Feedback and suggestions - Exploration design ideas - please share your thoughts

[xDreadnoughtx]

EXPLORERS PIRATES I need your input

Dear Explorer, Pirate, Trader, Miner and Bounty Hunter

Having now spent some time enjoying exploration as we have it now, I want to set down some suggestions for improving things.

My suggestions, as I hope you realise, are not just aimed at the self gratification of explorers, but also to increasing the role of explorer pirates, and the general enrichment of the Elite experience.

This is not a bash post. It is not a "fanboi" post. It lacks as much as it serves up. I want to find a way to suggest improvements to what I love - Exploring, and more.

I do BTW understand that currently we are exploring a universe that does not include Christmas tree decorations such as ancient civilisations, aliens, lost generation ships blah blah blah. If FD are not planning those things, then all is already lost as far as I am concerned, but I can wait for content. They will be essential to all but the most OCD, and I do include myself in that category.

Please, add new ideas, suggestions, ammendments or clearly explain why ideas will not work.

Here goes....

1. Ability to target a orbital destination location in system view.
2. Ability to trade data between ships.
3. Ability to have hull repaired by Anaconda/T9 sized ships.
4. To allow remote resupply of consumables through rendezvous much as in 3.
5. Ability to employ "exploration science experts" as crew to improve speed and range of detail scanning. With associated costs.
6. If interdicted and destroyed by a pirate, allow black box exploration data to be recovered by aggressor.
7. Be able to "jettison" black box exploration data. Perhaps interchangeable with 2? Probably needs to be 2 different mechanisms of allow trade opportunity? Perhaps be able to choose to eject a fragment of data?
8. To be able to plot multipoint jumps in the galaxy map that are retained until cancelled.
9. A pilots log, to include text entries and a visual record, accessed via the galaxy map. It must include open visual indication of status to the player having either purchased data or explored that system.
10. To be able to flag/favourite a number of locations.
11. To be able to scan and mine for "super rare elements and metals" encouraging a different strand of exploration. Requires a different explorer load out focus.

Some of these suggestions will also benefit traders, miners etc. Indeed, I could see a new class of trader and "prospector" developing.

My best wishes

Cmdr Dreadnought
On board The Fair Winds
Synuefai Region

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

I really like every one of those ideas. If we even see half of them I'd be delighted

I want to add my 2 cents worth, but from a slightly different perspective....

I've been reckoning it up and I think I've traveled close to 60,000 light years since the bubble was burst and the galaxy was opened up. I've been to VY Canis Majoris, followed the Orion Spur to Eta Carina, crossed into the Sagittarius rim, came home, sold all the data, been to the far fringe of the Norma arm and back (twice!), and am now at the galactic core. And do you know what is missing? Environmental challenges to over come.

At the moment there aren't any unreachable places or really challenging areas that get the adrenalin going. The only difficulty in deep space exploration is overcoming the sheer tedium of jump after jump, survey after survey.

Yes I'd like there to be Thargoids out here (and as Michael said, they're coming), but I would have loved to have seen environmental difficulties to overcome too, like vast radiation belts covering sectors that maybe have narrow corridors through them that you have to navigate. Or unstable stars spewing out deadly coronal mass ejections when you're trying to scoop. Black holes that are actually dangerous to be in the vicinity of. Basically I would like to see exploration become challenging just by the very nature of the galaxy itself and not just down to scripted npcs (alien or otherwise).

My fear is is FD are going for a more realistic approach and none of this environmental stuff will ever make it into the game because we just don't know what's out there in real life. I suggest the game should be a bit more "gamey" and have some of that Battlestar Galactica glitz thrown in (anyone remember that episode where the fleet had to cross a vast furnace of intense radiation?). Well that kind of stuff would add so much to the game without going out of the bounds of reality in my opinion.

I want the Galaxy to be a dangerous place. At the moment it's far from it.

So yeah, those ideas you listed will bring more depth to exploration, but I think the galaxy itself needs a lot of attention and not just made to look visually stunning. It needs some teeth that could really bite us if we're not paying attention

 

[owain1122]

There should be exploration missions to explore/scavenge detelict ships. Imagine that in the next year or so when planetary landings are in, exploring will be completely different.

 

[Vicis]

What I really think we need, are space anomalies.

Various random events that make exploration dangerous and exciting! Everything from micro-blackholes to sentient clouds of gas! Exploration needs to be complimented with a sense of wonder, and while exploring new stars does come with a sense of novelty, that novelty wears off rather fast.

I do love a couple of your suggestions as well. A pilots log, black box, and the ability to find rare elements are some of my favorites.

It's good that you brought up rare elements, because that sort of leads into another idea I have. I believe exploration should have a number of sub-professions of it's own. Rather than just exploring, players should be able to explore with a certain goal in mind. From prospecting for rare minerals to searching for colonizable worlds. This would add a sense of accomplishment and importance, it could also feed into other professions.

For example, a player finds some rare-ore in the middle of nowhere and sells the information to a station. A miner buy's this information and heads off to collect the ore. A pirate, not having to worry about bringing a refinery with him, could also head off to the resource site and could mooch off the miner.

Locations in the middle of no where could become gold mines over night with players rushing out to make their fortunes. These minerals could even be used to create a limited amount of special weapons and wares that are directly tied to the supply of ore.

FD already has the systems in place to implement something like this, so it's hardly a pipe dream. This is just one example of many, and I'm sure there are more creative people than me out there.

 

[nokander]

I'd like to see scientific outposts hundreds or even thousands of lightyears away. Perhaps orbiting interesting stellar artefacts (super giants, black holes etc.) ? Players could repair and refit their ships and of course sell their exploration data.

 

[xDreadnoughtx]

@Erimus. I absolutely agree. At no point does the universe in ED cause dilemmas to the explorer, beyond a careless fuel scoop overheat, or raised eyebrow considering the required range of the next jump. It would be good to look at things like radiation. Exposure? Specialisation of ship shield load out?
There should be multiple factors to consider. There should be risk.
@owain. I'm not sure about alien ships yet. Down the road, in the far reaches of the void.. But "salvage" is another stream of gameplay I would like to see.
@vicis. Yes. The mining/prospecting and what you raise, the sale of that data to allow extended gameplay/missions is really interesting.
@nokander. I understand your line, but I think that would fundamentally change the flavour of the ED universe. Allowing resupply/support mechanics provided by players would be more engaging IMO.

Cheers

 

[kile]

Poidsly's point #1 is something I wished worked many times. Clicking (or left clicking) a body in the system map, and selecting it as a super cruise target would be a great help and, I think, relatively easy to implement.

The other suggestions are also great. Scientific outposts would be amazing, but they shouldn't hold upgrades. Only repairs and cartographics so that you can repair and sell your data. That would make exploration a little easier, but then environmental difficulties would balance that and it harder and more interesting.

Great thread!

 

[xDreadnoughtx]

Poidsly's point #1 is something I wished worked many times. Clicking (or left clicking) a body in the system map, and selecting it as a super cruise target would be a great help and, I think, relatively easy to implement.

The other suggestions are also great. Scientific outposts would be amazing, but they shouldn't hold upgrades. Only repairs and cartographics so that you can repair and sell your data. That would make exploration a little easier, but then environmental difficulties would balance that and it harder and more interesting.

Great thread!

Yup, that is why its number 1.

I really hate the fact that I have to play a guessing game on the left panel UI when selecting system destinations when exploring. It's a very basic missing function that needs hooking up.

I can visually identify the main system bodies that are of particular interest in the map, but there us nothing to help you specifically target those.

Come on FD. This is would be a good addition.