A Thank you Letter to Frontier

[AlSki]

I'm one of the few people who gets what FDev was trying to do with the initial version of engineering. Basically, you'd roll for an upgrade and get a random result. You could re-roll ...and sometimes you'd get a different result. FDev's intention, it seems obvious to me, was that modules would be "unique" and thus have "character."

Add me to the "few". I used to play the game saving up the Materials, then try another chance just for one of those totally unexpected random rolls that made the impossible builds possible. I still have the result tucked up in a hangar.

I am notoriously unfamiliar with the lore but I suspect if they did insert Earth as it is the screams of protest would be huge as I am pretty sure there have been several major wars that remodelled things like cities and countries extensively.
Mountains will probably be mostly the same in 1300 years time but islands and coastlines are probably mostly unrecognisable.

Zoom in.. There are already modified coastlines due to rising water levels... just look at london... err what was London.

 

[Rat Catcher]

just look at london... err what was London.

That improves the area immensely!
Well Done FD!!!

 

[Rat Catcher]

I've been mostly positive about ED since I started playing (well, since I learned to fly my ship, learning was really uphill all the way), possibly because I still remember the days we got games on cassette and if it was bugged, it was bugged forever...

Maybe also as I don't have 'expectations' as to what the game should be, just enjoy what it is (which I know is an unpopular stance with some, going by past comments) and have truly enjoyed the updates I received before EDO released - and yes, I paid to be in the alpha for EDO, and was baffled how poor performance was on its release.

Regardless, I've kept playing, and having fun, and am liking the new ships, left cold by PP2, same as I was by PP1, so no complaints...

It'll be interesting to see what Vanguards brings, and whatever the 'new' bit will be at the end of the year.

 

[3navis]

I'll summarize what FD has achieved for me in one sentence:
"It's built a game that makes it so that when I look the star Mintaka at night, it brings back memories."

Thank you FD, you have made a child's dream come true.

 

[Koma Pahu]

Maybe also as I don't have 'expectations' as to what the game should be, just enjoy what it is (which I know is an unpopular stance with some, going by past comments)

“I love the game so much I just want it to be better” types? I remember my ex-wife saying something similar…

I’m much the same as you, I play the game we have and enjoy it for what it is. If I didn’t like it, it would have become another uninstall game in my Steam Library and I would have left it at that.

It’s far from perfect, but it’s still given me more hours of entertainment than any other game I’ve played.

 

[Fizzatron]

I agree with this sentiment. I'm glad that it seems that Frontier have found a good spot that isn't high pressure FOMO (ok maybe a little light pressure FOMO) but which is (hopefully) being used to improve the game.

I also think the community deserves a bit of praise too, especially those who stuck through the tough times and helped fend off the DOOOM. That's not to take away from anyone who's returning from any circumstances that made them take a break in the first place, it's good to have anyone and everyone back. o7 to all you glorious CMDRs.

Hehe I gotta say this!
What if the fleet carrier rollout was behind a 3 mth arx paywall?
Fdev missed the boat on that one!

There are still cosmetics and layout choices. Frontier could do well to offer a couple of new layouts and interior/exterior PJs...

 

[Fizzatron]

We all go on about what we want for elite.
I'd argue that all of it would be nothing compared to a dlc which bought elws waterworlds and other planetary types into the realms of landable with atmospheres and actual Atmospheric physics. And I'd go a step further, imagine earth as it actually is? And exact clone, inc cities, countrys etc.?
Impossible??
Colonys elws with features too.
Idk if the cobra 3 engine is capable of it. But for me that's the most profound addition elite could introduce.
Again I don't know if it's actually possible...

I think it's possible for sure. As much as some folk don't like AI, I think ProcGen coupled with AI - maybe more as a way to validate / detect edge cases out of millions of planetary instances, along with assisting asset diversity on the scale needed to go with it can help the monumental task it would be otherwise.

However, my own personal priority preference would be to see Frontier implement some of the Planet Coaster 2 tech to Elite, especially with NPCs and some of the graphical eye candy, which would then set the game up for things like Water Worlds & Earth-likes.

Much as I hate to say it just like SC. I mean they got that nailed.

Credit where credit is due, SC was stunning to look at, but as the majority have found out, it only flatters to deceive and empty wallets. If someone wants to feel like they're Han Solo or just a guy with a spaceship living their life among the stars, then Elite can't be beat.

 

[Fizzatron]

FDev would make me the happiest person if we can just pick a star from the cockpit view, select it, and plot a route. Would be acceptable also with some kind of Full-spectrum-galaxy-scanner (size 1, engineered by Marco Qwent).

Yes, that would be sweet.

Would pay 50.000 ARX for unlock!

Maybe not that sweet!

 

[krylite]

I didn't start in ED during the kickstarter, but just was aware from the sidelines having played Elite II and III: FFE years earlier. At the time I was just waiting for the game to release and a year or so for the bugs to get ironed like like how games used to be before the web era of game rollouts. So I joined around a month after the first engineers arrived in horizons. But what can I say in my thoughts about this 'thank you letter' to Frontier. I'd always been a 'defender' of the development and progress of the evolution of ED, 'understanding' when Frontier and Fdev hit realistic obstacles, plenty of challenges tied to their real life company challenges in the competitive industry while still staying an independent entity, putting so much over the years into a niche genre and playerbase. Having to be patient for new developments even taking years to wait for. I always felt back then spacelegs would eventually come, just like I truly believe ship interiors will come someday whether 3, 5, to 20 years from now. And I never felt ED was truly abandoned, but Frontier waiting for better and more convenient times within their resources to continue to progress on the kickstarter preconceptual stretch goals.

And that's the thing. ED is still unprecedented, and was outstandingly ambitious yet responsible to realistic development. No extra hype, p2w , and pay-for-promises shenanigans, nor pretenders to . We'd seen past 'spacesim'-themed projects come and go like NMS, X4, the CIG/StarCitizen scam, dual-Universe, Starfield, etc. and none of them ever reached the ambitious benchmark of combination of the scope of interstellar spacesim to involved and interactive gameplay. i.e. on the scale of the fsx/msfs sim games expanded to space. I try to introduce ED sometimes to acquaintances who could be interested in sci-fi, sim, or space or they have a ppl and have flown flights to land on island runways off of the coast. And often they're amazed that something like ED with its scope even exists.

 

[lysan]

I didn't start in ED during the kickstarter, but just was aware from the sidelines having played Elite II and III: FFE years earlier. At the time I was just waiting for the game to release and a year or so for the bugs to get ironed like like how games used to be before the web era of game rollouts. So I joined around a month after the first engineers arrived in horizons. But what can I say in my thoughts about this 'thank you letter' to Frontier. I'd always been a 'defender' of the development and progress of the evolution of ED, 'understanding' when Frontier and Fdev hit realistic obstacles, plenty of challenges tied to their real life company challenges in the competitive industry while still staying an independent entity, putting so much over the years into a niche genre and playerbase. Having to be patient for new developments even taking years to wait for. I always felt back then spacelegs would eventually come, just like I truly believe ship interiors will come someday whether 3, 5, to 20 years from now. And I never felt ED was truly abandoned, but Frontier waiting for better and more convenient times within their resources to continue to progress on the kickstarter preconceptual stretch goals.

And that's the thing. ED is still unprecedented, and was outstandingly ambitious yet responsible to realistic development. No extra hype, p2w , and pay-for-promises shenanigans, nor pretenders to . We'd seen past 'spacesim'-themed projects come and go like NMS, X4, the CIG/StarCitizen scam, dual-Universe, Starfield, etc. and none of them ever reached the ambitious benchmark of combination of the scope of interstellar spacesim to involved and interactive gameplay. i.e. on the scale of the fsx/msfs sim games expanded to space. I try to introduce ED sometimes to acquaintances who could be interested in sci-fi, sim, or space or they have a ppl and have flown flights to land on island runways off of the coast. And often they're amazed that something like ED with its scope even exists.

The problem is that FDEV needed backers back in the KS days, so the road map created was not realistic compared to what they actually could do, I do not know the reason why some of the features was kicked to the corner, maybe the engine could not do it, maybe it simply was not possible however it's goo to see the now are getting back on track, and I will not expect anything and consider the old "promises" null and void from now on, only when it's announced as in the pipeline and when we see it in game we can start to clap our little hands together in excitement.

 

[Phoenix_Dfire]

Fun fact (and a sneak preview of something I'll cover more on Lave Radio tonight) ... in the last year the Steam player numbers for Elite Dangerous (both peak and average) have basically doubled. I also think it's no coincidence that Arf (who undoubtedly cares a great deal about this game) now feels content to move on from Frontier safe in the knowledge that Elite is in a better place than its been for a long long time.

Welcome back lysan, there's much to be thankful for!

Edit: reading that back it sounds like I'm thankful that Arf is leaving ... that's not what I meant AT ALL!!

It's funny, the Big Jump really happened in November with Powerplay 2.0. We got spikes when the Python2 and Type 8 came out but not like the consistent player player numbers we're getting now. I'm actually looking forward to see what they come up with in Vanguards, because the last two releases have been excellent (not perfect but still excellent), so confidence is high about the next one in summer.

 

[imski]

While full ELW's are likely a way off, I do think domed cities might be doable. Think something on the scale of the GTA 5 city map to run around and explore in systems where there are supposed to be Billions of inhabitants.

 

[Phoenix_Dfire]

Obviously, we have vanguards coming which I assume is a replacement for Squadrons. So I'm doing some speculation here are what I think is possible or not possible for the features in the future given the resources Fdev seem to have. So the possibilities for The last item of the year could be ;-

1. Ship Interiors - Unlikely - This is an Odyssey size piece of work and although I would love to walk around my ship, the changes to the backend and the changes needed woule be extensive. Can you imagine development needed to get players walking around a multi-crew ship while it's been flown in space? That alone is a huge piece of work before you get to the designing of the insides.
On Foot VR - Unlikely - even though I just really want head look VR for ED, the chance are people want the full body capture and new gestures to capture the actions for VR (like there are in NMS sky. I.e, reaching up and pulling back the canopy instead of the E key to leave).
2. Earth Like Worlds - Unlikely - it's the simulation of the entire world and it's wildlife. Trying to code that is immense and then you have the challenge of making the life forms in there not repetitive (which is one of the issues I had with NMS), and working out what meaningful gameplay there should be.
3. Water Worlds - Unlikely - Very similar to the above, obviously you'd want life in those waters.
4. Tera formable Worlds - Possible - you could have similar levels of life to the existing thin planet surfaces and getting the players to set up a terraforming operation, could have gameplay possibilities.
5. Volcanic worlds - Possible - again you could have new lifeforms and mining various new elements.
6. Thinker Atmosphere worlds / Plant Scanning / On foot mining? - Possible - This is the one I think is most likely. New plants to scan, new ways to scan them and maybe extract materials. Maybe even a exploration SRV or even better hover (i.e. one where you can scan for biologicals).
7. Crime and Punishment rework - Unlikey - I do feel that this one needs another pass. ED hasn't really felt Dangerous. The NPC pirates turn up quite rarely, and crime really needs to pay.
8. CQC - BWAH HA HA HA HA! - Seriously through, I do love a bit of CQC. problem is that although the core gameplay is excellent, the player matching, lack of a lobby, or a way to set up senarios, are all need a serious rework.
9. Return of the Thargoid war. - Unlikely - I seriously think the thargoids need a rest for a while. I loved the thargoid war when it was happening but its nice to move onto something new. Maybe come back in a few years, but not at the end of this one.

If I was a betting man, item 6 would be the favourite.

 

[lysan]

Thinker Atmosphere worlds / Plant Scanning / On foot mining? - Possible - This is the one I think is most likely. New plants to scan, new ways to scan them and

I don't think they can pull it off, unless you want no man sky kind of worlds, I'm more controlled by now in what I would like, ship boarding on mega ships would be a good start, maybe carriers later, on foot combat improvement, that one really need an upgrade.

 

[TLY400]

I don't think they can pull it off, unless you want no man sky kind of worlds, I'm more controlled by now in what I would like, ship boarding on mega ships would be a good start, maybe carriers later, on foot combat improvement, that one really need an upgrade.

What you mentioned about boarding and improving on foot would be great, but making some planets prettier without cutting and pasting would not be bad either... in most SCFI series or movies it looks incredible when they arrive or leave it with a beautiful sea of clouds o7

 

[amigacooke]

Thinker Atmosphere worlds

Good thing AI is coming on apace then.