Can Frontier Compete?

Genus

Genus
X4 now has an October 2018 release date.

http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/256693774/movie480.webm?t=1504168210

To me, this looks like most of the things, Elite always wanted to be....with the addition of quality due to being made by Germans.

Now X:Rebirth didn't do anywhere near as well as it wanted to, so I think Egosoft will be looking to release something that really wows fans in late 2018.

Assuming all this comes to pass, will ED be anywhere near as good by then? And what if Star Citizen also turns out to be anywhere near viable next year?

Will ED be able to compete?

I truly think April-August is a red-line for ED, with something truly stable, rich in content and sustainable in development "Beyond" 2018 needed by the time X4 drops.

It's open-system sustainability may be the only differentiator ED has by the end of next year.
 
Last edited:

AJW

AJW
Genus said:
X4 now has an October 2018 release date.

http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/256693774/movie480.webm?t=1504168210

To me, this looks like most of the things, Elite always wanted to be....with the addition of quality due to being made by Germans.

Now X3 didn't do anywhere near as well as it wanted to, so I think Egosoft will be looking to release something that really wows fans in late 2018.

Assuming all this comes to pass, will ED be anywhere near as good by then? And what if Star Citizen also turns out to be anywhere near viable next year?

Will ED be able to compete?

I truly think April-August is a red-line for ED, with something truly stable, rich in content and sustainable in development "Beyond" 2018 needed by the time X4 drops.

It's open-system sustainability may be the only differentiator ED has by the end of next year.

I shall cross everything for you lads.
Click to expand...

No comment on the merits of X4, but the chances of Star Citizen being 'anywhere near viable next year' are zero. They are struggling to put together the '3.0' pre-alpha almost a year after it was originally scheduled, and it contains maybe 5% of the content advertised. Even the most enthusiastic 'citizens' aren't expecting a full release before 2020 or thereabouts.

Competition is a good thing, but any comparisons need to be made between actual games, rather than with pre-alpha tech demos and scripted videos.
 

Genus

Genus
AJW said:
Competition is a good thing, but any comparisons need to be made between actual games, rather than with pre-alpha tech demos and scripted videos.
Click to expand...

Yeah, good point. And totally agree competition is a good thing.

I'm just of the opinion ED is still in beta, with only 30% of the content promised. So the comparison is arguably only redundant when you get to player base. Which Frontier have worked VERY cleverly.

picommander said:
Just wonder... was the OP a double or a triple joke? :D
Click to expand...

It was a risky strategy Cotton, let's see how it plays out. :D
 
Last edited:

MrFailfactory

MrFailfactory
Like boxing, the contender has to come after the champion in order to win, not the other way around.

I think Frontier will be in a very good place once real competition arrives.

That said, I really do think that Frontier needs to have more planet types to land on (and stuff to do) when the competition does arrive, even if it isn't full atmospheric landings yet.

Riôt
 

M00ka

M00ka
Genus said:
X4 now has an October 2018 release date.

http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/256693774/movie480.webm?t=1504168210

To me, this looks like most of the things, Elite always wanted to be....with the addition of quality due to being made by Germans.

Now X3 didn't do anywhere near as well as it wanted to, so I think Egosoft will be looking to release something that really wows fans in late 2018.

Assuming all this comes to pass, will ED be anywhere near as good by then? And what if Star Citizen also turns out to be anywhere near viable next year?

Will ED be able to compete?

I truly think April-August is a red-line for ED, with something truly stable, rich in content and sustainable in development "Beyond" 2018 needed by the time X4 drops.

It's open-system sustainability may be the only differentiator ED has by the end of next year.

I shall cross everything for you lads.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't the question be: Can X4 compete with Elite: Dangerous?

And why do games have to compete, and you that singularly focused you can only play one game at a time? Is there some unwritten rule in the gaming universe that only one type of game can exist? I know your intent for your post was to yet again subtly highlight your perceived shortcoming of ED, bully for you, you have won the Internet for the day.
 

Genus

Genus
M00ka said:
Shouldn't the question be: Can X4 compete with Elite: Dangerous
Click to expand...

Good point. I think it's kind of inherent in the nature of competition, but yeah, the market mover and all that.

And why do games have to compete, and you that singularly focused you can only play one game at a time?
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I tried reading two books at once a few times. Get away with a text book and a novel if it's really important for work, but otherwise also one at a time. It's weird. Probably due to time constraints vs immrshun.

I know your intent for your post was to yet again subtly highlight your perceived shortcoming of ED, bully for you, you have won the Internet for the day.
Click to expand...

No you don't...but thanks.
 

Ca$hback

Ca$hback
What if Crusader Kings 2 manages to include all of Eurasia+Africa and manages to be optimized to make it possible? ED stands no chance.
 

AJW

AJW
The thing is, for me any time-wise competition for ED isn't with other 'space' stuff, it is with other types of games entirely. And I suspect that is true for the majority of the player base. I like variety, not just in setting, but in pace, complexity, and all sorts of other factors, and I'm not going to go out of my way to look for an 'Elite Dangerous' replacement. Not that it matters much to Frontier what I do, at least until they release further paid content. I'm sure Frontier are aware of potential 'competition', but I doubt that they base their development plans around pre-release hype from other gaming studios with either no track record at all, or with a history of under-delivering. Instead, they will want to take the game forward according to what they consider best for it, as a game. ED is clearly something of a niche product, and trying to 'compete' for the sake of it would be likely, in my opinion, to result in a move towards generic blandness. And I can't see David Braben approving that. ED is different. That is why it sells...
 

Genus

Genus
Agony_Aunt said:
Not sure, i'm more worried how it will compete with Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom!
Click to expand...

Ca$hback said:
What if Crusader Kings 2 manages to include all of Eurasia+Africa and manages to be optimized to make it possible? ED stands no chance.
Click to expand...

They'll send in a couple of Dreadnoughts from Warhammer 40K: Sanctus Reach to sort them out.

Obviously

AJW said:
ED is clearly something of a niche product, and trying to 'compete' for the sake of it would be likely, in my opinion, to result in a move towards generic blandness. And I can't see David Braben approving that. ED is different. That is why it sells...
Click to expand...

All great points. My instinct here would be to align the current change of approach and seeming greater interest in finding out what the user base of ED actually want with what is being released next year. Is the current urgency due to sustaining return player figurtes in light of games that could be seen to compete for Elite Players time and interest. Let's face it, £20-30 isn't the issue. It's nothing for a decent title and Frontier already have our money. It's the Return on Engagement that simply is not present in Elite Dangerous, that players may seek out elsewhere?
 
Last edited:

Cmdr Eagleboy

Cmdr Eagleboy
ED competes with my lack of free time.

X4? Not really. I hope they get it right this time, but not really interested.

Everspace however stole my heart for little time because it runs on Linux.
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Personally, it'd take a lot of glowing reviews, and gameplay video's, before I gave another X-game a look.

People accuse ED of "lacking depth" but, lordy, the X-games are dry.
 

Genus

Genus
Stealthie said:
People accuse ED of "lacking depth" but, lordy, the X-games are dry.
Click to expand...


See, this just makes me think I'm missing something. I'm sat here, having dropped ED until April next year, wondering what to do next. Mouth watering over Project Cars, but the notion of playing the X games through sequentially still seems an almost orgasmic alternative to the grind of the last six weeks.

So what am I doing wrong?
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
I will try to ignore that kind of trolly tone of the OP and answer how I feel it.

If X4 is good, I will play both. Judging by the release state of previous X games, it may take me way into 2019 to pick up on it and even if it's great, I highly doubt it will be able to steal more than a couple hundred hours from me, just like the other dozens of games I've played alongside Elite. In many regards, the X games are kind of a "singleplayer EVE light" - meaning that the game becomes less and less about piloting the ship as one progresses through it. And that's not appealing to me. (I may be wrong, of course, and I would like to be wrong and see X4 succeed, but I don't think it will be too much different from its predecessors)

So no, speaking for myself (as I can hardly speak for anybody else), Elite doesn't have a competitor at least until 2020.


Genus said:
...the notion of playing the X games through sequentially still seems an almost orgasmic alternative to the grind of the last six weeks.

So what am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

You're grinding.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom