Elite Dangerous : Post Mortem

[znôrt]

I don't think anyone is suggesting they would be uploading code. A snapshot means no dynamic BGS, no pushing numbers around or evolving galaxy. Since cheating is no longer an issue, mods would be able to change ship stats, add personal paint kits etc etc, nothing to do with heavily modifying the core game.

There is a ton of stuff in this game locked down, all because this is an online shared galaxy.

i don't follow. i was referring to baben's statement:

"matching client and servers and game world state), and would release such an archive if the servers were to come down"

which essentially means pushing the client code, the server code and the game state data; 'snapshot' here represents that what's needed for anyone to take over the game as it is at that moment. community would need to be able to, at the bare minimum, rebuild and deploy the servers and import the data. clients could be reused if the 'calling home' addresses can be configured or patched, but ideally should be buildable as well. and, of course, modded and modified, but that's the next step.

my point is that for this to happen frontier has to release the source code, and it has to be legal and practical. this may or may not be the case at that point. nothing to do with modding.

 

[777Driver]

my point is that for this to happen frontier has to release the source code, and it has to be legal and practical. this may or may not be the case at that point. nothing to do with modding.

I cannot see them releasing the source code. And I've always taken it as a completely offline snapshot with everything handled locally. If he is suggesting some community based/funded project to keep things going.. Well good luck with that, things are not great as it is, and that's with a company pumping millions into the project using amazon servers.

Personally makes no sense to me, easiest option if things go south, give the community a 'simulator ' mode like many have requested. Access to ships for flying/testing/modding and a galaxy to explore, completely offline, no shared BGS. Focus on the next version

 

[Weps]

You think a snapshot means we will still have online capability? The only reason we need access to any servers is due to the BGS.

I seem to remember the client accessing the server for more than just BGS data but I'm too lazy to look and it's moot anyway.

Bottom line is this, you either need them to release server code, or you need them to provide a modified client working fully offline (or in other words, "Offline mode"). Either way we are talking about never seen before software, currently not part of the product being sold.

All I'm saying is I don't see this happening, not for free, not out of the "goodness of their hearts". No matter the amount of good intentions, a business doesn't work that way.

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Elite: Dedly

Elite: Doomed Eternal

 

[777Driver]

I seem to remember the client accessing the server for more than just BGS data but I'm too lazy to look and it's moot anyway.

Bottom line is this, you either need them to release server code, or you need them to provide a modified client working fully offline (or in other words, "Offline mode"). Either way we are talking about never seen before software, currently not part of the product being sold.

All I'm saying is I don't see this happening, not for free, not out of the "goodness of their hearts". No matter the amount of good intentions, a business doesn't work that way.

Been a while, but from memory they cancelled the full offline during late beta or Gamma. I would have thought they have some basic structure for handling an offline mode. Servers do a tonne of stuff, handles bookmarks, changes you make to ships etc etc. All of that is because you can access your account any where in the world from any computer. That doesn't need to be the case, like with many offline sims, everything is handled locally.

I wouldn't say it would be done out of the goodness of their heart, although that may have something to do with it (it is his baby after all) Primary reason is they can continue selling the game.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

A snapshot is not something you can sell to a customer base as a full fledged game. I doubt very much the original plan was just a static galaxy, hence why they had to ditch the idea. A true offline mode would have required a huge amount of dev time.

I would have been happy with a snapshot, and graphical updates to match the main game, couldn't care less about story lines and a dynamic BGS. Am willing to bet the majority wouldn't have been happy with that.

Maybe. I always assumed an offline mode to have limited features due to being offline. Static environment e.g.

 

[777Driver]

Maybe. I always assumed an offline mode to have limited features due to being offline. Static environment e.g.

I would have thought it would be a like a separate game, with a story mode ect, no need to keep sending data to the servers. Like X3 and many other games.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I would have thought it would be a like a separate game, with a story mode ect, no need to keep sending data to the servers. Like X3 and many other games.

Ye, that would have required a lot of dev time.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Time can change and so can circumstances. I hope FD will enable offline play or release the server code when ED reaches EoL like they said they would.

Its not guaranteed unfortunately.

Unfortunately this love of online games means as time goes by, more and more great games will be rendered impossible to play as servers get shut down.

To those hoping FD release the code, i would not expect that. I suspect the most you will be able to do is edit configs and descriptions. Depending on how they store things like ship stats those might be alterable. Modders might be able to change some things easy, other things not so easy without some hacking of executables or libraries.

 

[znôrt]

I cannot see them releasing the source code.

it would be problematic indeed, it's a complex and deep project with many dependencies. but i don't see the game living beyond frontier without that.

Access to ships for flying/testing/modding and a galaxy to explore, completely offline, no shared BGS.

yes, that would be an option for an offline experience. i wouldn't have interpreted braben's words like that (so thanks for the fresh perspective ), but it's a possibility. however, that doesn't look trivial to me either (to produce such snapshots) and i very much doubt they have any of them to date. who knows!

 

[XanderVekk]

if they did release the server code, 3rd party folk would re-balance the ships, streamline materials, delete Engineering, fix PP, add CQC bots, fix the bugs, add small seismic charges and there would be much rejoicing

A 3rd party would also fix the damn cheating. Because right now anyone can Google and install a "trainer". This is ruining what's left of open PvP and dueling - it's gone from "rarely see it" to "a few times a week".

Its time to go, and wait for someone else to take this game over later.

 

[Ian Skippy]

While We are at it, a little off-topic question:
is David still taking part in the game's development?
Somewhere i think i came across some doubtful opinions on this matter...

I would expect him to have a say in the highest order decisions; whether to go for space legs, atmo and such. Beyond that I doubt he has much input. He is a professional CEO, not Chris "make this pixel green" Roberts.

 

[kaokao]

OP, don't panic. ED will continue to underachieve for years to come.

 

[theriverlethe]

A 3rd party would also fix the damn cheating. Because right now anyone can Google and install a "trainer". This is ruining what's left of open PvP and dueling - it's gone from "rarely see it" to "a few times a week".

Its time to go, and wait for someone else to take this game over later.

How exactly would a volunteer community effort fix cheating?

 

[Triptych]

This came up when FD announced they were dropping the Solo Offline version of the game. It created a storm on the forum which went on for days. People pointed out that a standalone game could be played long after FD stopped supporting it, whereas a multiplayer would go when FD decided it wasn't making money any more.

It was in this context that Braben stated that, should FDev stop supporting ED, it would be passed on to someone else, the identity and nature of which was never revealed.

You must decide for yourself how credible this is.

 

[Maolagin]

This came up when FD announced they were dropping the Solo Offline version of the game. It created a storm on the forum which went on for days. People pointed out that a standalone game could be played long after FD stopped supporting it, whereas a multiplayer would go when FD decided it wasn't making money any more.

It was in this context that Braben stated that, should FDev stop supporting E, it would be passed on to someone else, the identity and nature of which was never revealed.

You must decide for yourself how credible this is.

I don't think it's so terribly implausible. There's decent money in the "classic games" market now - see e.g. GOG's entire business model - and that includes distributors working with contract shops that patch old games to make them playable. So long as FDev gave someone a license to make money selling the "classic ED" game, it's at least possible that kind of work would happen, without expecting Frontier to spend their own resources. An advantage to that sort of arrangement is that FDev can license a third party to access the source code for the purpose of making those patches, without the hassle around IP rights that would likely prevent them from simply releasing the source code to the public.

It would certainly be heartening to hear some confirmation that FDev has in fact made and kept the archive snapshots that Braben promised, but I'm more skeptical that those could ever be brought into a truly playable state. Those snapshots would probably be of historical interest only. That said, game modders are a resourceful bunch. It's entirely possible that, given a snapshot of the full system, volunteers could get a set of community servers up and running.

 

[XanderVekk]

How exactly would a volunteer community effort fix cheating?

You start by punting the people doing it.

Next, you change the code so at least the "everyone Google" version of the cheat that's been out for months doesn't work anymore.

You're right that you probably can't stop the real basement dwellers that swap cheat software over dark web and secret discords. But at least you can put some work into it.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

A 3rd party would also fix the damn cheating. Because right now anyone can Google and install a "trainer". This is ruining what's left of open PvP and dueling - it's gone from "rarely see it" to "a few times a week".

Its time to go, and wait for someone else to take this game over later.

Good luck with PvP on offline mode.

 

[CMDR DragonHorn]

For some reason, it feels like this game will be reborn thrice brighter after it's death, just like phoenix... It's kinda sad wishing it death before its time, but I can't really help it, I want that conceptual masterpiece every second of my life.

 

[Kubicide]

OP, don't panic. ED will continue to underachieve for years to come.

This. So much hope in this thread. Fact is if FDev comes to a point where they can no longer fund the servers this game ends. Simple as that. Many other 'active' multiplayer games have ended like this and Elite is no different. Hope all you want but it won't change facts.

Say it again right from the mouth of FDev prior to release: there is no offline mode built into this game. None. Nada. Zip.