Elite Dangerous: Odyssey Q&A - Interface and NPCs

[CMDR D Noize]

Q: Will the HUD be customisable? (I.e. different colours for the visually impaired)
The interface won’t be customisable for Elite Dangerous: Odyssey though we will of course be taking feedback on board regarding accessibility.

This really, really, REALLY needs addressing. I know the ladies & gents at FDev seem very attached to your orange colour scheme but for some of us it's quite a pervasive issue and has been requested repeatedly for years.

PC players seems to be able to easily mod their HUDs to just about any colours they want, but visually impaired console players like myself are stuck using a colour scheme that can make just looking at the game quite difficult at times.
I'm a huge fan of this game (it's the best "Space Game" I've ever played) and my only real issue with it is a colour scheme that physically hurts my eyes to look at because of the contrast between bright orange and jet black.

Please give it some genuine consideration.

Cheers

o7

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

So, apart from shooting other NPCs, what else is there to do around those bases? Just scavenging?

Missions. I believe you can get missions from these outposts.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I was just saying that Odyssey mainly seems to be combat focused and we already have COD for that kind of thing, I was never ever comparing them. And yes they have said there'll be an exploration element but the only details seem to be around combat, the only real exploration info we've gotten is we can get a first footfall tag on planets, hardly teeming with details. Also do you know how childish "If you don't like it don't play it" sounds. I don't like lots of things about the game but they'll never stop me from playing because there's more I like than I dont

I didn't realise COD was part of the ED gaming experience.

Even if we only get combat (which we won't), it's still part of ED and will be nothing like COD. You can't pick up a missions at a random base, fly to the settlement in your ship, do what you need to do (possibly combat), fly back to said station and hand in your mission. It will be nothing like COD even if it's combat only, which we know it isn't.

 

[simp26]

we can walk in carrier?

 

[zimms]

Wow. I just reached the planetary exploration scene in Alien: Isolation (not even the newest of games), and if Odyssey would come even close to this both by planetary atmosphere (yes, both meanings) and hud, then I'd be totally sold. At least for really really unhealthy planet types

You're aiming too high. Pretty sure Odyssey won't give you a similar experience.

 

[askavir]

In fairness all these asinine COD / Fortnite remarks could be avoided if FD started spilling the beans already.

Meanwhile we already went through another whole month, we're at end of january and we would probably be nearing the alpha start in the original release calendar. And yet we still know next to nothing about odyssey, no more dev diaries were released (and the ones who did showed very little), no sneak peeks, no feature / gameplay annopuncements, there was more info (at least hints of more varied gameplay) in the original dev post about odyssey in mid-2020 than in all the dev diaries combined, regardless of how cool they may look.

It's like odyssey has to be the most guarded secret in the galaxy for some weird reason. Just spill the beans already!

 

[Uvelius Sång]

You're aiming too high. Pretty sure Odyssey won't give you a similar experience.

I'd assume that ... though such planets could even be procedually generated quite well, I guess ... oh the chances for search&hide stuff ...

 

[Arioch]

You're aiming too high. Pretty sure Odyssey won't give you a similar experience.

Aye - I can play Alien: Isolation in VR, for a start

(hopefully EDO will one day expand VR to on-feet gameplay; even just capturing a piece of the A: I experience in Elite would be awesome. Exploring a Thargoid mothership’s corridors? I’ll have a bit of that!)

 

[Jikesaijo]

The hud is not good. There should be different icons for friendly/enemy ship, scanned not scanned. And color HUD should have capability to change color. On top, différent ship with different HUD is also a must. Same for the suits... be we can dream or play directly star citizen .... once again FDEV show their poor skills

 

[Axacuatl]

It's like odyssey has to be the most guarded secret in the galaxy for some weird reason. Just spill the beans already!

Well, you know, they don't wont to raise expectations at this stage of the development where there is still so much up in the air. This will change of course, when they come nearer to release - say in 2-3 years. Then, before entering into the Alpha, they surely will dish out lots of details /s

 

[CardioTherapy]

For the next Q&A session here is one Question:
Q: How are you going to keep consol players entertained and engaged untill Odyssay comes to consols?

 

[Arindor]

Begs the question, why can't we have consumable batteries or not be affected by oxygen levels like NPCs?

Also, will a base have unlimited NPCs?

 

[Cyberblitz]

Yawn... Its getting a little tiresome these half baked answers... What I would like to see is proper dev diaries, you know, behind the scenes stuff and some ACTUAL game play footage!!

 

[Slooperopols]

Open Only Powerplay when

And Open only BGS as well. Absolute imbalance that people can affect something important without any chance of being affected back.

 

[KingDrax]

Will the 'on foot' controls be customisable separately, in a similar way to how the SRV and Ship controls can be customised separately at present?

Also please can we do something in advance about all that poncey leaping about that goes on in other FPS games? Maybe introduce a limit to the number of times a player can' jump' while running?

But yeah, this all looks great. Thanks for the Q&A and please do make the HUD customisable for those with visual impairment. Accessibility is important.

[Edit] Just dug out my N64 USB PC controller to use with the Odyssey game. I wanna set it up with similar controls to Duke Nukem, as far as possible

 

[khalismur]

And Open only BGS as well. Absolute imbalance that people can affect something important without any chance of being affected back.

I'd not go as far as saying Open only. But surely commanders who've been more active in Open should have more influence over BGS and PP. But this topic is already being "discussed" elsewhere.

 

[Achtung-Goomba]

I'd not go as far as saying Open only. But surely commanders who've been more active in Open should have more influence over BGS and PP. There should be a downside to being safe from PvP in Solo when taking part in this aspect of the game. I think a buff to Inf changes for Open players could be fine-tuned and well implemented, taking into account the Block function.

But, and this is quoting from minds than understand it better than myself, direct PvP is a poor influencer of the BGS; even within a player-faction war, while you’re trying to blast one of my squadron mates flying interference I could be in the same instance nuking every red NPC on my scanner until my side have won the CZ. You might well send my mate, or even me to the rebuy screen, but at that rate we’d win the war in our hypothetical scenario. At worst, PvP adversely affects your own faction’s influence if you are supporting the controlling faction.

So why do you deserve a bonus for playing in a suboptimal fashion?

 

[khalismur]

while you’re trying to blast one of my squadron mates flying interference I could be in the same instance nuking every red NPC on my scanner until my side have won the CZ. You might well send my mate, or even me to the rebuy screen, but at that rate we’d win the war in our hypothetical scenario.

The point is have that choice!!

 

[Achtung-Goomba]

The point is have that choice!!

You already do. At the main menu. You shouldn’t get a bonus for consciously playing the game in a manner than actively hinders your chosen activity.

Look at me, I fly the same suboptimal PvE builds because they’re fun to fly in whatever mode I choose for my mood. If I get ganked in Open it’s my own stupid fault and we’ll all get a good chuckle out of it, and maybe one day it’ll force me to be a better pilot for it; I hardly deserve a bonus for exposing myself to a nebulous risk when I choose Open play.

Edit: sorry I wasn’t paying attention and thought I was replying to the other thread, I’m not stalking your posts, honest!

 

[SergMx]

Q. Does oxygen level impact combat ability and does this apply to NPCs as well?
If your suit loses power, its life support will shut down causing the suits emergency air supply to be used. If the emergency air is fully depleted then you will start to asphyxiate, making aiming and locomotion more difficult. Loss of suit power will also stop you from using your assisted jump and your audio will change, lowering awareness of what is happening around you.

Do I understand correctly that the last phrase only affects solo players? Since the link (wing), all coordination is carried out through the Discord.