New updates are coming, spearheaded by the January Beta, which is a good thing!
I'm really looking forward to see the fixes and new QoL features going live, though I'm also a bit concerned.
Last time the game was updated, introducing the Beyond Q4 update, then the new-player features this year, I have been excited to see how the game has improved. There was new lighting, exploration gameplay updates and a lot more that looked so cool on the paper. And in its core it was pretty cool!
With those updates though came "small" changes to the game, which seem pretty insignificant, and for some people even great additions. However, many of these improvements disrespected the simulation aspect of the game.
- New lighting is great, but came with local stars tinting the background. The background though is the thing we see most while in space. Looks spectacular sometimes, but completely disrespects physics and the simulation (and is now a confirmed bug and on the "fix it" list.)
- Keybindings-reminders and "help" buttons in the galaxy map, FSS and all across the UI are great for new players and those who play casually and need those reminders. It's a good thing, but without a toggle it disrespects the simulation. My space ship certainly does not have any keybindings to remind me of.
- Button prompts for how to lift off a planet, drop out of supercruise and other critical functions are certainly a good thing for new and casual players, but again break the simulation with a fat reminder on the screen, that my space ship's UI is a game's UI.
- There is a shop button in the station menu now... And yeah, I guess the marketing division wanted that thing, but still... a SHOP BUTTON...
I get that you are trying to make this very complex game more accessible for players, especially new players, but at the moment, those additions also take something away from the last space sim there is.
Elite carries this legendary legacy of the very first space sim ever made and its successors, which are, in my opinion, still uncontested in regards to the simulation. Those games are actually the only reason I blindly bought Elite: Dangerous back then (while I shamefully missed the Kickstarter period completely...)
Please, when implementing features like those listed above, take the time and respect the simulation of this great game and also create toggles for everything that breaks the illusion of sitting in an actual space ship. For us simulation-lovers these things are as trivial as a paint-bomb on a beautiful painting.
I'm really looking forward to see the fixes and new QoL features going live, though I'm also a bit concerned.
Last time the game was updated, introducing the Beyond Q4 update, then the new-player features this year, I have been excited to see how the game has improved. There was new lighting, exploration gameplay updates and a lot more that looked so cool on the paper. And in its core it was pretty cool!
With those updates though came "small" changes to the game, which seem pretty insignificant, and for some people even great additions. However, many of these improvements disrespected the simulation aspect of the game.
- New lighting is great, but came with local stars tinting the background. The background though is the thing we see most while in space. Looks spectacular sometimes, but completely disrespects physics and the simulation (and is now a confirmed bug and on the "fix it" list.)
- Keybindings-reminders and "help" buttons in the galaxy map, FSS and all across the UI are great for new players and those who play casually and need those reminders. It's a good thing, but without a toggle it disrespects the simulation. My space ship certainly does not have any keybindings to remind me of.
- Button prompts for how to lift off a planet, drop out of supercruise and other critical functions are certainly a good thing for new and casual players, but again break the simulation with a fat reminder on the screen, that my space ship's UI is a game's UI.
- There is a shop button in the station menu now... And yeah, I guess the marketing division wanted that thing, but still... a SHOP BUTTON...
I get that you are trying to make this very complex game more accessible for players, especially new players, but at the moment, those additions also take something away from the last space sim there is.
Elite carries this legendary legacy of the very first space sim ever made and its successors, which are, in my opinion, still uncontested in regards to the simulation. Those games are actually the only reason I blindly bought Elite: Dangerous back then (while I shamefully missed the Kickstarter period completely...)
Please, when implementing features like those listed above, take the time and respect the simulation of this great game and also create toggles for everything that breaks the illusion of sitting in an actual space ship. For us simulation-lovers these things are as trivial as a paint-bomb on a beautiful painting.
