Answers from the devs #2

[Tuub t Tute]

There's nothing wrong with making the progression more transparent in-game, but the exact logic is not supposed to be exposed. Players tend to build around that knowledge min maxing, cheats, exploits, etc.

True, even a comment to say "Yes, the only way to influence when a naval ascension opportunity appears is either 1) total # of completed missions, regardless of type, 2) total # of missions where some add more to the pot than others 3) Trading, Exploring, Combat Bounties all add to the pot."

Right now the only sure fire way to see Naval Ascension missions pop up is to complete hundreds of missions, most of them nothing to do with anything remotely naval or military, which feels gamey and a bit hokey :/

 

[ozrix84]

As a programmer, you're never, ever going to convince me that exact logic shouldn't be exposed.

"Information wants to be free" -- Stewart Brand

Not to the end user. Ever heard of code obfuscation?

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

As a programmer, you're never, ever going to convince me that exact logic shouldn't be exposed.

"Information wants to be free" -- Stewart Brand

Problem is here you are gamer.

And I would like to keep game mysterious and not explaining everything, thank you.

 

[Tuub t Tute]

I'm happy with it.

moi aussi

 

[who?]

There's nothing wrong with making the progression more transparent in-game, but the exact logic is not supposed to be exposed. Players tend to build around that knowledge min maxing, cheats, exploits, etc.

I agree. It'd good to get some indication of progress just so the player knows if they're playing "correctly" and/or there isn't a bug that's blocking progress.

But I'm always wary of giving very precise info, or the game becomes very mechanical and (IMO) immersion breaking. "Find ship, hit it 21 times with a Class 3 weapon, it explodes, giving you 1.4% progress toward the next rank". Repeat ad-nauseum. Life's not that predictable, so I'd hope the game wouldn't be either.

 

[FlyByPC]

Thanks for keeping the community in the loop so well!

I understand the intent to create drama with conflict -- but realistically, civilizations with this amount of conflict do not prosper. Would it be possible to have a set of systems that generally do not experience combat? It would be such a refreshing change to be able to calmly come back to inhabited space to sell exploration data without worrying -- nay, expecting to be interdicted and shot at, even though I'm not carrying any cargo, am not wanted, and have a combat rank of Harmless.

Let the trigger-happy folks have their fun -- but please set aside a few heavily-patrolled outposts for us peaceful explorers. Universal Cartographics could afford that...

 

[Samosa]

Not to the end user. Ever heard of code obfuscation?

I'm not following how obfuscated code relates to this issue. We're interacting with partially documented function, really. Ranking isn't a black box.

Edit: I'm going to drop the argument now - this thread is for other things.

 

[Abbadon]

Are u planning to add the option to hire crew members in the near future? And if u are there, do u plan to make a co-pilot role, what other players can take? I'd love if my wife could join the Elite Universe, but She is not much of a pilot, but she likes to play with switches and energy optimising

 

[Sphinx2k]

Maybe simply adding progress bars for Naval ranks (like they added to the Pilot ranks) would put the whole ranking drama to bed? yes?

Personally I am hoping for another content update soon, instead of just Xboxy/Arena PvP stuff.
I love the game to death and have been here since Beta, and have persevered with the lack of content - but it's starting to get boring... fast.

Is it really just get to Anaconda then uninstall and come back later?

 

[Cosmos]

It's because everyone is tired to hear about this. FD has given answer many many times. People still don't accept that. People try to make it more important, how many people are complaining about it.

Can we move on from this topic?

If you don't wish to discuss the matter then stop white knighting for FD.. I'd start to worry when no one raises it as in issue any more. For they will have moved on. The success of this game doesn't revolve around catering to a private group of 10k players. In relation to PP, its my understanding, participation has dropped significantly - I've stopped my involvement too. I'm not gonig to participate in a grinding contest with other players when I can't even see them. If thats your thing great for you, don't forget to turn out the lights when everyone has left

 

[Barking_Mad]

If that's a way FD drops a hints, then yeah, this is getting a bit obvious

edit: so for now either it's really nice update to core gameplay (awesome) or it's planetary landings, volume 1 (double awesome). Everything else is ruled out at this point. Except for things not mentioned, but nah

Space Badgers with water pistols. Buried in the design documents. 5pt print, 5% gray.

 

[BundyZA]

I think you guys are about this because you have seriously stunted the game by going OTT in catering to the, shall we say, risk adverse

It's not that they were wrong to cater for them, they have a place and are entitled to a more chilled experience. I think the implementation was just very strange. I would personally have adopted the WoW philosophy of "not flagged for PvP"

The "Not flagged for PvP" mechanic is simple:
- You enjoy the same shared space as everyone else, can see and talk to everyone else as normal, but critically, you cannot be engaged (read: are invulnerable to other players) unless you either explicitly opt in or attack another player in which case your PvP flag goes up and you become vulnerable to players - albeit for a limited amount of time.

SUUURELY that would be better than dedicated, lonely instances while completely solving the potential for griefing which the solo-ists are so afraid of??

 

[Harbinger]

Q: Will we see the return of dev diaries and jumpers?

Can't speak for the dev diaries but I don't think we'll see a return of the jumpers for a few months yet.

 

[Tuub t Tute]

If you don't wish to discuss the matter then stop white knighting for FD.. I'd start to worry when no one raises it as in issue any more. For they will have moved on. The success of this game doesn't revolve around catering to a private group of 10k players. In relation to PP, its my understanding, participation has dropped significantly - I've stopped my involvement too. I'm not gonig to participate in a grinding contest with other players when I can't even see them. If thats your thing great for you, don't forget to turn out the lights when everyone has left

Practically everyone I talk to says Open is thriving and there is no need to change anything about the core game design. I guess that means we cancel each other out? That's the great thing about unsubstantiated debating positions, as Oprah said "You get an opinion, you get an opinion, everyone gets an opinion!"

Vive le Status Quo (old Rag Blues...)

 

[BundyZA]

Exposing the underlying mechanisms opens the game up to more exploits

Haha assuming it isn't so riddled with bugs & competing mechanics that they are even sure themselves of how it works anymore...

 

[telperion]

If you don't wish to discuss the matter then stop white knighting for FD.. I'd start to worry when no one raises it as in issue any more. For they will have moved on. The success of this game doesn't revolve around catering to a private group of 10k players. In relation to PP, its my understanding, participation has dropped significantly - I've stopped my involvement too. I'm not gonig to participate in a grinding contest with other players when I can't even see them. If thats your thing great for you, don't forget to turn out the lights when everyone has left

To some people it's not an issue. It's not an issue for me, for example. Just because you think it's an issue please don't claim that it's universal because it's not.

- - - Updated - - -

Space Badgers with water pistols. Buried in the design documents. 5pt print, 5% gray.

hahaha! So hoping it's this.

 

[Tinman]

I'm happy with it.

Me too and I still play almost exclusively in OPEN.

 

[Ozzie F Isaacs]

Maybe planet landing? But to me it doesn't make too much sense introducing planet landing without option to go out of you ship and walk around that planet... That's why I was always under impression that planet landing will get AFTER first person mode (aka walking around ships and stations).

Planetary landing was in the last two games in the Elite franchise, without even having the ability to even turn your head in your ship


Consider, probably the most obvious thing, trade. As it stands, when you buy a tonne of fruit at a space dock, you already paid someone to to boost them up from the surface. You need a better ship for it, heat shields and the like, but landing on the planet yourself cuts out the middle man.


From there, bounty hunting, low orbit dog fights... Your targets Imperial Clipper sitting on a pad at starport? Wait until he takes off, get out the no fire zone and blow his thrusters out.


Previous versions allowed you to deposit mining rigs on the surface and return to them at a later date. Naval missions to nuke ouposts Lots of possibilities.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

<snip>open vs solo comments</snip>

There is a thread for this discussion, i think you know.

I do wonder how long this game would last if no one played in Open. :/

But ill just add, people played this kind of game in solo only for years, with no multiplayer, and went on to create clones of that game and make mods and expansions c.f. OOlite, FFED3D, Pioneer, not to mention all those other profressional games that over the years drew inspiration from the Elite/Fronter single player experience. Some might argue that ED should have been a single player game only.

Ultimately PP comes down to trying to out grind others in solo

And yet, when i went on a tour of the powers in Open, there were supporters everywhere!

catering to the, shall we say, risk adverse.

Ah, carefully avoiding the C word there i see? Well, no worries, i can reliably assure you that the AI has definitely improved in skill, and SJA isn't finished being evil yet. Let me reassure you that solo is not for the risk averse any longer: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=145309&page=609&p=2552890&viewfull=1#post2552890

And as i promised in that post, i'm sending a withering glare your way

 

[TruffleSnout]

Personally I'd be happy with just near-surface flight (I hesitate to call it atmospheric flight as some of the planets have no atmosphere). Would be nice to zoom around some of those lava lakes on the HMC's. No need to land to make me happy.