Elite Bridge Crew

[Masrock]

After playing Star Trek Bridge Crew I realised that it's cooperative system to pilot a large ship is what I expected that ED multicrew was going to have but didn't.
Do you think that EDev could learn lessons from STBC and add the cooperative elements to give a multicrewed ship advantages over a single pilot ship and more satisfactory game play for the crew? Also EliteBridge Crew would have much greater freedom and depth than Star Trek Bridge Crew.
Masrock

 

[SpeedDaemon]

Do you think that EDev could learn lessons from Star Trek Bridge Crew...

No.

 

[Eymerich]

After playing Star Trek Bridge Crew I realised that it's cooperative system to pilot a large ship is what I expected that ED multicrew was going to have but didn't.
Do you think that EDev could learn lessons from STBC and add the cooperative elements to give a multicrewed ship advantages over a single pilot ship and more satisfactory game play for the crew? Also EliteBridge Crew would have much greater freedom and depth than Star Trek Bridge Crew.
Masrock

Yes.

Especially with npc, since they promised it (And never delivered)

 

[Kingston@#]

After playing Star Trek Bridge Crew I realised that it's cooperative system to pilot a large ship is what I expected that ED multicrew was going to have but didn't.
Do you think that EDev could learn lessons from STBC and add the cooperative elements to give a multicrewed ship advantages over a single pilot ship and more satisfactory game play for the crew? Also EliteBridge Crew would have much greater freedom and depth than Star Trek Bridge Crew.
Masrock

maybe

 

[Masrock]

I could imagine multi target scanning of planetary ring asteroids and mining fine targeting for better yields.
Faster repairs in combat, temporary above tolerance power routing in combat, electronic systems interference of systems all working well in Elite Bridge Crew.
Masrock

 

[LeoBartlet]

I can easily see how a few alien races would be good in elite rather than the drip fed crap we have now.

As for better crew features? Meh.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Yes, absolutely...

Not primarily because STBC was so incredibly fleshed out or perfect - but mainly because the ELITE implementation is so extremely shallow and poorly thought out. Zero depth as usual.

And it would have been so incredibly easy to go beyond "MultiPew".

Just a basic example :
- Shield building and -regeneration currently "just works" all by itself
- Chaff/Heatsinks/SCBs "just work" based on their duration and reload timers & ammo count

Dirt easy to implement Crew Possibilities (Player or NPC) :
Defense SubSystem Position
- Shield Regen/Rebuild rate can be improved by manually redirecting power from other Systems (Weapons/Engines) by Crew
- Shield Regen/Rebuild rate can be improved by Console Activity (skill-building MiniGame)
- overall base Shield effectiveness improved by "Experience Level" of Crewed Player/NPC (replaces "magic Pip")
- SCB/Heatsink/Chaff/ECM reload timers or duration (Chaff) improved by same factors by present Crewed Player/NPC

Splitting of base mechanics into something workable for a Crew Member
- Shield Focus possible into 4 cardinal sectors (Fore/Aft/Port/Starboard) by Crew Member
- Defensive SubSystems can receive "Special Trigger" Crew Member can invest into it, 1-time boosting its application (i.e. duration increased by xx %)
-> "Special Trigger" has cooldown and builds back over time while Crew Member is in action (classic "Special" game mechanic)
-> Experience Level of Crew Member in specific position improves the effect when utilized

----------------------------
So applying what is essentially oldschool Game mechanics, you just got yourself :
- an actual Crew Position
- an actial task to perform that is credible and skill-based (Player-skill and classic XP level building)
- a position that doesn't require a specific Ship Build (i.e. Turrets or SLF)
- something that allows the Player to become good at

Very easy and basic stuff. Took me a mere Second to come up with.
And yet it already exceeds everything the current MultiCrew has to offer, while being easy on the implementation, recycles most of the existing elements and would even incorporate into existing Turret Gunner/SLF mechanics - all while permitting an NPC to perform the same task based on classic Scripts.

 

[Masrock]

Yes, well written, exactly my thoughts.
Masrock.

 

[Masrock]

In addition, I like STMC came out of the box cross platform, I have friends who don't have a PC, but do have PS4.
I'd also suggest at the risk of being flamed, elite muliticrew should be vr only and include the mic level test, there is no point being in a cooperative crew if you can't verbally communicate.
Masrock

 

[xondk]

Yes, absolutely...

Not primarily because STBC was so incredibly fleshed out or perfect - but mainly because the ELITE implementation is so extremely shallow and poorly thought out. Zero depth as usual.

And it would have been so incredibly easy to go beyond "MultiPew".

Just a basic example :
- Shield building and -regeneration currently "just works" all by itself
- Chaff/Heatsinks/SCBs "just work" based on their duration and reload timers & ammo count

Dirt easy to implement Crew Possibilities (Player or NPC) :
Defense SubSystem Position
- Shield Regen/Rebuild rate can be improved by manually redirecting power from other Systems (Weapons/Engines) by Crew
- Shield Regen/Rebuild rate can be improved by Console Activity (skill-building MiniGame)
- overall base Shield effectiveness improved by "Experience Level" of Crewed Player/NPC (replaces "magic Pip")
- SCB/Heatsink/Chaff/ECM reload timers or duration (Chaff) improved by same factors by present Crewed Player/NPC

Splitting of base mechanics into something workable for a Crew Member
- Shield Focus possible into 4 cardinal sectors (Fore/Aft/Port/Starboard) by Crew Member
- Defensive SubSystems can receive "Special Trigger" Crew Member can invest into it, 1-time boosting its application (i.e. duration increased by xx %)
-> "Special Trigger" has cooldown and builds back over time while Crew Member is in action (classic "Special" game mechanic)
-> Experience Level of Crew Member in specific position improves the effect when utilized

----------------------------
So applying what is essentially oldschool Game mechanics, you just got yourself :
- an actual Crew Position
- an actial task to perform that is credible and skill-based (Player-skill and classic XP level building)
- a position that doesn't require a specific Ship Build (i.e. Turrets or SLF)
- something that allows the Player to become good at

Very easy and basic stuff. Took me a mere Second to come up with.
And yet it already exceeds everything the current MultiCrew has to offer, while being easy on the implementation, recycles most of the existing elements and would even incorporate into existing Turret Gunner/SLF mechanics - all while permitting an NPC to perform the same task based on classic Scripts.

And I ask like so many times when this is brought up, I do not disagree, but how exactly will this work in a setting where a single player also needs to be able to work their ship effectively?

A single player game with single player orientated control and details of ship main role is one pilot.
A multi player game game where there always will be delegated rolls and the rolls always will be filled because that is the nature of the game.

These are two entirely different game play styles, how would you mix them effective? I get wanting 'more' from multi crew, and while it may seem 'easy' it most assuredly is not, because you are mixing so different things.

 

[verminstar]

After playing Star Trek Bridge Crew I realised that it's cooperative system to pilot a large ship is what I expected that ED multicrew was going to have but didn't.
Do you think that EDev could learn lessons from STBC and add the cooperative elements to give a multicrewed ship advantages over a single pilot ship and more satisfactory game play for the crew? Also EliteBridge Crew would have much greater freedom and depth than Star Trek Bridge Crew.
Masrock

Yes they could learn a few things from trekkies...like how to do it properly. Im guessing they knew what was coming when they said they would only develop it if players used it...after seeing what the competition was offering, they lost the motivation as they knew it would be a flop in comparison ^

 

[Craith]

I am all for more multicrew options, but please no skill bonus / XP ... No numeric bonus based on some levels ... This is not wow in space

 

[Slopey]

And I ask like so many times when this is brought up, I do not disagree, but how exactly will this work in a setting where a single player also needs to be able to work their ship effectively?

A single player game with single player orientated control and details of ship main role is one pilot.
A multi player game game where there always will be delegated rolls and the rolls always will be filled because that is the nature of the game.

These are two entirely different game play styles, how would you mix them effective? I get wanting 'more' from multi crew, and while it may seem 'easy' it most assuredly is not, because you are mixing so different things.

Also, the pace of combat and the ship manoeuvrability doesn't lend itself to slower paced STBC style combat.

 

[Masrock]

And I ask like so many times when this is brought up, I do not disagree, but how exactly will this work in a setting where a single player also needs to be able to work their ship effectively?

A single player game with single player orientated control and details of ship main role is one pilot.
A multi player game game where there always will be delegated rolls and the rolls always will be filled because that is the nature of the game.

These are two entirely different game play styles, how would you mix them effective? I get wanting 'more' from multi crew, and while it may seem 'easy' it most assuredly is not, because you are mixing so different things.

Why would things need to change? A multi crewed ship should be more effective, more dangerous. A single player taking down a multicrewed ship should get greater rewards.
Checks and balances should be in place of course. Maybe a MC ship should be flagged different on the hud so you can bug out in good time.
Masrock

 

[Urbanski101]

I think this could only work for ships that are specifically designed for multicrew, like a capital ship or equivalent.

As xondk says, all ships in ED are designed for a single pilot and there isn't much a single pilot can't do more efficiently than a crew. And as Slopey says the pace of the combat doesn't lend itself to multicrew like STBC, by the time you've said deploy shield booster the moment has passed, it's quicker just to press the right key.

Think about a typical combat encounter in ED, you just react to stuff, changing pips to different priorities on a second to second basis, it wouldn't work unless ED create capital ship combat, ships that can only be flown with a full crew and specified roles for each crew member.

 

[Mohrgan]

I have to say that E|D has been formed with ships and an UI allowing a single pilot to control the entire ship. Trying to expand the control scheme to other players is problematic. Just look at the Drama Storm over how the roles were allocated. As it stands FD have had to give the Helm more control over what aspects of the ship gunners have control over. Let STBC be what it is and accept E|D for what it is.

 

[GG7]

When Multi-Crew for ED was first announced, I assumed it would be much like the new Star Trek game. As time went on and I started to see what the implementation was actually going to be, I quickly lost interest. And totally wrote it off once it was made clear that there would be NO NPC crew offering.

As far as FD learning from this other game? I'm afraid the DIE has been cast, and what we have is what we are always going to have. Wishing or hoping for Frontier to totally overhaul this system and provide something more sophisticated is just setting yourself up for major disappointment.

Something closer to STBC is never going to happen.

 

[xondk]

Also, the pace of combat and the ship manoeuvrability doesn't lend itself to slower paced STBC style combat.

This is also true

Why would things need to change? A multi crewed ship should be more effective, more dangerous. A single player taking down a multicrewed ship should get greater rewards.
Checks and balances should be in place of course. Maybe a MC ship should be flagged different on the hud so you can bug out in good time.
Masrock

It wouldn't really become 'better' though then it currently is, at best it would become slightly move involving but even so it would still mainly be combat and pew pew, sure you could make stuff for exploring, that maybe gave increased scan bonus, but again, that is a VERY slow profession, so yeah it would possibly quickly become quite boring, trade? sure, gunner for a trade ship that 'might' be interdicted, but again that 'might' is a lot of down time.

I think this could only work for ships that are specifically designed for multicrew, like a capital ship or equivalent.

Basically yeah, this it would work with something larger, where you'd need to maybe have repair people or whatnot that could actually DO something when something went down, I mean sure it could also be done now via afmu's that 'repair' stuff, but again it would still lead to a lot of down time..

Take Star Citizen, and what they promise, it 'sounds' great but there is going to be a heck of a lot of down time, and last I checked no one is addressing it and when it is brought up it is ignored.


Wanting advanced mechanics is great and all, but over the longer term, the actual use case will be few compared to the amount of time you are 'doing stuff' that just works and you don't need engineers or whatnot.

We will see what they come up with but yeah saying its "easy" to fix just isn't true, because you are basically asking to mix survival, action, single player and multi player into one coherent thing that makes sense and works, and these genre's are almost direct opposites. Survival is generally slow, has action sure, but its slower in nature with intense skirmishes, action speaks for itself, its action and lots of it. and single player and multiplayer says itself.

So yeah, how'd you mix that 'easily'?

 

[metatheurgist]

The only way to make E:D multicrew like ST multicrew is to break up all the functions we can easily do on one stick and spread them out to several positions so that one person can't do it all from the same console. That's not improvement, that's just making something multicrew for the sake of it.

E:D is doing multicrew correctly for the style of gameplay it's offering. It's presenting things you can't do yourself, like fly a fighter and control some guns independently. For mc to be effective in E:D the crew member has to do something I can't already do without deliberately sabotaging the effective controls we already have.

About the only thing I can't do as a solo pilot (besides the 2 things mentioned above) is manage pips to be 100% dynamically effective for all situations or type coms while I'm flying. Technically those could also be "roles" but I don't think the person stuck doing them would find them enthralling.

 

[ratchet5000]

Very easy and basic stuff. Took me a mere Second to come up with.
And yet it already exceeds everything the current MultiCrew has to offer, while being easy on the implementation, recycles most of the existing elements and would even incorporate into existing Turret Gunner/SLF mechanics - all while permitting an NPC to perform the same task based on classic Scripts.

Some things are easier said than done, especially in computer programming. Everything new has to be built from the ground up in whatever language the Cobra engine is based on.