I'm looking forward to 2.4 when we'll have to use an Etch-A-Sketch.
Do you think an in game audio spectrograph should be included in 2.4?
- Thread starter fennster
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I'm looking forward to 2.4 when we'll have to use an Etch-A-Sketch.
Exactly. And I don't know where the sound files are, either.
I'm supposed to be in a space ship hundreds of light years from Earth. I'm not supposed to go under the hood of the universe to see what makes it tick and find a 'thing'. That's for the creator of the universe to do. I don't mind breadcrumbs being left to find and figure out.
I still remember instructions in Morrowind such as "Go generally east for a few hours, keep an eye out for two mountains that look like spires, then head south between them." The instructions shouldn't include "Stop playing the game, go to this folder, toy with this file and find what we're trying to feed to you."
Think of it like this. They could easily omit the players solving the riddles, and have npcs do it instead. Nobody would complain about that, because everyone is used to a story unfolding before them and while they sit consuming it. Once you involve players, the merit or quality of the story immediately rests on the satisfaction of those directly involved (or in this case not)
I still think it's a plus for FD to involve players in the story, even if it is just to halt it temporarily. No doubt, if players didn't solve the riddles, then an npc would helpfully step in and get it done to move things along.
I do get where people are coming from on not being involved, even though I personally don't care about it for myself, I get that some people want it. I just don't know how it would be possible to do in a satisfying way for everybody.
There have been some good ideas so far. I like the point you made about NPC doing it. When I run an RPG it's always useful to have a handy, skilled NPC point something out if everyone has failed basic observation tests.
I like to think that if my adventure has reached the point that an NPC has to put it back on track then I have designed that section badly and need to revisit my options next time I use a similar situation.
I think the central point of this thread is that the game is awesome but there are more tools needed to enjoy it to it's fullest (and some are so basic it's hard to understand why they aren't in already. Engineers blueprints, navigation tool, price comparison tool). I don't think anyone could disagree with that.
I'm Short on time IRL just now, so sorry to say I havent read all of the replies to this thread before commenting, but an in game spectrograph app / cypher app / as per zeemans idea all the tools for the ingame stuff should be in the game.
I skim read a thread recently where someone tried to theorize that barnacles gorw into full thargoid bases, and someone likened that to flat pack furniture. Twisting that metaphor somewhat, even the cheapest flatpack furniture includes an allen key for doing up the bolts, so why shouldn't our game include the prerequisite signal processing tools to unravel the plot critical stuff?
I skim read a thread recently where someone tried to theorize that barnacles gorw into full thargoid bases, and someone likened that to flat pack furniture. Twisting that metaphor somewhat, even the cheapest flatpack furniture includes an allen key for doing up the bolts, so why shouldn't our game include the prerequisite signal processing tools to unravel the plot critical stuff?
I was thinking about this thread, and my comment about ingame tools, did anyone here ever play "spycraft: the great game" it was a great game which the player got to "do" everything from cryptography to wideo enhancement to shooting stuff to photoshopping images, all using in game simplified tools. I reckon with the amount of open source libraries available there must be a raft of spectrogram/audio analysis/ cryptography "decyphering" programmes that could be referenced and integrated to an alternative interface in the same way galmap / galactic powers / system map bring up full screen experiences away from the spaceship's dashboard.
One of my favorites. I even bought it on GoG recently to re-play.
Hmm, I don't think I explained it very well. But what I was trying to say is that nobody thinks it's unfair when the story moves along in a way that players are just spectators, and npcs have discovered this or captured that or basically any story element we watch or read about is accepted as storytelling, but when players are involved it becomes "unfair" because either some or most players were unwilling or unable to involve themselves. When a story is told wholly using npcs, every player is uninvolved. Both ways are equally unsatisfying if you think about it (why not just watch tv?), but interpreted differently.
Some of the in game tools need refining for sure, like navigation and engineering, but I feel like specific tools for analyzing stuff like audio files would be a bit rote and after a couple times uninvolving. Like every time the player would capture an audio file to his ship he would just press a button to "extract secret data" from it. In game representations of real life tools are always unsatisfying to use since they have to be translated to videogame format, which either means a minigame or simply pressing a button. Of course these tools could be made very realistic and complicated, but for a side consideration like bonus content (hidden stuff in audio files) it's a lot of extra work for a small team.
I fear that the repeated complaints about the canon discovering stuff when FD throws them a bone, will eventually just harass FD into stopping. And that would be sad, because like I said this is just tiny irrelevant bonus stuff, and it would be sad to have it taken away from them because other players can't or wont involve themselves with it. The Canon have become part of the story and the way it unfolds which enriches the game, because even if I don't personally care about this stuff enough to do it, I enjoy that this stuff is embedded into the game for those willing to look. Without the Canon FD wouldn't bother with these extra details.
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I'd love an in game spectrograph, +1 .definitely in ship for when playing the files.heck make it a module and have grades be higher resolution
Lots of valid points about access for content, it is a shame that only the few who really keep up will see this stuff.
Frontier should add in some missions to follow after major events, right from the beginning of the release. Something of a Pilots Federation journal/codex that can be followed. At least then ALL commanders could experience the story as we have already.
Could even tie different rewards to it to add that little bit extra that, come on let's be honest the "common gamer" (not derogatory in any way just a demographic observation) does often need.
Lots of valid points about access for content, it is a shame that only the few who really keep up will see this stuff.
Frontier should add in some missions to follow after major events, right from the beginning of the release. Something of a Pilots Federation journal/codex that can be followed. At least then ALL commanders could experience the story as we have already.
Could even tie different rewards to it to add that little bit extra that, come on let's be honest the "common gamer" (not derogatory in any way just a demographic observation) does often need.
Why can't we have, you know, normal puzzles instead of all this spectrograph\number stations\cryptography things?
In game would be awesome, but I'm fine with out of game tools being required. Certainly would rather have it like it is than not at all.
Frankly this stuff is part of what makes this game special. Canonn and the mega thread are awesome. Not ideal, unwieldy, difficult to follow, but still awesome.
Frankly this stuff is part of what makes this game special. Canonn and the mega thread are awesome. Not ideal, unwieldy, difficult to follow, but still awesome.
The cool part was that people figured it out themselves originally. People tried tons of things, this one thing worked. If you add a spectrograph in-game that kinda ruins the point. >>>Press E to uncover hidden secret<<< Modern entertainment has a tendency to devolve to the lowest common denominator, and I applaud FD for occassionally giving something above that. And if that means there are a few things that fly above the head of 99% of the playerbase, including yours truly, than thats fine by me.
Just an audio spectrograph? No. Just to solve mysteries? No.
A multi-faceted image, audio and signal analysis suite? Yes.
To enhance prospecting, exploration, spying, smuggling and missions and as a side effect to help solve mysteries? Yes.
To simplify implementation analysis tools would not have to be real but just look real enough.
You seem to missunderstand. You are to record and analyse the sound you get from the game, not search through game files.
Player driven story is great, but having to do tasks outside the game is not, especially for a main, advertised feature of the game. As other already wrote, it´s like watching a movie but to understand the plot you need to read the corresponding book. That´s just weird.
If it was for me, I would never have searched millions of square kilometers for ruins. Instead I gladly have the story unfold without my input.
Jenner
I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
Yeah, it's cool that people figured that out originally. As a one-off thing I applaud it too. Or as an Easter-egg, I applaud it.
If, however, it's required to advance the storyline for everyone and it's something that FD are using again and again, then I would hope they'd expend some dev effort to make this stuff accessible to the 99%. Otherwise they're spending time and effort coding in puzzles that only a small fraction will have the pleasure of solving themselves.
It's totally FD's prerogative to do so, but I don't agree with it.
^^ This.
You know, I am far more conflicted than when I wrote the OP... And it was kind of rhetorical, in a way.
The same as you said above, I actually prefer that the original imaging was found by the community in an unorthodox way. I also realise, that a spectrograph the reveals images would become instantly tired and adds little game play.
So, what was the original point?
I guess, I wish that there were more breadcrumb led discoveries in game, other than those that were picked apart by the community. We have tip offs, they don't lead far. They don't really need to be hugely story based either or contextual to current events in the game.
Basically, a dozen or so 'trails' that can be picked up at various locations at different times, that lead you around for a few days and most importantly don't require the forum use or out of game methods to take part.
If you try to put yourself in the mind of a non-forum user, after 200-300 hours of learning and building your skills finding one of this 'story' trails would good to break monotony but would also come around the point some people are feeling a bit lost with what they are doing. It's also a good opportunity to get across some of the lore in the game....
As regular forum users, this may not seem like a important thing, but TBH we burn new things in days, new discoveries are common knowledge in hours.
(Before anybody says 'Elite is not about being the hero of galaxy.'; these 'stories' don't have to be grand, just interesting and not necessarily a tale about yourself. Instead uncovering the past.)
Hmmm. A spectrograph. Something for the engineer/science officer console in multicrew perhaps? We already have a form of spectrograph in the SRV wave scanner, and the graphics/mechanics could be used for other things as well - e.g. determining types of USS/PoI from received signatures.
I agree that it would be nice to see some form of extended mission arcs, persistent NPCs, and procedural story telling in the longer term, without everything just being CGs/multiplayer event-oriented.
We already have a form of spectrograph in the SRV wave scanner, and the graphics/mechanics could be used for other things as well - e.g. determining types of USS/PoI from received signatures. I agree that it would be nice to see some form of extended mission arcs, persistent NPCs, and procedural story telling in the longer term, without everything just being CGs/multiplayer event-oriented.