How many sentient space traveling species do you expect?

[_Flin_]

Aliens.

Wonderful, dangerous, creatures.

Will there be any?

I am sure. We had Thargoids in earlier games, after all.

But how many will be there? What do you think?

I think there will be around 5-10. If only because we want them and they need to be found, and you can't make sure that someone finds them if there are only 2 or 3, because the galaxy is huge. So I think there will be a few islands, like our own, spread out in the whole galaxy.

 

[Unfluffydave]

Thar be dragons!

David Braben has said that Thargoids will return.

 

[anikaiful]

Life in general ... likely almost everywhere.

Sentient life ... millions of species, likely (that'd be about one species per 400,000 systems).

Spacefaring species ... a handful.

 

[Variform]

Look at the ships and stations and imagine the detail on a Thargoid ship. What they will do with it will be mind blowing.

 

[knowles2]

For the release I expect one alien species to be out there.

But for the future that all depends on how many expansions where will be, I hoping eventually we will have a good dozen or so species out there flying around with in 3 years.

 

[_Flin_]

I think it really comes down to a design decision.

If the decision is: We will implement them manually, it will be rather low.
If the decision is: Let's see what procedural generation comes up with, it will be high.

On the other hand you cannot do a lively alien civilization with procedural generation. How will the ships look? So it probably will be either two or a handful.

 

[Trasher]

Hard to make that call given that we are currently alone, perception wise.
Could go with the Babylon5/Mass Effect model of Thargoids spank the younger races back to oblivion so there's not many about; or the Star Wars: life is everywhere, get over it model. From a developer point of view that one would take a lot of work to make it meaningful.

It would be a bit boring to be the only sentient race, in game and out here!

 

[Lister_of_Smeg]

Intelligent dangerous life should be something the team should add in other than the Thargoids. Maybe something like startreks borg that assimilates all and poses a threat to all intelligent life

 

[Bob_H]

More than two (humans and Thargoids) is a possibility that DBOBE and MB have hinted at. An awful lot less than people want or expect is virtually guaranteed.

 

[Calico Jack]

I think it really comes down to a design decision.

If the decision is: We will implement them manually, it will be rather low.
If the decision is: Let's see what procedural generation comes up with, it will be high.

On the other hand you cannot do a lively alien civilization with procedural generation. How will the ships look? So it probably will be either two or a handful.

Would be fun to see FD have a stab at solving the Drake equation though!

I voted 5, as we already have Humans, Thargoids, and Rogue AI. Would be nice to have a couple more; maybe a species that is friendly, neutral, or suspicious, but not completely warlike would be fun to interact with.

 

[Hexen]

What matters is how many of sentient species we will be able to reach? I think there might be a lot of aliens. We might find some relics, signals or even remains of civilizations. But not sure there will be that many we can actually interact with.

 

[Voyager_NL]

The jump from 5 to 25 is to big for this poll.
I'm thinking less then 10. but not something we will encounter very easily. Humans, thargoids and AI are for sure (to me). And then maybe a few later on with an expansion.

 

[Talarin]

If the decision is: Let's see what procedural generation comes up with, it will be high.

That's an idea that never occurred to me.

Procedural generation of alien species (presumably with the art/design teams fleshing them out once the engine had determined that they exist and what technology level they're at). Obviously, we'd never actually know the difference between the two systems but part of me hopes that something like this is in the background.

 

[FoxTwo]

If FD ever create a species that is fearsome, and is supposed to strike terror in humans, I hope they don't mellow the aliens eventually like what Star Trek did with the Borg... Borgs are supposed to be the terror of the Galaxy but Voyager came along and tamed them... sigh.

I could actually feel the terror in Season 2, where Borgs were encountered for the first time and that great battle ensued in Season 3 at Wolf 359...

ED needs an alien race that humans are AFRAID of... that's what I think.

ps: I don't think of Thargoids like Borgs... they can be beaten, quite easily, once you have the right gear and skills (back in the original Elite anyway).

 

[Flavio]

I went for under fifty as I wanted to be right but if I had to put a number to it, I think 8 is about right.

 

[Calico Jack]

ED needs an alien race that humans are AFRAID of... that's what I think.

Don't know if it's canon, but I'm sure I read somewhere that Humanity blames the Thargoids for killing all the other sentient species. Would be fun if we've misjudged them, and they've actually been attacking us for our own protection, to stop us releasing the ultimate, evil-in-a-can that did kill all the other species.

... Oh wait, that's Mass Effect. Never mind, move along ...

 

[Dan Dare]

Us and the Thargoids for sure, because the back story demands it.
A few relics or other hints at other alien races ( now extinct, sublimed or otherwise "moved on" )will probably be put in, but in a very few, very obscure, very hard to get to places because it will generate lots of interest and will be REALLY cool and not too difficult to achieve.
Lots of wild animals (non sentient ) and scary predator type alien life as this has already been hinted at as a feature of planetary landings. (Get a gun, go hunting ).
But only two main sentient races, because to do them REALLY well, with unique habitats, ships, attitudes, politics, technology etc is just going to be full on demanding enough, IMHO
Also IMHO the circumstances that allow intelligent life to develop and survive long enough to get out of the gravity well of its' own planetary system do not seem to be have produced any races other than ours (where are they?) so it would be unrealistic to expect LOTS of space faring aliens in a milky way that is realistically modelled on ours.
Thargoids done well will be plenty

 

[_Flin_]

Also IMHO the circumstances that allow intelligent life to develop and survive long enough to get out of the gravity well of its' own planetary system do not seem to be have produced any races other than ours (where are they?) so it would be unrealistic to expect LOTS of space faring aliens in a milky way that is realistically modelled on ours.

I think the right question isn't "Where are they" but "When have they been?".

Because while space is huge, spacetime is even bigger. And while the events leading to life and to sentient life are probably not that hard to do, the events to create a sentient species just at this time... well, a million years more or less aren't too much on a galactic scale...

Plus, "where are they" might be answered with Star Trek's "Prime Directive". Or by them judging us as "lots of wild animals (non sentient)".
Or maybe they travel in the most logic way, by imprinting their consciousness into a small computer to get around the mass limitations of the Einstein spacetime continuum. And they arrive and we are not technologically equipped to communicate with them. Or they don't want to contact us.


Actually, if it was my job to create this game, I'd place an alien race right on our doorstep. Maybe 500 - 1000 ly away. And lot's of earth like and mineral rich planets between us, so the spheres of influence will naturally grow towards each other, therefore creating conflict, story, fun. And anybody with an o.k. ship could travel to them in an afternoon. Check them out, and do whatever with them, to them, against them, around them.

 

[Avnas]

considering i already encountered water based life on one ice-based gas giant i have to say 50+

sentient aliens =/= aliens =/= non sentient aliens

 

[_Flin_]

considering i already encountered water based life on one ice-based gas giant i have to say 50+

sentient aliens =/= aliens =/= non sentient aliens

I started out with "Aliens"... then I thought... naaa, they are abundant... so "sentient aliens"... then thought about the beginning of the Empire and the fate of Achenar 6d... so it had to be "sentient space traveling aliens".