Feature Requests Update #13 - A Brave New World
Elite: Dangerous will take place in a huge galaxy and the intention of our team is to make that galaxy as immersive as possible. There are many ways that the team hope to achieve this, some that we have already shared with you and others that will no doubt be revealed as development continues.
This week we’ll be looking at the questions we received that relate closely to the subject of immersion and how we intend to flesh out the galaxy as a whole. Hopefully by the end of this update you will have a better idea of what we have in store, so let’s get on with it!
Non-player characters (NPCs) will of course make up a large part of the game, and the way that they behave and interact with players will go a long way towards determining how immersive Elite: Dangerous will be. We received several questions about this NPC interaction; the first we’ll look at is whether NPCs will have memories of previous encounters with players. This is something that is currently planned:
No endless cartoony asteroids (make them look irregular):
Thanks again, Ashley
This week we’ll be looking at the questions we received that relate closely to the subject of immersion and how we intend to flesh out the galaxy as a whole. Hopefully by the end of this update you will have a better idea of what we have in store, so let’s get on with it!
Non-player characters (NPCs) will of course make up a large part of the game, and the way that they behave and interact with players will go a long way towards determining how immersive Elite: Dangerous will be. We received several questions about this NPC interaction; the first we’ll look at is whether NPCs will have memories of previous encounters with players. This is something that is currently planned:
Sandy: Something like this will be present in game
Michael: This is part of the current design.
Two other inquiries asked whether there would be vehicular traffic made up of NPCs and whether the NPCs in the galaxy would have their own agendas and roles. The answer to both of these is yes:Michael: This is part of the current design.
Sandy: Yes
Michael: Yes with levels appropriate to the system, for example more traffic in core systems.
Finally on the subject of NPCs, some of you were curious whether the galaxy would gradually increase in NPC population and expand the frontier. Also, whether NPCs would enter into wars with one another, perhaps between planets or systems, and whether the play would be able to influence the outcome of these conflicts. The answer to both of these questions is yes:Michael: Yes with levels appropriate to the system, for example more traffic in core systems.
Michael: Yes, this is part of the evolving galaxy.
On the subject of planets, many of you asked firstly whether we would have realistic planetary orbits in Elite: Dangerous and also whether the surface of a planet, as seen from space, would represent the economic or political state of that world. The answer to both of these questions is also yes:
Sandy: Yes – there will be visual cues to indicate these differences
Michael: Yes, the planet surfaces will reflect their colonisation and technological level.
We also received several questions about the ships and stations in Elite: Dangerous. One such question asked about whether there would be larger ships and structures than in the original Frontier and Elite games. The answer to this is also yes:Michael: Yes, the planet surfaces will reflect their colonisation and technological level.
Sandy: Yes
Michael: Yes.
On the subject of stations, many of you have asked whether stations would be able to take damage in Elite: Dangerous. For a variety of reasons, including time constraints and working out the logistics of creating a non-exploitable system around a feature like this, this will definitely not be a part of the game at initial launch:Michael: Yes.
Sandy: No. There’s a separate discussion to be had here, but certainly players will not be able to damage stations in a meaningful way at first release.
Michael: Some superficial damage may be possible, but players cannot destroy or severely damage space stations.
Another feature of the galaxy is that we can confirm and has been eluded to already is that there will be multiple types of star systems to explore. Beyond the core systems there will be frontier systems and ones that are completely unexplored, all of which should have their own unique feel:Michael: Some superficial damage may be possible, but players cannot destroy or severely damage space stations.
Michael: The core and frontier worlds are only a small fraction of the total star systems. There is a lot to explore and discover.
To cap of this week’s feature requests update we have a mixed bag of other inquiries we received, some specific and others a little more unusual. Hopefully they will all give you a little more insight into the thoughts and plans of our team though!
No endless cartoony asteroids (make them look irregular):
Sandy: Asteroids will look as plausible as we can make them. Not sure what cartoony asteroids look like exactly.
Michael: Asteroids will look appropriate to their type.
Supernovae going off:Michael: Asteroids will look appropriate to their type.
Sandy: Yes – but would be extremely rare event.
David: Supernovae are unbelievably rare – maybe once in a galaxy every 50 years. We will certainly not have more than one. Even one would be a devastating event for the surrounding hundred of light years.
Black holes:David: Supernovae are unbelievably rare – maybe once in a galaxy every 50 years. We will certainly not have more than one. Even one would be a devastating event for the surrounding hundred of light years.
Michael: Black holes would be cool.
The ability to "advertise" on the bulletin board:
Sandy: Probably not – at least until a much later update. There will be alternative systems available for ad-hoc trading.
Michael: Probably not for the initial release.
No intelligent felines or frogs for 'nostalgia':Michael: Probably not for the initial release.
Sandy: Ok – no real issue with this
Michael: What about intelligent cats that look like frogs?
That’s it for another week! The next edition of the Feature Requests Update will be the final one, but hopefully I will have something else to replace it in time for the week after. Hopefully you have all enjoyed these updates and if you have any ideas for what sort of thing you might want to replace them, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!Michael: What about intelligent cats that look like frogs?
Thanks again, Ashley
I suspect Dr Wookie will be pleased also. 
