Downloadable console version

[Devlin1973]

With the recent decision to stop developing for consoles, it's only a matter of time until the servers that run the console environment will eventually be turned off/used for PC, so my question is this....

Is it possible to produce a standalone, downoadable version of the game so console users can continue to play it in solo mode?

 

[metatheurgist]

Pretty sure it's all the same AWS servers.

 

[Ski'Thor]

PC and Consoles are sharing the same Background Simulation Servers, since there is only ONE background simulation.
You can't play it without the background simulation.

So you are talking of a "offline version" not a solo mode version.
There is only the login servers and I guess even these are going through the console's own networks and just using an API to connect to the Frontier Login Server...

 

[Devlin1973]

Ok,yeah, I understand that...But how long until they cut off consoles altogether to utilise the bandwith etc for PCs?

Then the console players will have no game at all, after paying for it with money and time!!!!

yes, an offline version would be great

 

[Ski'Thor]

They just stopped the development for consoles, not the game.
There is no word of "we are taking the game offline" but as many other games, this will come somewhere in the future, maybe in a year, maybe in 20 years.

 

[Vingtetun]

Why would they turn them off?
People still play Horizons very happily on consoles.....

 

[Muzz UK]

The game relies on the stellarforge and background sim calculations so I doubt that unless Frontier release the code a standalone or modded version of Elite will ever exist. I doubt they'll turn off console fully no reason too. They have stated they'll continue to update and bug fix. I fully expect them to release Horizons content if minor for both PC and Console they'd be silly not too. That said Odyssey and future DLC is the focus and where Frontier make money on Elite. When you're simulating 400 billion star systems and hundreds of bodies in each system you'll need a hefty server farm.

 

[JohnRoberts]

When you're simulating 400 billion star systems and hundreds of bodies in each system you'll need a hefty server farm.

They aren't continuously simulating 400 billion stars systems though. My understanding is that the stellar forge can procedural generate all those stars, but its just a static description of each system. The orbital position of the bodies can be calculated for any point of time, but these only needs to be done if there is an active player in the system (I don't know if that's done client-side or server-side, but its not complex maths, and could easily be done client-side). Also, I guess that most of those 400 billion stars have never even been generated, given players have only visited much less that 1% of them. They are probably generated on-demand, when a player enters a sector.

 

[Dash]

They aren't continuously simulating 400 billion stars systems though. My understanding is that the stellar forge can procedural generate all those stars, but its just a static description of each system. The orbital position of the bodies can be calculated for any point of time, but these only needs to be done if there is an active player in the system (I don't know if that's done client-side or server-side, but its not complex maths, and could easily be done client-side). Also, I guess that most of those 400 billion stars have never even been generated, given players have only visited much less that 1% of them. They are probably generated on-demand, when a player enters a sector.

That's my understanding too. I do wonder how much data and resources are needed for running that side of things - especially if you've only got one player - e.g. is it feasible to run a simplified version locally for 1 player. When FD do finally come to abandon the system, I'd love them to release that side so communities could run their own galaxies - make it community funded etc. Sadly, I can't see that happening.

 

[Jack Winter]

Seeing how complex and AWS intertwined their server structure is I don't think we'll ever see any community run servers, though possibly the backend could be vastly simplified to produce an offline single player version.

 

[Dash]

I'm sure there are plenty of people here who have plenty of experience in deploying and running components to AWS. Of course, given the hints we get from how things work on the ED client, I wouldn't hold out too much hope that they've deployed into AWS in any sane way.

 

[Rainbro]

Braben said in a previous interview that if they ever dropped support for the servers, they would provide a way for people to continue playing. It's not necessarily going to be easy or standalone - but hopefully it should be possible for say, the community to come together and host their own replacement servers.

This was prior to consoles, however, which may be a different question depending on their requirements.

 

[ZeeWolf]

I'm sure there are plenty of people here who have plenty of experience in deploying and running components to AWS. Of course, given the hints we get from how things work on the ED client, I wouldn't hold out too much hope that they've deployed into AWS in any sane way.

They went into considerable detail here. I'm more familiar with Azure, but there's a ton of detail here and very well trodden paths regarding connectivity, scaling, caching etc

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvJPyjmfdz0&t=197s

 

[zombieapocalypse]

They aren't continuously simulating 400 billion stars systems though. My understanding is that the stellar forge can procedural generate all those stars, but its just a static description of each system. The orbital position of the bodies can be calculated for any point of time, but these only needs to be done if there is an active player in the system (I don't know if that's done client-side or server-side, but its not complex maths, and could easily be done client-side). Also, I guess that most of those 400 billion stars have never even been generated, given players have only visited much less that 1% of them. They are probably generated on-demand, when a player enters a sector.

Yeah, I was under the impression that the stellar forge stuff is all done client-side, but everyone receives the same identical seed for generating the planetary bodies in the system.

 

[Muzz UK]

They aren't continuously simulating 400 billion stars systems though. My understanding is that the stellar forge can procedural generate all those stars, but its just a static description of each system. The orbital position of the bodies can be calculated for any point of time, but these only needs to be done if there is an active player in the system (I don't know if that's done client-side or server-side, but its not complex maths, and could easily be done client-side). Also, I guess that most of those 400 billion stars have never even been generated, given players have only visited much less that 1% of them. They are probably generated on-demand, when a player enters a sector.

True but a lot of changes and updates probably need to populate through various databases and coding streams.

 

[Bottom Hat]

Shall we wait until they "turn off the console servers" before throwing a hissy fit about getting a downloadable version for consoles?

And I case it's not clear from the above, this is pure speculation that they are going to - and kinda makes no sense as they are a shared server load. Also bear in mind that I don't really understand how I works with servers, but I've seen it explained enough times to realise it's not likely to happen as the OP is outrageously imagining.

If it did though, why not worry about it then instead, or at least in the run up to it? But also bear in mind that the game you bought and accepted the ToS etc for, were for an online game. And I highly doubt that the company have left it, so if they want to withdraw online access (turn off the servers) in the future, that they don't have the right to do it.

Also bear in mind that I'm not nerdy enough to go and read them, as it's a bit like torture. I just make this presumption based on how things work.

Things in life do die though, but I expect someone will find the video or interview with Brebus, where he says he'd 'like to' do an offline mode when it comes to the game's end. If anyone feels inclined to find that, have a read of the ToS too, as I can't be bothered.



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[Maolagin]

They aren't continuously simulating 400 billion stars systems though. My understanding is that the stellar forge can procedural generate all those stars, but its just a static description of each system. The orbital position of the bodies can be calculated for any point of time, but these only needs to be done if there is an active player in the system (I don't know if that's done client-side or server-side, but its not complex maths, and could easily be done client-side). Also, I guess that most of those 400 billion stars have never even been generated, given players have only visited much less that 1% of them. They are probably generated on-demand, when a player enters a sector.

Yep, all of that is computed client-side. If you're playing in solo mode, entering an uninhabited procgen system only requires a query to the transaction server to find out if there are any fleet carriers and what bodies are already discovered. Entering an inhabited system is more involved, since BGS data and such are needed to determine what signals, ship traffic, etc you encounter.

So the "exploring uninhabited space" side of ED would probably work more-or-less fine as a standalone offline game. Anything that touches inhabited space, though, relies on the server infrastructure that maintains the BGS to function. Supporting that offline would require Frontier to do additional engineering work to create a client-hosted version of that codebase, so won't be happening anytime soon.

 

[Rainbro]

Things in life do die though, but I expect someone will find the video or interview with Brebus, where he says he'd 'like to' do an offline mode when it comes to the game's end. If anyone feels inclined to find that, have a read of the ToS too, as I can't be bothered.

Hi, here you go:

Braben, Newsletter #50:

What is Frontier's plan for when the servers shut down?
We do not plan to shut the servers down, but understand it is a reasonable question. [...] We do plan to take regular archives of the game and the servers, to preserve the game for the future.

Could the server code be released publicly some day when the servers are shut down?
Yes. This is something we would do if for whatever reason we cannot keep the game going.

Repeated here on the Forums as well.

 

[CmdrKafka]

Leaving the console servers on is irresponsible if they intend to shut them down in the future. Let's demand they IMMEDIATELY shutdown console servers so as not to waste console players time playing the game now if it will all be lost in the future.

Spoiler: Shutdown Procedure Here

This is a joke, probably not all that funny for actual console players, I apologize in advance. They should probably allow full account transfers

 

[Old Duck]

Pretty sure it's all the same AWS servers.

The fly in the ointment would be if Horizons on PC is merged with Odyssey (becomes "Odyssey Lite" as many of us call it), which theoretically would simplify the server code. At this point, will Frontier continue to maintain legacy Horizons server support just for a few remaining console players?

FWIW I admit that my assumptions are based on pure speculation, but there is a logic to that speculation.