I was talking to someone about this the other day, the greatest problem FDEV's have is probably the fact that they have literally thousands of good ideas to implement. They would have no shortage of improvements to make, so much so, that making the decisions as to what to evolve as a priority, would be quite a challenge.
Elite Dangerous vs Star Citizen
- Thread starter SmaugBR
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The retoric, hype and marketing that comes from SC quarters matches Fdev the others you mentiondon't even come close.
The threat by SC is (I would agree) a perceived one that is dissipating, which is a shame. But if they were to release the game they say it is then I believe, that FDev would attempt to counter with good quality updates of their own. Problem is no release of SC means they don't need to.
Just this line alone my friend.
Star Citizen is / will be it's own thing albeit a very similar concept. NMS is and will always be NMS, Elite Dangerous is Elite Dangerous and my god don't we all love it! Even when we're arguing over nothing, getting ridiculously passionate about our favorite space sim and name calling! It's like a day in UK parliament, except way more productive!
You're comparing the hype from CIG with that of FD? Wow... i really can't see that at all.
Regardless of the hype, what is more important than hype is what is actually implemented. So how do the other games compare with ED and SC? If you think they are not in the same league as ED, then fine, i prefer just to see them as different.
I do not believe though what any other game would do (including SC), would make any change to the quality of the releases FD makes. I believe they are trying their best to make things as good as possible, so its not like they would magically start performing better just because another game does something.
OK
Funny thing is, because of the down time I went to play some games I haven't played in ages and guess what? They need to be updated with super long time downloads...and one can only watch netflix for so long....lol..
I've heard this push back so many times that it's somewhat stale now. Especially given existing contemporary space sims the likes of Space Engineers, X4, Empyrion Galactic and NMS.
What sort of game in your opinion, was ED truly intended to be? And more specifically, how would implementing emergent PvE game play features (which ED so sorely needs for longevity) the likes of space legs, personal Cmdr space station HQ building/crafting, interactive NPCs v. static 2D menus etc. affect your vision for the existing game play? Are you truly that oblivious on how completely dated the way interaction with station NPC contacts is in 2019? Or is it because you don't really care?
Because if you won't admit this, then I will. The BGS is a terrific, dynamic feature that maintains economic stability within the ED universe. However the PP RPing elements are extremely weak at best. Repeat. Extremely weak aka debilitated at best. Since the faction NPCs you interact with have zero character development (i.e. limited to text descriptions with outdated graphics). Which encourages the most superficial RPing for PvE players seeking gaming immersion in the game world. PP has low replay value. Once you've performed the grind to rank up to Duke/Prince or whatever level to unlock the ship/game play ability a PP faction leader provides, there is little incentive to continue progression with said faction. Even if you opt to live dangerously and play the role of double agent. At some point, your rank/progression will reach the point where you've obtained all the benefits you want from said faction. So what's left?
You're somewhat left with doing PP to take advantage of things like passive income benefits for being in that faction. The Galaxy news about NPCs and PP events weren't that much better either. Because you as the player, cannot form an emotional bond/relationship in game through interaction with your Holo Me character. The way you can say in RPG franchises the likes of TES/Fallout/Witcher etc. So if Princess Asling (sp?) were to be assassinated by NPC pirates tomorrow, neither I nor my Holo Me Commander would give two figs about it. LoL.
The best thing FDev has done to date in attempting to rectify this, was to use real player driven narratives on Galaxy news. That helps players feel they're a part of the interactive world/universe where ED is so sorely lacking.
So that's my vision for where I hope FDev could be headed with ED. I can be a space privateer, Wing Commander, pirate rogue, upstanding billionare trader, valiant explorer etc etc. in my vision for ED in the future. So what's yours on what you feel ED was truly intended to be?
To keep up with Star Citizen's amazing plans, Elite Dangerous is going to need flocks of procedural birds.
What's the suggestion in not so many words?
Please give space legs.
I hope you've told them about your condition.
Addendum: As for the suggestions, I like the changes FD's made to make each station look more like the market type it has. I likely wouldn't mind FD tweaking them if they feel the urge but I'd prefer bug fixes instead. As for SC, I don't care because I play on XB1 and SC won't be released for it. Probably not even for the next gen consoles either.
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but you just contradicted your first sentence.
Extending plantary landing to more biomes --- IS a feature which current market competition uses and does very well from a procedural perspective. Examples: Empyrion Galactic (which graphics STILL looks good despite the dated label) and NMS (on the cartoonier end).
Developing the Thargoid invasion and the role of the Guardians. --- Long overdue. FDev could learn a lot from the likes of Bethesda in this regard.
Develop the exploration side further so there are more phenomena and things to find. ---POIs & world exploration are already done by NMS, Subnautica, and especially Empyrion Galactic
Integrate factions, squadrons, powers, Thargoids and Guardians so that there is a galactic battle for control of systems. --- This is FDev's greatest potential to differentiate ED. Especially since space battles/boarding enemy faction ships is a feature already done by Executive Assault another early release. And by Space Engineers which is mostly emergent game play that is player driven.
By your definition, ED has no alternative but to copy supposed competition. By default of being a follower to existing market competition to date.
Okay I give up. Not one of those games makes me think I do any of that activity in the Milky Way galaxy, that is the core of what ED is building on.
True. But there are priorities, which are quite transparent, in my eyes anyway:
1. Fix the game, remove annoying, (hopefully most) bugs.
2. Fix in-game balance, meaning ships and equipment, rewards, crime & punishment, stuff like that.
3. Improve depth, meaning make content which is already in-game more deep, varied, with some substance.
4. Only after that work on stuff that brings new things to the ED, stuff like Carriers, Atmo, Spacelegs, whatever else they have planned.
It really gives the feeling that they are spreading too much. Carriers isn't small undertaking, and this content is free. It requires huge development effort to create, and will bring heaps of new issues into the game. They also working on atmo as far as we know, yet again, very large chunk of content. It just feels like fitting it in well established framework would be easier and less taxing than what they're doing now...
This.
Many of the mechanics are already there, they just need more visible and dramatic player intervention. IE, the BGS could still function with player owned factions. But just imagine how much more engaging the game would be if it is your faction that is growing and taking control of systems.
It took them 5 years to improve mining and exploration to a bare minimum playable state.
The game will be obsolete when they start improving the rest of the professions.
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