Elite - A game to please everyone and pleases no one?

[gorsey]

So I was an original kickstarter backer based off the previous games (BBC Elite and frontier). Like many, I was interested to see what would be produced. Initally I was surprised and impressed at the initial game. Since then its been a bit meh...

I took a break before Horizions was launched, as I wasn't clear where the game was going. Sit it out and see, I suppose.

Now it seems like the game has turned into a bit of try and please all, and end up pleasing no-one

AKA

Port to consoles = pull PC quality down
Not enough combat = CQC
More gameplay = Powerplay
More emersion = Planetary landings
Made fore VR = Are they supporting the latest rift versions now (not sure)

Seems to be they are ripping themselves apart trying to please everyone. Am I alone?

 

[StuF]

Are you alone in posting yet another meh! thread - nope there are several each and every hour posing the same repetitive questions and making the exact same points.

 

[Jane Turner]

It pleases me immensely (but I amd mostly interested in politcal change via the BGS)

 

[Cmdr Ultra]

More emersion = Planetary landings

emersion
ɪˈməːʃ(ə)n,iː-/
noun

• 1.
  the process of emerging from water after being submerged.
  [COLOR=#878787 !important]"some coral species can survive emersion for up to three hours"[/COLOR]
  
  
  
• 2.
  ASTRONOMY
  the reappearance of a celestial body after its eclipse or occultation.
  
  

At least the 2nd definition is close to space. And that's the only entertainment I can exhume out of this thread. Excuse the lazy cut and paste.

 

[shadragon]

It pleases me immensely (but I amd mostly interested in politcal change via the BGS)

This. Except for the political BGS part.

 

[DaggerSnake]

I'm well pleased with Elite, and excited to see what's next.

 

[Don Alvarez]

It's not meant to please everybody, because obviously it is just not for everyone.

 

[dementia]

The OP made a valid point with regard to the port to the Xbox.

I am deeply concerned that the capabilities of the game are/will be handicapped by a need to be compatible with the Xbox (and PS4 when it launches on that platform). The very nature of PC hardware is that it constantly evolves whereas consoles only evolve every 5 years or so when the next generation is released. The result of the PC evolution is that games like ED can evolve with them and therefore bring in more realism and detail that requires more powerful hardware to be realised. Consoles will just not be able to keep up so unless FD maintain a cut down development stream for consoles branched from the PC stream then it will mean having to keep to the lowest denominator and that will be sad and ultimately damaging for the game. Especially in the face of stiff competition that will come from games like Eve Valkerie and Star Citizen (love them or hate them) which will not be handicapped by having to support a console version.

 

[monkeymagoo]

I've just had probably the best 1.5 hours gaming I've had in a long while. They've absolutely nailed combat at least for my skill level. I was not given an easy ride and it was flippin' good fun (incl. a half-hour cat & mouse chase with a federal dropship).

Hope you find a play style that you enjoy...

 

[Don Alvarez]

The OP made a valid point with regard to the port to the Xbox.

I am deeply concerned that the capabilities of the game are/will be handicapped by a need to be compatible with the Xbox (and PS4 when it launches on that platform). The very nature of PC hardware is that it constantly evolves whereas consoles only evolve every 5 years or so when the next generation is released. The result of the PC evolution is that games like ED can evolve with them and therefore bring in more realism and detail that requires more powerful hardware to be realised. Consoles will just not be able to keep up so unless FD maintain a cut down development stream for consoles branched from the PC stream then it will mean having to keep to the lowest denominator and that will be sad and ultimately damaging for the game. Especially in the face of stiff competition that will come from games like Eve Valkerie and Star Citizen (love them or hate them) which will not be handicapped by having to support a console version.

Good point. If ED is on a 10 year development plan, I'm sure the Xbgah will have been replaced by the next iteration by the time we're only halfway through. Will they port the game in its entirety at that point to the next gen? Abandon development on the older console? Support both??

 

[Kubicide]

OP definitely makes a valid point. I'd also add that it seems more like FDev have "chased the money" ever since release - focusing on what gets them immediate / near term revenue versus what is good for the game (or good for the business) long term. Too bad. They're not alone in this tact. But companies that do this eventually disappear.

 

[LameoveR]

Spent two hours riding Ariel's ridges aimlessly.

 

[Bad_Wolf]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I could swear i remember the Dev's saying in the begin that they wanted to bring it to consoles as well as PC.
Though I could be wrong on that I guess.

I'd say that a good portion of the things added since launch were discussed in one way or another in the design docs threads back in the day.
Not trying to be disagreeable it just feels to me like they're trying to do a "value added" kind of thing as opposed to "cobble some stuff together to satisfy some squeaky wheels on the forums".

Personally, I have fun when I play. On the other hand I wouldn't call myself addicted to Elite either.
It's not a perfect game for sure, but I think they're trying to do right in the best way they can.

 

[CariadocThorne]

OP definitely makes a valid point. I'd also add that it seems more like FDev have "chased the money" ever since release - focusing on what gets them immediate / near term revenue versus what is good for the game (or good for the business) long term. Too bad. They're not alone in this tact. But companies that do this eventually disappear.

There are plenty of people who are happy with their direction and the game (not that it's perfect, it has plenty of flaws, but for us it is going in the right direction).

Maybe they aren't chasing the money, but rather following a distinct plan which doesn't, at this time, focus on the things which would appeal most to you. That is not meant in a derogatory way at all, it is inevitable that some people will like the direction they take and others won't. What is good for the game in one to one player is very different from what is good for the game to another.

It is entirely probable, that if they had taken a direction which pleased you, I would be the one expressing doubts about the direction they had chosen.

 

[Troubletcat]

It's obviously not to meant to please everyone.

CQC was a weird addition to try and appeal to the console market, I'll give you that.

Aside from that every other addition to the game since release seems consistent to me with a core vision for the game, and a vision that's simply not intended to appeal to a mass market. How many threads do we have asking for more MMO features in the game when FDev have said in the past they have no interest in doing most of these, for example? If they were trying to make a mass-market game they'd be incorporating far more MMORPG features, for one thing. I also imagine that they'd speed up the pace of the game a lot by massively reducing the time spent in super cruise, the time it takes to land on planets, the time it takes to dock, the time it takes to win any significant combats...

I think the best argument I can give against the idea that FDev are trying to please everyone is just "look at the forums". So many people asking for things that FDev haven't and probably won't do because it doesn't fit with their vision for the game, even in cases where commonly requested changes probably WOULD make the game a lot more popular.

Instead they're staying true to a niche audience that understands what ED is actually about and appreciates it for what it is rather than wanting it to be more like X, Y, or Z other game that's more popular than this one.

Probably a bad move from a business perspective, but I think it does make it impossible to claim they're trying to please everyone while keeping a straight face.

 

[CariadocThorne]

Probably a bad move from a business perspective,

Is it though?

If they assumed that their competition would target the mainstream part of the market, targeting a substantial niche market, especially one with a large proportion of mature gamers with significant spending power and the inclination to stick with a game over a number of years and continue investing in it, is not a bad idea.

Niche markets can be very good business, especially when you have them mostly to yourself.

 

[Troubletcat]

Is it though?

If they assumed that their competition would target the mainstream part of the market, targeting a substantial niche market, especially one with a large proportion of mature gamers with significant spending power and the inclination to stick with a game over a number of years and continue investing in it, is not a bad idea.

Niche markets can be very good business, especially when you have them mostly to yourself.

Mmm, you might be right. I remember when ED first launched FDev announced that early sales passed all their internal targets and meant that they already had enough money to keep working on the game for quite a long time (makes it kind of funny when people claim that the game is going to die soon because the peak player count on Steam is low...)

So it seems to be working out pretty well for them so far. I like the game a lot, so I hope it keeps working.