Let's not drag this out TOO long...

Kaltern · Oct 12, 2017

I can't help but wonder how long Frontier are going to drag out this initial storyline.. I mean, we've seen aliens, their bases, their probes and their poo. We've analysed everything there is to analyse, and virtually decoded their rank/house symbols (and if not, at least it was a damned good attempt).

So come on... let's move it on now, there's obviously more to do, but that 'on' switch hasn't been flipped. The momentum is starting to slip.. it needs to be kept going otherwise it's just going to be an inconvenience rather than an epic battle for someone's survival.

rrobes · Oct 13, 2017

When the aliens make deeper incursions into the bubble is when the pace will pick up.

Right now it's a bit of a hike to get to where they are, but if the sightings start being made closer to the denser areas of population, the real fun should start.

And if it's true that the real enemy is close behind, then even more action is in store.

All in all, FD has never been one to hurry developments, they go at their own pace, we have to adapt to it. FWIW, my Python is ready, waiting for the word from our wing to bend into it.

TheHavoc · Oct 13, 2017

I think that at current state not everything has been discovered regarding Thargoids. I guess it is also more then ok when Frontier let players "adapt" and reflect to the appearance of the aliens. I am also super-duper nosy but currently gameplay and storyline are ok for me. In the opposite, the frequency how Aegis releases new anti-Thargoid equipment is quite a bit too fast for me.

Surprised Brony · Oct 13, 2017

Think of how this would unfold if this were real life. It wouldn't likely be instant. If O's are running from K's, they'd need to properly study us and develop reliable defenses to our inevitable AX tech. Rather than just running past us and letting the K's do the same, they are creating a front on the edge of our space. It's an absolute genius strategy. I hate them for it, but it's smart. When the K's arrive, they'll be less prepared for us and have two enemies capable of inflicting heavy losses rather than one.

I've come to the conclusion that hostile actions toward the O's is actually in their favor, based on this theory.

Kaltern · Oct 13, 2017

It's not real life tho.

The CG's right now are obviously designed to give us anti-Thargoid weapons... but I am still utterly convinced the current Cyclops variants we're seeing are not the true enemy. Even if I'm wrong, there's nothing much different now that pre-2.4 - hyperdictions with no other changes except you can shoot back if quick enough, USS's which are the same thing over and over.

The only tantalising new clue is the crashed scout ship - but that has been completely ignored by everything.

I certainly do not want everything at once - that's daft. But, unless what we have right now is ALL that has been patched in... then we need to have something else to do, otherwise the fears of a lot of folks here, in that Thargoid stuff is just USS's and combat zones is becoming all too real...

Surprised Brony · Oct 13, 2017

Kaltern said:
It's not real life tho.

Given that Frontier are trying to create a narrative in a galaxy they describe as "living, breathing and player driven" I would say that's probably irrelevant to them. Game or not, they want a sense of realism.

Trust me, I want it to hurry up too, but I see the logic behind the slow start. Regardless, I agree it's getting to be hella slow now. The true enemy can't be far behind.

Shadowdancer · Oct 13, 2017

Kaltern said:
I can't help but wonder how long Frontier are going to drag out this initial storyline..

10 credits on March 2018. Only 22 or so CGs to go.

rrobes said:
When the aliens make deeper incursions into the bubble is when the pace will pick up.

At this point, how would that work out? They've now been established as some weird thing that just sits around until you poke it, and then it can only really be "interacted" with by using highly specialised weaponry. Putting that into the bubble with any kind of regular presence would either be irrelevant if you still had to poke them to get any reaction, or game-breaking for anyone who can't be bothered to gimp their ships for exactly that purpose if they started to be actively aggressive. So from a design perspective, the whole thing is currently sitting in a deep, deep hole where it doesn't really matter if you have your weakly hinted opt-in content out in Maia or in the bubble.

I'd welcome actually seeing any of that content eventually, I just don't see how it is supposed to be in any way interesting beyond a few short "firsts".

Strangepork · Oct 13, 2017

Kaltern said:
I can't help but wonder how long Frontier are going to drag out this initial storyline.. I mean, we've seen aliens, their bases, their probes and their poo. We've analysed everything there is to analyse, and virtually decoded their rank/house symbols (and if not, at least it was a damned good attempt).

So come on... let's move it on now, there's obviously more to do, but that 'on' switch hasn't been flipped. The momentum is starting to slip.. it needs to be kept going otherwise it's just going to be an inconvenience rather than an epic battle for someone's survival.

I guess the game is pitched at the casual 2-5 hours a week player.

Shadowdancer · Oct 13, 2017

john willi said:
I guess the game is pitched at the casual 2-5 hours a week player.

That player has no clue what Thargoids even are, so any effort towards this "narrative" is wasted on them.

Trafalgar Law · Oct 13, 2017

TGC Brony TO said:
Given that Frontier are trying to create a narrative in a galaxy they describe as "living, breathing and player driven" I would say that's probably irrelevant to them. Game or not, they want a sense of realism.

Trust me, I want it to hurry up too, but I see the logic behind the slow start. Regardless, I agree it's getting to be hella slow now. The true enemy can't be far behind.

I don't. I've already lost interest in the limited content we've had so far, the overly slow buildup over the last two years hasn't helped either. I was expecting something new to have happened by now, instead all that's happened is the fed fleet withdrew, then a week later the Imp fleet followed suit, oh and the Thargoids adapted one week but couldn't be bothered adapting the next week. Most interesting thing was finding the old scout ship and that's just a static planetary point of interest.

CmdrZaratan · Oct 13, 2017

Trafalgar Law said:
I don't. I've already lost interest in the limited content we've had so far, the overly slow buildup over the last two years hasn't helped either. I was expecting something new to have happened by now, instead all that's happened is the fed fleet withdrew, then a week later the Imp fleet followed suit, oh and the Thargoids adapted one week but couldn't be bothered adapting the next week. Most interesting thing was finding the old scout ship and that's just a static planetary point of interest.

The Thargoids got way better at dodging your multicannon fire this week. I killed one solo in my Cutter pre-patch, and now I can't even knock off a single heart. So to say they couldn't be bothered adapting this week is a total misnomer

Ziljan · Oct 13, 2017

The more this plays out, the more I think Frontier are doing this in a BRILLIANT build up. The thargoid scouts and human garrison in the Pleiades are feeling each other out and developing the back story of an arms race, and adaptation. And the gameplay each week adds a new layer and ramps up the challenge a notch at a time. It's perfect. Bravo to Frontier! I knew you had it in you to create compelling gameplay.

Can't wait to see what comes next.

CMDR Ofan · Oct 13, 2017

I think at the expo they said the Thargoid storyline will be going on all of next year throughout the beyond patches, so I would not expect them to hurtle through their plot. There looked to be some hints at a turning point where humans start to make anti thargoid tech using guardian stuff, so expect us to be on the losing side of an unrushed story till then.

Wyaston Hypatia · Oct 13, 2017

Q1* 2018 at the very least.

(* 31st March

)

Dutchman141 · Oct 13, 2017

rrobes said:
Right now it's a bit of a hike to get to where they are, but if the sightings start being made closer to the denser areas of population, the real fun should start.

I've been mapping out where consistent nhss are starting to show outside the bubble.
I took Acawar as closest system to the edge of the bubble in the direction of the Pleiades.
The closest system I could find was only 76ly out, I was also hyperdicted there.

They're not that far out the bubble.

But I do agree with you, as soon as they start appearing to us commanders inside the bubble matters will heat up.
Interdictions should help too instead of hyperdictions, seeing them present in supercruise would realy make them.....well...present.

XW_Ziggy · Oct 13, 2017

Well, if there's a Thargoid war coming to the bubble, I'm not particularly interested until we get more anti-thargoid weapons and tools.

Currently all we have are a couple of medium size weapons which means that several small ships are excluded, whilst many of the large and medium ships aren't being utilised fully. Those two categories combined account for more than half the ships in the game.

Surprised Brony · Oct 13, 2017

I think once the weapons exit the experimental stage (they can't stay experimental forever) we'll see more varied production models. On that day, things will have escalated dramatically. Hopefully that doesn't take a month.

tomalus · Oct 14, 2017

They really are dragging these boring trade CGs and galnet posts for too long.Or there simply isnt anything else yet.Wich would not suprise me.

sorcer3r · Oct 14, 2017

2.4: return of 7 gigabyte permit locked placeholders ...

OK, it was fun fighting the goids with underpowered weapons for 1-2 hours. Feels like some devs started working on content for 2.4 during 2.4 beta and then skipped it for 2018 [haha]

m4xwellmurd3r · Oct 14, 2017

Honestly I'm fine with the pacing. I'm pretty new and ended up taking a break for a few months due to being busy. Finally got back into the game playing something like 2-4 hours a day and have been watching all this thargoid news kind of from the side line. The way it's all unfolding I think is pretty good pacing wise. It gives a real sense of this being a real thing going on in the galaxy. If it were faster pace it would feel too gamey. At the current rate, it feels more like how it would happen in real life, but with a slightly accelerated time line with weapons development.