So, we're actually on schedule?

Good Whiskey

Good Whiskey
I have been roasting in a bread about whether or not we (Elite players) have been lied to. About things. So I started to do some digging to find out whether Frontier has, in fact, (as I potentially misstated) over-promised and under-delivered. The results of this inquiry were interesting to say the least.

Let's start with "It's on the list..." Kickstarter flow (2016-2019)...

elitedangerous2016.wordpress.com

The Future? “It’s on the list….”

UPDATED: 21st October 2018 To view the most recent updates to this page visit the Blog Update page. As with all game development plans, schedules and features can and do change, so this list is by …
elitedangerous2016.wordpress.com elitedangerous2016.wordpress.com

The "Development Plans" Wiki entry...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

Development Plans

Elite Dangerous has a massive scope and Frontier Developments have ambitious development plans. Frontier takes an iterative approach to Elite Dangerous content, gradually building upon features to expand and improve the game. During an interview at Lavecon 2015, David Braben stated that he had a...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com elite-dangerous.fandom.com

The interview in which David Braben does indeed say that that Elite is a "10 year plan, maybe longer"...

Source: https://youtu.be/KS33cyq6Z_A


And this statement by Sandro Sanmmarco at PAX 2016...

"Just to set the record straight, Space Legs and EVA gameplay, that's way off in the future. That's a goal. I've talked to David and it’s always been part of his core vision for what Elite really is, even from way back in the day, it's always been about you're a person in a real futuristic setting, not just a ship. However, I think it's also fair to say Space Legs is effectively dovetailing a whole new game into Elite. We take steps towards it, it's our end vision, but we're not there yet, we're… it's a long way off."

...

So, from a purely objective standpoint, looking at the features that were promised as part of Horizons and Beyond... most (if not all) of these features have been implemented. There is very little to argue about here. You can just go down the list and tick them all off. Whether it's tech brokers, material traders, CM/AM modes, the new ships and fighters, Incursions and other AX content, Holo-Me, hotspots... all of these things that were anticipated by this point have been added to Elite.

Immediately, there isn't much to complain about here. Really. There just isn't. No, damage models weren't applied to all the ships and we still have no NPC crew and fleet carriers have been delayed... but I don't see any major shortfalls. And when we also consider that Braben, Sammarco and everyone else has never actually applied a time frame to the delivery of Space Legs, we can immediately discount that as a "promised feature that was never delivered".

If we look at this without any bias whatsoever, it is hard to find major features that haven't been made available to all of us.

It was an interesting quest for real information. Please review the links at your leisure. They're enlightening, especially for a newer player like myself.
 

Rat Catcher

Rat Catcher
There is a small number of forumites who are convinced that nothing has ever been, or ever will be, delivered by the Developers... Nothing anyone says, or proves, will convince them that we are not playing the beta of a doomed game :)

For the rest of us, the game is a bit like the Curate's Egg...

From a personal persective, the game still has plenty for me to do, it would be nice to have Fleet Carriers introduced soon, as we expect them in Q2 I'd prefer earlier than later, but not game-breaking.

From reading the release history of the game, and from the updates I've seen since starting to play, apart from 2 delays on FC's everything said to be 'delivered on' has been.

From a 'value' standpoint, i have 3 copies of the game bought for the 'full' price of only 1... I'm unlikely to complain :)
 

Deleted member 182079

D
Lightspeed said:
If Legs is the "End Vision" then we had better hope Atmospheric Planets turn up before Legs .... although I have always advocated both should come together.
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Normally I would say there's no chance of atmos happening this year, but since everyone and their cats (judging from the II/CG "hold") have been drafted to focus on development work (or bug squashing? Not sure actually) I'm not going to give hope just yet, in a playing the lotto sort of way.
 

Rat Catcher

Rat Catcher
Good Whiskey said:
So nothing really comes to mind?


I've read up on the Lifetime Pass. A lot has been said. I have no idea specifically what you're referring to.
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The general gripe originates from the original Design Discussions of what would be liked in the game to that we actually have today. Apparently 'space legs' was on the agenda, as was scooping gas giants, atmospheric planets and cockpit cats... Well, maybe not the latter.

Everything discussed as 'possible' has not been delivered, Some LEP holders have been 'scammed' by FDev as they have not had £100's of content that the rest of us had to pay for... The list of undelivered content in those threads is pretty epic, if you read enough of them.

I think that is what @Attack Chimp may have been hinting toward - those with their money planted in kickstarter, beta, Horizons LEP... All long-time players, some with an axe to grind (but fortunately very few) over the state of the game.

Add the 'forum undead', forumites who may have stopped playing years ago... there are enough 'voices' who will likely come here to voice their discontent.
 

Stinja

S
Good Whiskey said:
So, from a purely objective standpoint, looking at the features that were promised as part of Horizons and Beyond... most (if not all) of these features have been implemented.
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Sure, but how satisfactorily implemented?

Take Multicrew. Yes it was promised; yes it's been delivered; how many people use it regularly and think it is well implemented and is now an intrinsic and vital feature of the game?
That's the issue some have with how things have been done, not the box being checked off.

I'm not a LEPer so won't comment on "undelivered" content.
 

bitstorm

bitstorm
Good Whiskey said:
I've read up on the Lifetime Pass. A lot has been said. I have no idea specifically what you're referring to.
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When Horizons came out you could buy the LEP for £120 or Horizons for £30. The LEP provided all future expansions and access to all betas.

At the time the view was it would be a season per year so people did the maths decided they were in for the period and bought in.

Then Horizons fell nearly a year behind schedule, Frontier then made seasons free for all players, betas also became free for all players, revenue model switched to cosmetics.

Paid DLC was due 2018, this was cancelled, now due 2020 (probably actually 2021).

6 years into the 8 to 10 year plan (7 years in 2021) LEP folk essentially paid £120 for a very expensive copy of Horizons. 🥳

Frontier could try to make good on the deal by throwing out a bone now and again but they don't really seem to give a monkey's.

Depending on who you ask it's all the LEP owners fault or all Frontier's fault. Other people will say the LEP has been great value.
 
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Viajero

Volunteer Moderator
Viajero
bitstorm said:
When Horizons came out you could buy the LEP for £120 or Horizons for £30. The LEP provided all future expansions and access to all betas.

At the time the view was it would be a season per year so people did the maths decided they were in for the period and bought in.

Then Horizons then fell nearly a year behind schedule, Frontier then made seasons free for all players, betas also became free for all players, revenue model switched to cosmetics.

Paid DLC was due 2018, this was cancelled now due 2020 (probably actually 2021).

6 years into the 8 to 10 year plan (7 in 2021) LEP folk essentially paid £120 for a very expensive copy of Horizons. 🥳

Frontier could try to make good on the deal by throwing out a bone now and again but they don't really give a monkey's.

Depending on who you ask it's all the LEP owners fault or all Frontier's fault. Other people will say the LEP has been great value.
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Many of the statements in this post are fully incorrect, wildly inaccurate or personal and anecdotal biased opinion. I do not think we really need to spend more posts on rehashing the same arguments again but hey.
 

Good Whiskey

Good Whiskey
bitstorm said:
We have been doing the "atmospherics and space legs soon" thing since 2014.
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I would refer back to the Sammarco quote from 2016. "Just to set the record straight, Space Legs and EVA gameplay, that's way off in the future. That's a goal."

It seems to me that the Elite player base has had about 3 years to come to terms with this. "Way off in the future" certainly isn't "soon".
 

Lightspeed

Lightspeed
Good Whiskey said:
I would refer back to the Sammarco quote from 2016. "Just to set the record straight, Space Legs and EVA gameplay, that's way off in the future. That's a goal."

It seems to me that the Elite player base has had about 3 years to come to terms with this. "Way off in the future" certainly isn't "soon".
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But we are now in 2020, with an anticipated DLC approaching 2021. This is the future.
 
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