Is the Stellar Forge and ED becoming Outdated?

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Were they ever a significant customer group? Because XBox/PS4 crowd sure are.

Do you really think frontier wouldn't turn off base ps4 and xbox support if it was cheaper to only maintain the ps5 / pc version?

Sorry im trolling but if anything frontier have the experience under their belt now of just turning off a platform because it was too hard. Given every other major feature release doesnt even get more than a "show it off beta" frontier seem to get used to these things once they know for certain it doesnt impact sales.

ie, powerplay and multicrew complainers didnt vote with their wallets it seems.

 

[Vandaahl]

Were they ever a significant customer group? Because XBox/PS4 crowd sure are.

Well, the fact they are no longer with us answers that question I guess. Goal justifying means and all that

 

[aRJay]

Incorrect. See mac users.

We weren’t dropped off abruptly though with a single update more like eased off to the sidelines over a couple of years first.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Incorrect. See mac users.

Oh, that one again... So no Boot Camp Mac users exist? Apple never appeared to be particularly interested in supporting the gaming community, has that changed?
I even get the impression that the Mac support was dropped (weren't refunds given to those who asked?) because of Apple's intransigence in supporting shaders or something... I could be wrong.
And for Linux users like me, ED doesn't offer the option to play natively - should I throw my toys out of the pram now?

 

[Linnunrata]

We weren’t dropped off abruptly though with a single update more like eased off to the sidelines over a couple of years first.

Definitely not disagreeing that old-gen consoles could face phasing out in several years after release of next-gens, then again several years is ages in computer games.

 

[Northpin]

stelar forge seems to be somehow customisable based on target gaming platform - see my latest pet-peeve below

Spot the Differences (Where are my Asteroids?)

So lately, as in one-month-lately, i was mining LTDs a lot on my PC account (no, don't ask why). Then last weekend i decided to fill with LTDs a Cutter on my XB account with the idea to sell it when prices are good. So I did, but while i was in the ring i had a strong impression that there...

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[Snowymonk]

It is essentially the same with PC owners - I have a reasonably powerful PC that can play in VR or 4k flat with everything wound up to a level that I find pleasing, but a player on a less powerful PC might have to play with lower resolution and detail, the scaling exists, I'd hope that we'd see the same for consoles, still looking great, but with the option to go "Wow!" with the new ones. (I wasn't berating older, or any, console)

^ this.
MAC users were discontinued because the whole platform was incompatble with the direction that Frontier wanted to go with the gaming graphics.
I don't see the same decision being made by Frontier on consoles or older PCs.
I think that the install base is too large.

In a year or two's time, the make-up may be different but I would expect the same principles currently in place for graphics will continue - i.e. base game / base graphics and more powerful units being able to present better graphics.
Xbox already has an improved graphics option for the later console, PS4 Pro has an option to toggle between graphic mode and performance mode. PCs have differing resolution quality settings.

The inclusion of XBox X series and PS5 will add top end graphic settings if Frontier want to do the extra work.

(I would be more worried about low end certain graphic cards being culled as part of the update than base consoles).

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Oh, that one again... So no Boot Camp Mac users exist? Apple never appeared to be particularly interested in supporting the gaming community, has that changed?
I even get the impression that the Mac support was dropped (weren't refunds given to those who asked?) because of Apple's intransigence in supporting shaders or something... I could be wrong.
And for Linux users like me, ED doesn't offer the option to play natively - should I throw my toys out of the pram now?

I personally dont care, i use windows for games (as with linux use the right tool for the job etc).

Yeah i think that was the last accepted excuse, the version of opengl available didnt have the same capability as the rest of the world so they called it too hard / not worth it and chose to put it aside.

Its certainly not impossible however. Blizzard are on mac, steam and egs etc. When games work its exactly the same as windows. Sporting developers are even using metal.. i know this because my macos of choice is still sierra, and i can't play eso or fs19.. where as fs17 and launch eso worked fine. They all require 10.13.. and as far as i can remember, the only thing new in the "apis" that they couldn't just continue to do like they used to with 10.13 was metal.

You're quite right about apple though. My guess would be that the more gamers they got interested, the more they would get called on the spec of their hardware for the price.. so just bad pr.

 

[Linnunrata]

I have to say IMO ED visual lacklustreness seems to have more to do with how the game is designed rather than the engine itself. Relatively few objects in an instance, AI inability to negotiate traffic jams on populated stations, planet surfaces that have like four different rocks as decoration etc.

 

[Vandaahl]

stelar forge seems to be somehow customisable based on target gaming platform - see my latest pet-peeve below

Spot the Differences (Where are my Asteroids?)

So lately, as in one-month-lately, i was mining LTDs a lot on my PC account (no, don't ask why). Then last weekend i decided to fill with LTDs a Cutter on my XB account with the idea to sell it when prices are good. So I did, but while i was in the ring i had a strong impression that there...

forums.frontier.co.uk

I think thats a client side rendering 'issue'. Same as DTEA once reported that the rings density was silently nerfed, backed up with a footage of an almost empty ring from a certain distance/angle. It was debunked by others posting pictures of the same ring and distance showing it densely populated. Later on I've seen these differences myself as well. The roids are technically probably there, but not rendered for some reason.

 

[Rat Catcher]

I personally dont care, i use windows for games (as with linux use the right tool for the job etc).

Yeah i think that was the last accepted excuse, the version of opengl available didnt have the same capability as the rest of the world so they called it too hard / not worth it and chose to put it aside.

Its certainly not impossible however. Blizzard are on mac, steam and egs etc. When games work its exactly the same as windows. Sporting developers are even using metal.. i know this because my macos of choice is still sierra, and i can't play eso or fs19.. where as fs17 and launch eso worked fine. They all require 10.13.. and as far as i can remember, the only thing new in the "apis" that they couldn't just continue to do like they used to with 10.13 was metal.

You're quite right about apple though. My guess would be that the more gamers they got interested, the more they would get called on the spec of their hardware for the price.. so just bad pr.

Yes, I use windows too for playing - multi-boot has its uses
Apple have (historically) had an odd approach to computing, in 'the old days' when Mac desktops ruled the DTP / Design camp their vanilla coloured boxes were threatened by PC Compatible vanilla coloured boxes, Apple adapted by utilising PC GPU components and busses to stay in the race. Then the Students were targeted with the first iMac's (awful internals but very pretty) and that set their trend, very pretty hardware but not particularly noticing how 'leisure computing' (gaming to you & me!) might be a good section to address.

So, no gripe actually about Mac hardware, it is very powerful now that CPU/GPU issues have been addressed, it is just that Apple really doesn't appear to want to get their hands dirty with gamers in particular, odd really

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I'm guessing the main problem in doing this within existing game is that old-gen console owners can't just be dropped out.

Maybe the improvements come with the expansions and the current consoles may not get these expansions as they won't be powerful enough. We will have to wait and see how it all pans out.

 

[Northpin]

I think thats a client side rendering 'issue'

I know what you mean - i've seen rings rendered incomplete on PC - but it looked like an odd LOD level issue and it's not really consistently repeatable
But what i posted is a permanent issue. That was not a one time occurrence. Every single time the same asteroids were showing and the same asteroids were missing. Like they have a parameter in engine half-load 0/1 activated or not based on running hardware.

I have not done any tests on planetary surface to see if there are any missing rock on XB. While this might be possible, i don't think there are missing rocks since rendering some rocks is easier than rendering zillions of rotating asteroids.

 

[varonica]

Stellar Forge and Unreal Engine are quite different things - it would be more appropriate to compare Unreal to Cobra.

Exactly, there is no tech in any other game that create a reasonably realistic life sized galaxy. ED also functions across a wide range of hardware and I doubt if the unreal engine could even manage a full sized planet. So I also have no concerns about whether ED can keep up with other games graphics wise, I certainly don't have my graphics options up full even with quite a good setup.

 

[Bob McBobblehead]

We would probably have to wait for a second Elite game before we get a new graphics engine with modern graphic API support.

 

[CaptainPugwash]

I don't actually think Elite is far behind other games graphically - they have continually updated the graphics, and the new light model was one of the bigger updates along with core mining. Ray tracing for example requires an expensive graphics card, and Frontier have probably decided that development money is probably better spent elsewhere.
The stellar forge, however, could do with an update in my opinion: I want to land on a comet

 

[Linnunrata]

I doubt if the unreal engine could even manage a full sized planet.

I'm pretty certain it could, in the same way as Cobra can - procedurally generating it from the seed.

 

[Friedenreich Xante]

I see how graphics has a big attraction on new players. But a game better be more than just graphics. Fortunately, ED has much more to offer than just graphics.

 

[Ian Phillips]

detail and life is far ahead of ED's lifeless worlds.

Well, yeah? Stands to reason that a game depicting Life would be far ahead of a game that doesn't depict Life.

Did you expect some other result from the comparison?

 

[Linnunrata]

Fortunately, ED has much more to offer than just graphics.

Though I have to say that the planet surface that the YT clip in the original post showcases just reminds me how lacking surface gameplay is in ED.