How complete is the game? Will it ever be more than a shell?

[Dejay]

I just stumbled across an interesting post here. Unfortunately a moderator closed the thread. Some trolls / fanboys deliberately derailed the discussion in order to get a critical thread closed. Anyway, I just wanted to productively reply to the content of that topic. See my reply below the quote:

[h=2]Rose tinted glasses[/h]

So, before i get slammed with "if you don't enjoy the game, don't play it" and "you just want to push the "i win" button and get everything" and months ago "it's in beta/gamma..." and "it isn't finished! give them time (to add stuff that should be in a 1.0 version)"

I ENJOY the game. it's awesome. I'm happy with my eagle and hauler. i don't want an anaconda.

BUT

You cannot deny that it was rushed, and lacks content.

Yet, i see people slamming people with the above^ it isn't about enjoying it, i am, but not as much as i hoped.

This is the release version, and it's just a shell.
Currently, everything is bare-bones, besides the atmosphere and look/sound of the game (never had had a more immerse game honestly)
And i know, some of this stuff is planned, but the game is Released! which means it should have most of it's content ready, and bug free with expansions on the way adding features to the game (instead of fixing broken systems EG the wings thing for co-op)
Why was it not pushed back? the lack of content will (and has) done permanent damage to the game as a whole.

Exploring, consists of flying around looking at planets for 5-20 seconds and moving on to the next. I, and others can have fun with this, but it's still bare bones basic and bland.
Where is some sort of minigame, so ou actually have to do something other than targeting an object? other stuff to find? stranded npcs derelicts, pirate bases on the fringe, the "dark systems" they talked about, and the "finding hyperspace routes" basicly all the stuff they said they would put in the game that should have been there allready, but can't add now.

Tradeing is what you would expect, though it could use better UI/pictures of goods ect.

Combat is great, and easily the most fleshed out of the "big three"

Smuggling is broken, and not viable.
Everything i have read makes me scared to even try. why do you become hostile to a third of the inhabited galaxy for smuggling some stolen fish in a fringe colony? only the local government should care (unless you become a massive well-known smuggler of slaves with a huge bounty ect ect) doesn't it sound ridiculous if i said "i'm on the run and hunted by the federation because i got caught with some biowaste i found" no? just me?
And apparently, you make little to no profit as well.

Mineing i've been wanting to try it for a while, but everything i've read makes it sound extremely tedious, boreing and a massive time sink.

All of the above are the core features and they only have their functional components. they work. but they are hollow, with SOOOO much missing, or that could be added to make it more alive

And now, the biggest problem, and one even i can't overlook.

The so called breathing universe

While some people (myself included) are content to fill the gaps with imagination, it can only go so far.
As it stands, you have NO effect on the world at all, except changeing numbers.

The player driven events like the crimson state group thing don't change anything at all, the system is clearly, and confirmed, broken.

Why do we not have small little bits of dialouge to make the word seem more alive?

E.G "Ah it's you again Commander, i was beginning to wonder where you were, i've been starting to rely on you quite a lot recently"
actual lines of vocie acted dialogue for combat? "surrender your cargo!" ect ect i often see people complain about NPC's being faceless, and not being able to care about them.

Where are the missions? "escort a trader to X station" "track down this guy"(ACTUALLY TRACK HIM, not drop into random instances for and hour, and eventually find a guy that always has an elite anaconda)

"group up with this squadron, and try to disable the guns on this hostile station/capital ship so it can be captured" (instead of jump in, to find a capital ship arriving just for you, and an infinite battle that is never won or lost until the devs say so)

Events like the onionhead "blockade" should actually BLOCKCADE atm, it seems the galnet news it just fluff-text to make it more alive than it is. (it works for me if i put on my rose tinted glasses)


sigh.

I've had enough of typeing for now, there was plenty more i wanted to say but can't be bothered.

To sum it all up
You forum goers need to stop being so dismissive of people who have legitimate concerns of the game.

Just because you can pretend the galaxy is actually alive, does not mean that it is.
You can't replace actual content with imagination (though you can supplement it, and i do)

The game is most definetly lacking in content, regardless of weather you enjoy it or not (again, i do) take of your rose tinted glasses for a moment, and realise the game is far from finished, and should not have been "released" in the state it is in right now bare-bones and only functional with no extras.


All of that said, i'm still enjoying the game for the moment, hope that more content and promised features are added soon, because as some people have said "it has the width of an ocean, but the depth of a puddle".

I will of course be sticking with the game, and hoping for the best.
But please stop it with the generic dissimissive posts, people are allowed to criticize the game, without criticism, it will never improve and get past this content-lacking stage.

Thank you for your time, sorry for the rant . (and incase you are wondering "why the crazy font sizes and contant underlineing?" people on forums always nitpick and pick one part of your post to comment on, i'm underlining the most important parts, that i want them to see.​

I enjoy the game also, but only because I have not yet reached enough credits. The game is indeed too "shallow" to be played longer.

WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS NOT BIG HYPE FEATURES BUT THE SMALL GAMEPLAY DETAILS.

The DDF talks of many things, but what is needed is a kind of "updated roadmap" and a talk about the small detailed gameplay elements. Multi stage missions, NPC interaction, Bounty hunting (not just fishing), crewmembers, a kind of interactive procedural narrative. I'd love to get more info on that. Many reviewers have mentioned this also that the game is more like a "shell".

What is the plan for the future?

 

[CaptainKremmen]

68%.

Yes.

 

[Ydiss]

68%.

Yes.

I think much closer to 59.64%.

And yes.

 

[Vasea Azure]

I only know about planet landing, eva, walking around expansion plans at the moment - and I myself cant wait for this. I`m sure FD will provide us with many smaller but needed stuff on the way. Elite D is a great start but I agree withe te post that you quoted.

 

[snotface]

I just stumbled across an interesting post here. Unfortunately a moderator closed the thread. Some trolls / fanboys deliberately derailed the discussion in order to get a critical thread closed. Anyway, I just wanted to productively reply to the content of that topic. See my reply below the quote:

[h=2]Rose tinted glasses[/h]

I enjoy the game also, but only because I have not yet reached enough credits. The game is indeed too "shallow" to be played longer.

WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS NOT BIG HYPE FEATURES BUT THE SMALL GAMEPLAY DETAILS.

The DDF talks of many things, but what is needed is a kind of "updated roadmap" and a talk about the small detailed gameplay elements. Multi stage missions, NPC interaction, Bounty hunting (not just fishing), crewmembers, a kind of interactive procedural narrative. I'd love to get more info on that. Many reviewers have mentioned this also that the game is more like a "shell".

What is the plan for the future?

You have a point, but please name one online game that isn't a shell at first?

I can name many which within the first few days had this patch or that patch because the game was unstable or the equipment they were using wasn't up to scratch.

As with any new project there will always be issues which will need to be fixed and expanded. Personally I would like to see more ships, on the lines of what is/was in old Elite games, For example Cobra Mk I.

How many days has the game been released? not many, plus you have had the Christmas break so nothing will be done until everybody is back at work.

I am very happy to fly around the universe killing other ships until extra content is added. As long as thing game does not go down the same route as World of Warcraft I will be happy

 

[Xbob42]

You have a point, but please name one online game that isn't a shell at first?

World of Warcraft? Ultima Online? The Secret World? Most online games obviously have less content than three years later, but this game doesn't even seem to have half of its key features.

 

[Salvatory]

All these threads with armchair developers boil down to 1 fact.

The brain is faster than reality and they run off into their heads with fantastic ideas that take more work than they can imagine. A single suggestion that is a few words in length might take a year in a development cycle (or more)

 

[snotface]

World of Warcraft? Ultima Online? The Secret World? Most online games obviously have less content than three years later, but this game doesn't even seem to have half of its key features.

In the early days neither did they. I remember WOW on its release being so bugged that people were crashing out after just 5 minutes in game. No game is fully developed upon its release and if anybody thinks they are then they are fools. Oh and Why people pay to play a game that isn't finished goes to show how foolish they are with their money

If ED was a full game upon release then they wouldn't be making money from it in 3 years time.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

All these threads with armchair developers boil down to 1 fact.

The brain is faster than reality and they run off into their heads with fantastic ideas that take more work than they can imagine. A single suggestion that is a few words in length might take a year in a development cycle (or more)

or as in ED 20 years

 

[Crimson Fury]

I would say the game is about 30% complete. The basic framework is there, but the promised contents are the bulk of the work.

 

[Clav]

World of Warcraft? Ultima Online? The Secret World? Most online games obviously have less content than three years later, but this game doesn't even seem to have half of its key features.

Definitely not WoW, Warlocks and paladins were totally broken and unplayable at launch. As launches go Elite has been very good.

 

[Ydiss]

I would say the game is about 30% complete. The basic framework is there, but the promised contents are the bulk of the work.

Extrapolating all the data we know and calculating using my insider knowledge algorithm, I'd disagree and state it's 32.9538%. I believe you may have neglected to carry the one in your calculation.

 

[Zplintz]

I don't think it will ever be 'complete'. ED will continue to be 'fixed', balanced, added to and expanded until FD decide to go for Elite: Deadly or drop the project altogether.

Here's to the next 15-20 yeard.....

 

[GrillMonkey]

For me its exactly what I've been waiting for since frontier. All I wanted was a reboot of that game and I pretty much have it minus the planetary spaceports . I can understand people wanting more, especially those new to the fransise. Im looking forward to the expansions but for now I am happy.

 

[Miimis Maks]

Extrapolating all the data we know and calculating using my insider knowledge algorithm, I'd disagree and state it's 32.9538%. I believe you may have neglected to carry the one in your calculation.

Trolls like you should be punished, not the thread closed.

 

[Dejay]

I am very happy to fly around the universe killing other ships until extra content is added. As long as thing game does not go down the same route as World of Warcraft I will be happy

I agree about the "not going down the hamster wheel of content" of WoW route. WoW basically increased the level, invalidated all your equipment and added more of the exact same stuff just in different clothes. WoW is an item hunt. So personally I am not looking for "more ships" etc.

Complex missions, interactive narrative, NPC relations, a more convincing "foreground simulation". That is the sort of things I'd like to see added because it adds NEW GAMEPLAY instead of NEW CONTENT.

Stuff like walking around is great, but I fear if the current mission pool is what we can expect then it's not worth it. It'll be "oh nice I can walk around in my ship. What's next?". They should first make use of the content they have now, adding depth to it, before adding more complicated and expensive systems that might not have gameplay depth either.

Of course, I'd ideally want both haha.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

The brain is faster than reality and they run off into their heads with fantastic ideas that take more work than they can imagine. A single suggestion that is a few words in length might take a year in a development cycle (or more)

You say that like it's a bad thing

I'd specifically want stuff that is in between those "big features" like landing or walking around. All I want is that FD talks about what their plan is for the "moment to moment" gameplay of missions etc.

 

[Ydiss]

Trolls like you should be punished, not the thread closed.

As with the first two posts in reply, the point being made is no one can possibly know how complete the game is. And the question in the topic title "will it ever be more than a shell" is simply answered by "yes". Because it's a heavily loaded question designed to illicit argument.

My post was purely facetious. But it was still on topic. Your post was a direct attack on me and not on topic at all.

The game is an independently funded project on a scale much larger than most mega-billion dollar projects. The sheer volume of change since I've been here has been nothing short of outstanding.

The game has a very, very bright future. Most reviews agree in its potential. Comparing this game to any other is pointless, because its precedents are all ancient. Comparing it to major multi-billion releases is worse.

It is what it is; a beginning. It's all upwards from here. Deliberating over the negatives of this incomplete game is fine and dandy, if negativity is your thing.

Others see it differently. Including the makers of the game.

So, the game is 75% incomplete and if it ever reaches 95% completion it'll be astounding. Same point, shorter explanation.

 

[lysan]

I would agree, the game is at 58% or thereabout. Still its a WIP and must be treated as such. The reason it was released was maybe to get the ball rolling. They do not have 60 MIO in the bank like [REDACTED] so that could be a reason. For me that's ok as long as we see the progress of the game.

There are days where you kind of lean back and say out loud "I can't use my imagination any more, I need some help here!" and there are days where you just sit with a big grin on your face. I'm 100% sure that FD know the challenges ahead, because this could break or win the game for years to come.

My advice if FD even care, is not to take the easy road, what we need is a game that is easy to begin with but hard to master. The game can't scare the new crowd away, however there must be a depth in the game for those who want to go deeper. I often use DCS as a reference due to the SIM part.

Yesterday I visited earth, and took a swing around the Cap ship in orbit. It was a dead experience, noting was going on, just one big lump of metal floating in space.

We badly need the live breathing part of ED coming alive, this is not easy, this is probably the most difficult task to do.

 

[Dejay]

As with the first two posts in reply, the point being made is no one can possibly know how complete the game is. And the question in the topic title "will it ever be more than a shell" is simply answered by "yes". Because it's a heavily loaded question designed to illicit argument.

The question might be loaded, but it's still an unanswered one. The mission pool we have is worse than WoW in the beginning. REALLY BORING. Other elements of the game make up for it but I doubt the game will retain players for long in the current state. Even if you add features and content now, there is no guarantee that "too little too late" will get players back. You could add planetary landings and walking around but the game might still be a "shell". I think the best way would be to talk about the planned features and addition to gameplay.

FD never talked about how missions would look like. Imho they should be the bread and butter of the game. At least being worthwhile, interesting, and ideally creating an interactive narrative. Currently they are not.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

we need is a game that is easy to begin with but hard to master

I was thinking yesterday that it would be really nice if an NPC with elite status would be nearly impossible to kill on an even basis. So that even an elite sidewinder is a huge threat to your cobra or asp. Currently NPCs are just pushovers.

 

[Innigo]

It's clear they wanted it released on the 30th anniversary of elite so it's out without some important features. But I have faith this will be a moot point in the not too distant future.

 

[lysan]

The question might be loaded, but it's still an unanswered one. The mission pool we have is worse than WoW in the beginning. REALLY BORING. Other elements of the game make up for it but I doubt the game will retain players for long in the current state. Even if you add features and content now, there is no guarantee that "too little too late" will get players back. You could add planetary landings and walking around but the game might still be a "shell". I think the best way would be to talk about the planned features and addition to gameplay.

FD never talked about how missions would look like. Imho they should be the bread and butter of the game. At least being worthwhile, interesting, and ideally creating an interactive narrative. Currently they are not.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -



I was thinking yesterday that it would be really nice if an NPC with elite status would be nearly impossible to kill on an even basis. So that even an elite sidewinder is a huge threat to your cobra or asp. Currently NPCs are just pushovers.

One of the problems is the bulletin board for missions. This really need some tweaking. Maybe add that you can receive missions on the comms.
This could be done by using voice like VA use voice, so you get a feeling of being in a living universe.

I don't know if this is a hard task, however something need to be done. I know that the challenges are huge, and that FD maybe need to bring in some cash before they can do it. However its very critical that we get more meat on the bone.