Any plans to add content?

[crushdepth]

Sigh. This old saw. Not what OP was asking for and not an appropriate response. And no ED has very little content no matter how hard you look or how good and patient and mature of a person you are. There's not a lot there. And what is there, is mostly flavor text which doesn't amount to much. And most of it is on websites only. Galnet? No archives in the game it only goes back a few weeks. Local news stories? All community-submitted content wiped from the game. The buzz and banter of NPCs and passing ships? All the same everywhere with nothing tied to in-game events. Nothing changes and nothing happens.

What about the ever evolving Thargoid story and the various bits of lore and backstory around the galaxy? All of it is flavor text embedded in planetary sites which you can *only* locate by looking it up on a website. There is no in-game path to finding any of these things as a player. And as long as you're looking up the location, you might as well read the text and skip the whole exercise altogether, because there's nothing at any of these sites that you can't see or do anywhere else and everywhere else, and visiting these sites will not change anything about your game experience going forward. There are no new opportunities to be found at these sites, no new consequences for having visited them, no new risks or challenges to overcome, not new paths are opened up to you. And nothing happens.

What about exploring the vast human-inhabited bubble, traveling from Alliance to Federal to Empire space, and checking out the various strange independent anarchy civilizations in between? Surely it would be interesting to observe the myriad ways that humanity as a space-faring race, has adapted to the vast array of possible political configurations, resources, and existential challenges that await us in each new location? Nope. All people, architecture, culture, visual design, criminal justice, trade, technology, space station design, space ship design, clothing, and infrastructure is the same everywhere all the time. Everybody looks, acts, talks, the same and every city is built in the same style and every local custom is the same as everywhere else. All pirates wear sunglasses, all priests wear robes and shave their heads, all wedding barges have the same two lines of chat spam, all liners are in the top 1% of all liners out there. And nothing happens.

The BGS is an ant farm where you run cookie cutter template-generated missions to try and stimulate your preferred colony of ants to spread and move to spread its population over into one of the nearby colonies. The secret to success is to be the one who does the most missions before you get bored and give up. And nothing happens.

There are no NPCs. There are no characters in the game with motivations and relationships, who can have a favorable or disfavor able relationship to you or your actions. There are no allies to help you in your time of need. There are no rivals to foil your plans. There is no interaction with anyone or anything other than shooting it or putting it into your cargo hold and selling it. That is the beginning and the end of everything in Elite. And nothing happens.

People will try to convince you that this is the way things should be, that this is the best way, and that to ask for anything else is the equivalent of demanding that the whole game world revolve around YOU. They'll say condescending things about silver platters and "saving the princess".

But I saw everyone on the forums lose their minds with excitement and shout themselves hoarse with "great job, Frontier!" when Frontier released a single voice acted CG cutscene style video on youtube right before 2.4 came out. So I think they're just as starved for content as everyone else and would be absolutely delighted to "Save The Princess" if the option were added to the game.

Thanks that's a pretty good summary of where it's at. But for the crime of Wanting The Game to Improve and Related Heresy you will now be crucified by fanbois and denounced as a False Prophet.

 

[Loskene]

Sigh. This old saw. Not what OP was asking for and not an appropriate response. And no ED has very little content no matter how hard you look or how good and patient and mature of a person you are. There's not a lot there. And what is there, is mostly flavor text which doesn't amount to much. And most of it is on websites only. Galnet? No archives in the game it only goes back a few weeks. Local news stories? All community-submitted content wiped from the game. The buzz and banter of NPCs and passing ships? All the same everywhere with nothing tied to in-game events. Nothing changes and nothing happens.

What about the ever evolving Thargoid story and the various bits of lore and backstory around the galaxy? All of it is flavor text embedded in planetary sites which you can *only* locate by looking it up on a website. There is no in-game path to finding any of these things as a player. And as long as you're looking up the location, you might as well read the text and skip the whole exercise altogether, because there's nothing at any of these sites that you can't see or do anywhere else and everywhere else, and visiting these sites will not change anything about your game experience going forward. There are no new opportunities to be found at these sites, no new consequences for having visited them, no new risks or challenges to overcome, not new paths are opened up to you. And nothing happens.

What about exploring the vast human-inhabited bubble, traveling from Alliance to Federal to Empire space, and checking out the various strange independent anarchy civilizations in between? Surely it would be interesting to observe the myriad ways that humanity as a space-faring race, has adapted to the vast array of possible political configurations, resources, and existential challenges that await us in each new location? Nope. All people, architecture, culture, visual design, criminal justice, trade, technology, space station design, space ship design, clothing, and infrastructure is the same everywhere all the time. Everybody looks, acts, talks, the same and every city is built in the same style and every local custom is the same as everywhere else. All pirates wear sunglasses, all priests wear robes and shave their heads, all wedding barges have the same two lines of chat spam, all liners are in the top 1% of all liners out there. And nothing happens.

The BGS is an ant farm where you run cookie cutter template-generated missions to try and stimulate your preferred colony of ants to spread and move to spread its population over into one of the nearby colonies. The secret to success is to be the one who does the most missions before you get bored and give up. And nothing happens.

There are no NPCs. There are no characters in the game with motivations and relationships, who can have a favorable or disfavor able relationship to you or your actions. There are no allies to help you in your time of need. There are no rivals to foil your plans. There is no interaction with anyone or anything other than shooting it or putting it into your cargo hold and selling it. That is the beginning and the end of everything in Elite. And nothing happens.

People will try to convince you that this is the way things should be, that this is the best way, and that to ask for anything else is the equivalent of demanding that the whole game world revolve around YOU. They'll say condescending things about silver platters and "saving the princess".

But I saw everyone on the forums lose their minds with excitement and shout themselves hoarse with "great job, Frontier!" when Frontier released a single voice acted CG cutscene style video on youtube right before 2.4 came out. So I think they're just as starved for content as everyone else and would be absolutely delighted to "Save The Princess" if the option were added to the game.

This post should be framed and hung on the wall of sandro's office.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

Sounds like he missed the whole BGS part of the game. The content is there, we just need more tools to play with the content. It's the tools that are lacking.

I agree. Better, & more numerous, Visual & Text-Based cues for the various System States.....particularly War & Civil War (entering these kinds of systems should make a player feel extremely nervous). Check-points that actually serve a genuine function (they really need to be proper Interdiction Points that slow/halt ships passing too close to them). Conflict Zones & Extraction Sites that have more sources of interaction than randomly blowing up other ships (I have a thread about that right here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/419714-Suggestion-Overhauling-CZ-s-RES-s-amp-USS-s), a Military Component of the game that feels like a genuine Career & much closer tying together of Factions with Powers, Super-Powers & Engineers. These are just some of the tools I'd like to see added to the game.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

I suspect you won't believe this but I thoroughly agree with your idea a galaxy wide distress call notifying all Commanders that a station is being attacked, it would be very interesting to see how many would respond. It would also have to be a very long and drawn out battle, possibly as long as 24 hours. Commanders would have to get to the system that the station is located in, and that could take a couple of hours . Especially if they have to change ships, even reconfigure ships for combat or evacuation.

The next consideration is why the long battle - if the battle was only an hour or so long, which real life timezone would it be in. If they time it for the peak playing time in England (where FD is, it would make sense) then those in the USA, Australia, heck, just about anywhere else would be at school/work/asleep/whatever. And you could bet that if a group misses out on these battles because of a timezone then the forums would be running hot with upset Commanders.

Probably the best solution is to have announcements on GalNet advising that the Thargoids have been observed heading towards System XX, anticipated arrival time of 48 hours. And run those GalNet notices at increasing frequency over the next two days with a decreasing arrival time. That should let those that are interesting what is going to happen and take the necessary actions to get ready and get there.

Interestingly, during the previous Beta, Sandro indicated that they have plans for Mega-ships to give out System-wide Distress Calls, if they come under attack from other Commanders. So I suspect that this is already a direction they are planning to go in on a broader scale. Problem is that everyone wants everything *now*. That'd be nice, of course, but I live in the real world .

 

[Marc_Hicks]

The content that I am truly waiting for is when Missions become much more open-ended affairs. They need to throw off almost all of the current constraints for Mission Wrinkles & Follow-on Missions.....especially at the high rank end of the scale. That simple Data Courier Mission should be able to morph into a mission to scan a Settlement Data-link that can then morph into a mission to Liberate some slaves being transported to Independent Space, which could then morph into a mission to transport these newly freed slaves to their new lives in $System_Name......only here comes the guy who bought them-& his posse-to try re-acquire his "property".

All the mechanics to create the above scenario-& many more like it-already exist within the game. They just need to be better integrated & overhauled so they are capable of generating scenarios like those above. Done right, no two starting missions need ever feel exactly the same. That is the content I crave the most.

 

[Avago Earo]

OP, just accept that it might not be the game for you. I have. Enjoy talking to people on the forums. There's good characters here. People have different tastes and different expectations. Don't do your head in about it. Find other hobbies, there's loads out there. Look after yourself and have fun. Start a band. Get a bike. Learn a language. Fight politicians. Buy a nice shirt and flirt with someone. Stroke a dog. Support a football (soccer) club and get angry together. Get the courage to tell that special person how much you like them. Cook something different. Watch that film you never got round to. Sing an ABBA song in the bathroom like your life depends on it. Put a pin in a map and get on a train.

And take care.

 

[crushdepth]

I suspect you won't believe this but I thoroughly agree with your idea a galaxy wide distress call notifying all Commanders that a station is being attacked, it would be very interesting to see how many would respond. It would also have to be a very long and drawn out battle, possibly as long as 24 hours. Commanders would have to get to the system that the station is located in, and that could take a couple of hours . Especially if they have to change ships, even reconfigure ships for combat or evacuation.

The next consideration is why the long battle - if the battle was only an hour or so long, which real life timezone would it be in. If they time it for the peak playing time in England (where FD is, it would make sense) then those in the USA, Australia, heck, just about anywhere else would be at school/work/asleep/whatever. And you could bet that if a group misses out on these battles because of a timezone then the forums would be running hot with upset Commanders.

Probably the best solution is to have announcements on GalNet advising that the Thargoids have been observed heading towards System XX, anticipated arrival time of 48 hours. And run those GalNet notices at increasing frequency over the next two days with a decreasing arrival time. That should let those that are interesting what is going to happen and take the necessary actions to get ready and get there.

Yeah but if it's procedural you could have a few battles popping up here and there around the clock, so if you miss one you could still get involved with another.

 

[Kaocraft]

Given the reference to an RPG it is an appropriate response.

ED is not about giving the player a story to drive their gameplay around, it is also not about (the player) building empires, it is however "primarily" about a lone pilot making their own path through a universe that FD have created.

Your references to NPCs, and characters with motivations and/or relationships just proves my point - some in these forums are so hung up on the "story based RPG" pattern that they fail to see the depth ED does have.

There is a developer provided background story for the universe that is evolved over time with our collective actions having a notional impact on the path it takes. While there are no NPCs with motivations and relationships that we directly interact with in any meaningful way, there are major NPCs in the background: Power Play leaders, the Engineers, and some others.

Your idea of "content" is not appropriate for ED IMO.

ED's evolving story is like ancient Greek theatre, where the characters speak about all the big important events that happened offstage just prior to the scene. Except it's less like watching the production and more like reading the programme pamphlet. And yes you're right there is clearly no other possible better way to convey any of the ideas, themes, or events that take place in the game. Reading a brief galnet article (which is wiped a few months later) about the massive funeral procession for the dead Emperor, is infinitely superior to being able to witness the funeral procession in-game or visit the memorial. Being told that there was a Thargoid attack on a station and signing up to join the supply chain for the cleanup crew is miles ahead of being there when the attack happens and having to decide what to do in that fateful moment.

If anything exciting or immediate or human is ever added to Elite, I will look forward to your protestations. I'm sure you'd hate it if you could talk to NPCs and build relationships with them, or if a chance discovery could unlock a chain of events that leads you down an unexpected path, or if Galnet had more than 10 stock photos to use as illustrations for every single article. That sounds horrible and inappropriate for Elite and not at all fun. Good thing we'll never have it!

 

[Marc_Hicks]

ED's evolving story is like ancient Greek theatre, where the characters speak about all the big important events that happened offstage just prior to the scene. Except it's less like watching the production and more like reading the programme pamphlet. And yes you're right there is clearly no other possible better way to convey any of the ideas, themes, or events that take place in the game. Reading a brief galnet article (which is wiped a few months later) about the massive funeral procession for the dead Emperor, is infinitely superior to being able to witness the funeral procession in-game or visit the memorial. Being told that there was a Thargoid attack on a station and signing up to join the supply chain for the cleanup crew is miles ahead of being there when the attack happens and having to decide what to do in that fateful moment.

If anything exciting or immediate or human is ever added to Elite, I will look forward to your protestations. I'm sure you'd hate it if you could talk to NPCs and build relationships with them, or if a chance discovery could unlock a chain of events that leads you down an unexpected path, or if Galnet had more than 10 stock photos to use as illustrations for every single article. That sounds horrible and inappropriate for Elite and not at all fun. Good thing we'll never have it!

As I alluded to above. I don't need to be the hero who saves the entire galaxy. That is not why I have ever played any of the previous iterations of Elite, so it is of equal interest to me in Elite: Dangerous. However, there is still plenty of room for them to expand on existing game mechanics to give players even more of a personal narrative. Something as simple as "Salvage this Item for us", leading to a wrinkle saying "Agents from $Faction_Name are searching for our $Salvage_Name, so I'm afraid we need you to collect that salvage for us quicker than we'd originally planned". If you arrive in time, you'll get a bonus, but there will be an almost 100% chance that your salvage mission will be interrupted by Mission Specific NPC's from $Faction_Name. Fail to meet the new deadline, though, & you get a new wrinkle saying "Sorry, but it appears that our enemies got to the $Salvage_Name first. However, we will happily pay you extra if you could liberate our $Salvage_Name from the clutches of $NPC_Name." If you accept the new wrinkle, then you might get a new text box message saying "One of our Contacts, $NPC_Name2, will meet with you to inform you of where $NPC_Name can be found. Good luck".

See how, with a mere expansion of previously existing game mechanics, an otherwise "By the Numbers" mission can be made into something that feels very different, depending on the actions of your Commander.

 

[Rafe Zetter]

This post should be framed and hung on the wall of sandro's office.

Wow - that's exactly what I thought - well almost - I thought more along the lines of scaled up, chiseled into a stone block and put in DB's parking space.

 

[Abadd]

OP, just accept that it might not be the game for you. I have.

yea i guess its time to hide this one on the steam list

game has been stagnant for way to long, reviews reflect it, and the part of the playerbase that is happy with the game is large enough on this forum to drown out the voices of those that would like to see the game in a superior state, while the game is dead to everyone else due to the obvious issues that have been brought up far to often

10 year plan, what a joke lol

 

[Stigbob]

yea i guess its time to hide this one on the steam list

game has been stagnant for way to long, reviews reflect it, and the part of the playerbase that is happy with the game is large enough on this forum to drown out the voices of those that would like to see the game in a superior state, while the game is dead to everyone else due to the obvious issues that have been brought up far to often

10 year plan, what a joke lol

It's not unusual to find fans of a game on a games forum.

Do a little research before you buy next time, if you know what you are getting you don't feel buyers remorse.

 

[Abadd]

It's not unusual to find fans of a game on a games forum.

Do a little research before you buy next time, if you know what you are getting you don't feel buyers remorse.

i have owned the game since launch

its not that i haven't been patient

fans are good, blind fanbois defending flaws in a game are not

 

[Stigbob]

i have owned the game since launch

its not that i haven't been patient

fans are good, blind fanbois defending flaws in a game are not

What amazing feature were you expecting ?.

 

[Stigbob]

I did. I saw interviews with FDev talking about walking around ships etc. They released those videos as marketing materials. I'm yet to find the videos where they say "There's not much in the way of narrative, we're not able to do space legs or atmospheric landings because we wouldn't have content, we keep messing up crime and punishment and engineering will take weeks out of your life waiting for the game to randomly generate materials. But you can grind away to get a bigger ship and the money you spend will let us develop Jurassic World."

Was that the one I watched where they said "it would be cool if" but didn't make any sort of promise ?. When I want to play FPS's I play or research and buy new FPS's, I'd pre-order one from FDEV unresearched as I like their stuff. If you don't like grinding for weeks you should stop doing it immediately.

It's fine for FDEV to make JWE they seem to have a two year release cycle for new products, it's the purpose of a games development company.

If you're aware of any such videos let me know so I can point any prospective players to them for their research. Clearly my research was naively limited to the promises FDev made about they're own game.

Source your quotes.

"Do a little research". What a total cop-out excuse for the game's failings.

Or a realistic way of ensuring you only buy games you'll like and enjoy. I like and enjoy ED, so which of our methods is best ?.

I'll try again in 12 months. Until then, Farcry 5 is proving to be pretty enjoyable and Kingdom Come Deliverance looks interesting.

Playing other games because you want to or feel like it is absolutely fine, I do it all the time.

 

[Abadd]

What amazing feature were you expecting ?.

there is a reason this game has mixed review ratio on steam, and that isn't because the gfx aren't good, nor is it the flight model or the game engine in any way ...

in fact the only thing positive about the game are these aspects

unfortunately FD seems to firmly oppose adding actual content, meaning the game remains a barebone tech demo

the continued engineers revamps hints heavily towards "these guys are clueless"

Playing other games because you want to or feel like it fine, I do it all the time.

so is writing negative reviews for games you don't play anymore

 

[lenna]

i have owned the game since launch

its not that i haven't been patient

ED is not and never will be a fast-food class content delivery game, it is plainly clear from the fundamental design and has been since the beginning.

Expecting it to become that is a path to misery.

 

[SentineI]

So, any plans?

Yes:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/397639-Elite-Dangerous-2018-Roadmap-Regularly-Updated

P.S. The Q2 & Q3 updates are going to be mainly about adding content. (Which I take to mean story-centric content.)

 

[Stigbob]

there is a reason this game has mixed review ratio on steam, and that isn't because the gfx aren't good, nor is it the flight model or the game engine in any way ...

in fact the only thing positive about the game are these aspects

unfortunately FD seems to firmly oppose adding actual content, meaning the game remains a barebone tech demo

the continued engineers revamps hints heavily towards "these guys are clueless"



so is writing negative reviews for games you don't play anymore

ED's a niche marmite sort of game, I like the niche knew what they were making and enjoy it. You don't so play something else, you'll be happier and you should avoid the niche in future. As for steam reviews my favourites are the ones that say "not recommended, there's no content" with thousands hours played.

If, 4 years in, it is apparent where ED is lacking go you there's little value in explaining it. You just have to look at the numerous threads on this forum to see there are a LOT of disgruntled players who feel FDev haven't even come close to delivering. This is supposed to be the year they get it all right, fix the mechanics...with each update they mess up. There's really an issue with leadership at FDev as they get it wrong every time. I'm now at the stage where I have to question if there is a structural is due with FDev. The management have to be held accountable.

If all the naysayers start to leave, having given up hope, are you confident there are enough of the fan-boy faithful to keep the game going? I'm not sure.

People have been whinging constantly that the game was doomed if it wasn't immediately turned into various other products since 2014, wrong then, wrong now and wrong at all the points in between.

The new engineering system is a huge improvement, although by not self-harming by grinding I didn't mind the old one.

Nay-sayers should leave, it's only a video game life's too short to concentrate on the ones you don't like.

 

[Jaffz]

ED's a niche marmite sort of game

Nay-sayers should leave, it's only a video game life's too short to concentrate on the ones you don't like.

Weak excuses for a lack of content

I'm not leaving just because you think I should champ, I paid my 30 quid just like you did