Fdev, can we lessen the engineering grind just a tad?

[Rat Catcher]

I've not bothered even attempting to deliberately unlock the Odyssey engineers. Have the 2 who are got by flying Apex and doing ground CZs, I think that is all, so far.
I've picked up a handful of OP, 2 SDP, 4 SC by just playing and having the right port at the time with 'useful' data. I'm not going to relog if I find something useful, but that is just me.

But, having done a lot of foot-work (until Update 7, I've not done any on-foot since it dropped) and picked mission reward materials, as well as mission destinations, have picked up enough mats to have 3 suits at G4 and 3 weapons the same. I can do High surface CZs with this setup pretty easily, will no doubt add 'engineering' at some point, but I don't know when.

 

[metatheurgist]

If you can find specific IM Threat 1 or 2 which since the last update seem to have almost vanished.

Whoever's removing them is doing a p-poor job. Of course, maybe I'll be accused of being lucky again - so lucky I can't find a impact site worth a damn today. If I was as lucky as the forum says I am i'd be living with a super model who's deliriously happy to support my gaming habit.

 

[Drelthar]

Lol, good one. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Helvellyn]

Takes months or years? I suppose that's the idea, rather than being able to get max everything straight away, you may as well just start with top everything otherwise. Grind's less of a problem if you just collect stuff in the course of normal gameplay and don't worry about getting everything right now (and it's more satisfying when you do get it anyway).

 

[Auhrii]

I think I posted something along this line before but I'd love to see a material reward system where you are rewarded at the end of each CZ, based upon your participation, with mats and data that are specifically useful to combat gear upgrades.

This has come up in conversation a lot between @Screemonster and I - some sort of "company store" materials warehouse you can spend combat bonds in would be great for progression. Sure, you're technically buying materials (oh no!), but it restricts the activities you can do to be able to do it, so a miner can't sell a ton of material and sidestep the griiiiiind.

 

[here_it_comes]

The thing is, the ship outfitting & engineering became gameplay in their own right in the end. If weapons & suits:

• Allowed module swapping to encourage noob thriftiness & then veteran experimentation
• Had a broader spread of base models & engineering tweaks
• And had their grind walls significantly lowered, as happened with ships

Messing around with different load outs, even amongst familiar scenarios, could be fun in its own right…

It's fun with the ships because just piloting the ships is fun itself. This manner of expanding gameplay with engineering doesn't sit well with EDO's FPS because just walking around and engaging in EDO's FPS isn't compelling enough on it's own. If EDO had compelling and interesting FPS play, it could work. I spend a lot of time in DRG just trying different loadouts and tweaking my faves. The difference here is DRG's FPS play is both modern in design, and fun. EDO's FPS is neither.

TLDR - Offering 30 condiment and 10 bun choices for a turd patty doesn't enhance the burger.

 

[Winterwalker]

If EDO had compelling and interesting FPS play, it could work.

Well I hate to say it but while I have quite a lot of experience with the stealth mechanic by now, showing wingmate the ropes yesterday and infiltrating quite a tricky agricultural base with an illegal item in your backpack, I'd say brought exactly that.

With snags that arose along the way, trying to teamwork past the guards (not able just to open the doors and dump your fake ID when challenged) it took us about an hour to get the illegal backpack into the building and vent system.

So because the mission looked doomed to failure about four times, needed a tactical rethink each time and ended in success what you call compelling and interesting FPS, I also call compelling and interesting FPS!

As no NPC's were to be harmed in the making of this post, even while SRV, ship and mission runners came under fire in the end it took three attempts to put the contaminant in the vent system. Hiding behind a desk while guards search the building for you, watching workers don't reset what you're doing and having the presence of mind to deal with the unit while under fire (no spoilers) was varied, taxing, risky, exciting and in the end triumphant for both .. so don't dismiss it too quick Commander.

 

[Damgalnuna]

The infiltration gameplay isn't bad, I had some fun with it but like a lot of other things in the game, you kind of have to come up with your own head-canon to make it make any sense. You have to fill in all the blanks for yourself about why you are there, what you are doing and why you care. It doesn't feel tied to anything, though that is a general issue with the game (and maybe part of its charm).

 

[Screemonster]

Honestly, apart from being caught by surprise as it wasn't mentioned in the patch notes, I like that workers now become hostile when they see one of the containers opening and won't let you just stand next to the thing.

I've been thinking about setting a three minute timer and starting it as soon as I start the containment unit opening, then going and cutting atmos at the 2:45 mark to pull the workers away from the unit as they go to turn the air back on.

 

[Factabulous]

I've been thinking about setting a three minute timer and starting it as soon as I start the containment unit opening, then going and cutting atmos at the 2:45 mark to pull the workers away from the unit as they go to turn the air back on.

I've had fun kiting everyone in the settlement away from the container, then going back to collect the sample when they are all far away - the bit I was missing was setting a timer

Does turning the air off work? Last time I tried it (a while back) they just put their masks on and carried on.

 

[Screemonster]

I've had fun kiting everyone in the settlement away from the container, then going back to collect the sample when they are all far away - the bit I was missing was setting a timer

Does turning the air off work? Last time I tried it (a while back) they just put their masks on and carried on.

yeah, it's been changed in the last update, they now run to turn it back on. Notably, if you turn it off outside, they go and turn it on at the inside terminal.

I have noticed some AI weirdness when that happens - a couple of times I've seen them run over to the landing pad with their guns out and stand under my ship threatening it then putting their guns away, as if it just strayed into a restricted area then left.
I haven't been close enough to hear if they try to tell a viper mk4 a line like "Good, I'm glad I didn't have to take that any further".
Notably, turning off the air in a building seems to put the entire settlement on guard, not just the people in that particular building - they all go yellow and start stalking around looking for people, so it's not the best thing to do if you're trying to walk around and act casual, it's very much a case of "time to stir the pot".

Like if there's one guy left on your massacre mission and you have no idea where the hell he is, so you just turn the air off and camp next to the button with a rocket launcher.

 

[avow555]

Problem is fdev think grind = content.