Development Update 3 - August

I'm very happy with the things you are looking at, especially the headlook at comms which has never worked properly.
Regarding conflict zones, it would be nice if they were a little less restricted to bases, and utilized the planet surface and scatters as battlefield elements. The CZs are good, but you have this whole wonderful planet surface to use as well. Perhaps some important capture points could be so far away that using an SRV to get there may be a more efficient option than walking. It may also mean increasing the number of active soldiers to account for the larger area. You have the terrains already; use them better and you will inspire emergent gameplay and some very unique situations :)
Oh and for the hundredth time, can you please fix carrier burst lasers not tracking targets for their entire shot duration, resulting in the final pulse shot hitting the deck or an inbound ship.
 
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PLAYERS: We want something to do during long shuttle rides

FDEV: You can divert your shuttle back to where you came from.

PLAYERS: But that's not what we -

FDEV: - Resolved.

:ROFLMAO:
Hmmm what could FDev do? (that didn't require any actual work) Not a lot!!
Now providing some type of activity or (dare I say it? Yes I do!!) Mini-Game console on board would deffo while away those blank dead times between launch and landing!!
Respectfully Yours, R
 
Can we have social spaces on fleet carriers?

"No we'll put them on megaships though.. you'll like that won't ya!? eyyyyy"

Dude, that's seriously not what anyone asked for, we all asked for them on Carriers..

"Yeah but MEGASHIPS... ammiright??!!!!"

Look.. we'll take it, it's better than nothing .. but seriously dude, who asked you for this?

"shhhhhhh... M-e-g-a-s-h-i-p-s"
Arthur said on stream, that they are aware of the request for carrier interiors. So I guess they will test how the social spaces perform in dynamic situations, but oh well... in the end nobody knows.
 
4. Nothing to do on long shuttle rides

Update 7 will provide the opportunity for players to redirect Apex shuttles in transit, avoiding instances of players feeling trapped into long journeys. We will look to mark this issue as fixed in line with Update 7, freeing up your votes to contribute to other issues.

Quite the politician's answer.
"redirecting Apex shuttles in transit" is not something to do during long shuttle rides.
It's not about avoiding a long shuttle ride in-total by redirecting to a closer station and then taking another shuttle to the end destination anyway.
Redirecting the shuttle is as much "something to do" as getting on a plane and having the only option of telling your pilot to land in Indiana instead of Texas.
Flushing the toilet is not "something to do" while you're pooping.
"We look to mark this issue as fixed..." ...yeah, excellent fix you got there.


New Social Hub styles

These screenshots show some of the variation added for Update 7, making station interiors more clearly linked to their installation type. Changes include elements such as swapping out railings with alternatives, replacing crates and planters with other props to better suit the theme, using different partitions and wall pieces, swapping beams and roof sections, and adding pipes or more industrial looking geometry.

Whoa, plants instead of boxes, and boxes instead of plants!? Green backlighting instead of blue backlighting!? Daaaang!
Yeah..I can't help but feel like this is going to be no different than when you unlock a new costume for a character and it's literally the same outfit but it's blue instead of green...
And social spaces in Megaships? We all know it's just going to be this exact same room, if not smaller, but in an area that is accessible on Megaships.
Meanwhile carrier owners will be breathing in your ear and giving you sad puppy eyes.


- Odyssey is an on-foot, ground focused DLC. But were there no talks or plans for any new SRV variations?
Not even some concept art or some 3D modeling attempts? Or even just some modular customizations and upgrades to the existing SRV?

- We have a whole ship customization ability, with modules and weapon options but that's never been simply translated over to SRVs.
You could use the same SRV body, but add a large cargo pod, or some armor plating, or smoother/more treaded tires, a wide array of various weapons or mining turrets and modules, a bulkier frame, a lighter frame.
We have Apex shuttles but no SRV taxi service. No big, bulky SRV buses shuttling players and NPCs to settlements.
Odyssey is all about being on foot and being on the ground, but SRVs kind of get ignored in favor of Halo-esque gunfighting.

- And why can NPCs walk up to you and say "Hey Commander, just gonna scan you.", but players have no form of proximity chat?
Even though everyone uses Discord for everything now, I always like using in-game comms when I can.
I like the staticky in-game comms we have on ships, it feels immersive.
And I don't see why we don't have some kind of proximity comms in on-foot environments, especially when all the NPCs seem to be capable of talking.

- Players want to see optimization improvements and better, steady framerates. We've said this, we've been saying this.

- No one likes the extreme grind for engineering, seriously no one.
I get that FDev is kind of that lazy boyfriend who ignores his girlfriend when she says she wants to do more fun things together, but guys....come on, We've said this, and we've been saying this.
At least the option to trade or buy materials from each other or locations in the galaxy.

We all kind of know it, but we don't say it; Odyssey is currently in Beta.
 
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Arthur said on stream, that they are aware of the request for carrier interiors. So I guess they will test how the social spaces perform in dynamic situations, but oh well... in the end nobody knows.
There is little point improving the services of carriers while those services continue to be more expensive (or more useless) than normal stations, driving players to ignore most carriers automatically - indeed removing them from the navigation filter entirely in most cases unless you want to buy one specific commodity once from one particular carrier. There has never been any point or profit in selling ships or modules from carriers because they are always more expensive and this to me never made any sense. Carriers should draw players in to inspire gameplay, not sit there with no purpose beyond hauling core minerals; and yet that is all they (mostly) currently do. Adding carrier interiors at the present time will add nothing to the game.
 
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Any word on fixing gunner role and fighters in multicrew, or am I missing some sort of additional steps?

What's wrong with gunners atm? I know fighters were broken in Horizons(100% crash rate after a few minutes - is that still the case in Horizons?), but gunner always seemed to work, albeit poorly. Rarely ever worth it to have a gunner take control, the only advantage is ignoring chaff, and that's usually not relevant, and it comes at the cost of inconsistent targeting unless they're absolutely top-tier players, and they don't do multicrew.

Any devs listening; it would be MUCH better if a gunner could take over and overcharge a SINGLE turret to fighter levels of firepower. It still wouldn't have the added shields/chaff of the fighter, so it would still be balanced. About 3x damage would just about do it.
 
First, many of the things here look promising. While I appreciate your priority appears making Odyssey's premiere feature, on-foot combat, experience more balanced, integrated and robust, there are other aspects of the game introduced with Odyssey that haven't seen similar focus. Exobiology -- while it mostly works today, it lacks the same balance, robustness and integration. And there's long-standing bugs (biologicals influenced by L-type stars still aren't interactive, for example, and was like this in the alpha, IIRC) and missing capabilities like being able to sample more than one thing at a time. Is there any update on these other aspects of the game?

Increased stored modules and bookmarks

Stored module and Bookmark limits will be increased from their previous limits to 200. We are pleased to be able to deliver this community request.

It was mentioned on stream that this may be Odyssey only (at least for a time). If these are not also made available in Horizons (at least on PC), what happens to the bookmarks and modules when players inevitably switch to play in Horizons? (There are still many reasons switch to Horizons: accommodate team/winged activities with players who don't yet own Odyssey like for Finance Fridays or to simply gather engineering materials). Do those things suddenly become unavailable to us? If so, this is highly concerning because of "recency bias". The most recent things put into storage or add to bookmarks in Odyssey which may be over the old limit -- but they're also the things you're most likely to want to access when playing in Horizons and may be inaccessible. Any attempt to address recency bias will inevitably break other use cases (ie. the set of modules/bookmarks that become unavailable in horizons is effectively unpredictable). Please update BOTH Odyssey and Horizons or update neither to avoid this awkward corner case.

Thanks for all the ongoing hard work. Things are coming together.
 
Other than "to have them", I can't see much point in people having their own private social spaces on their carriers. It's not like sitting around having drinks at the bar is actually a thing, communication between Cmdrs is done via text and isn't bound by people standing around together, same with voice.
 

Deleted member 182079

D
Can we have social spaces on fleet carriers?

"No we'll put them on megaships though.. you'll like that won't ya!? eyyyyy"

Dude, that's seriously not what anyone asked for, we all asked for them on Carriers..

"Yeah but MEGASHIPS... ammiright??!!!!"

Look.. we'll take it, it's better than nothing .. but seriously dude, who asked you for this?

"shhhhhhh... M-e-g-a-s-h-i-p-s"
And presumably only on landable megaships (Gnosis, CG ones, etc.). Really no idea why they're doing this - I can't remember a single thread where this was asked for.

So presumably anyone getting misty eyed about exploring creepy generation ship interiors may need to continue looking at NMS for that particular fix most likely.
 
When Update 8 will be released? I'm just waiting for a good performance improvement update. That's still the main reason for me to play other games instead of Elite...
 
Four people multicrew, this is amazing news! Four people at the same deck! I just love it!
Good work FD!!!
Greetings Commanders,

As we reach the end of the month, we are delighted to share our latest development update with you.

Issue Tracker

To kick things off we would like to update you on the key issues as voted for by our community on the Issue Tracker. Remember you can visit the Issue Tracker any time to vote for your top issues or make a report.

1. Lighting and Illumination in Odyssey

Since Odyssey’s launch we’ve made a large number of updates to in-game lighting to bring the experience more in line with Commander expectations. These changes included relighting ship cockpits, improving all materials and overhauling star light and station exteriors, to call out just a few.

Following the major changes in Update 6 we’ve now, based on your feedback, made additional changes to areas such as Fleet Carriers and exterior station lighting which will be deployed in Update 7.

Whilst we recognise that some Commanders may continue to have feedback around how the game is lit we feel that for the purposes of aiding further development this issue tracker entry, whilst still holding a number of votes, is no longer providing us actionable feedback to improve the game, with recent contributions unrelated to the specifics of the original report.

We will therefore mark this issue as fixed following the update, freeing up those votes to contribute to other issues in issue tracker. Of course if you observe any specific instances of poor lighting, please open a new issue tracker entry giving specific feedback.

2. Degraded terrain textures compared to Horizons

We’ve been monitoring your feedback following Update 6 and we are now satisfied that this issue has been largely resolved. This item will be marked as fixed with the final changes set to arrive in Update 7 - if you see specific instances please contribute to the issue tracker giving specific feedback.

3. FPS performance in Odyssey

Further improvements have been made in this area including optimisations to the Navmesh, lighting system, terrain, NPCs, glass shaders and scatter rock LODs. Our core code team is making good progress on more substantial optimisations, a number of which we expect to be included in Update 8.

4. Nothing to do on long shuttle rides

Update 7 will provide the opportunity for players to redirect Apex shuttles in transit, avoiding instances of players feeling trapped into long journeys. We will look to mark this issue as fixed in line with Update 7, freeing up your votes to contribute to other issues.

5. Invincible Thargoid Heart

We have identified a cause and are deploying a fix for this issue in Update 7, to ensure the fix has worked as intended, we will leave this issue open for a time. We would like to thank you for your patience with this issue and for your support in helping us to resolve it.

6. Frame Rate Drops post update 5

Update 7 will include changes to the games Navmesh which we believe resolves any potential performance impact from update 5. We will therefore be marking this issue as fixed following the release of Update 7 whilst retaining our wider focus on improving Odyssey’s performance.

The following issues will also be resolved in Update 7:
  • NHSS signals in Odyssey are Empty
  • Fleet Carrier and Module costs not included in overall wealth
  • Support missions are not widely available
  • Missions and Rewards are not shared with the team
  • A previously present codex entry is now missing
  • Stolen tritium cannot be donated into a fleet carrier's fuel depot
  • Too much CC returned when systems revolt.
  • Mission Reward Material Missing
  • Deposit fragments stuck inside the rock
  • Unable to interact with Comms Panel in head look
  • Some rock scatter only visual in right eye in VR
  • Seeker and Packhound Missiles do double damage against shields
  • Choosing +Influence reward from missions gives no influence
  • CZ captain defence incorrectly rewards credit bonds for the enemy faction
In addition to Odyssey Update 7 we’re pleased to confirm that a number of these fixes and QoL improvements will be deployed to Horizons players on both PC and console in September – we will of course share full patch notes for both around release.

Upcoming Updates and Content

Please note: These are at varying stages of progress. This is not an exhaustive list of everything that is being considered. They are not final, so they are subject to change. We will keep you updated with news and details as they progress, and we expect the content to release over the coming few updates. With that said, here’s a look at just some of the features and content in consideration, to go alongside the other development work required for future updates.

The following items are planned to be included in Update 7 which is scheduled for mid-September:

Conflict Zone Anti-Air Defence and Dogfighting


Since the launch of Odyssey, many brave Commanders have dropped into Odyssey’s Conflict Zones to support their chosen faction in ongoing conflicts throughout the bubble. With Update 7 we’re taking Conflict Zones to the next level by rebalancing the sphere of combat, increasing the risk for airborne Commanders and introducing new gameplay for those on the ground.

Each active Conflict Zone will have new anti-air turrets to defend against airborne attack. Commanders in the air will need to work with those on the ground to disable them. In addition, AI ships will also be deployed to Conflict Zones for the first time, allowing Commanders to experience exhilarating in-atmosphere dogfights as the battle rages below.

You can see both of these in action in the video below:



Enforcer units coming to Conflict Zones

Following the deployment of Enforcer units to Odyssey’s military installations, we’ll be introducing rocket launcher equipped infantry to active Conflict Zones, increasing the risk for any Commanders hoping to pick off easy prey from the comfort of their SRV.

New Social Hub styles

These screenshots show some of the variation added for Update 7, making station interiors more clearly linked to their installation type. Changes include elements such as swapping out railings with alternatives, replacing crates and planters with other props to better suit the theme, using different partitions and wall pieces, swapping beams and roof sections, and adding pipes or more industrial looking geometry.

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In addition, wealthy services and high tech stations now show less rubbish and junk on the floors, while the agricultural, industrial and asteroid stations are progressively more untidy.

Apex Redirect

You’ll soon be able to redirect your Apex shuttle mid-flight. Our UI team have been hard at work to make this a seamless experience with redirection options from the Navigation list, Galaxy and System Maps

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Increased stored modules and bookmarks

Stored module and Bookmark limits will be increased from their previous limits to 200. We are pleased to be able to deliver this community request.

AMD Fidelity FX CAS

By popular demand, AMD Fidelity FX CAS will be reintroduced as an option in Update 7. This is mutually exclusive to FSR which has its own integrated RCAS system.

Here is a selection of the other features currently in development. As mentioned above, this is not an exhaustive list of everything that is being considered. They are not final, so they are subject to change. As we get closer to their release we will announce which of these will be included in each Update:

Horizons Cosmetics in Odyssey


Our character team have been hard at work overhauling Horizon’s flight suit cosmetics to make them compatible with Odyssey’s EVA suits. While we still have a little way still to go, you can see some of the results which we plan to bring to the game soon, below.

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Four Player Multicrew

We’re pleased to share that we are making great progress on this feature, with a number of ships now in test with four Commanders on the bridge. More details will be released closer to release.

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New Odyssey Engineers in Colonia

We’d like to introduce Rosa Dayette, one of Odyssey’s upcoming new Engineers based out in Colonia.

nGODEXm.png


Born and raised in a starport within a feudalist system, Rosa had few obvious skills in her youth. She was an average student, suffered from stage fright and found athletic competition dull. But she did have a passion for mechanical things, fascinated by the constant stream of ships outside her apartment window. With a combination of donated, swapped and refurbished tools, she began to tinker on the gadgets in her home, looking to reverse engineer them to learn how the various components work.

Her natural talent blossomed, and over time she started working on her neighbour's technology, patching up suits or manual equipment. This became helping out friends of friends, then distant acquaintances; as Rosa approached adulthood people from across the station would turn up at her door with things to fix. Her family apartment eventually resembled a workshop.

And yet she would rarely charge people credits for her time. Her enjoyment of the work and tendency to trade skills led her to accept favours instead of credits. A fixed datapad in exchange for homecooked meals. An upgraded power coupling for free apartment cleaning. Word of Rosa's talents reached a local businessman who operated a suit supply store. An experienced mechanic himself, he offered Rosa an opportunity to help out at his shop in return for some second-hand suits, weapons and other equipment. Rosa accepted, drawn by the chance to examine far more interesting gear than the home appliances and commercial technology she was used to.

After many happy years of this arrangement, her mentor passed away. What little he had to bequeath was given to Rosa, along with a hand-written note asking Rosa to leave the starport and pursue her dream of a full workshop. Rosa did so, announcing to her friends that she would seek employment with an engineer. As word spread throughout the community, a collection was held to fund this new venture; the many Rosa had helped so selflessly, for so long, gladly contributed. To Rosa's astonishment, it was just enough to establish her own workshop in Colonia.

Rosa found her local celebrity discomforting, having felt that helping the community was a responsibility rather than something notable. Yet deep down she recognises that she could have made a comfortable living from her talents, but chose to remain true to her principles. Now she enjoys total autonomy in a new community, excited by the opportunity while missing her friends dearly.


Mission feature extensions

Work is still ongoing to expand mission features for Odyssey with the aim to increase mission diversity and create stronger links between the in-cockpit and on foot gameplay. We hope to share more on this soon.

Megaship Social Spaces

Last but not least, we’re excited to share that work is now underway to bring social spaces to Megaships. This will allow us to position a base for on-foot services, such as Vista Genomics and Pioneer Supplies, anywhere in the galaxy.

As with previous development updates, what we’ve shared today is just a snapshot of what we’re working on. We will be sharing more details on the content mentioned above, further bug fixes, performance improvements and of course more as-yet-unannounced content in further monthly development updates and across our other channels.

Thank you as always for your continued feedback and support.

Arf
 
Conflict Zone Anti-Air Defence and Dogfighting
While u're on it, please add to GUI somewhere intensity indication of ground combat zones. Right now you can see it on landing and/or from big station. But not all systems have big stations. Just something saying low/mid/high as for space combats in left panel.
 

Deleted member 182079

D
Other than "to have them", I can't see much point in people having their own private social spaces on their carriers. It's not like sitting around having drinks at the bar is actually a thing, communication between Cmdrs is done via text and isn't bound by people standing around together, same with voice.
It could be a two-birds-one-stone solution if the bridge that currently doesn't exist becomes that social space. Imagine.

But it won't happen, so... 🤷‍♂️ stop imagining now.
 
If players are going to do this "Sphere of Combat" CZ, I assure you they will bring their FCs to the site. It would be so much fun if we had a social space on the FC to laugh, cry and deliberate strategies.

FDEv, please think the big picture as well as what is economically feasible.
 
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