CG predictions...
- Thread starter CMDR Serra
- Start date
jk
Well, going on evidence FD started out with fun twists on ideas and then reverted back to boring crappy vs CGs.
Like the recent Saud Kruger CG with associated 'get a tourist beacon' gameplay? Or the salvation week where there was no CG, but deliveries etc and a new permit opportunity? Those kind of crappy vs CGs?
I think they've actually been more inventive recently ... though some will never be happy because .... #forumlife
Except they haven't applied this inventiveness to the meat and potato CGs- the ones that actually drive the story week on week.Like the recent Saud Kruger CG with associated 'get a tourist beacon' gameplay? Or the salvation week where there was no CG, but deliveries etc and a new permit opportunity? Those kind of crappy vs CGs?
I think they've actually been more inventive recently ... though some will never be happy because .... #forumlife
We've done this before. Expecting fdev to put weeks of effort into each CG but also to carry on doing them every week seems self-evidently not possible to me. Well, unless they really have infinite people working on it as some seem to think
You're exaggerating though. Nobody said Frontier has to put "weeks of effort" into every single CG.We've done this before. Expecting fdev to put weeks of effort into each CG but also to carry on doing them every week seems self-evidently not possible to me. Well, unless they really have infinite people working on it as some seem to think
FD killed CGs once by relying on routine pairings- people prefer and respond better to more interesting situations so why revert back to predictable things? You also forget all of these were planned in advance so all that time was front-loaded.We've done this before. Expecting fdev to put weeks of effort into each CG but also to carry on doing them every week seems self-evidently not possible to me. Well, unless they really have infinite people working on it as some seem to think
Everything takes time - even this week the 10% discount 'fell off' the store, so they spent extra time reverting that, so that's the shop team (well, probably Dav) distracted, and ppl are raising issues about the discounts not stacking as the expected, so that's QA getting extra work to ignore those issues. None of that is 'front loaded'. Plus the time to set up (and tear down) the discounts around the week. Bruce is probably going through the tourist beacon suggestions this week - not front loaded. And then they will be sent to Dav and no doubt that will take time to do. It all takes time and can't be front loaded.
It is unlikely they sat down a year ago and did all the work and are now just flipping a switch every week. They'll have sketched it out, but every week or so they'll be sending all the CG text off for internationalisation, setting up the CGs, pushing the galnets. Look at the galnets where they've responded to things like Rainbro &c dumping Salvation's meds - that wasn't front loaded a year ago when it was planned out.
I'd bet that the more complex weeks get dev time on the weeks with simpler CGs - if you want your more complex scenarios then I think you'd going back to something like Interstellar Initiatives - but as they were also mainly CG based truly innovative gameplay would take longer - so maybe one every 6 months? Dunno - meat & potato CGs are starting to look more attractive now ...
No, they planned out all the storylines, I assume based on what CGs could do. Just because it appears complex does not mean it is complex- FD started out strong with asymmetric parallel CGs to avoid the predictability and went back to this v them leading to predictable outcomes, making planning the story just an illusion of choice...i.e. its wasted time.
Its like- scanning CGs have been employed where its scan more than the other- why? Why not have one scanning CG and have a DMed time limit? For each tier 'lost' a new station goes boom. This then feeds into the story, adds urgency and a reason to do it, is not playing off one character against a lesser known one, and is actually a new situation based on existing CG mechanics?
It takes twenty minutes to write a story for Galnet based on events as well, all you need is an awareness of whats going on and who is involved.
I agree some CGs are done as and when, but these are not the ongoing story.
Agreed that something Torval-related seems likely for this CG, though it could also be a CG by Salvation to provide materials for detection / weapons systems.
Or, there hasn't been a Colonia CG for eight months, and a couple of seconds of scanning a data point which says "ha, fooled you, all the action is back in the bubble" really doesn't count. Maybe we'll get something for once, ha ha ha.
I'd certainly encourage them to play around with the CG mechanics more, but there's probably more low-hanging fruit in terms of getting people to care about the outcomes, rather than the process.
The Odyssey release delays may have affected things as well - from "December 2020" when they announced the return of the storyline, to "a short delay to early 2021", to "May 2021", to "Autumn 2021 (consoles)", to "??? probably 2022? (consoles)" if anything in the original plan involved Odyssey content - which seems pretty likely! - that's going to have had to be rewritten or pushed back or both.
Or, there hasn't been a Colonia CG for eight months, and a couple of seconds of scanning a data point which says "ha, fooled you, all the action is back in the bubble" really doesn't count. Maybe we'll get something for once, ha ha ha.
Routine in many mechanical respects as this week's CG is, it's also going to have the highest combined participation since the Nova Imperium CG (i.e. the best post-Odyssey turnout yet, and even beating some of the less popular pre-Odyssey ones) and the highest single-side participation since the Sirius "DSS->Tech Broker" CG.
I'd certainly encourage them to play around with the CG mechanics more, but there's probably more low-hanging fruit in terms of getting people to care about the outcomes, rather than the process.
To an extent. Since the Sirius Conference there have been enough branching points that they can't have planned every single week since in detail, even if they know largely where the story arcs are going.
The Odyssey release delays may have affected things as well - from "December 2020" when they announced the return of the storyline, to "a short delay to early 2021", to "May 2021", to "Autumn 2021 (consoles)", to "??? probably 2022? (consoles)" if anything in the original plan involved Odyssey content - which seems pretty likely! - that's going to have had to be rewritten or pushed back or both.
Its only driven by modules I imagine, not the actual underlying story though sadly.
And while I expect there is some slack and padding from unexpected events, you can still add situations that don't end in obvious outcomes. Take for example the bomb scanning event, an added complication might be who is on the station- you might have each delegation trapped and each side trying to prevent the other from finding the device. Depending on who lives (and suspicions over the terrorists) the story moves on without the overt influences we see currently.
fdev should really do a livestream expanding on the whole process of having an ongoing story in a live game with almost daily updates on several streams - I think we would all find it illuminating how much work goes into it
(sits back and waits for Drew to pop up and agree with RN that writing is easy & effortless ...)
Well, I used to write for Galnet and know how easy it is to write isolated stories. My record was ten minutes from idea to gamefdev should really do a livestream expanding on the whole process of having an ongoing story in a live game with almost daily updates on several streams - I think we would all find it illuminating how much work goes into it
(sits back and waits for Drew to pop up and agree with RN that writing is easy & effortless ...)
A lot of work would and will go into it, but its mainly planning and breaking it down into gameable chunks and having text ready to go for the main points, and working outwards (and trying to avoid bugs). DDF backers had a glimpse of this planning Maia and Lugh if I recall.
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I wouldn't disagree people would side with "the person who wasn't the aggressor"... though I'd argue people have subsequently supported the equivalent of "kicking them while they're down", but I digress.
I guess my point was slightly less focused around CGs and more around the general perception of "good" and "bad". As an example, when the Empire did their pre-emptive thing to try and catch the manufacturers of (then unknown) Theta 7's bombs, people dogpiled against them, but, in my opinion, most supporters of the Empire were ok with this, and most non-supporters expected it.
But when the Federation did a similar pre-emptive thing against the Empire before <some investigation, I forget the specifics> concluded, everyone was like "Wait, this isn't the Federation I know!" despite the fact that it's actually pretty textbook Federation. People sided with the Empire, but I'd argue there was a more visible presence of Federal pilots abandoning the Federation to support the Empire on that occasion, than there were Imperials leaving to support the Federation under similar conditions.
tl;dr People supporting the Empire seem to understand their devil better than those who support the Federation.
EDIT: As for the Alliance, aren't they just "dirty commies"[1] in most people's eyes?
[1] Figure of speech, not reflective of any personal opinions
An Undercover Report on Jokersā Deck
Francesca Wolfe of the Wallglass Investigations Agency provides an inside view of the Jokersā Deck gambling circle.
āGunnarsonās intel was correct. The latest host is multi-billionaire investor Lexi October, the lady who rescued Supratech from bankruptcy. Weāre in one of October Consortiumās disused warehouse complexes, which looks derelict on the outside but is a fabulous glittering palace within. I donāt actually know what planet Iām on, since all the servants ā including me with my fake ID ā were transported here in total secrecy.ā
āJokersā Deck is exactly what youād expect of a luxury casino for the super-rich. Exquisite food, sumptuous clothes, and dozens of games from deadlock poker to Giant Verrix racing. Wagers are made using billion-credit chips, precious gemstones and even land deeds to an entire continent. And thatās not counting the VIP rooms that I canāt get into.ā
āIāve served exotic drinks to several famous faces, such as Duchess Rouncival and Scorpio DeVorrow. Iāve seen Senator Leatrix talking earnestly to Ambassador Rochester about a princess they both know. Arch-Corsairs Trask and Volantyne from the Kumo Council are here, taking on Zachary Rackham at the roue mortelle tables. And thereās no mistaking the voice of Alliance megastar Xiona whenever she wins big.ā
āOh, and who should walk in just now butā¦ wait, I can hear an alarm. Looks like a security alert. Damn it, have they detected me? I should ā ā
The message was published by Erik Gunnarson, who added this coda:
āIāve heard nothing more from Wolfe since receiving this, and she didnāt check in at a scheduled rendezvous point. Iāve decided to share her report as a warning to Jokersā Deck. If anything happens to her, just remember we know who you are.ā
Not surprised that bad things have happened to Wolfe, but I am surprised that Wolfe was even able to get that far about blabbing about the whole thing. But then again, Joker's Deck apparently use security alarms that make a nice loud noise to alert whoever caused it, so neither of them seem great at doing things quietly.
Oh yeah, also maybe you shouldn't publish your blackmail material before you try to blackmail someone?
Oh yeah, also maybe you shouldn't publish your blackmail material before you try to blackmail someone?
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Is this blackmail though? Seems more like a protective / MAD measure.
The only thing to come from this for those named is public embarassment, and Wallglass were always out to do that. But Gunnarson's basically saying "We've got you pegged as members of the Joker's Deck. That damage is done. But if something happens to Wolfe now, you're complicit.".
So yeah, not blackmail, rather, a threat that any harm coming to Wolfe will be far outstripped by the consequences of those present being associated in any way with the harm that comes to Wolfe.
Sounds an awful lot like the Club....
They'll be using it as a tool, but I doubt they're any of the random players mentioned. If any Club heads were there, they'd be off in those VIP rooms mentioned.
To a good half of the names there, though, that's presumably non-existent consequences.
They were presumably planning to have all the servants suffer a transport accident on the way back anyway or Wolfe's list of names would have made its way out years ago.
Most of the people on that list have enough publicly-documented blood on their hands already that one more nosy investigator "shot while resisting arrest" isn't going to make a difference.
Volantyne: "Well, we've got to kill her now, I've got my reputation to protect."
There might be something in Wolfe's earlier messages to Gunnarson that's more substantial - but if they let her go then Gunnarson definitely gets that information whereas he only might have it now, and getting that information was their objective in the first place. And the message published here confirms Wolfe didn't get into the VIP rooms at all, doesn't know where the event is taking place, so all he's apparently got on them are "the ultra-rich are cosier than their public statements might suggest", which we already knew.