I guess I'm not as easily impressed as others...

[watto33]

Due to Elite being mainly procedurally generated there isn't much wow factor for me when it comes to the environment

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome. Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

Each system is just generally the same, apart from different colour stars and some stations there isn't much in terms of diversity.

A lot of people on here can look at two stars and sit gazing at it. Personally I don't find it interesting at all, when you've seen it 50 times over it loses its wow.

Procedurally generated games no doubt a huge amount of content, but unfortunately they usually lack substance

 

[StuartGT]

Loved the Mass Effect series! The combat in 3 was a bit samey but the story continuation kept me interested. Enjoyed 1 the most

Derelict ships & wreckage can be found in Unidentified Signal Sources. Ancient civs' architecture will be coming in Planetary Landings expansion.

While the more uniquely detailed 'areas' in ME and SC can/will be striking, they are of a limited number. ME had around 30 planets (systems) in the whole series; SC will have around 50 systems IIRC. FDev can quickly add new details using the Cobra's PD if they wish.

Here's hoping Mass Effect 4 (or whatever they call it) is good! Same for Star Citizen in late 2016

 

[JonnyC0mbat]

I respect your opinion and wish you well with future purchases

 

[Splette]

In that case, just a heads up: stay away from No Man's Sky

In a thread about that game somebody was praising its procedural generation capabilities and said in ED "barely anything is generated this way" (besides the stars and planets). He complained that FD doesn't use more procedural generation, for example to - wait for it - generate more different types of playable ships.

So, as with any other aspect of this game: some love it, some hate it. In my opinion FD found the right path. The ships and stations are "handcrafted" with love and attention to details while things like endless numbers of solar systems (which would just be way too much work to design individually) are done with procedural generation. One thing, I think ED can still improve on (and I hope will, in the future) is to add more variety to all those automatically generated aspects of the game: more different textures for planets, asteroids, types of missions, commodities and so on.

 

[gamecat]

In that case, just a heads up: stay away from No Man's Sky

In a thread about that game somebody was praising its procedural generation capabilities and said in ED "barely anything is generated this way" (besides the stars and planets). He complained that FD doesn't use more procedural generation, for example to - wait for it - generate more different types of playable ships.

So, as with any other aspect of this game: some love it, some hate it. In my opinion FD found the right path. The ships and stations are "handcrafted" with love and attention to details while things like endless numbers of solar systems (which would just be way too much work to design individually) are done with procedural generation. One thing, I think ED can still improve on (and I hope will, in the future) is to add more variety to all those automatically generated aspects of the game: more different textures for planets, asteroids, types of missions, commodities and so on.

Totally agree.

 

[DYSEQTA]

Procedurally generated games no doubt a huge amount of content, but unfortunately they usually lack substance

Funnily enough, as would the majority of space. You can't expect to find stuff everywhere, that would just be weird...

 

[Armour]

In that case, just a heads up: stay away from No Man's Sky

In a thread about that game somebody was praising its procedural generation capabilities and said in ED "barely anything is generated this way" (besides the stars and planets). He complained that FD doesn't use more procedural generation, for example to - wait for it - generate more different types of playable ships.

Yeah, that was me in the No Man's Sky thread...and I was 100% right.

In the whole Elite galaxy the different ship models will be numbered in the tens, it seems. This is somewhat unlikely sounding, at least to me, and is a direct result of going down the handbuilt route.

If they were going for a realistic galaxy, you would expect to find hundreds of independent shipyards out there, possibly thousands. Each one would be putting out their own ships, some as a hobby, some as a viable business. Some of those vehicles would be cheap knock-offs of the established marques (a la Chinese cars), some would be expensive and rare high-end craft with amazing performance stats and lousy fuel economy ones (like European supercars). Some would be wierd quirky things, with novel propulsion systems (like Teslas or hybrids), and some would be jerry-rigged jalopies with the spaceworthiness of a bathtub (like Trabants or old Ladas or British Leylands). I would even expect to see the odd concept craft out there being tested near the big name shipyards, doing things that cause some pilots to swear off the Lavian Brandy and others to think they've seen evidence of an advanced alien species.

I'm not saying that this game should go down the NMS route whereby every ship is unique (to an extent, anyway). That would be equally silly. But you can go around the world and find more than a hundred different models of automobile, in all shapes and sizes. To think that having similar levels of variety in the entire galaxy is ridiculous is - well, ridiculous!

 

[watto33]

Yeah, that was me in the No Man's Sky thread...and I was 100% right.

In the whole Elite galaxy the different ship models will be numbered in the tens, it seems. This is somewhat unlikely sounding, at least to me, and is a direct result of going down the handbuilt route.

If they were going for a realistic galaxy, you would expect to find hundreds of independent shipyards out there, possibly thousands. Each one would be putting out their own ships, some as a hobby, some as a viable business. Some of those vehicles would be cheap knock-offs of the established marques (a la Chinese cars), some would be expensive and rare high-end craft with amazing performance stats and lousy fuel economy ones (like European supercars). Some would be wierd quirky things, with novel propulsion systems (like Teslas or hybrids), and some would be jerry-rigged jalopies with the spaceworthiness of a bathtub (like Trabants or old Ladas or British Leylands). I would even expect to see the odd concept craft out there being tested near the big name shipyards, doing things that cause some pilots to swear off the Lavian Brandy and others to think they've seen evidence of an advanced alien species.

I'm not saying that this game should go down the NMS route whereby every ship is unique (to an extent, anyway). That would be equally silly. But you can go around the world and find more than a hundred different models of automobile, in all shapes and sizes. To think that having similar levels of variety in the entire galaxy is ridiculous is - well, ridiculous!

I must admit I'm very much looking forward to No Mans Sky.. Even though it's procedural, it looks like it's done right.. Lots of different species, ships etc

I will refrain from making a decision untill it's released, they said they can make a quintillion planets, I somehow don't believe they're going to make a quintillion species so we will see.

I think procedural ships sounds awesome, Elite has a dissapointing amount of ships and it's very unlikely that citizens would be flying around in the same ship across the galaxy.

 

[Alric]

Hand crafted games lose their wow factor after the 50th time as well.

 

[Vasious]

The beauty of the PG system, is discovering those wonderful sights, knowing that they haven't been hand crafted.
At least for me it is.
I like going camping in the same Mountain range even though all the trees look similar
.
I love how I am starting to recognise the features on the planets, whose stations I visit often.
A Particular large crater on the Northern hemisphere of one world, that makes it more than "Yellow world with no atmosphere #5"
Or the odd swirling cloud formations that makes another world distinct from any of the other "Planet that is like mars"
You can look at them and really imagine how all those little features on the planet would have names the locals call them.

 

[Avnas]

Due to Elite being mainly procedurally generated there isn't much wow factor for me when it comes to the environment

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome. Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

Each system is just generally the same, apart from different colour stars and some stations there isn't much in terms of diversity.

A lot of people on here can look at two stars and sit gazing at it. Personally I don't find it interesting at all, when you've seen it 50 times over it loses its wow.

Procedurally generated games no doubt a huge amount of content, but unfortunately they usually lack substance

>each star totally different

"they're all the same"

i bet you never ran into a tiny little .1ls sized, super-fast spinning, bright white t-tauri star.

or a brown dwarf star with huge rings....

 

[dakkan]

Due to Elite being mainly procedurally generated there isn't much wow factor for me when it comes to the environment

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome. Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

Each system is just generally the same, apart from different colour stars and some stations there isn't much in terms of diversity.

A lot of people on here can look at two stars and sit gazing at it. Personally I don't find it interesting at all, when you've seen it 50 times over it loses its wow.

Procedurally generated games no doubt a huge amount of content, but unfortunately they usually lack substance

Well you can't say anything about SC right now as it is straight up vapourware. Here's hoping it lives up close to the hype.

But other than that what you describe is not Elite. The Elite universe is a close simulcrum of the universe and its big, harsh and lonely where humans are the only known space faring race.

Also there is substance, a lot of it, just not spoonfed in the explore this anomaly way.

 

[jpaulwilson1982]

Avnas, that photo is just amazing. As an explorer, that pic has me even more excited for the game's release. I mean, wow... Never thought I'd see that.

Anyways, watto33, I'm not easily impressed, either. Most space-sims I just couldn't get into because everything was too similar from system to system, or the combat and flight didn't feel right, or there's no reward for exploration, or the story was terrible, and so on. But, I've played many space sims and most don't even come close to being a proper space sim. Elite Dangerous and Evochron Mercenary are about the best space sim games that exist currently (however I haven't tried Eve, maybe its good).

 

[Zetta]

Due to Elite being mainly procedurally generated there isn't much wow factor for me when it comes to the environment

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome. Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

Each system is just generally the same, apart from different colour stars and some stations there isn't much in terms of diversity.

A lot of people on here can look at two stars and sit gazing at it. Personally I don't find it interesting at all, when you've seen it 50 times over it loses its wow.

Procedurally generated games no doubt a huge amount of content, but unfortunately they usually lack substance

That's ok, some people like fantasy space games, some like games with a prominent story. Elite is neither of these.
I'm curious if you enjoy sandbox games, I'm wondering if your opinion is less to do with PG and more to do with having clear objectives in a game.

 

[Avnas]

That's ok, some people like fantasy space games, some like games with a prominent story. Elite is neither of these.
I'm curious if you sandbox games, I'm wondering if your opinion is less to do with PG and more to do with having clear objectives in a game.

it's that.

most people are used to having a tutorial mission where you have the most basic stuff explained to you "press W to go forward herpadur"

then they're put into a "harsh" gameworld where they have.... -a single- path to take


i'd call that a linear game. the last of us for instance. totally stale, and single-path but a top rated game.

 

[Gelbrock]

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome.

You mean like the derelict ship on the verge of collapse that was in the original trailer for this game? or the ancient civilization called the Thargoids that are also in this game?

Who would have thought... Another person posting before they even do the slightest bit of research into what they are talking about....

 

[Shoklar]

Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

I just had to lol at that. I mean seriously, I see no 'wow' factor in Star Citizen with their tiny tiny galaxy and bloated budget. Not impressed at all. Perhaps you're easily pleased, as I sure ain't by it. I read the blah about the planets in that 'tiny' galaxy and find myself saying, is that it. No thanks, I like the freedom of our own galaxy in Elite Dangerous. And mass effect... really.. I guess I'm harder to please and need more 'wow' factor than you did. Certainly was interesting to me to try look at the comparisons on what they offer. I Look at elite dangerous stars and think yes, they really exist. While with SC it's oh, ok. I just need to go there, ok. Maybe we have different expectations of which SC and it's long overeaching development date of nearly 2017. Was the only 'wow' factor I found as I was incredulous by it..

Shok.

 

[CaptainKremmen]

Yeah.

Seeing derelict ships on the verge of collapse, ancient civilisations and architecture would be awsome. Think Mass Effect or even Star Citizen (oh noez I said it)

I downloaded SC. It was something like 13 gigabytes, took all night and half the next day, haha. Loaded it up, walked around the hangar, sat in a thing at the far end, came back, and played a few Arena Commanders. I remember it saying "Approaching Simulation Boundary". After about half an hour, I shut it down. What, exactly, are we doing, talking about ancient civilisations, architecture and derelict ships and Star Citizen?

Sorry, but I'll take a playable game framework "with potential" over a tech demo "with potential" any day.

 

[Zvanya]

Stellar Forge is the best part of Elite so far.

 

[aRtFuL]

Due to Elite being mainly procedurally generated there isn't much wow factor for me when it comes to the environment

For someone who cares about astronomy and astronomical accuracies this is a very big deal.

No other sci-fi game makes any mention of a Star or Planet's estimate age, composition or what spectral sequence a star is in.

As said before this is a scientist's game. From what you are saying of your interest this obviously doesn't seem to be in your field of focus.