FD: Please focus on core gameplay

[rennarda]

Thread title says it all really. Yah, there are a million threads complaining about similar things, but I just want to chip in what I think is wrong / missing with ED at the moment.

ED is a game about flying a goddam spaceship. Trading. Shooting stuff. Seeing the galaxy. This is the core gameplay, and it's currently broken.

* stutter/judder. It's a long standing issue, and it's incredibly annoying (especially if you use a Rift). It - like every IT problem - is solvable. It used to be much better, but currently it's a nightmare. I can't SC anywhere without it, and even ships spawning in my local instance causes a sub-second stall. Resolution: ED: devote a team of people to this until it's cracked. Priority 1

* stuff to do: trading gets boring, missions are simplistic, NPC AI is dull (but was improving). Sounds like Sarah Jane Avory isn't working on the AI any more, which is a shame as her work seemed to be great (the docking computer actually works now). We need more involving and varied missions - steal from RPGs wholesale if necessary, just give us more variety. Resolution: devote a talented developer (*cough*) to continuously improving the AI, devote a couple of dev to the mission system. Priority 2

* stuff to look at: before 1.3 we used to get regular improvements to the way things looked. Better shaders for gas giants, lighting effects on inhabited planets, etc. Don't stop ! Keep improving. We've seen images of pre-release shaders that look way better than what we have currently. Why don't rings cast shadows onto worlds ? Why do gas giants still look cartoonish ? what about other bodies (asteroids, comets) ? Stations look great, but we're getting a bit bored with the look now. Lets have some more variety. Let us get closer to planets, & keep working on those planetary landings : Resolution: every release should include some kind of shader improvement : Priority 3

* powerplay is meh. I worry how much resource was diverted to powerplay when it doesn't really add anything to the core gameplay. The fact you can safely ignore it should be telling. It doesn't even make sense - I'm aligned to a faction, but I'm still a member of that power - so are other factions of the same power my friend or not ? Why am I marked as hostile when I'm in another part of space ? I don't understand what's going on. And to cap it all, the interactivity is limited to grinding away at the same kind of missions I'd get in the old community goals... Powerplay feels like it should almost be a separate 3D board-game style game. Maybe it will become that when minor PC factions can start to take part. Resolution: can it, or radically improve it. Priority 4

Despite all this, I still regularly play ED. Slipping on a Rift transports me to another world for a few hours. I love it. I just want it to be the best it could be, and a the moment it pains me to say it's falling short....

 

[jadefriendly]

* stuff to do: trading gets boring, missions are simplistic, NPC AI is dull (but was improving). Sounds like Sarah Jane Avory isn't working on the AI any more, which is a shame as her work seemed to be great (the docking computer actually works now). We need more involving and varied missions - steal from RPGs wholesale if necessary, just give us more variety. Resolution: devote a talented developer (*cough*) to continuously improving the AI, devote a couple of dev to the mission system. Priority 2

this this this

I'm still playing (though not as much as previously) and still hugely enjoying the game. Definitely got my moneys worth.
But the missions and NPC's are soooooooooooo rubbish. Since the overhaul they are actually worse.

Please please make multi-threaded missions / NPCs doing things that make sense a priority. The galaxy feels totally lifeless and bereft of personality. The stations all look the same inside. The NPCs say the same ten things and all act the same. The economy is completely static. Thousands of the same things over and over.

 

[Jacob Marshall]

I think the actions FD take in the next few updates will be telling.

For the life of me, I still struggle to see what PP brought to the game; of all the areas in the game that need something I can't see what a BGS spin-off fulfilled. I don't begrudge anyone enjoying it or anything daft like that, I simply don't understand its reason for being in the game at the moment.

CQC* I can see an argument for. I know it's 'Elite' but it is also a space game with guns!!.1! I felt from the beginning that it sorely needed an option for quick-combat (I know others won't agree, and that's fine). Sometimes I've only got about 30-minutes free-time and realllyy fancy a punch-up. To do that currently I have to leave a station, break the gravity well and chase something in SC or get to a RES/Nav and then...time's up really; as much as I enjoy taking my time with things...sometimes I just fancy a quicky.

From what I've read I think CQC is, in some ways, a stroke of genius for this game. It ED is a huge area, 1:1 scale and all that; CQC is accessed from the Start Menu. I can actually meet up with CMDRs who are on the opposite side of Sag A and play the game with them. I can go exploring myself and when the Void Madness kicks in, I can pop over to CQC for a change of pace.

FD have now added a grind-reward mechanism with PP and a pew-pew mechanism with CQC, neither of these were part of the KS plan, but you could argue they both address areas that the game was lacking.

Looking at the game now, I can't see where FD could justifiably put a bolt-on system like CQC or PP. Looking at the game now, the only areas for development I can see are those that players have been calling for since release.

The next few updates have to be improvements on the current engine, or additions to current systems, i.e making the Galaxy feel more alive, starting to flesh out professions, expanding the BB. I'd expect things like "1.4 the [profession] Update: where we further develop [profession]!"

I will start to become concerned if/when the next updates do nothing to address issue with the base game.

*I promise this is relevant.

 

[jadefriendly]

Looking at the game now, the only areas for development I can see are those that players have been calling for since release.

yep, large number of the initial backers who are still waiting for the game to be fleshed out with actual life & personality.
I'm sure it'll happen at some point, I just hope it's sooner rather than later. I'd happily even pay more, if the motivation behind where they develop is financial.

 

[HipToss]

I agree. I was loving the game since early beta. I was playing about 4 hours a day and had great fun. Now, not so much. I really hope to see more "life" added to this game.

 

[Jason S]

* stutter/judder.
Not for me, smooth as smooth.

* stuff to do:
Lots to do.

* stuff to look at:
Lots to look at.

* powerplay is meh.
Yes it is meh to me also, although apparently 20 percent of people like it.

 

[Ekar]

* powerplay is meh. I worry how much resource was diverted to powerplay when it doesn't really add anything to the core gameplay. The fact you can safely ignore it should be telling. It doesn't even make sense - I'm aligned to a faction, but I'm still a member of that power - so are other factions of the same power my friend or not ?

It's certainly a strange beast, and as you mention- the fact that you can ignore it (stock forum response to critics) I feel highlights its worst failing. Politics affects everything. What people are really saying is that all this bloodshed and coordinated effort in influencing populations doesn't matter. I would say to that then 'Why bother?'

 

[bartmoss]

For the life of me, I still struggle to see what PP brought to the game; of all the areas in the game that need something I can't see what a BGS spin-off fulfilled.

Ah if only it were a Battlestar spinoff!

I think the basic idea behind PP is sound - make the galaxy a more dynamic place and provide opportunities for stories, a continuous history, and so on.

The game mechanics on the player level though? Yeah, dunno, not exactly awesome.

That said - perhaps the minor / player group thing will make it more interesting.

 

[kreuzbichler]

so much wrong and missing in the base game and people worked on a combat arena for Xbox. I would laugh it wouldn´t be so sad.
Seems like I´ll get the FE2 I wanted from Nomad sky

 

[Privata]

Yes like combat AI.