2.4 Telling the Story

[Ryder35]

I am fascinated by the story unfolding in 2.4 but am wondering how the narrative is going to be told and how FD plans us to be involved.

So far every first discovery I can think of has come from commanders finding things without any in game pointers. USS for the initial encounters, who knows how the INRA base was found, etc.

How do people envision the story unfolding, is it going to be GGs and Galnet reports after someone stumbles on something or do FD plan to introduce mission chains etc to help everyone discover things?

Personally I would love to pick up missions that lead me to listening posts (maybe a bit like the Ram Tah Missions) and clues but I can see how that does not fit with the idea of an insignificant pilot in a big world.

At the moment I feel like I am just sightseeing following the Lonely Planet Guide to the Elite Universe.

So, using current game mechanics and philosophies how do we think FD can up our involvement in the narrative?

 

[Knightshark]

I would really like if - at least- they could hire someone like Cmdr Skoomer to make videos that summarize the story events.
Of course, participation would be better, but i see how it is difficult to GM a group of 1000s of players.

 

[ZeroAi]

I am fascinated by the story unfolding in 2.4 but am wondering how the narrative is going to be told and how FD plans us to be involved.

So far every first discovery I can think of has come from commanders finding things without any in game pointers. USS for the initial encounters, who knows how the INRA base was found, etc.

How do people envision the story unfolding, is it going to be GGs and Galnet reports after someone stumbles on something or do FD plan to introduce mission chains etc to help everyone discover things?

Personally I would love to pick up missions that lead me to listening posts (maybe a bit like the Ram Tah Missions) and clues but I can see how that does not fit with the idea of an insignificant pilot in a big world.

At the moment I feel like I am just sightseeing following the Lonely Planet Guide to the Elite Universe.

So, using current game mechanics and philosophies how do we think FD can up our involvement in the narrative?

I agree - I would like more Ram Tah like missions too

 

[Angus]

So, using current game mechanics and philosophies how do we think FD can up our involvement in the narrative?

Completely get where you are coming from. Sometimes I think the game is actually played by FD, with us as 'game sprites' fulfilling our function for the grand program. .....but maybe that's just me.


Encouragingly. at FX17, FD talked about the individual player being able to find things for their personal advancement in the coming updates. That sounds positive to me.

 

[Ryder35]

Completely get where you are coming from. Sometimes I think the game is actually played by FD, with us as 'game sprites' fulfilling our function for the grand program. .....but maybe that's just me.


Encouragingly. at FX17, FD talked about the individual player being able to find things for their personal advancement in the coming updates. That sounds positive to me.

It does indeed sound positive but surely now, with the focus on narrative in 2.4, would be the time to introduce such things!

 

[NecoMachina]

I feel like it's just gonna continue to be mostly Youtube: Dangerous until Q4 2018 when the Codex gets introduced to give us some hints on where to look for things.

 

[NecoMachina]

... i see how it is difficult to GM a group of 1000s of players.

Elite Dangerous is literally the ONLY MMO I know that has trouble pointing players in the direction of content. It is also MASSIVELY bigger than other MMO's, so it definitely has different challenges in this regard, but you would have thought that guys smart enough to procedurally model an entire galaxy based on real scientific principles would have thought of, and implemented, a much better system than we currently have well before now.

 

[Exiton]

If it doesn't impact any facet of gameplay for regular players that "story" might as well be happening in another game altogether.

 

[lokvette]

I feel like it's just gonna continue to be mostly Youtube: Dangerous until Q4 2018 when the Codex gets introduced to give us some hints on where to look for things.

This all I know about the story is from OA's youtube channel, not that i've searched that far for it anywhere else, but I did think after a year of the hype train leading up to this more of an effort would have gone into making it more accessible.

But some things are coming to make this easier but for this story at least the boat has sailed.

 

[Stealthie]

The main thing that concerns me is that the story DOES actually get told in a manner which allows us to be aware of it.

I realise that, at heart, ED is a procedural sandbox game so it's not as easy to work a story into as in a linear, narrative-driven, game but if you're going to go to the effort of creating a narrative, surely it's in the interests of the game to also find a way to broadcast that story to the players without them having to search for it?

The obvious answer is that Galnet News needs developing in a variety of ways, so that players check it just as frequently as they check mission boards or system maps, and then put story-related stuff in there too.
As one Youtube video I watched (sorry, I forgot who you are) recently suggested, perhaps a synthesised audio report of "Galnet Headlines" that played as you dock at a station would be all that's needed?
Just don't do it in that cheesy "Robbie the robot" voice used at engineer bases.

 

[sorcer3r]

This INRA base discovery via YouTube gameplay is really weak... No missions not even galnet storys that could lead in this directions.

Also fighting thargoids in always the same signal source with limited AX weapons becomes boring ...

Not the best start for 2.4 but hopefully just a bad start

 

[Ryder35]

This INRA base discovery via YouTube gameplay is really weak... No missions not even galnet storys that could lead in this directions.

Also fighting thargoids in always the same signal source with limited AX weapons becomes boring ...

Not the best start for 2.4 but hopefully just a bad start

I do wonder if someone has found the INRA stuff earlier than ED expected and therefore before a mission or hint was forthcoming?