Colonisation - new feature, and I love it!

[Rock-Hermit]

That would be problematic: It would essentially lock out a huge amount of discovered systems from being colonized, if the first discoverers never come back or don't care about colonizing them. Heck, the vast majority of the systems surrounding the Bubble are already discovered, so they would essentially form an impenetrable "wall" of uncolonizable systems, precluding any expansion.

I doubt they'll go that route. It would be a bit too limiting IMO.

I guess it depends on where the 'new frontier' begins. If they allow us to begin building within 3 or 4K light years of the bubble, there are millions of un-tagged systems in every direction. If we have to start building litterally on the bubble borders, then yes that will stifle expansion if the older players (who were first to tag them) don't come back.

I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I hope first discovery has some role to play in this.

 

[Michael Ryan]

Yes, meaning of "system you are able to reach" is one of the most important question in my opinion. Because it is the border between explanding Bubble, and Distant Colonisation. I totally understand the limit itself, but, Colonia is 22 kly years from the bubble, so if it would need like 200 Ly between coloniset systems, that mean 100 systems between.

 

[WhiteHaulerMan]

If all the colony bases and stations look the same as everyone else, that would be so boring. If everyone has the same building assets, once you've done it you've seen everything which limits replay-ability. So there should be much visual customization to make each colony unique. This is also an opportunity for Fdev to sell cosmetics in addition to the free customization options.

It's what they call a 'Shake and Bake' Colony.

 

[Revelation_jeff]

Colonization is a BGS extension and NOT the same as base building to be clear. I think lots of folks are hyped up and deceived into thinking this new feature is something it's not. As a fellow game dev I predict the system to be as follows:

• A re-factored dev populate tool that was made into a user system able to be used by players to setup system objects in specific placements.
• A new UI interface that allows the player to do the functions of the tool (gameplay lite)
• A massive resource grind using existing missions & mechanics to haul resources in.
• A series of Ship props & system states that change via server tick days with nothing real time or interesting.

To me this feature is hugely disappointing as it will offer little to no value or meaning to the player experience. It's simply another grind to keep people busy with a fake purpose. To contrast the feature with base building we'd of had the chance of meaningful benefits such as Item storage, Base layout & material customization, Resource manufacturing/surface mining & possible store fronts at outposts.

I don't see much of any benefit to this new feature other than more fuel & repair spots around the galaxy that feel exactly the same as the procedural system existing before which we've all seen a million times already.

 

[Michael Ryan]

Colonization is a BGS extension and NOT the same as base building to be clear. I think lots of folks are hyped up and deceived into thinking this new feature is something it's not. As a fellow game dev I predict the system to be as follows:

• A re-factored dev populate tool that was made into a user system able to be used by players to setup system objects in specific placements.
• A new UI interface that allows the player to do the functions of the tool (gameplay lite)
• A massive resource grind using existing missions & mechanics to haul resources in.
• A series of Ship props & system states that change via server tick days with nothing real time or interesting.

To me this feature is hugely disappointing as it will offer little to no value or meaning to the player experience. It's simply another grind to keep people busy with a fake purpose. To contrast the feature with base building we'd of had the chance of meaningful benefits such as Item storage, Base layout & material customization, Resource manufacturing/surface mining & possible store fronts at outposts.

I don't see much of any benefit to this new feature other than more fuel & repair spots around the galaxy that feel exactly the same as the procedural system existing before which we've all seen a million times already.

At the Frontier Unloced stream they said you can choose what settlemen/station with particular economy you want to build (deploy), and you can build more stations or expand it to the next system to make a chain to reach system you want for an example. I think when we are talking here about build a base - that is what we mean.

I am not sure about grind. Last changes make grind easier usually.

 

[Revelation_jeff]

At the Frontier Unloced stream they said you can choose what settlemen/station with particular economy you want to build (deploy), and you can build more stations or expand it to the next system to make a chain to reach system you want for an example. I think when we are talking here about build a base - that is what we mean.

I am not sure about grind. Last changes make grind easier usually.

All you're doing is placing pre-made outposts and station models that already exist but instead of the procedural tool randomizing their placement you are placing them and choosing what economy type of outpost. You won't be building anything and it won't belong to you or provide any benefit beyond current systems. They were very careful to NOT say the word base building. This is just BGS mechanics for power play.

 

[Michael Ryan]

All you're doing is placing pre-made outposts and station models that already exist but instead of the procedural tool randomizing their placement you are placing them and choosing what economy type of outpost. You won't be building anything and it won't belong to you or provide any benefit beyond current systems. They were very careful to NOT say the word base building. This is just BGS mechanics for power play.

It is a matter of definition and the fact that players imagine some kind of builidng bases because of some rumors. For me it is pretty obvious that in that big world we need a compromises. And still all that are just speculations.

 

[DjVortex]

To me this feature is hugely disappointing as it will offer little to no value or meaning to the player experience.

Of course it is. Everything fdev does is. It doesn't matter what they do, it's always "disappointing" and "too little too late" and all that jazz. They could literally implement everything you want tomorrow, and people would complain.

Do you think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. Consider what happened when they announced the Odyssey expansion (ie. just announced it, with full details, before anybody had yet had a chance to play it): People were already complaining about it and saying that the game is dead. That expansion promised a huge amount of new content, and people were complaining about it.

Remember when SCO drives were introduced? What do you know, people were complaining about it, surprise surprise. And what do you know, every single player who complained is now using SCO in all of their ships.

It doesn't matter what they do, it's always bad, it's always disappointing, it's never enough.

 

[aRJay]

3 months and the Mandalay will be released, then i'm off looking for a likely system to expand to.

The only thing we ideally need to know is how far can we expand to a system (it was mentioned there would be limits). Maybe we will find that out on next month's stream.

My concerns are:

1) System upkeep... please dear gods of development, please no upkeep, especially offline upkeep.

2) Deliver umptilion units of X to make phase 1 happen, then ultratrillion of Y to make phase 2. Try and make it a little more interesting than that. I know its going to be a component, probably a big one, but add some variety and no insane numbers.

The galaxy is a huge place, every active player could claim a system and the amount would probably still be smaller than the bubble (approx 20,000 systems).

Remember how many mega tonnes of Beryllium had to be hauled to the Witchhead just to repair a station, but maybe we will just need to stock up those depot ships before they set off.

The more important thing will be- will they call you boss?

Only until you start trying to earn money from them, then they will kick you out in the course of human events.

 

[Michael Ryan]

Remember how many mega tonnes of Beryllium had to be hauled to the Witchhead just to repair a station, but maybe we will just need to stock up those depot ships before they set off.

(...)

There is also possible than Colonisation Ship would have all stuff on board, and on screens it looks like it transport elements of a station.

 

[aRJay]

I agree. It will be important as to how they handle this. The fact they are doing it at all is terrific.

My hope is that colonization provides an opportunity for individual commanders, squadrons, power players, etc to all have a seat at the table. The idea of an individual commander being able to set up a remote base in one neck of the woods would be very cool in my opinion. Additionally, a larger group (squadron and/or PMF) getting together to carve out their own system is also exciting news.

Hopefully the colonization mechanic will be one which is accessible to individual commanders, but also can scale up through squadrons and PMFs and interface in ways with BGS and Powerplay.

My impression of what was said is that remote base is the wrong sense of scale, it will be establishing colonies in entire systems.

 

[Shir]

They mentioned that colonization will only happen close to already populated systems, so in and around the bubble and Colonia.

If however, a single or a few systems are enough, that opens up all the numerous areas in the Galaxy where far away bases exist already. Which would be mega fun!

 

[Michael Ryan]

I hope that "close" means rather 1000 Ly than 100 Ly, because I startet a funny play with fleet carriers and "new bubble idea" few months ago It would be nice to have real possibility to create then some real stations. (Now I use fleet carriers)

 

[WhiteHaulerMan]

• A massive resource grind using existing missions & mechanics to haul resources in.

I think this is pretty much guaranteed. Its FDEV after all

 

[Revelation_jeff]

Of course it is. Everything fdev does is. It doesn't matter what they do, it's always "disappointing" and "too little too late" and all that jazz. They could literally implement everything you want tomorrow, and people would complain.

Do you think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. Consider what happened when they announced the Odyssey expansion (ie. just announced it, with full details, before anybody had yet had a chance to play it): People were already complaining about it and saying that the game is dead. That expansion promised a huge amount of new content, and people were complaining about it.

Remember when SCO drives were introduced? What do you know, people were complaining about it, surprise surprise. And what do you know, every single player who complained is now using SCO in all of their ships.

It doesn't matter what they do, it's always bad, it's always disappointing, it's never enough.

Not at all true but I hope you feel better now after that rant. =P I enjoyed aspects of Odyssey, the thargoid war and the SCO drive is amazing. The new Type 8 and Mandalay are awesome! I just think the new feature falls short when compared to the potential of what base building could of provided the player in terms of meaningful long term progression and benefit ratio. BGS mechanics are better than nothing sure, just not great.

 

[aRJay]

If you restrict colonisation like this, then depending on the range it may make daisy chaining much harder. And potentially impossible in some areas as the closer systems that need to be colonised first may be fully discovered by people who are no longer active in the game.

There is another issue there are some systems near ish to the bubble but also on the route to somewhere three or more discoverers.

• There was the one charging through that just tagged the main star.
• Then there was the one with a Basic Discovery Scanner who just tagged anything within 500ls
• Anything from 500-1000ls is Intermediate Discovery Scanner range so a third name.
• Worlds and secondary stars beyond that would have the name of the Commander with the Advanced Discovery Scanner or the more modern explorer with current tech.

 

[WILLIAM BILL ADAMA]

Most exciting news ever heard since starting ED!!!

 

[Screemonster]

That would be problematic: It would essentially lock out a huge amount of discovered systems from being colonized, if the first discoverers never come back or don't care about colonizing them. Heck, the vast majority of the systems surrounding the Bubble are already discovered, so they would essentially form an impenetrable "wall" of uncolonizable systems, precluding any expansion.

I doubt they'll go that route. It would be a bit too limiting IMO.

My very first discovered ELW (a binary pair of them in fact) has my old CMDR name on it from before I asked support to change it. I went there and mapped the whole place and it shows two different names now.

Any star discovered by someone who's cleared their save will also be locked off forever for the same reason.

Same for any discovered by a console player.

 

[WILLIAM BILL ADAMA]

It would essentially lock out a huge amount of discovered systems from being colonized, if the first discoverers never come back or don't care about colonizing them.

I think FDev will just make another new tag, "First Civilized by XXX".

 

[varonica]

Wow

I started my own loreplay colonisation in Arcadia system: Lyaiso YW-B b13-5, and sent there two carriers - outfitted as a space station. I made lore for that, some funny stories, and prepared an expredition (1-Nov - start) to the Arcadia.

And NOW, today, so great information. Colonisation! Frontier, you have read my mind!

Now I just wonder few things:

• What will be minimal distance from habitated systems (I hope not only from the Bubble), because closest habitated system is almost 20.000 Ly from Arcadia hahaha
• How much ARX I need to prepare hahaha

Good news, there will be a limit, but they did say you could chain systems to reach further out, so I am assuming the limit extends from each colonised system, so you could have like, an Arcadia highway 20kly long! To be honest I think the limit will be the same as FC jumps, 500ly, but we won't find out until release I suppose.