More features for multicrew

[Confidenze]

Hello guys.


SO, to me the “multicrew feature” is probably the most significant and anticipated update so far in the line of all ED updates.
I’ve been looking forward to this for such a long time, and I really hope that multicrew will be given the prerequisites
to make it awesome.
When you read this please remember that I have not really given thoughts to exploits and other such stuff. I just want multicrew to be amusing in all aspects of the game.


Features for trading:


It would be cool if if the co-pilot could Initiate sell and buy orders from station perimeter when docking request has been accepted. (So 7 km out)
That should make the trading go through almost instantly when landing completes (like refueling and repairing). Same goes for repairs, refueling and restocking ammunition.
Maybe even the ability to request docking as early as in super cruise? It would give you the rite of way and indirectly make CMDRs with good standing be lined up in queue. It would of course be dependent on friendly alignment with station?
Perhaps ability to accept and complete missions on the mission board from within a 7,5 km radius of the station?
Obviously only available from the co-pilot seat when communicating with the station. This could also benefit other playstyles - like mining.
A play of thoughts: From within 25 ls of a station a co-pilot could declare intentions of docking with a friendly station. Then if pirates were to interdict their ship station security would be dispatched and come check on them, where they exited super-cruise? (meant to make multicrew more viable for trading)


Mining features:


The Co-pilot seat should be able to switch to a short range (frequency-specific) asteroid scanner - perhaps an engineer mod to the discovery scanner? This could tune into certain metal types and show whether there are any matching metals within 20 km radius. The asteroids containing the minerals should highlight on the co-pilots radar, thus making it easier to reach full load of precious cargo faster. Frequency scanner should also be able to selectively choose what types of ore the limpets will gather.
A limpet maintenance module would be great. It should be operated by the co-pilot and it should serve as a “garage” for low health limpets. Limpets with duration/durability lower than 15% could enter and be renewed to 100% duration timer.
Co-pilot would operate it and spend charges (like AFM) or module durability to repair limpets.
Module should have room for 2 limpets and have to empty out before super cruise.


New “fighter” type (Asteroid Avation Assistant) with no weapons and defensive capabilities but with mining laser and the ability to launch prospector limpets on secondary fire. Will be able to hold 10 limpets and will restock limpets from mothership when docking.
Should also have previously mentioned frequency scanner built in.


Exploration:


Only thing I can think of is a type of scanner module that the co pilot should have access to, to calculate more precise routes to stars. This would account for stars in between the start destination and the end destination and thus allow the ship to use less fuel and jump further. Could be more or less succesful based on your position in the current system, and better results would require you to be out of super-cruise. Maybe a bad idea - had a really tough time thinking of something that multicrew could do for exploration other than taking pictures! :-D


Combat:


I’d love to see something like combat scavenging… All that tasty cargo that just sits around in space after a massive slaughter when you go on a killing spree should be useable. If your co-pilot could make a somewhat “controlled” deployment of collector limpets and select specific canisters for the limpets to collect, that would make for a very entertaining (and lucrative?) niche.
Also - it would take a LOT less time than doing it manually by yourself.


Please remember that all these suggestions are meant to make multicrew more enjoyable and increase the fun of flying with friends.


Please leave your constructive comments below and your negative rant at home.[haha]
/Cheers

 

[Thetele]

There is one problem with elite and multicrew. Elite was designed to be played alone in the ship and then someone decided that they need to duck tape multicrew into it. Elite wasn't designed to have and work in multicrew from the start. They pretty much would need to do fundamental changes on how things work to make multicrew work. Everything we currently do in elite is designed to be done alone, the way they have done multicrew is just splitting that to two players. The worst way to add coop to any type of the game. Every mechanic of the game from how UI work, trading, rewards, grinding, ranks, missions etc. should have been build in different way from start to make it a good coop experience. Feature like multicrew should have been original 1.0 feature and not expansion. Now its too late to make it core part of the game.

Good multicrew experience players and community except/dream/want won't be possible when single player features and experiences are split to 2 or 3 player coop. Its too fundamental change this late in development. I really fear space legs will have same problem. Its made too late in development and won't fit the game. Why would anyone go and walk to the dude at store if they can buy/sell stuff from their ship? Why go take missions from outside ship if you can do it from ship? Why leave the pilot chair if you can access all services from it? etc. The key features and fundamental stuff in elite won't work or seriously limit the new features as they can't abandon the way they have done it in past (station servises in ship ui). Thats why all core elements of the gameplay should be implemented from the start and not later date in update.

I really would hope frontier decide to focus on improving what the elite is good at (stuff like its flight model, planets and new type of planets, bgs, dynamic universe etc.) instead of adding stuff like multicrew and possible spaces legs. Do not add features that don't fit to the side of the game with duck tape. Yeah multicrew is much better marketing material than improved and dynamic cz or deep and somewhat realistic universe simulation but good, finished and solid mechanics in long run would probably be more successful than disappointing people over and over again and fill the game with work in process stuff that may never be finished.

 

[Cobra1984]

All of your suggestions are reducing the amount of time taken in the existing time vs reward mechanics in the game.

You are a category 1 Elite Dangerous player, the "time vs reward" player.
Category 2 is "risk vs reward"
Category 3 is "exploration and cool af screenshots"

 

[c00ky1970]

All of your suggestions are reducing the amount of time taken in the existing time vs reward mechanics in the game.

You are a category 1 Elite Dangerous player, the "time vs reward" player.
Category 2 is "risk vs reward"
Category 3 is "exploration and cool af screenshots"

So if I meet an explorer in game I have a 'close encounter of the third kind'

 

[Cobra1984]

So if I meet an explorer in game I have a 'close encounter of the third kind'

YES!

 

[Confidenze]

All of your suggestions are reducing the amount of time taken in the existing time vs reward mechanics in the game.

You are a category 1 Elite Dangerous player, the "time vs reward" player.
Category 2 is "risk vs reward"
Category 3 is "exploration and cool af screenshots"

That is because mining and trading are only reward focused?
I want to say that long range trading should be a thing, but people are screaming and saying "SOTHIS "!
People don't want others to succeed...

- - - Updated - - -

There is one problem with elite and multicrew. Elite was designed to be played alone in the ship and then someone decided that they need to duck tape multicrew into it. Elite wasn't designed to have and work in multicrew from the start. They pretty much would need to do fundamental changes on how things work to make multicrew work. Everything we currently do in elite is designed to be done alone, the way they have done multicrew is just splitting that to two players. The worst way to add coop to any type of the game. Every mechanic of the game from how UI work, trading, rewards, grinding, ranks, missions etc. should have been build in different way from start to make it a good coop experience. Feature like multicrew should have been original 1.0 feature and not expansion. Now its too late to make it core part of the game.

Good multicrew experience players and community except/dream/want won't be possible when single player features and experiences are split to 2 or 3 player coop. Its too fundamental change this late in development. I really fear space legs will have same problem. Its made too late in development and won't fit the game. Why would anyone go and walk to the dude at store if they can buy/sell stuff from their ship? Why go take missions from outside ship if you can do it from ship? Why leave the pilot chair if you can access all services from it? etc. The key features and fundamental stuff in elite won't work or seriously limit the new features as they can't abandon the way they have done it in past (station servises in ship ui). Thats why all core elements of the gameplay should be implemented from the start and not later date in update.

I really would hope frontier decide to focus on improving what the elite is good at (stuff like its flight model, planets and new type of planets, bgs, dynamic universe etc.) instead of adding stuff like multicrew and possible spaces legs. Do not add features that don't fit to the side of the game with duck tape. Yeah multicrew is much better marketing material than improved and dynamic cz or deep and somewhat realistic universe simulation but good, finished and solid mechanics in long run would probably be more successful than disappointing people over and over again and fill the game with work in process stuff that may never be finished.

I somewhat agree, but fact is: MultiCrew is comming. Like it or not. I'm just trying to make the best of it.

 

[VR Golgot]

I like that all of those ideas give the Crew something to do that Helm would struggle to while piloting. That's definitely the sort of stuff we need

---

As for suggestions, I'm afraid my imagination mainly kicks in with Multicrew + Legs

Although this bit has some crossover...



Crew steered drones (and missiles) are definitely something I'd like to see

 

[VR Golgot]

There is one problem with elite and multicrew. Elite was designed to be played alone in the ship and then someone decided that they need to duck tape multicrew into it.

I understand annoyance at the execution to date, and agree adding it on post launch like this is both difficult and sub-optimal, but stating that it's an afterthought, and not the desired direction of travel, is an exaggeration. They clearly referenced it during the Kickstarter, and those ships haven't been sporting extra seats for comedy value. There will have been some design done and tech contingencies put in place I suspect.

Pragmatically, Multicrew is a solid stepping stone towards increased multiplayer functionality that they're aiming for. It's not sexy, but it does work (Avatars in situ, player ship share, matchmaking etc), and it's clear that more can be built on it.

I do agree with you that waiting for content in the established areas to be fleshed out, and indeed for content to accompany these new areas, is annoying. And yes, once again, sub-optimal . But if you expect it to go away I expect you're going to be disappointed.