The Fleet Carrier update and/or one of its subsequent patches seems to have introduced what I sincerely hope is a bug.
Basically the outer doors to a Thargoid base will now open for an approaching SRV even if it's not carrying a Thargoid Probe, Sensor or Link where previously at least one of those items had to be either in the SRV's inventory or else positioned on the ground near the door.
I really hope this is a bug and not an intended change because, while some people might see this as an improvement I'd like to argue quite strongly that it's not.
Basically mechanisms like the locked door and key offer the possibility for emergent gameplay. For example, I spent some time figuring out how to get a ship launched fighter inside a Thargoid base. What I realised was that you could "prop" the door open by dropping a Thargoid Sensor just outside (being very careful not to let it roll through the open doorway, slamming the door in your face!) and then go and get into your SLF and fly it through the open doorway. I also found that if the "prop" got dislodged then the door would close leaving you locked inside! What I then had to do was call for a fuel rat to come and let me out by opening the door from the outside (you can imagine his surprise when an SLF flew out!).
It's this kind of emergent gameplay that I'm a very strong advocate of and why I'm posting this in order to raise awareness of the change in Thargoid door behaviour and to ask that if it's a bug then it be acknowledged and fixed, and if it's an intended change then it be reconsidered and changed back. Please don't remove these difficulties and mechanisms from the game! Imagine if ships no longer ran out of fuel ... there'd be no Fuel Rats (and personally I think that would be a tragedy).
Right now someone is trying to organise a Buckyball race which involves visiting Thargoid bases (something we've not done before) and without the old locked door behaviour one of the central ideas of the race is no longer workable.
If you agree with this post and would like to see this fixed please go and add your voice to the bug report (and vote on it once it's been acknowledged).
BUG REPORT
Basically the outer doors to a Thargoid base will now open for an approaching SRV even if it's not carrying a Thargoid Probe, Sensor or Link where previously at least one of those items had to be either in the SRV's inventory or else positioned on the ground near the door.
I really hope this is a bug and not an intended change because, while some people might see this as an improvement I'd like to argue quite strongly that it's not.
Basically mechanisms like the locked door and key offer the possibility for emergent gameplay. For example, I spent some time figuring out how to get a ship launched fighter inside a Thargoid base. What I realised was that you could "prop" the door open by dropping a Thargoid Sensor just outside (being very careful not to let it roll through the open doorway, slamming the door in your face!) and then go and get into your SLF and fly it through the open doorway. I also found that if the "prop" got dislodged then the door would close leaving you locked inside! What I then had to do was call for a fuel rat to come and let me out by opening the door from the outside (you can imagine his surprise when an SLF flew out!).
It's this kind of emergent gameplay that I'm a very strong advocate of and why I'm posting this in order to raise awareness of the change in Thargoid door behaviour and to ask that if it's a bug then it be acknowledged and fixed, and if it's an intended change then it be reconsidered and changed back. Please don't remove these difficulties and mechanisms from the game! Imagine if ships no longer ran out of fuel ... there'd be no Fuel Rats (and personally I think that would be a tragedy).
Right now someone is trying to organise a Buckyball race which involves visiting Thargoid bases (something we've not done before) and without the old locked door behaviour one of the central ideas of the race is no longer workable.
If you agree with this post and would like to see this fixed please go and add your voice to the bug report (and vote on it once it's been acknowledged).
BUG REPORT