssey’s performance.
The following issues will also be resolved in Update 7:
In addition to Odyssey Update 7 we’re pleased to confirm that a number of these fixes and QoL improvements will be deployed to Horizons players on both PC and console in September – we will of course share full patch notes for both around release.
- NHSS signals in Odyssey are Empty
- Fleet Carrier and Module costs not included in overall wealth
- Support missions are not widely available
- Missions and Rewards are not shared with the team
- A previously present codex entry is now missing
- Stolen tritium cannot be donated into a fleet carrier's fuel depot
- Too much CC returned when systems revolt.
- Mission Reward Material Missing
- Deposit fragments stuck inside the rock
- Unable to interact with Comms Panel in head look
- Some rock scatter only visual in right eye in VR
- Seeker and Packhound Missiles do double damage against shields
- Choosing +Influence reward from missions gives no influence
- CZ captain defence incorrectly rewards credit bonds for the enemy faction
Upcoming Updates and Content
Please note: These are at varying stages of progress. This is not an exhaustive list of everything that is being considered. They are not final, so they are subject to change. We will keep you updated with news and details as they progress, and we expect the content to release over the coming few updates. With that said, here’s a look at just some of the features and content in consideration, to go alongside the other development work required for future updates.
The following items are planned to be included in Update 7 which is scheduled for mid-September:
Conflict Zone Anti-Air Defence and Dogfighting
Since the launch of Odyssey, many brave Commanders have dropped into Odyssey’s Conflict Zones to support their chosen faction in ongoing conflicts throughout the bubble. With Update 7 we’re taking Conflict Zones to the next level by rebalancing the sphere of combat, increasing the risk for airborne Commanders and introducing new gameplay for those on the ground.
Each active Conflict Zone will have new anti-air turrets to defend against airborne attack. Commanders in the air will need to work with those on the ground to disable them. In addition, AI ships will also be deployed to Conflict Zones for the first time, allowing Commanders to experience exhilarating in-atmosphere dogfights as the battle rages below.
You can see both of these in action in the video below:
Enforcer units coming to Conflict Zones
Following the deployment of Enforcer units to Odyssey’s military installations, we’ll be introducing rocket launcher equipped infantry to active Conflict Zones, increasing the risk for any Commanders hoping to pick off easy prey from the comfort of their SRV.
New Social Hub styles
These screenshots show some of the variation added for Update 7, making station interiors more clearly linked to their installation type. Changes include elements such as swapping out railings with alternatives, replacing crates and planters with other props to better suit the theme, using different partitions and wall pieces, swapping beams and roof sections, and adding pipes or more industrial looking geometry.
In addition, wealthy services and high tech stations now show less rubbish and junk on the floors, while the agricultural, industrial and asteroid stations are progressively more untidy.
Apex Redirect
You’ll soon be able to redirect your Apex shuttle mid-flight. Our UI team have been hard at work to make this a seamless experience with redirection options from the Navigation list, Galaxy and System Maps
Increased stored modules and bookmarks
Stored module and Bookmark limits will be increased from their previous limits to 200. We are pleased to be able to deliver this community request.
AMD Fidelity FX CAS
By popular demand, AMD Fidelity FX CAS will be reintroduced as an option in Update 7. This is mutually exclusive to FSR which has its own integrated RCAS system.
Here is a selection of the other features currently in development. As mentioned above, this is not an exhaustive list of everything that is being considered. They are not final, so they are subject to change. As we get closer to their release we will announce which of these will be included in each Update:
Horizons Cosmetics in Odyssey
Our character team have been hard at work overhauling Horizon’s flight suit cosmetics to make them compatible with Odyssey’s EVA suits. While we still have a little way still to go, you can see some of the results which we plan to bring to the game soon, below.
Four Player Multicrew
We’re pleased to share that we are making great progress on this feature, with a number of ships now in test with four Commanders on the bridge. More details will be released closer to release.
New Odyssey Engineers in Colonia
We’d like to introduce Rosa Dayette, one of Odyssey’s upcoming new Engineers based out in Colonia.
Born and raised in a starport within a feudalist system, Rosa had few obvious skills in her youth. She was an average student, suffered from stage fright and found athletic competition dull. But she did have a passion for mechanical things, fascinated by the constant stream of ships outside her apartment window. With a combination of donated, swapped and refurbished tools, she began to tinker on the gadgets in her home, looking to reverse engineer them to learn how the various components work.
Her natural talent blossomed, and over time she started working on her neighbour's technology, patching up suits or manual equipment. This became helping out friends of friends, then distant acquaintances; as Rosa approached adulthood people from across the station would turn up at her door with things to fix. Her family apartment eventually resembled a workshop.
And yet she would rarely charge people credits for her time. Her enjoyment of the work and tendency to trade skills led her to accept favours instead of credits. A fixed datapad in exchange for homecooked meals. An upgraded power coupling for free apartment cleaning. Word of Rosa's talents reached a local businessman who operated a suit supply store. An experienced mechanic himself, he offered Rosa an opportunity to help out at his shop in return for some second-hand suits, weapons and other equipment. Rosa accepted, drawn by the chance to examine far more interesting gear than the home appliances and commercial technology she was used to.
After many happy years of this arrangement, her mentor passed away. What little he had to bequeath was given to Rosa, along with a hand-written note asking Rosa to leave the starport and pursue her dream of a full workshop. Rosa did so, announcing to her friends that she would seek employment with an engineer. As word spread throughout the community, a collection was held to fund this new venture; the many Rosa had helped so selflessly, for so long, gladly contributed. To Rosa's astonishment, it was just enough to establish her own workshop in Colonia.
Rosa found her local celebrity discomforting, having felt that helping the community was a responsibility rather than something notable. Yet deep down she recognises that she could have made a comfortable living from her talents, but chose to remain true to her principles. Now she enjoys total autonomy in a new community, excited by the opportunity while missing her friends dearly.
Mission feature extensions
Work is still ongoing to expand mission features for Odyssey with the aim to increase mission diversity and create stronger links between the in-cockpit and on foot gameplay. We hope to share more on this soon.
Megaship Social Spaces
Last but not least, we’re excited to share that work is now underway to bring social spaces to Megaships. This will allow us to position a base for on-foot services, such as Vista Genomics and Pioneer Supplies, anywhere in the galaxy.
As with previous development updates, what we’ve shared today is just a snapshot of what we’re working on. We will be sharing more details on the content mentioned above, further bug fixes, performance improvements and of course more as-yet-unannounced content in further monthly development updates and across our other channels.
Thank you as always for your continued feedback and support.
Arf
New Engineer is not worthy of the space allotted in this post and isn't really a big dev update.
When will we hear more about the longer-term future of the game? David Braben has gone silent on the "vision" which is bonkers. ED is not looking to be the game advertised hard during the Kickstarter and DDF, which is a shame, as that's what I thought I was buying into since it was what FDEV were selling. I understand the devs have to be focused on bug squashing, performance and fixing/adding to the premature release, but there were thousands of posts asking for better comms about the longer term vision for the game that are so far unanswered.
And, why aren't Focused Feedback forums happening at a regular, on-going cadence (and including feedback from devs to close out the forum post). Sally's camera suite FFF was a good example of what should be happening weekly, bi-weekly or at a bare minimum every single month if FDEV had really heard the customers as clearly as claimed.
Usual caveats, my .02, other's mileage will vary.
o7
FDEV, kings of Procedural Generation with four small layouts for station interiors.
And planetary social spaces with no exits to the outside.
I'm not sure why I expected more by this point in the game's lifecycle. I suppose early design decisions have hampered the ability to use more ProcGen. And of course the code and horsepower required to render cities realistically on terrain and full station interiors, is I am sure "not easy". Just hope FDEV been working on it and the next "paid expansion" of planet tech is closer than 5 years and more like 1 year (but that's obviously not going to happen given the state of Odyssey... or would be a jaw-dropping shocker if it did).
So how much would of been enough?
You could probably do smth else tho. Actually generating the interior. So basically you create 5 or so modules with fixed stuff etc. Color etc on those Modules could also be part random. And now you do some random stuff.
Alternatively you can simply make multiple assets for the interior and change them randomly.
If you accelerated to 1200c in 15 seconds without changing the game mechanics in any other way, you'd never be able to get anywhere other than "non-specific deep space".
The curve is exponential, so it would mean that in a single second of acceleration you went from stationary to around 1.5c - that's nowhere near enough throttle control to stop anywhere near a specific destination.
Having gravity wells be as effective as now when moving towards a destination but minimally effective when moving away would only at best halve travel times, which doesn't really address the issue (as well as giving weird effects around co-binary planets, gas-giant moon systems, etc.)
The problem isn't the length of time taken to go from A to B anyway, I think - it's that nothing happens between A and B and for at least 75% of the journey the optimal strategy is not to touch any controls. The aim should be to make travel interesting - the previous three Elite games managed it! - not to get rid of it.
Probably when Odyssey has been fixed up to a level of quality where any stated intent to provide a longer-term future might be believed by a majority of players.
I can't imagine they'd get a sympathetic reception for any claims about what the next DLC might do in 3-5 years time until they've at the very least released (a working!) Odyssey on consoles, for example.
This, we wouldn't even hear them until they put the fires out.
If you can get to 1200c in your current location, it will happen in about 15 seconds. The problem is that to be able to get to 1500c, you need to be very far from any gravity source. SC "acceleration" is exponential in its response from current velocity to desired velocity (governed by local maximum) when not complicated by gravity.
The local maximum velocity is somehow related to local gravity, and maybe a few other factors (to allow arrival at a non-massivetarget (anything smaller than a planet). I worked through the math and found that the maximum velocity is directly proportional to he distance to the target (have not worked it out for basic gravity). The eternal 6 seconds is the clue: constant ETA means your velocity and position are decaying exponentially, which means the velocity is linear with respect to distance.
Sorry but is anyone able to confirm; with the next update will we be able to get on foot equipment and suits from Fleet carriers or not?
I ask as I am still enroute to Colonia to be able to buy the exploration equipment for on foot, but if I can stop in at a fleet carrier that will save quite a hike
I ask as I am still enroute to Colonia to be able to buy the exploration equipment for on foot, but if I can stop in at a fleet carrier that will save quite a hike
Nope, only megaships will have interiors.