Aliens and Barnacles - Playable content Frontier?

[[VR] Frank_G]

The way the aliens are introduced, is by far the best and smartest way i have ever seen... in any other case (given free or partial interaction from day one), there would have been a disaster ju$7 f0r th3 lullz.
I am looking forward to the things to come. In the meanwhile, i watch how it all unfolds.

 

[Cosmo]

Frontier is gradually unveiling and implementing the Thargoids into the game. I wish it went faster, but what can we do.

The scripted scenes are awesome, but lack interactivity. Next time I hope we get interactive stuff with the Thargoids.

 

[Saool]

This, like the hyperdictions, and the combat aftermath sites in Maia are teasers. They are not meant to be playable encounters... yet.

It is building up the threat and mystery and laying down that these things are way more advanced. You will get your gameplay in time and I am sure people will complain about that too.

I for one love the slow steady build up FDEV is doing. It's like a TV series with a growing background threat behind the other goings on, that does not actually hit till season 3 (of a tv series not ED seasons).

 

[Jack Schitt]

I don't mind the "cut-scene" nature of the reveals, and they are very well done. ED is an odd amalgam of different game styles; part shooter, part strategy, part simulation, part ARG with groups like Canonn roleplaying on forums / Reddit, part tabletop-like RPG with FD acting as GMs. It may not be the strongest example of any one of those genres in isolation, but the whole combination is unique. You can join in with as much or as little as you like.

What does concern me with the whole Thargoid build-up is that it's going to be nigh on impossible to balance the strength of the alien threat, if indeed it is a threat. Either they will be massively overpowered, which will lead to complaints from new and/or non-combat players that the game is too difficult, or they will effectively be re-skinned versions of the current NPCs which will be anticlimactic for those who've been waiting for a truly potent adversary.

The community response could be anywhere from "Meh, all that build-up for that?" to "Gah! All that development effort wasted on something I can't play." It's a shame, because whether or not an individual player "gets" what FD are doing with this game it's hard to deny the passion and attention to detail that's gone into crafting the build-up. I just fear that with such a diverse player base, when winter finally comes it's inevitably going to leave some players cold. And yes, I saw what I did there.

 

[CaptainKremmen]

Well, I found the thing hovering overhead at the barnacle site, and it was awesome. Totally awesome. My SRV was somehow lifted up off the ground as that massive ship blasted the ground, right next to where I'd been driving. With the windows icing, the helpless Anaconda dropping powerless to the ground to my left, and the amazing sound and visuals, I was very impressed. So cool!

 

[NeilF]

I don't mind the "cut-scene" nature of the reveals, and they are very well done. ED is an odd amalgam of different game styles; part shooter, part strategy, part simulation, part ARG with groups like Canonn roleplaying on forums / Reddit, part tabletop-like RPG with FD acting as GMs. It may not be the strongest example of any one of those genres in isolation, but the whole combination is unique. You can join in with as much or as little as you like.

What does concern me with the whole Thargoid build-up is that it's going to be nigh on impossible to balance the strength of the alien threat, if indeed it is a threat. Either they will be massively overpowered, which will lead to complaints from new and/or non-combat players that the game is too difficult, or they will effectively be re-skinned versions of the current NPCs which will be anticlimactic for those who've been waiting for a truly potent adversary.

The community response could be anywhere from "Meh, all that build-up for that?" to "Gah! All that development effort wasted on something I can't play." It's a shame, because whether or not an individual player "gets" what FD are doing with this game it's hard to deny the passion and attention to detail that's gone into crafting the build-up. I just fear that with such a diverse player base, when winter finally comes it's inevitably going to leave some players cold. And yes, I saw what I did there.

Well, my concern for year(s) now has been the lack of investment in core gameplay mechanics and depth.

Look at the game right now, and tell me if a Thargoid battle fleet invaded a system what the BGS would do to represent this? What gameplay would be leveraged to represent this?

Because after two years of questionable bolt-ons, all I can see are some "states" being flicked around by the BGS, and rebadged combat zones for us to play in. No more involved gameplay like us battling away to get supplies through blockades to stations, or evacuate civilians. No flying fighter escorts to convoys or capital ships.... Because none of that has been added/introduced/improved in the past two years. Instead we still basically have the same place holder gameplay from back in 2014/2015.

Had more involved mechanics been added to the game over the past year or so, those investments would be not only improving our day to day experience in the game, but also be available for if the Thargoids invade.


TBH, I see so few gameplay tools available, I wouldn't be surprised if no invasion or significant battles even take place. How could they?

 

[defekt]

Well, my concern for year(s) now has been the lack of investment in core gameplay mechanics and depth.

Look at the game right now, and tell me if a Thargoid battle fleet invaded a system what the BGS would do to represent this? What gameplay would be leveraged to represent this?

Because after two years of questionable bolt-ons, all I can see are some "states" being flicked around by the BGS, and rebadged combat zones for us to play in. No more involved gameplay like us battling away to get supplies through blockades to stations, or evacuate civilians. No flying fighter escorts to convoys or capital ships.... Because none of that has been added/introduced/improved in the past two years. Instead we still basically have the same place holder gameplay from back in 2014/2015.

Had more involved mechanics been added to the game over the past year or so, those investments would be not only improving our day to day experience in the game, but also be available for if the Thargoids invade.


TBH, I see so few gameplay tools available, I wouldn't be surprised if no invasion or significant battles even take place. How could they?

QTF.

BGS state changes, re-badged combat zones and hyperdictions resulting in combat against 'weak' class Thargoids. Bolt on a few CGs to 'encourage' regular players, i.e., the non-Platinum rolled RNGineered Dorito owners, into said re-badged systems for good measure and FD will call that a job well done.

ED has been a tortuous string of disappointments since offline mode got canned, a game riddled with pointless time-wasting mechanics, fundamentally ill-conceived gameplay loops, and bare-bones functionality. There's absolutely nothing in ED's development history* that will deceive anyone into expecting anything better re Thargoids.

(* If only top notch sound design were enough to make a game good. ED proves that's not possible, despite a most valiant effort from the sound people at FD.)

The technical people at FD will ace this, as they have done up to this point. (Top work.) However, the game designers will fluff it, as they have done up to this point. (Must try harder.)

 

[Olle3000]

Didnt read all the replies so surely someone already mentioned, but 2.4 will bring content over time, instead of presenting all new features up front on the release day. I guess it means that the content needs to be triggered by our actions. And what other content than alien stuff is even possible now, with everything leading up to it like this? Possibly sth with the generation ships, but there WILL be alien action in 2.4. And i have an a-rated G5 engineered conda so bring it on

 

[Thrustmaster]

Didnt read all the replies so surely someone already mentioned, but 2.4 will bring content over time, instead of presenting all new features up front on the release day. I guess it means that the content needs to be triggered by our actions. And what other content than alien stuff is even possible now, with everything leading up to it like this? Possibly sth with the generation ships, but there WILL be alien action in 2.4. And i have an a-rated G5 engineered conda so bring it on

You are absolutely correct - I've read similar posts for 2.1 - 2.2 and 2.3... While it's said, it's actually vaguely true. Lot's of hype in the past that left people wanting more. There just seems to be lacking any real motivation to add real game content to the game. I'm not saying what has come out in the past wasn't nice, but if I was to be totally honest... 2.3 vanity stuff, ship naming, new recipes and the scripted alien encounters fell far short from actual game play content. I understand I'm part of the minority but this game has so much potential but it feels as though frontier lacks the motivation to actually make the game fun. Perhaps I just don't get it. Putting out ship paint packs every other week makes me feel they are after the profit alone and don't really care about adding anything fun to the game. Take these expeditions out to the far ends of the galaxy. Lot's of hype. Reality they will not find anything new that you can't find a few thousand light years from the bubble. People do enjoy spending time together playing, and I'm cool with that. But it's not like they are going to do anything new or fun other than spending time with friends.... You can do that at the local bar.

 

[NeilF]

Didnt read all the replies so surely someone already mentioned, but 2.4 will bring content over time, instead of presenting all new features up front on the release day. I guess it means that the content needs to be triggered by our actions. And what other content than alien stuff is even possible now, with everything leading up to it like this? Possibly sth with the generation ships, but there WILL be alien action in 2.4. And i have an a-rated G5 engineered conda so bring it on

I have a feeling we'll just get event A released, followed by event B, all of which are basically story line asset type affairs. eg: A capital ship is destroyed by mysterious cauliflowers and we get to visit its wreck afterwards. Maybe we can even point and click at it too!

I cannot envisage any new gameplay of note coming out of it.

 

[Enderby]

I saw some post where some guy said he'd been waiting at a barnacle to see the new scripted event for 14 hours and was apparently having a 'great time'....

Not sure that I would call that fun in any way shape or form but each to their own.

With their gossamer thin new 'content' FD must love this kind of player.

 

[Jools]

The way the aliens are introduced, is by far the best and smartest way i have ever seen... in any other case (given free or partial interaction from day one), there would have been a disaster ju$7 f0r th3 lullz.
I am looking forward to the things to come. In the meanwhile, i watch how it all unfolds.

so... since about a year ago they have been releasing teasers, and trailers, for the upcoming content, that is nothing but yet another teaser for something that might in some form come in some unspecified distant time in the future... great...

I`m 100% with Neilf on this... We have what we have because this is all the game can do at the moment

 

[XW_Ziggy]

FD doesn't seem to like content - The basic recource-gathering/exploring/combat content hasn't changed since alpha; That "mile wide and inch deep" mantra is very much deserved, despite their efforts on other features.

Planetary landings with base-assaults is about the only thing that I'd call new gameplay content since v1.0. Many people still don't see The Guardians content as anything significant or worth their effort yet - Sitting at a barnacle site for 14 hours kind of sums that up perfectly....

 

[NeilF]

FD doesn't seem to like content - The basic recource-gathering/exploring/combat content hasn't changed since alpha; That "mile wide and inch deep" mantra is very much deserved, despite their efforts on other features.

Planetary landings with base-assaults is about the only thing that I'd call new gameplay content since v1.0. Many people still don't see The Guardians content as anything significant or worth their effort yet - Sitting at a barnacle site for 14 hours kind of sums that up perfectly....

Season 1:-
- Powerplay don't use.
- CQC don't use.

Season 2:-
- The Engineers only use cos of it being a necessary arms race. But TBH it helped burn me out with its inane vapid grind. Hours grinding and mode switching to get a single material? Really?
- Passengers don't use.
- Fighters don't use.
- Multi-crew don't use.


And now we seem to be getting things like:-
- Asteroid bases which rather than actually having a nice purpose or new gameplay are just reskinned stations.
- Generation ships which are just point and click.
- A whole bunch of new locations, which are at best just point and click.
- More alien cut scenes, which aren't even point and click.


When is some effort going to be made to actually introduce some content with depth and mechanics to move the game forwards? Because TBH there's been precious little of it for two years now!

EDIT: And as someone has just pointed out to me, we're sitting seemingly at some of the lowest stats on Steam ever. Coincidence? - http://steamcharts.com/app/359320#3m

 

[yodajedifishmaster]

i want to be a barnacle and own a flower ship.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Every week for the past 2288 weeks, at least one person has won the lottery.
I want to win the lottery too.
The lottery has no content.
/similarity

 

[Alderius]

Yep, pretty disappointed that once again, there is hype without content. Lets see, a cutscene release in January and a cutscene release in June...., it looks like FD can't deliver content so they release these trailers to divert peoples attention to that lack. And if Ziggy is correct and someone sits for 14 hours waiting for such a thing, it looks like it's worked.............
I just can't get excited over this. Last night I picked up my first new game since starting ED a year and a half ago, I think I'm done with the promises and going to take a break until new playable content arrives. Good luck all.

 

[Zannry]

Approaching the barnacle site I see two player contacts appear on radar. First contact is an Anaconda parked at the barnacle site. Contact resolves as clean so I cycle to my second contact that I'm quickly closing in on. The contact resolves as a wanted FDL hovering suspiciously close to the barnacle site. I boost and roll right to put some distance between us to gauge his intentions. All systems flicker as my boost and roll kicks in. I'm dead stick spinning towards the planet in my racing courier when I catch a glimpse of the Thargoid ship hovering above the Anaconda. I strike the surface at a shallow angle and deflect off the surface flipping end over end. Miraculous my shields hold until the momentum of my tumbling vessel carries my outside of the Thorgoids interference. My ships systems flicker and my engine sputters back to life. I wrestle with the joystick to regain control and time a perfect boost as my nose points starward once again. I pull up and out to safety as the FDL messages me "LOL. Nice landing". I respond "indeed" as I climbed to 5 KM muttering to myself "leave the science stuff to Cannon"

I missed the cut scene entirely but had an amazing close call that legitimately had me terrified. Exactly what I'd expect from an alien encounter.

 

[Miklos Atreides]

This is a big ol "nothing burger" - scripted scene that some people are lucky to see. Some people sitting at barnacles for hours and nothing. It was great watching a video of another players encounter - however I didn't buy this game to watch other people play it. Some of us don't have all night to do nothing. Is this a game with playable content or not?

finally it seems you didn't understand this type of andbox you are playing in.
The playable content will happen when is time for the playable content, not when players sittting in a specific place
waiting for it.

It looks like you are coming from a different direction.

Regards,
Miklos

 

[Urbanski101]

My game time is limited.

When they first introduced the alien artefacts back a year or more ago and the Cannon started it's research I quickly realised that this whole drip feed of alien content was for people with a lot of time on their hands and the patience to try to unravel the 'mystery'.

I have neither the time nor the patience but I have kept checking in on the current state of the alien storyline.

I'm happy though that there are people out there willing and able to dedicate themselves to the 'mystery' and to sit on a planet for hours on end to wait for an alien ship to turn up.

The only issue is that it looks like 2.4 will be one big drip feed of alien storylines/encounters etc. If this is handled in the same way i.e. only for the dedicated player then all of that content will be lost on me. I'm hoping FD will find a way to involve more of us and make the whole thing more accessible.

As some have pointed out though in reality it's probably going to mean a few system hotspots of alien activity and some re-badged CZs because they simply have not introduced the mechanics to do much else with it......would love to be proved wrong though.