Elite For Xbox: Will we ever have parity with the PC community or always be behind in updates?

[Miko]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

Try seeing it from our POV for a sec. We see ALOT of these, and we already know the answer you'll get(if any), it's why we use the joke of having "soon" followed by "TM" when reffering to a dev saying "soon."

 

[Divine Cerinian]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

No offense, but even if they respond its just gonna be "an up to date assurance" of Soon.
The way I see it, if they're gonna cut their loses on us, badgering them isn't gonna stop them.

 

[AkimuMC]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

Hit close to home? I didn't see anyone call you "some kind of entitled brat"...

If you would peruse the forums some, there are many threads near identical to this one. Some even have a response from FD staff. Best we have at this point, and probably best we will get until it is ready for word of a release. It doesn't matter how decently written your post was, this is just the way FD chooses to operate.

They have said it is coming to Xbox One. Probably not as early as Q1, and probably not as late as Q4, leaving us to believe that Q2-Q3 will have a release. They have said they are already testing it in their offices on Xbox. They have also stated that they would rather deal with "Talk to US!!!" rather than give a date and break a promise of release. In my opinion, that isn't a terrible practice. Again, sure they could be more open with us, but they aren't.

Sure, sometimes "soon" turns into scrapped projects... this thread isn't going to change any of that. So what can we do? Enjoy what we have and have faith that when it is ready they will inform us and have a solid date. Is it ideal? Nope, but that is what we get.

 

[CMDR Muy Bien Gato]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

Some people sit on these threads day-in, day-out, and just need to proclaim that your question was just so terribly inconvenient for them to read.

I agree with you though; it's only natural to question these choices. I think (meaning, in my opinion) what makes playing ED on xbox especially difficult is the rift they created when they didn't sync up major patch release parity. It's not really entitlement, just a feeling that I'm not really getting the full experience. It's a difficult feeling to shake when I hop over to Dangerous Discussion and see all this talk about barnacles, Horizons, and now Arena.

What makes me worried is how the Mac version turned out. They're clearly never getting Horizons. FD knew at some point that Horizons wouldn't work with OSX. Now some of us could consider the Mac version of ED half of the promised game. Others could say, well, at least they got something. That's really just a matter of perspective, but FD is now locked into supporting a version that doesn't seem to fit into their development plan.

I enjoy ED for what it is. But it's not far off to say there are legitimate reasons some of us are holding our breath. I think FD is a fantastic developer, and it's clear they are very passionate about their community. But I think they have a problem with development foresight. I really don't think there should ever be a version of a game that can't hold parity with all other versions. That is especially true when all versions of a game share the same universe. The semi-connected parity model they chose for ED is bizarre, to say the least. When I check the bounty board, I shouldn't see bounties for PC players (completely useless). When I accept a mission, I shouldn't expect to be told to land on a planet. When I choose to participate in a CG only to discover it's impossible, that's just bad design.

Some of you say you don't think about the PC version? Sorrrrry, but that's nonsense. The design of the game demands it.

 

[Shinra]

Quit with the attitude towards me guys. I do not have an entitled attitude and it seems clear my original post despite being written quite decently was ignored for what it was and seen simply as some tiresome material.

How many times have gamers been told "soon" only for something to slip off the radar then be pulled altogether. It's only natural for people to seek upto date reassurances. Especially when there's the possibility the Xbox doesn't have the desired specification for some future content. Who knows?

Nothing wrong with asking. So kindly lay off a little on calling me some kind of entitled brat, thanks.

No, there's nothing wrong with asking. Ignore them. Sometimes, forums turn into a circle jerk.

Ask your questions, OP. Seek the answers. Inquire. Do not let others silence you.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

No, there's nothing wrong with asking. Ignore them. Sometimes, forums turn into a circle jerk.

Ask your questions, OP. Seek the answers. Inquire. Do not let others silence you.

As an advocate of free speech I support this post. I may complain, but I never say "just stop." In fact I encourage doing whatever you feel like doing, otherwise I'd be a hypocrit to act like an overgrown child.

 

[AkimuMC]

Some people sit on these threads day-in, day-out, and just need to proclaim that your question was just so terribly inconvenient for them to read.

I agree with you though; it's only natural to question these choices. I think (meaning, in my opinion) what makes playing ED on xbox especially difficult is the rift they created when they didn't sync up major patch release parity. It's not really entitlement, just a feeling that I'm not really getting the full experience. It's a difficult feeling to shake when I hop over to Dangerous Discussion and see all this talk about barnacles, Horizons, and now Arena.

What makes me worried is how the Mac version turned out. They're clearly never getting Horizons. FD knew at some point that Horizons wouldn't work with OSX. Now some of us could consider the Mac version of ED half of the promised game. Others could say, well, at least they got something. That's really just a matter of perspective, but FD is now locked into supporting a version that doesn't seem to fit into their development plan.

I enjoy ED for what it is. But it's not far off to say there are legitimate reasons some of us are holding our breath. I think FD is a fantastic developer, and it's clear they are very passionate about their community. But I think they have a problem with development foresight. I really don't think there should ever be a version of a game that can't hold parity with all other versions. That is especially true when all versions of a game share the same universe. The semi-connected parity model they chose for ED is bizarre, to say the least. When I check the bounty board, I shouldn't see bounties for PC players (completely useless). When I accept a mission, I shouldn't expect to be told to land on a planet. When I choose to participate in a CG only to discover it's impossible, that's just bad design.

Some of you say you don't think about the PC version? Sorrrrry, but that's nonsense. The design of the game demands it.

No one proclaimed the question was terribly inconvenient to read, just that it has been asked and answered on several occasions. So... what now? No new news... it is the same today as it was yesterday. Do we really think that they are waiting for the most glorious written thread to unveil their plan? I don't. FD will probably post from here to Mars the release date when they have it. They don't have it.

As far as playing on Xbox not giving you the full experience, well... you get the full Elite experience. Horizons is added content. Not Elite. Look, as I have said countless times it isn't ideal, but it is what we have (or don't have). Not every PC player has Horizons... it isn't a requirement to play Elite. We could also talk about mods, but we all know that isn't practical on Xbox, and mods are also added content so we cannot really count that towards the full experience. We have Elite, and get to experience it. Yes, it needs patches, and I think they are working on the problems (looking at the BB). They are even adding new content to the base game in way of different missions, and rumored hardpoints. We shall see, but it looks like Xbox is still getting all these items.

Another thing that has been discussed at length is Microsofts hand in this. Their QA verification process takes time and money. Delays may not be entirely rested upon FD and their doing. They very well could be taking flak from customers because of third party dealings. Should FD come out and blast MS if they are the reason for the delays? Absolutely not. They need to maintain a good working relationship to keep this going into the future.

Yes, MAC bombed, but FD was pretty quick (at least in my opinion) to come out and say it wouldn't work. I would assume they tried everything they could to make it work before announcing it, and I would suspect they are doing the same for Xbox. Again, this is their approach of trying to keep from breaking promises. Could you imagine if they came out and said it didn't work but then they fixed it? How many people would leave and never know? So did Mac get half of the promised game? 1/10th of the promised game? I guess that is a matter of perspective, but they did get a game that they are able to play, and to most who play it is enjoyable. Is that perfect for Mac players? Probably not, but what are they to do?

Sure, I think about the PC version. This game has a 10 year development plan. I have no doubt in my mind that eventually, Xbox One will be left behind. When? Year 1? 5? 7? Disappointment is going to happen for some eventually. Will there be an Xbox Two? Or another MS console that we will be able to transfer to? That will be able to run the game? I would also imagine in the development life of this game, there will be PC users left behind as well... Just the nature of gaming. No one could possibly know right now, so all we can do is play what we have. In my day to day playing of Elite, no, I don't think about the PC version.

Again, I agree that this whole situation isn't ideal, but it is what we have and nothing we do is going to change that. It is in the hands of FD and MS. What they do is what determines what we get and when.

 

[CMDR Muy Bien Gato]

No one proclaimed the question was terribly inconvenient to read, just that it has been asked and answered on several occasions. So... what now? No new news... it is the same today as it was yesterday. Do we really think that they are waiting for the most glorious written thread to unveil their plan? I don't. FD will probably post from here to Mars the release date when they have it. They don't have it.

Sure, I get that. But we are discussing it now. Who cares if it's been asked before? I, as well as many others, obviously missed that thread.

I don't think this is really about Horizons so much though. That'll release when it's ready. My point is that, because of this development model, several devices in this game don't really make sense and warrant criticism. PC players shouldn't be listed on my bounty board. If I want to go hunt a high player bounty, I have to first take note of where they were last spotted. Then I have to travel to that area in hopes that they might appear. That's fine and all, but currently there is no way to know if said player is on Xbox, PC, or Mac. So by design, nobody pays attention to this part of the game. Same goes for minor player factions. I've been to several systems that don't have any console presence, and the disconnect is weird. That's a bit nit-picky I admit, but it really drives home the feeling of "connected-but-not-really-connected" that seems to permeate throughout ED. I could fly to a system that apparently has high traffic, and never see a soul. Those players are apparently all on PC.

For being part of such a massive galaxy, things are awfully fragmented and confusing, even for someone who has played since GPP. Mac players, solo mac players, PC players, solo PC players, Xbox players, solo Xbox players. To further that, the release schedule is different per platform, and constantly being "in the shadow of PC" has a direct effect on gameplay. This is especially true for newer players learning the ropes. The potential for ED to alienate them is sky high, as they may not have as clear an understanding of this connected-galaxy, multi-platform model.

Obviously very little can be done about it at this point. Yet I have to say that I firmly believe there is probably a good reason you'll keep seeing these threads pop up here. Sure, some are insanely demanding, but I think part of being a consumer is discussing the product you consume. Personally I'm glad that people are so entrenched in this game that they can criticize its parts and give FD a pretty clear census of opinion.

As far as the Mac version, well, hindsight is 20/20. Assuming FD already knew the bones behind planetary landings, it probably should have never even been announced.

 

[AkimuMC]

Sure, I get that. But we are discussing it now. Who cares if it's been asked before? I, as well as many others, obviously missed that thread.

I don't think this is really about Horizons so much though. That'll release when it's ready. My point is that, because of this development model, several devices in this game don't really make sense and warrant criticism. PC players shouldn't be listed on my bounty board. If I want to go hunt a high player bounty, I have to first take note of where they were last spotted. Then I have to travel to that area in hopes that they might appear. That's fine and all, but currently there is no way to know if said player is on Xbox, PC, or Mac. So by design, nobody pays attention to this part of the game. Same goes for minor player factions. I've been to several systems that don't have any console presence, and the disconnect is weird. That's a bit nit-picky I admit, but it really drives home the feeling of "connected-but-not-really-connected" that seems to permeate throughout ED. I could fly to a system that apparently has high traffic, and never see a soul. Those players are apparently all on PC.

For being part of such a massive galaxy, things are awfully fragmented and confusing, even for someone who has played since GPP. Mac players, solo mac players, PC players, solo PC players, Xbox players, solo Xbox players. To further that, the release schedule is different per platform, and constantly being "in the shadow of PC" has a direct effect on gameplay. This is especially true for newer players learning the ropes. The potential for ED to alienate them is sky high, as they may not have as clear an understanding of this connected-galaxy, multi-platform model.

Obviously very little can be done about it at this point. Yet I have to say that I firmly believe there is probably a good reason you'll keep seeing these threads pop up here. Sure, some are insanely demanding, but I think part of being a consumer is discussing the product you consume. Personally I'm glad that people are so entrenched in this game that they can criticize its parts and give FD a pretty clear census of opinion.

As far as the Mac version, well, hindsight is 20/20. Assuming FD already knew the bones behind planetary landings, it probably should have never even been announced.

First and foremost the folks discussing it now should care if it was asked before. Maybe their questions are answered there, or some insecurities can be put to rest. Here is one of the more recent ones with reply from FD

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=230152

I think it is "mostly" about Horizons. Everyone wants now, but it isn't ready now so anxiety kicks in... Sure, there are other areas of the game that are odd being a shared universe... but still separate. Personally, I just overlook these areas. As you mentioned the top bounties in a system. Meh, not worth even looking at for me. I already assume they are PC players, so I will never find them. Even if they aren't PC players, are they playing in open or solo? Who knows, and more importantly who has the time to look? Are they even logged in? As for traffic, that kind of matters. It could show you clues to a good trade route, or rank missions, or some minor faction BGS stuff. It can be useful info, but that use is limited.

So, in my opinion, it seems that for you this also ties into open/solo/group... Which it does for me too. I don't mind that the PC is invisible to us, I get the programming isn't obviously obtainable to intermingle the platforms. Cool, I can live with that. It does slightly bother me that players on any platform can go mess around and shape the galaxy with no repercussions from other players trying to do the same. I get that they wanted to have an avenue for the single player types. Those high bounties, or that traffic report could be entirely solo players and there is no way to ever tell.

I feel like I am getting off base, so I will leave this at that. Probably getting too off this touchy topic onto another.

 

[Miko]

I just don't get this mentality that some people have, I'm sure they are doing their best, the game released at different times so it's understandable they are at different stages atm yes we don't have horizons however we still get any other updates around the same time (beta testing for patches not included), the ship update for example , and the next patch will also come around the same time depending on MS approval,

this you should answer me because I gave you my money that some people seem to have is nothing but a selfish self entitled attitude,which to be fair if these people stop playing it's no loss to the community,

now please feel free to tell me how your entitled to be brats because you paid for the game, I paid for it too and we all want answers and information, frontier seem to give us little information until they are ready because they don't want to make false promises which is fine by me, how many time to you hear it will be out on x date and then there's months of delays because they where too optimistic? Surely that's more frustrating

Hit close to home? I didn't see anyone call you "some kind of entitled brat"...

If you would peruse the forums some, there are many threads near identical to this one. Some even have a response from FD staff. Best we have at this point, and probably best we will get until it is ready for word of a release. It doesn't matter how decently written your post was, this is just the way FD chooses to operate.

They have said it is coming to Xbox One. Probably not as early as Q1, and probably not as late as Q4, leaving us to believe that Q2-Q3 will have a release. They have said they are already testing it in their offices on Xbox. They have also stated that they would rather deal with "Talk to US!!!" rather than give a date and break a promise of release. In my opinion, that isn't a terrible practice. Again, sure they could be more open with us, but they aren't.

Sure, sometimes "soon" turns into scrapped projects... this thread isn't going to change any of that. So what can we do? Enjoy what we have and have faith that when it is ready they will inform us and have a solid date. Is it ideal? Nope, but that is what we get.

Refer to the first quote and you'll see that somebody did make that reference.

Anyway, I think the biggest thing I could express anxiety over is the ship skins taking so long to become available. Content such as this when seen already on NPC's in the game makes one wonder why it's seemingly so difficult to release when it's a clear money maker. It's the "soon" there that makes me worry more about the "soon" we'll potentially see with regards to big updates like Horizons. I just wish there was a little more detail offered with the answers when they are actually given. Sometimes the answers are a little vague.

I think I expressed that I have faith that when we do see the content we'll see it come in a complete and excellent form. Which will more than make me delighted. I don't doubt they're working hard on it and I appreciate the game is still in it's infancy on Xbox. I also appreciate that the Xbox is receiving Horizons at all

This thread was just an enquiry into what we as Xbox players can expect beyond Horizons even, if anything. I love this game, so my enquiry was just of a passionate nature and not meant to upset the community.

 

[esxste]

Anyway, I think the biggest thing I could express anxiety over is the ship skins taking so long to become available. Content such as this when seen already on NPC's in the game makes one wonder why it's seemingly so difficult to release when it's a clear money maker. It's the "soon" there that makes me worry more about the "soon" we'll potentially see with regards to big updates like Horizons. I just wish there was a little more detail offered with the answers when they are actually given. Sometimes the answers are a little vague.
.

1. Its already developed.
2. PC players already have it.
3. It'd make money.

So why haven't they done it yet?


Maybe its not entirely within their control.

 

[Miko]

That's a logical and fair analogy.

 

[OZYMANDlUS]

As far as PC players and Xbox players not being able to play together. This feat has already been accomplished. Anybody remember Shadowrun.... Enough said. The lack of cross platform is obviously a choice by FDev. PC & Mac players are interconnected. Heck Mac players have skins, private groups, etc...
Anyways.... Just throwing my 2 credits in.

-Ozy

 

[AkimuMC]

Yep, I played Final Fantasy online for quite some time... Cross platform is doable, at least in some regard.

 

[Vitamin Arrr]

Same. I got what I paid for so far and so did everyone else.

You got a crashy game that won't load half the time if you made the mistake of not force-quitting the app before reloading it—and if you're lucky it loads even if you do restart the app?

Where your most recently launched prospector limpet explodes when you launch another, even though you have the two-limpet version?

Pathetic. Whoever programmed this should be ashamed of the state it's in. To let it go like this for this long is a disservice to the users who paid full price for this game. I'm done feeling sorry for Frontier because they're a smaller studio... no, there is no excuse for this whatsoever. They should be ashamed.

Horizons? Just give me a fully functional version of the existing game for once. Even just that. I am so tired of sound glitches and freezes. No other game I've ever owned on any system or platform is this unstable. And that's saying a lot.

This is due to either: (a) having an incompetent manager over the project and/or (b) an owner who doesn't give a crap about the XBOX beyond having taken our money with this buggy port.

At the very least, acknowledge that you have given up on XBOX development, are not committed to ever putting out a stable release, give us PC licenses, and let port our characters over. I like the game enough to do that, but I just can't stand slow, laggy, buggy software. The PC version runs great however. Just let us switch.

 

[Zac Antonaci]

Hey guys,

Interestingly enough I know David was asked this question in a community interview that will be going out in a couple of weeks.

Honestly though, it's too early to say. If I'm reading the question right we're asking will season 3 be later (Like Horizons) or in line with PC. It's something we simply can't answer right now.

I do think it's important to remember that we do value and support Xbox and there are developers actively working on things like Horizons, groups and paint jobs and hope to have details on them soon.

But being able to give you a date or an expectation of how future seasons will launch is something I'm not able to do right now sadly.

Obviously though, it goes without saying that we know and understand that the community would like to have the releases at the same time.

Zac

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

Hey guys,

Interestingly enough I know David was asked this question in a community interview that will be going out in a couple of weeks.

Honestly though, it's too early to say. If I'm reading the question right we're asking will season 3 be later (Like Horizons) or in line with PC. It's something we simply can't answer right now.

I do think it's important to remember that we do value and support Xbox and there are developers actively working on things like Horizons, groups and paint jobs and hope to have details on them soon.

But being able to give you a date or an expectation of how future seasons will launch is something I'm not able to do right now sadly.

Obviously though, it goes without saying that we know and understand that the community would like to have the releases at the same time.

Zac

Thank you Zac, and I can't wait to see that "community interview."

 

[DustyArne]

Hey guys,

Interestingly enough I know David was asked this question in a community interview that will be going out in a couple of weeks.

Honestly though, it's too early to say. If I'm reading the question right we're asking will season 3 be later (Like Horizons) or in line with PC. It's something we simply can't answer right now.

I do think it's important to remember that we do value and support Xbox and there are developers actively working on things like Horizons, groups and paint jobs and hope to have details on them soon.

But being able to give you a date or an expectation of how future seasons will launch is something I'm not able to do right now sadly.

Obviously though, it goes without saying that we know and understand that the community would like to have the releases at the same time.

Zac

Thanks Zac.

Posts like this prove you guys are indeed seeing us Boxers as a part of the community. (but, i never doubted that)

People complaining about stuff they dont have only shows how much of a fan they are, and how dedicated they are. Its hard sometimes, last few weeks i try not to enter threads like this because im growing tired of them as well.

But, like i said, i would be worried more if there was no critisism at all.. because, then, people are starting to dont give a damn.. and that's bad.



now we are at this anyway, drop the Dev hat, and awswer this as a fellow gamer, you think Xbox One will be able to handle season 3? What ever season 3 might be..

 

[brokedeaddog]

1. Its already developed.
2. PC players already have it.
3. It'd make money.

So why haven't they done it yet?


Maybe its not entirely within their control.

You would hope not, although if you're insinuating its all down to ms's cert and/or cut, then the same argument applies

Hey guys,

Interestingly enough I know David was asked this question in a community interview that will be going out in a couple of weeks.

Honestly though, it's too early to say. If I'm reading the question right we're asking will season 3 be later (Like Horizons) or in line with PC. It's something we simply can't answer right now.

I do think it's important to remember that we do value and support Xbox and there are developers actively working on things like Horizons, groups and paint jobs and hope to have details on them soon.

But being able to give you a date or an expectation of how future seasons will launch is something I'm not able to do right now sadly.

Obviously though, it goes without saying that we know and understand that the community would like to have the releases at the same time.

Zac

Nice to hear from you zac, any chance you (or one of your sub's) letting us know when the interview is released via a sticky thread on the Xbox forum so we don't miss it? Cheers