Is there anything worth discovering

[Sysmon]

Well, I don't mean to sound like a jerk but I feel there is just a lack of creativity in the procedural generation. No Man's Sky seems to have a better procedural generation which applies to not only systems but the plants and animals themselves. Don't flame me, I don't really know, I don't have thousands of hours in each but it just gives that impression. The problem with no man's sky is it's a bit cartoonish or "kiddie" where as ED is a bit more "adult" or "sim" in nature. Once again, not trying to defecate all over the game, I just think more effort should be put into the variety allowed by the generation engine. Another thing that would be cool is if when someone is destroyed or dies from lack of fuel, if their ship/debris/cargo remained persistent in the universe. That would at least be a start. I don't know, is Star Trek online a more lively, varied universe. Is there even dust clouds or nebula you can fly through, does that exist anywhere in the game or is it just see forever crystal clear space for eternity? I mean it would be cool if you could find the aftermath of planetary collisions or even observe the occasional shooting start or meteor strike. I've seen fireballs descending from the sky in real life on earth, I don't ever see anything like that anywhere in game, with all the meteors that make contact with earth atmosphere on a daily basis you'd figure on a planet with almost no atmosphere you'd observe strikes on a regular basis especially minor ones. This is something No Man's Sky also seems to do well.

That is something that was missing from ED for a long time: minor events, minor wreckages and other signs people had been there. The current PoIs are great improvements over the past. But they still suffer from a perceived need to be interactive. We could have done great by in addition having vehicle tracks to be found in remote places, foot prints, even signs of ships having landed and left.

But we don't. For some reason, everything added that is not part of a terrain upgrade have to give the players something to do, thereby making it seem elaborate and clunky and tacked-on. Perhaps sometimes we are happy just looking at things? Maybe add something akin to litter in space stations: It serves no purpose except adding a little variability and signs of life.

S

 

[varonica]

Well, I don't mean to sound like a jerk but I feel there is just a lack of creativity in the procedural generation. No Man's Sky seems to have a better procedural generation which applies to not only systems but the plants and animals themselves. Don't flame me, I don't really know, I don't have thousands of hours in each but it just gives that impression. The problem with no man's sky is it's a bit cartoonish or "kiddie" where as ED is a bit more "adult" or "sim" in nature.

And that's actual results, if you aim for a more realistic look, you will get a more realistic look. And more realistic also means there are constraints to creativity, you feed in actual real world data and anything that can't exits due to that real world data, simply doesn't exist.

Oh don't get me wrong, the current bio types we have certainly aren't generated using procedural generation, which is a pity, they are placed using procedural generation, but are very much hand crafted, but I suspect that constraint exists because of previous decisions in the game, the codex for one limits the number of bio you can have to a large but finite amount. With 400b star systems we could have almost infinite variation, but the codex doesn't work like that, so that decision I think constrains FDEV on what they can do with bio.

I personally think we need to get rid of the codex in its current form because of that problem, it simply won't work with procedurally generated life forms!

 

[varonica]

That is something that was missing from ED for a long time: minor events, minor wreckages and other signs people had been there. The current PoIs are great improvements over the past. But they still suffer from a perceived need to be interactive. We could have done great by in addition having vehicle tracks to be found in remote places, foot prints, even signs of ships having landed and left.

We did in Horizons, I don't know if that still exists though, it used to be possible on the odd occaision to find almost buried parts of SRV's and ships when wandering around a previously unexplored planet, that was a long time ago though, before the vulcanism I think and I didn't take any screenshots. Note these weren't POI's or anything like, just the occasional piece of scrap, bit of meta etc. The new planet generation tech may have elminated that though because I haven't seen any in a long time!

 

[Sysmon]

We did in Horizons, I don't know if that still exists though, it used to be possible on the odd occaision to find almost buried parts of SRV's and ships when wandering around a previously unexplored planet, that was a long time ago though, before the vulcanism I think and I didn't take any screenshots. Note these weren't POI's or anything like, just the occasional piece of scrap, bit of meta etc. The new planet generation tech may have elminated that though because I haven't seen any in a long time!

I've only ever seen it as organised sites, like those you get when detail scanning the surfaces. Even after lots of surface driving to find silly things like that last spot of algae.

S

 

[varonica]

I've only ever seen it as organised sites, like those you get when detail scanning the surfaces. Even after lots of surface driving to find silly things like that last spot of algae.

S

A long time ago looking on surfaces for resources there was just the odd bit of debris scattered around, it was indeed probably instance based and quite rare, but I do recall once or twice coming across a shattered SRV screen and wheels buried in the ground, didn't keep screenshots because nothing special right?

Don't think I've seen it at least snce the new POI system came out and probably long before then.

 

[Straha Yeagar]

Then you get things like this...

A clear shockwave that is centered on a black hole

 

[space voyager]

So, it's a game about space, my question is, how much actual space discovery is there? I mean, in real life, even in our own solar system there are tons of variations of planets and moons with endless things to explore and discover. I've been playing ED for a while, I'm close to end game ships, I'm wanting to get back into the game but, everything seem so samey after a while, like planets are just not that varied or interesting, nor are the systems. I know where are neutron stars, but are their pulsars, black holes, worm holes, exotic stars or stars in varying stages of development? What about derelict vassals and salvage? I'm interested in exploring but it just feels aimless and I don't know if there is even anything out there that is worth finding in the first place.

Nope, nothing. What people like discovering are nice-looking systems. There are NSFs, but in the end, they mean to you as much as you like seeing them.

 

[EdzUp]

I do like the idea of a galaxy to explore but the two goto games for this sort of things ED and NMS seem to do things from opposite ends of the spectrum.

ED - here we have the entire galaxy mapped out with small pockets of interesting stuff the rest is procedurally generated emptiness.

NMS - this seems to procedurally generate everything where it's all for creatures, alien life and loads of interactions.

Maybe we need a mix of the two because mapping the galaxy is great but once you have seen one system you have seen it all. Maybe base building should be next for ED so we can go out there and establish a outpost and maybe a settlement . Imagine getting resources from the local system and being a pioneer

 

[rfxcasey]

I do like the idea of a galaxy to explore but the two goto games for this sort of things ED and NMS seem to do things from opposite ends of the spectrum.

ED - here we have the entire galaxy mapped out with small pockets of interesting stuff the rest is procedurally generated emptiness.

NMS - this seems to procedurally generate everything where it's all for creatures, alien life and loads of interactions.

Maybe we need a mix of the two because mapping the galaxy is great but once you have seen one system you have seen it all. Maybe base building should be next for ED so we can go out there and establish a outpost and maybe a settlement . Imagine getting resources from the local system and being a pioneer

Yeah, it's kind of strange, a huge procedurally generated galaxy with 400 Billion systems or whatever it is, and not really worth exploring past a few hand placed areas in the center? What is the point?

 

[Gwyther]

To the OP....
How long have you been playing ED? Have you already gone through the Codex and seen everything?
Are you the sort of player that, for some reason, just has to see everything possible, as soon as possible, or are you a casual player?

If you are the former then maybe you shouldn't have been so eager to 'see it all' so soon.
If you are the latter then I'm sure that there is still things to see.

The last time I went exploring I visited (amongst other things) a nebula that had life in it. This life was nothing new and had been seen by other players plenty of times long before I started playing. But for me it was the first time I had seen it, so for me personally, it was a new discovery.

I then found the same lifeforms again, but this time in a planetary ring. So again a new (kinda) discovery for me personally.

Source: https://youtu.be/vU1ePLyIhFY


There is still loads of stuff that I have yet to see. I have never seen a Thargoid for instance, but that is because killing Thargoids is not the way I play the game. One day I will head out their way and try to find one, but until then, they will remain a mystery to me.

There is still loads of stuff on the Codex that I haven't seen yet. This is only because I am a casual player (meaning the way I play, not how much I play).

 

[[VR] Bulbulunufus]

Then you get things like this...

A clear shockwave that is centered on a black hole

Is that just from existing real world star mapping though? "Just" should probably be in quotes since I'm not saying that the ability to discover real world phenomena thanks to the ED galaxy being based in some part on assimillation of real galaxy mapping isn't kind of cool. Only questioning whether the game's internal systems are doing any legwork in creating such things for us to discover.

 

[varonica]

Only questioning whether the game's internal systems are doing any legwork in creating such things for us to discover.

The stellar forge creates the galaxy through a process of stellar evolution from the origins of the galaxy to the present day. So plenty of legwork in the internal systems.

 

[HRDiagram]

While pledged to powers, I’ve definitely been a derelict vassal at times.

This is the comment I was looking for!

 

[Ozric]

So, it's a game about space, my question is, how much actual space discovery is there? I mean, in real life, even in our own solar system there are tons of variations of planets and moons with endless things to explore and discover. I've been playing ED for a while, I'm close to end game ships, I'm wanting to get back into the game but, everything seem so samey after a while, like planets are just not that varied or interesting, nor are the systems. I know where are neutron stars, but are their pulsars, black holes, worm holes, exotic stars or stars in varying stages of development? What about derelict vassals and salvage? I'm interested in exploring but it just feels aimless and I don't know if there is even anything out there that is worth finding in the first place.

In 2014 when the galaxy was born, a system was created by the Stellar Forge that was 42Ly from sol. That system was an M class star with 7 planets orbiting it.

In 2017 NASA announced that they had discovered an M class star system, 40Ly away, that had 7 planets orbiting the main star.

So the Stellar Forge predicted the location and composition of a system that was only discovered in real life 3 years later, within 2Ly of it's actual location in space. I'd say that's pretty impressive, and if you want to know what's in the game to discover? Potentially ground breaking real life astronomy

 

[BigBANGtheory [VR]]

Worth discovering is going to mean different things to different people.

If like me you want discoveries to have meaning and value to unlocking the mysteries of Elite then I think the answer is no atm because either the content is too arduous and chance based to locate, and when you do find something it tends to be of no real value its information is just noted and sold.

If you like sightseeing and have something else to do then yes potentially it is worth it.

In NMS discovery works because its rewards are tied to construction and customisation, you've not got that in Elite so unless its truely something special like the first Alien Ruins site (which btw was bugged for ages in the puzzle) then its just scenery. A quick solution imho for Elite is being given ARX rewards for discoveries that allow you to do other stuff then discovering new things becomes worth it for players interested in customisations.

 

[AkenBosch]

In 2014 when the galaxy was born, a system was created by the Stellar Forge that was 42Ly from sol. That system was an M class star with 7 planets orbiting it.

"And Braben saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the release day."

Sorry, truly and deeply sorry. Not.

 

[Mas s_1nhibited]

Learning a bit of astronomy makes the exploration much better.

 

[dm06]

Guardian ruins.

Also we need crystalline shards in the Odyssey.

 

[varonica]

Also we need crystalline shards in the Odyssey.

We have them in Odyssey, which game are you playing?

 

[dm06]

We have them in Odyssey, which game are you playing?

Crystalline Shard

These crystalline structures are created by large colonies of microorganisms. — In-Game Description Crystalline Shards are crystalline structures found on airless planets and moons. They are produced by colonies of microorganisms, and are known to feature Crystalline Clusters that are rich in...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

I feel like I missed something, sorry for that.