Frontier, please hire the team that made Ascent on Steam

[darshie76]

So while I was browsing around on Steam, found this early access game called Ascent.

I was astounded to see that it was made by 1 person; which probably played plenty of games, maybe even bought ED and decided that what he wants is more depth; and made his own game. It has many features that seems taken from the KS of ED; but implemented, not just having placeholders (1 guy, I believe with no help nor investors). The graphic reminds of a early 2000 game, but the rest is quite interesting.

The galaxy is procedural; there is planetary landing; in real time. the ad says 270B systems; where everything is done by players (naming systems after discover them, create colonies and resource sites and build space gates and space station). Not sure if it is MMO, the game is PVE mostly.
I was impressed at how the features were implemented....1 person...I can't really remark this further! Graphically is horrible, with assets that remind me a lot of the ones from the Unity store; but what it matters is the concepts implemented. Basically all the basics: get out of the ship, explore planets, trade, discover, mine!!

Then I wondered....how come a single person was able to do basically 70% of what is missing in ED, without having a team or big names or investors/producers? Either this guy is a genius, or he really know how to go long way with few hundreds of dollars I am aware that graphic is what 80% of people today are interested into, but if Frontier can hire this guy, and use his work for what ED already have; basically you get what ED is supposed to be (minus the colony creation probably; that's a nice extra but not fitting ED at all...although nothing wrong in creating a space station, owned by a clan/corporation, especially when we consider the fact that colonies has to be created to expand the ED universe....how do you expect to go in unknown space without stop on a station to replenish your food/water and repair your ship?).

I don't know about you, but if this game, which is in early access BTW, so it is probably close to an alpha, is able to do what we are still waiting from Frontier; I think that there is either something really wrong in how ED has been developed, or this guy is an insanely smart genius, that deserve to have a team of top artists to make that game shiny.

Not putting the 2 products against; but think about what a game, made by 1 person in limited resources, is able to deliver, and compare it to what we did get with ED, and let it sink for a moment....

I wish Frontier would look at what others do; or should I say, at what other players want; and explore new ways to make ED better.

 

[khaoste]

Well, now I'm curios...

I took a look at it, but it doesn't convince me... Feels like an elite clone with much things putted inside without a great logic.
And a monthly subscription, because they say it's an mmo.... I pass it.

 

[Soon(TM)]

The graphics are absolute turd but I get what you mean, this one guy has made an entire game including owning multiple ships, landing on planet's and stations, getting out of your ships and walking around as well as the other combat, mining and trading parts.

But evochron mercenary was made by one person as well and that's a great space sim game.

As far as I can tell, it seems the ED team have spent most of their time on the graphics and sound with gameplay being on the back burner. This guy has done the opposite, gameplay first and graphics ..... Nowhere to be seen lol

I'd still rather have ED but I get what your trying to say

 

[OnePercent]

I talked to the guy who made ascent and gave him a few pointers at how E does supercruise way better, I mentioned that having gravity wells that slow down your ship when you get near them is a good thing to have, instead of allowing your ships to autopilot through planets.

 

[darshie76]

I pointed out the features of that game; beside the sub model that they use (is one person...give some bread to the guy), I was more interested in the design part.

True, EM was done 5 years ago? Same issue with graphics that are quite ancient, I simply didn't mention it because it does not have the first person mode.

Frontier did great with graphics and sound; then the release date came, the money were spent, and what was left to do, was the game itself...which was postponed to the next wave of cash. A bit disappointing, considering the dreams of making such ambitious game, that you heard from them when the project started.

You don't have to choose one game only; I play many, I backed many; and in the end I play with what gives me the best bang for my bucks, in terms of fun and features. I still point out that beside the crappy graphic; one person did a whole game that does pretty much what ED was supposed to do (beside planetary landing and first person, which were advertised as future add on).

It is like if Rockstar games made GTA 6 n 2 years, spending 200M with a team of 400, and someone else would make a similar game in the same time, with a team of 40 and spending 20K, using rudimentary models.

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I talked to the guy who made ascent and gave him a few pointers at how E does supercruise way better, I mentioned that having gravity wells that slow down your ship when you get near them is a good thing to have, instead of allowing your ships to autopilot through planets.

I don't know how much time and money he spent in that project, but I have only praises for him, TBH.

I can barely fire up Unity and make a game with boxes, before loosing interest and move on; while he did the whole thing; alone. Imagine what would happen if few people like him, would be hired ina big studio, given a decent amount of money and resources to make something....

 

[Rauminen]

@darshie76: Are you secretly telling me that FD has 10 devs in total?

 

[Deleted member 94277]

... naming systems after discover them...

And this is how you end up in PARADISE 4 URANUS. What I mean is that this is probably a bad idea. Maybe.

I think that there is either something really wrong in how ED has been developed...

I wish Frontier would look at what others do; or should I say, at what other players want; and explore new ways to make ED better.

I just wish they delivered on, like, half the things they promised instead of giving us content no one asked for.

 

[CHristina]

if your going to hire someone.. contact the guy who made /makes the MEGA FANTASTIC cobras ships for 'Oolite'.. goes by the name 'giff'((I think)...NOW THATS a modern , nasty looking cobra... along with all his others.....

and, by the way , a free elite clone to down load....

 

[Jaeger]

....how come a single person was able to do basically 70% of what is missing in ED, .

Hmmm... this does strongly suggest that there are serious internal problems in FD.

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I talked to the guy who made ascent and gave him a few pointers at how E does supercruise way better, I mentioned that having gravity wells that slow down your ship when you get near them is a good thing to have, instead of allowing your ships to autopilot through planets.

Don't forget gravity wells at USS too, for added rubber banding tedium.

Autopilot -- did you use a taboo term ??? sssssshhhh

 

[darshie76]

@darshie76: Are you secretly telling me that FD has 10 devs in total?

They have more than 10; not hundreds I believe, but in the 50-100 range probably.

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And this is how you end up in PARADISE 4 URANUS. What I mean is that this is probably a bad idea. Maybe.

I just wish they delivered on, like, half the things they promised instead of giving us content no one asked for.

True, of course the expectation is that there is a decent amount of moderation. I would rather have the original names for the known star systems; and then you name the other whatever you like (with moderation). ED does that already I believe, but not for star systems; just for space stations (although I wonder where did they take the system names for ALL the galaxy...many systems are so far that we don't even know them yet, because the light didn't reach us yet).

They did deliver; at launch they gave us all they put in the KS campaign: the issue is that some people thought that the features would be fleshed out, instead we got placeholders. Also many people were thinking to an evolution of Elite; instead we have got a polished Elite....some like it, some hate it; but this is how life goes.

 

[darshie76]

if your going to hire someone.. contact the guy who made /makes the MEGA FANTASTIC cobras ships for 'Oolite'.. goes by the name 'giff'((I think)...NOW THATS a modern , nasty looking cobra... along with all his others.....

and, by the way , a free elite clone to down load....

Interesting but I am not a fan of clones; one thing is to take ideas from a game and expand them, another is to totally remake a game Kudos for the work done on this clone thou...getting it now to try it out.

 

[Remiel]

I wish Frontier would look at what others do; or should I say, at what other players want; and explore new ways to make ED better.

Personally, I hope Frontier ignores it and continues creating something they want to create instead of emulating something someone else is doing. If someone else is already doing it, then it's not unique, and aren't games better when there's nothing else quite like them?

 

[darshie76]

Hmmm... this does strongly suggest that there are serious internal problems in FD.

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Don't forget gravity wells at USS too, for added rubber banding tedium.

Autopilot -- did you use a taboo term ??? sssssshhhh

Makes sense to have gravity pulling the ship while getting close to bodies of a certain mass; although the engine should compensate, making the effect almost unnoticeable (except for the poor core that is pumping like crazy to compensate the gravity pull).

Autopilot may be useful in certain cases; kinda like fast travel

 

[darshie76]

Personally, I hope Frontier ignores it and continues creating something they want to create instead of emulating something someone else is doing. If someone else is already doing it, then it's not unique, and aren't games better when there's nothing else quite like them?

The problem is...the guy emulated what many games said that they will...and never did.
I am still waiting to see Frontier, pulling out something that makes a difference between ED and the ton of other space games out there. 30 years ago it was another market, was another time....nowadays you can't just do the same and slap good graphics on it, and call it "innovation". This is simply incremental improvement, if you look at the facts.

One guy did what Frontier promised 2 years (and various Million) ago; it is not a matter of doing what someone else do; but do something and do it in a meaningful way.
I dare you to say that fly fast to get in the spaceport, and call yourself "the new Han Solo the smuggler" has anything innovative in it.

Not talking about preferences....on which I will NEVER judge nor comment, beside agreeing or disagree with them; I am pointing out the facts and comparing what a team of uber seasoned accomplished, and what a lone wolf did.

 

[Remiel]

The problem is...the guy emulated what many games said that they will...and never did.
I am still waiting to see Frontier, pulling out something that makes a difference between ED and the ton of other space games out there. 30 years ago it was another market, was another time....nowadays you can't just do the same and slap good graphics on it, and call it "innovation". This is simply incremental improvement, if you look at the facts.

One guy did what Frontier promised 2 years (and various Million) ago; it is not a matter of doing what someone else do; but do something and do it in a meaningful way.
I dare you to say that fly fast to get in the spaceport, and call yourself "the new Han Solo the smuggler" has anything innovative in it.

Not talking about preferences....on which I will NEVER judge nor comment, beside agreeing or disagree with them; I am pointing out the facts and comparing what a team of uber seasoned accomplished, and what a lone wolf did.

I don't think you understand. Elite isn't emulating anything - anything that is like Elite is emulating Elite. Elite was the first, and it always will be. Just because ED is new doesn't mean it's not part of a lineage that other developers are taking pages from. Innovation is irrelevant, because Elite is its own entity. It is the innovation that everyone else is innovating from.

 

[Moriarte]

Personally, I hope Frontier ignores it and continues creating something they want to create instead of emulating something someone else is doing. If someone else is already doing it, then it's not unique, and aren't games better when there's nothing else quite like them?

Nothing wrong with adopting ideas that already work and take them to the next level. That's how the whole thing works. Unique doesn't come from the void. It's something which was already done somewhere, but polished, balanced and devoid of faults present in the original model.

Great stuff you brought up, Darshie. Makes an impression, never mind the crappy graphics and pay as you go.

By the way, last time I checked FD had 250 employees. Most of them work on Elite, I'd guess.

 

[Remiel]

Actually, that EXACTLY where 'unique' comes from. I suggest you look up the definition: short form, it means one of a kind. Which also, by default, makes it the FIRST of its kind.

 

[Moriarte]

Actually, that EXACTLY where 'unique' comes from. I suggest you look up the definition: short form, it means one of a kind. Which also, by default, makes it the FIRST of its kind.

In the dictionary. Not in real life. If you, personally, don't know where the thing came from, it doesn't mean it came from the void. It's the end result of multitude of processes.

To warp it up, I understand what you're saying and you, hopefully, understood what I tried to say. Lets leave it at that. Thanks for the conversation.

 

[darshie76]

I don't think you understand. Elite isn't emulating anything - anything that is like Elite is emulating Elite. Elite was the first, and it always will be. Just because ED is new doesn't mean it's not part of a lineage that other developers are taking pages from. Innovation is irrelevant, because Elite is its own entity. It is the innovation that everyone else is innovating from.

Ok, let me clear things then...trading was invented roughly at the times when Babylon was already established....if you put trading in space, is nothing new

Elite was the first to make such game in 3d; otherwise space war was the first game on this genre. Making 3d at that time was insanely hard, and Elite exist because Mr Braben had enough skill and means to develop it.

Elite didn't invented anything; made possible something that was in the mind of people since ages...so with this premises; if we talk about which game used 3d for a space trading game, then Elite was the first. If we talk about when these concepts were invented; then the statement does not even apply anymore.

I can make a game based on making ice cream and sell it; I would be the first to make such game, but I won't be inventing anything.

Allow me to link the wiki page for "innovation"; I believe that it may be useful to clear some doubts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation.

 

[Remiel]

You're assuming I'm confused and need doubts cleared. In this genre, Elite was the innovator. This is the genre-defining game, which makes it unique and original. You can spin it however you like, and you could make the same argument that you made about trade for Frogger. Frogger used keyboard controls, and so does Elite, therefore Elite innovated on Frogger. Pretty dumb, huh. Trade is not the only thing Elite is about, it contains many aspects that make it a unique package that OTHER games, such as EVE Online, have innovated from. EVE also became a unique game by virtue of introducing unique elements that only EVE has. If you were to now go and take elements from other games and emulate them in EVE, it would seem mundane and arbitrary, and make the game more homogeneous, something that would weaken it, not strengthen it. The same applies here. Again, I'll lay out the bottom line. This game is the innovation that everyone else innovates from.