News Chapter Four - Exploration Reveal
These are not mutually exclusive. I tend to come down on the side that mechanics should always take priority, because the reality is that without deeper mechanics, any new content will quickly get old. Likewise, without any new content, then the mechanics will mean less to people who have seen everything there is to see. So clearly, Frontier needs to add BOTH if they can.
However, what is really missing and not talked about often enough is the CONTEXT of exploration. Finding 20 ELWs in a row, or 1000 terraformables has the same impact on gameplay as finding a single snowball. Likewise, these discoveries all have the same impact on the galaxy as a whole, which is none at all. Until we address the Context problem, then we'll all just be roleplaying the significance of Exploration. But if we add in gameplay, at least we won't have to roleplay the actual act of exploration anymore.
So what you want is a "simulator". Then an excellent space simulator where you only need to stay in the Bubble to enjoy your..."gameplay" doing minigames with a few empty barren bodies. Enjoy your "exploration".
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Yeah. If it was only up to mechanics for game play, then 2048, PacMac, or Chess are just as much exploration as Elite. I agree with those who say there has to be improvement of mechanics and addition of content, simultaneous. Not one without the other. So let's hope for both.
I think when FD are using the term 'engaging', they simply mean active, not passive, and this is a good thing.
They are replacing two passive mechanics (flying in SC and a completely automated scan when you are in range) with an interface that will be hands on and won't (necessarily) require the SC journey.
How much fun that will be remains to be seen. To be clear, I, and I think most of the others offering our feedback are not against the new scanning mechanics, but have reservations on exactly how and where they will fit in with the exploration process.
In any case, it appears from something I read in another thread (from one of the people who visited FD today for a sneak peek) that they have taken on board the feedback and have come up with their own solution, which is not something that's been put forward on the forums so presumably no greyed out detail-less system map reveal, so we should wait and see what that is.
This is the thread and post I'm referring to if you are interested.
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I certainly wouldn't mind a simulator, though I'm not so naive to realistically expect something that would deserve this term, so don't worry.
The thing is...you'd better play KSP then, because a "simulator" which "simulates" a non yet existing space ship .... well kind of nonsense. FD has imagined a concept of futuristic ships with their own futuristic characteristics in a flat spacetime because...they could. Let's not ask them too much.
As we don't even have a ****g XX century pair of binoculars [haha]Now, story telling doesn't need so much concern. You just need to have real story tellers. People with creativity and imagination.Not computer geniuses.
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Its a shame they didn't go with the compromises presented by people such as Mengy. I guess we just need to wait & see.
What kind of missions "require" a honk at present where the alternatives would not work? Yes, buying NavData only works for a specific target system, but so does a honk.
As mentioned, mining will get an overhaul in Q4 anyway, so how about we wait and see how it all meshes together before dismissing it out of hand?
Hmm, sounds about right, "10's of seconds"... As for "time it really should take" - should that be interpreted as "time it currently takes"? We don't know what FDev's original plans were. The honk was, by all accounts, a placeholder mechanic and has naturally made its way into other systems due to that, but for all we know the original workflow should have been using the NavBeacon which would also introduce some additional danger to missions. Yes it might change the current flow of the optimised game, but so what?
And why on Zaonce would you fly to a nearby system to buy NavData? You'd buy it -before- leaving on the mission (yes, might need to remember to do that). Besides which, for most missions you don't actually need NavData.
(A completely separate argument which I briefly mentioned before is that it's a bit silly to have unmapped systems within the bubble anyway, or to at least be able to buy NavData in sections. The current system is akin to buying GPS data one street at a time..)
I still have no idea why the honk is so absolutely necessary for non-explorers running missions or trading in the bubble. I'd have thought as non-explorers they would save a slot and not even fit a scanner at all. Either you explore, generating (or validating) the data, or you travel, in which case you buy the maps.
Flipside to that argument is that by playing the "minigame" you -are- exploring the current system. Again, whether or not it's *worthwhile* is up to the individual; some consider it a waste of time because they are cataloguing <something> (weird orbits, certain planetary combinations, GGGGs, surface features, whatever) and anything which slows down finding that is considered bad.
Anyway, apparently FDev have taken the points raised on board and have come up with a solution. Interestingly one which is elegant and simple and yethas not been suggested on these forums. So let's see what the open reveal and beta brings. No point (IMHO) continuing these circular arguments without new information.
Well, how about we wait and see what their solution is (we -might- be very pleasantly surprised) before crying foul?
Oh, I won't deny that, though I would point out that you can't really see an Ort cloud in any definable way... IIRC it's just too spread out, far more so than even our asteroid belt, which ain't nothin like something you'd see in the game.
But yeah, I'd love to have more real anomalies like comets and the like. Bring on the real astronomy!
As for space faring civilizations, this ain't Star Trek
They're trying to take Femri's Paradox into account. There's life, but not spacefaring life. We're the exception (along with the Thargoids), not the rule. Again, this feels "real" because of how we understand the universe today and what we expect to find if we ever get out there. Which isn't much, at least in the Star Trek sense. But there is is so much more out there than space faring civilizations, which are generally just ways of studying the human condition through broad stereotypes anyway
. But that also doesn't mean there won't be room for surprises later. There's a whole huge section of space blocked off on the other side of the galaxy. I don't think the Thargoids are in any way connected to it.
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According to sources in yesterday's studio visit, none of solutions represented has been implemented, but something else.
Perhaps the HONK can go HONK unless the nav beacon is targeted in SC, in which case it goes PING?
(I did have a semi-serious thought about this with the ship interrogating the nav beacon, pinging it, but then all I could think about was John Cleese saying, “bring in the machine that goes PING!”)
I did say "we shall just have to wait & see", didn't I? Wasn't crying foul at all.
Indeed.. but you also implied it wasn't going to be as good as what Mengy et al proposed. Anyway; splitting hairs now :-D
I don't mind if the scan goes ping, but I want my horn. And if it was immediate, you can honk at people at the entry/exit to stations.
"Gettottamyway! Let me through!"Like mass exchange between binary stars, accretion discs, or star in the stage of formation in a nebula. Plus, there are many dwarf-planets in a system in the asteroid belts (like Ceres). Right now, there's only small rocks.
Well, we do have aliens already breaking Femri's Paradox, but it's not plausible that all three of them all gathered in a very, very small part. If there are more, it's more likely there's some distribution, unless there's some goldilock zone only in and around the bubble.As for space faring civilizations, this ain't Star Trek
There are plenty of locked systems done by FDev, they could hopefully open up some of them and introduce some peaceful aliens.But there is is so much more out there than space faring civilizations, which are generally just ways of studying the human condition through broad stereotypes anyway
I merely meant that I *loved* Mengy's compromise solution, so was naturally biased towards that being adopted officially. Not suggesting, necessarily, that their own compromise won't be good
.The plausible explanation is that it's non-trivial to get the distribution of procedurally-generated content "right" (and you still have to hand-craft an enormous amount of assets in order to get a plausible amount of variety) and hand-crafted content on a galaxy-wide scale is impossible.
So they put hand-crafted content where the majority of the players are - around the Bubble.
And all this could have been made a non-issue by preventing long-distance exploration of the galaxy in the first place, but that bird has, unfortunately, flown...
No worriesI merely meant that I *loved* Mengy's compromise solution, so was naturally biased towards that being adopted officially. Not suggesting, necessarily, that their own compromise won't be good
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Yeah, most current explorers would be happy with some drama. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, meteor impacts, ex girlfriends, bring it on!
Good, good, good. Them's the fellers who know their design.
