No mention of exploration in the Dev update about 1.4

Ziggy Stardust · Jul 31, 2015

No mention of exploration in the Dev update and 1.4 changelog

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=170784&p=2612265&viewfull=1#post2612265

It's not the complete list of course, but if there had been major changes, it surely would have been mentioned, no?

edit: Also just read the entire thread. It seems the Devs are quite specific on which answers to avoid.

1.2: Wings
1.3: Powerplay
1.4: The long break from Elite.

domaq · Jul 31, 2015

Maybe they're saving exploration changes until Gamescon?
.
.
I know, I know. But a rat can hope can't he?

Ziggy Stardust · Jul 31, 2015

Maybe they'll have a preview for Planetary Landings. ETA just before Christmas for obvious reasons.

J - J - J - Jaded
Turn and face the strain

newman1702 · Jul 31, 2015

We'll see, I personally doubt planetary landings are that close, would be nice to be wrong on this one though.

Ziljan · Jul 31, 2015

This is is a snippet from a very recent Braben interview.

[regarding 1.4 update]...CQC offers instant-action combat-as-a-sport Championship, which will debut on Xbox One very soon as part of the Games Preview Program, and then come to PC & Mac after our full Xbox One release.

Of course we’re not standing still even now. We’ve been working very hard for a long time on some truly mouthwatering new features which fundamentally transform the game, and are about to come to fruition - we’ll be making a big announcement at Gamescom next week!

link to article
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/space-new-world-war-ii-david-walsh

Ulysses_W · Jul 31, 2015

Ziljan said:
This is is a snippet from a very recent Braben interview.

link to article
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/space-new-world-war-ii-david-walsh

OK OK, I'll stop my griping until this mega announcement occurs. But I promise you, if it doesn't mention exploration I WILL be buying a brand new pram and a whole set of toys to be thrown out of it.

Then again, I might just suck it up and behave like the mature 50 odd year old that I am.

Ziggy Stardust · Jul 31, 2015

I'm going the other way. I'll gripe, gripe, gripe till daddy takes my T-bird away.

Meanwhile I have found a delicious recipe for preparing crow, which I will happily devour if I'm jumping the shark.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=171025

Are there any plans to revamp exploration in general?
Not a revamp as the core system is solid, however we do intend to provide more things for explorers to encounter.

Ziljan · Jul 31, 2015

"Solid core system is solid."

Well if you freeze a wet noodle it will eventually become rock solid.

Traveller_GG · Jul 31, 2015

Let's be fair here: we'd all like more things to go "Ooh Shiny!" at.

Quineloe · Jul 31, 2015

It's just another example of "doesn't play game".

t3l3c0n · Jul 31, 2015

"Are there any plans to revamp exploration in general?
Not a revamp as the core system is solid, however we do intend to provide more things for explorers to encounter."

Solid!, Solid! try plotting a course near the core and tell me how solid your mechanic is!

Sorry just had a frustrating time last night trying to plot my way home from Sag A and getting nowhere fast, I'm almost out of beer and need to get home before resorting to drinking my own urine!

Ziljan · Jul 31, 2015

Traveller_GG said:
Let's be fair here: we'd all like more things to go "Ooh Shiny!" at.

How amazed are people at Black Hole graphics theses days? Shiney gets dull pretty fast. But decent gameplay? People still play pacman, and it's nothing but the same dots and squiggles for 35 years.

gooddoc · Jul 31, 2015

Brett C's response in the 'Answers from the Devs' thread, is not really impressive is it?

"Not a revamp as the core system is solid, however we do intend to provide more things for explorers to encounter"

Yeah! our ships & data are gonna get destroyed by Thargoids in Witchspace!!

Kancro Vantas · Jul 31, 2015

Something tells me that PowerPlay didn't do all that well.

Which means the fire wasn't extinguished and the area might still burning.

High hopes, low expectations here.

Landing on planets? My bet is December. Thargoids/Aliens? Spring.

In between? Stuff like CQC which could fit the definition of "fundamentally changing" the game. We all know what a fun party Solo, Group and Open modes have been having. Let's add one more guest, shall we?

Cdr Voorheez · Jul 31, 2015

Let's be honest your average IQ 6 xbone player can't comprehend exploration so why should FD fund and improve something that the console players generally don't comprehend.
Like our pc platforms explorers are a dying unsupported unloved breed.
Time to accept that hard fact I think.

Ziljan · Jul 31, 2015

Cdr Voorheez said:
Let's be honest your average IQ 6 xbone player can't comprehend exploration so why should FD fund and improve something that the console players generally don't comprehend.
Like our pc platforms explorers are a dying unsupported unloved breed.
Time to accept that hard fact I think.

The holy grail for an "exploration mechanic" would be one that was scientifically interesting to hardcore explorers and yet skillful and engaging enough for xbox jocks to find it compelling. That way they don't need to "comprehend" anything except the mechanical interface and the pay structure.

Debris44 · Jul 31, 2015

Coming across the occasional undiscovered race that is not a galactic power but simply a one-off race that has space travel within only their own system would be cool, like random distress calls/beacons, etc. Perhaps you could be tasked with even performing a few missions for these more primitive systems since you are the one making first contact. I'd like to see some comets, or despite the unlikelihood (this is a video game) it would be cool to witness some celestial bodies impacting each other in some way. Also, since people seem to be bored of the repetition of the mode there could be some tools or gadgets that could just keep you occupied a bit even if they don't really have much of a function.

Cdr Voorheez · Jul 31, 2015

My last post was incredibly negative and I kinda apologise for that.
Love exploring and really love the community.
Hope FD give us some shinies.

Allitnil · Jul 31, 2015

I think I'm about done with exploring and likely ED altogether before long. I was hoping against hope that they were going to introduce some adventure and actual exploring and the current "travel & look" mechanism really was just a place holder. Apparently not. Exploring is "solid". I really don't know why they would go to all the effort of producing such an achievement as the ED Milky Way surely is and then just give up on it.

Ziljan · Jul 31, 2015

Allitnil said:
I think I'm about done with exploring and likely ED altogether before long. I was hoping against hope that they were going to introduce some adventure and actual exploring and the current "travel & look" mechanism really was just a place holder. Apparently not. Exploring is "solid". I really don't know why they would go to all the effort of producing such an achievement as the ED Milky Way surely is and then just give up on it.

Michael Brooks clarified that statement. They do plan on adding "more stuff to find and more ways to find it." I can't help but think that PL will radically alter everything about the game including and perhaps especially exploration. So that could be part of a solution if indeed that is the well kept Gamescom secret. In any case, I am still holding out hope for an expansion in the near future that puts the current brain-dead scanning mechanic in a larger context. Maybe they'll finally find an exploration related use for that lower tablet screen.