FDev feedback required, PLEASE!
*Pokes around forums instead of just logging on to play...*
TLDR? IKR - Bored cos it's borked. Read if you like, there's a few jokes
So, there's a bunch of news posts about how Horizons development is going, which is awesome and I was really looking forward to landing on planets to explore... Until it dawned on me that the current NPC hostility settings could create a "stuck planet-side with no ship" situation? That's if you're not interdicted and killed on the way there, or back with your pretty much dedicated lander since you had to forgo cargo racks for the SRV module and rely on lighter weight D class equipment to extend the FSD range?
Ideally that lander either needs to be big enough to carry extra automatic turrets on top of the ship to defend itself, since the underside mounts have no line of sight to the target while duck-sitting on the ground or, use the strategy in the "Aliens" movie. How cool would it be to land for just long enough to deploy the SRV then immediately dust-off and establish a defensive perimeter for the driv, um...
Who's driving the SRV when I try to do this in SOLO mode? Ok, if I'm driving the SRV then who flies the drop ship so it's forward facing weapons can defend itself? The limited forward arc of fire doesn't help kill a hostile behind you if the ship is immobile on the deck. The 84 version had weapon hardpoints to port and starboard, which were difficult to use in flight but might save your bacon if you have to race back to the ship with angry space bugs in tow but, does the crew need to stay behind and operate those turrets or are they automated? What happens if your whole wing wants to enjoy driving all their SRV's together and bring a drop ship each? Does one of the four need to stay in orbit and defend the capital ship as well? What about in SOLO mode?
No, I didn't forget about the aft hardpoint, not since I was 13. Can we have that back please? That would really help with what appears to a still-unresolved+1month non-bug / balancing issue with interdictions since CQC 1.4. Imagine being able to fire backwards (again) at that nasty NPC chasing your cargo brick. Who'd bother putting weapons on the front when it steers like a multi-story carpark and you can defend your assets while running?
On checking these two patch note threads, 1.4 and 1.4.01 are exceeding 60 pages with over 900 replies each among an average of about 10 pages for the rest, yet there seems to be a disconcerting lack of feedback from FDev?
Two of the hottest threads on the forums, a month old and still getting daily posts are being ignored. Why?
It's one of those accepted marketing things that the best advertising is word of mouth from a happy customer, who then goes to work and social events raving about how awesome your product is... Until you break it, and create a customer who has emotionally connected with said awesomeness yet can't play anymore for whatever VERY important to THEM reason. The bad news then travels to the previously happy customer's circle of influence, along with some of the other not game-breaking but annoying enough that now they're not happy with you they may as well complain about those as well bugs...
That previously happy customer may have been on the verge of selling three extra products, from base game to lifetime passes? At ZERO advertising COST to you, but since the base game has become un-fun, even if their friends ignore the drastic change in tune and do make "A" purchase they may not stick around for the up-sell bobbleheads, paintjobs or upgrades you seem to be concentrating on instead of responding to your customer's concerns or fixing the product which was already making you money?
There are plenty of zones where pilots can go to find an NPC to fight, if that's what floats their boat today. If, on the other hand they want to quickly and peacefully cash farm on less profitable but carefully selected lower risk allied trade routes within their faction's more civilised and heavily policed systems they really should be able to do that and not have to worry too much about losing their ship and uninsured cargo in SOLO mode.
Time is money for those investing both in your product, then more time playing. Many are old enough to see how shaving seconds off the time taken to dock, sell, buy and fly back increases their CR income per hour played, until the interdictions mini-game infests their experience like sun resistant trumbles. As mentioned in the manual, some pilots choose to fill the shield bay with cargo and risk it but then, they already invested time in a more capable ship doing missions and hunting bounties in these systems on purpose, to assure the local strong arms were at least friendly enough to help in a fight, if not allied.
I want to enjoy the latest installment of my favourite game ever, I really do, but the balance is just wrong to the point where I'm talking potential wingmen out of buying it and wasting time writing marketing 101 essays on the forums instead of playing. You're alienating beginners in favour of end-gamers that could be given another zone, region or faction difficulty level instead of the entire galaxy and failing to take advantage of the good-will created over the last 30 years of this series.
Some of us patiently waited for magnetic audio tapes to load the 1984 version, some have even said on the patch note threads that they'd prefer to wait for upgrades in favour of getting the current bugs ironed out and you don't appear to be listening? Maybe you are listening, but failing to respond, which makes it look like you're not listening.
Can we please have some feedback to the 400~700+ customers posting 1800+ times on these 120+ pages?
There appears to be something worth talking about going on in here...
