Wait a second now...this sounds familiar. The first thing that comes to mind? Disney Star Wars universe, and the MCU...both of which only resembled their respective universes.
No new lore in Elite Dangerous Odyssey?
- Thread starter drew
- Start date
Wait a second now...this sounds familiar. The first thing that comes to mind? Disney Star Wars universe, and the MCU...both of which only resembled their respective universes.
Nah, more like apathy than malicious intent, knock on wood. With Star Wars it seemed like they were actually trying to kill it off to make a new marketing generation or something. Order 66: Kill all the Boomers and Destroy their Legacy™
That's the gist I got from it at any rate. Your mileage may vary.
Cheers.
That's the gist I got from it at any rate. Your mileage may vary.
Cheers.
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I have been having the exact same feelings lately. That is time to move on…
ED has lost all the magic it had when I purchased it 6 years ago. I wanted, more than a game, an Universe to lost myself in. To make, in some way, reality my dreams of youth of travelling trough space and habitating a future that no one of us will ever see.
ED, with its lore and legacy, and the care of dedicated loremasters who mantained the consistence of the setting, was that Universe for me on the first 4 years.
On the Great Galnet Shutdown, we believed naively that the writters were busy polishing the story and lore of what we now know as Odissey, but we were wrong. Very wrong...
Now we have new writters doing some stories and CGs for Galnet, which are very welcome, and kudos for them. But we all know that there will be no consequence. Anyone really believed that Mahon would be ousted and whateverhernameis was going to appear on Poweplay instead? That we would see Thargoids on Sol? There is not risk-taking storywise nor enough will to change the Status Quo (Pun for you, Drew
)Gameplay is important, but the Lore and the inmersion are too. I had great expectations for Odissey, just for walking inside my own ship was enough for me, but that was dashed fast enough. For playing FPSs or inflitration games, there are better instances, and those genres became boring for me a long time ago.
The sad thing is that the previous games are still available and can still be played with emulators and other contrivances. But when one day, whoever is in charge of ED decides to pull the cord, the legacy of this game will be lost forever… A pity…
Cheers.
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Have to agree with Drew and a few others. I joined pre-Thargoids. Back then there was mystery....people were chasing ruins on planets and writing about them. Seeing if they were maps to another location. We had the pictographs hidden in alien technology that had to be deciphered with a certain level of skill. Discussions were rife on the forums about solving the mysteries. The Thargoids have just become a random thing to kill....Their bases like the Guardian ones have zero meaning and not been touched in years!! I would love DB to actually make an appearance on YouTube like he used to and talk about the game. Meh....It could be so much more.
I was hoping for more in the realms of progression, too. But in a slightly different sense.
It's no secret you can go from Sidewinder, to Anaconda, in virtually a couple days. So when I heard carriers were coming? My frustrations sparked again. No requirements for carriers? Just follow a simple mining boom guide and the average new guy can jump from Sidwinder, to carrier, in a week's time? Why everybody is going to own a carrier on day one! Which would be fine, were they carriers just, but they are not carriers, they are small space docks/ trade outposts. This made things far worse than I had imagined, seeing as though they were everywhere on day one.
How I thought ship unlocks and rank should work? Well? Rank-based, of course. Every few ranks unlocks for your a new tier of ship. I.e. small, medium, large etc. Stiffer requirements could then be imposed on exploration and trade, as a single week (or less) long outing can gain you Elite rank in exploration, and trade can be hammered into the ground even more quickly with your typical mining/ passenger booms. Combat rank, however, would remain as it is now...slow to progress, but you "ascend," by facing a very tough Elite "boss," if you will. Imperial and federal ships would continue to impose the additional layer of reputation requirement, while diving even deeper into the naval aspect than it already does (for us that want a deeper navy mechanic) I.e. max imperial/ federal rank opens you up to a dedicated navy mission board, military outfitting, such as military grade alloys and weapons etc. And a weekly (tick) military grade materials allotment (payout), much like how weekly superpower payouts work. However, like the pilot's federation rank, naval rank would have to be maintained as well, otherwise you fall out of favor and are effectively cut off from these resources, until you re-earn whatever diminishing rep you had lost. Also, you have to be aligned with said superpower's navy, to prevent jumpers who just want a Corvette, or Prismatics. What's that? You want a both? You will either have to have two accounts, or defect and start over again. As for carriers? Those should have always ever required triple Elite, or at the very least? An Elite in something. That is, in addition to the required 5 billion.
Navy missions could start easy, running errands and fighting the lowly pirate. Then ramp up to harder, higher ranked pirate lords in better gear, prior to opening up Thargoid missions (the hardest).
It's no secret you can go from Sidewinder, to Anaconda, in virtually a couple days. So when I heard carriers were coming? My frustrations sparked again. No requirements for carriers? Just follow a simple mining boom guide and the average new guy can jump from Sidwinder, to carrier, in a week's time? Why everybody is going to own a carrier on day one! Which would be fine, were they carriers just, but they are not carriers, they are small space docks/ trade outposts. This made things far worse than I had imagined, seeing as though they were everywhere on day one.
How I thought ship unlocks and rank should work? Well? Rank-based, of course. Every few ranks unlocks for your a new tier of ship. I.e. small, medium, large etc. Stiffer requirements could then be imposed on exploration and trade, as a single week (or less) long outing can gain you Elite rank in exploration, and trade can be hammered into the ground even more quickly with your typical mining/ passenger booms. Combat rank, however, would remain as it is now...slow to progress, but you "ascend," by facing a very tough Elite "boss," if you will. Imperial and federal ships would continue to impose the additional layer of reputation requirement, while diving even deeper into the naval aspect than it already does (for us that want a deeper navy mechanic) I.e. max imperial/ federal rank opens you up to a dedicated navy mission board, military outfitting, such as military grade alloys and weapons etc. And a weekly (tick) military grade materials allotment (payout), much like how weekly superpower payouts work. However, like the pilot's federation rank, naval rank would have to be maintained as well, otherwise you fall out of favor and are effectively cut off from these resources, until you re-earn whatever diminishing rep you had lost. Also, you have to be aligned with said superpower's navy, to prevent jumpers who just want a Corvette, or Prismatics. What's that? You want a both? You will either have to have two accounts, or defect and start over again. As for carriers? Those should have always ever required triple Elite, or at the very least? An Elite in something. That is, in addition to the required 5 billion.
Navy missions could start easy, running errands and fighting the lowly pirate. Then ramp up to harder, higher ranked pirate lords in better gear, prior to opening up Thargoid missions (the hardest).
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So just to add my 2 cents. Elite Dangerous pulled me in like no other game with the slow roll of progression and MYSTERY leading up to the first thargoid reveal. Honestly, its what I've been hoping forever now. Exploring with incentive that you might come across something that is not known/a rumor or conspiracy. I love how elite gave that sense like no other game i've played. I truly hope they know what they still have when it comes to this topic.
I know it probably is too high of expectation, BUT, the first time I saw the thargoid encounter in the game is was one of the most creative and truly 'Alien' experiences I've seen in any medium (game or otherwise). That sense of awe and progression can't die out in such a vast game like ED. Pahhhlease don't let it.
I know it probably is too high of expectation, BUT, the first time I saw the thargoid encounter in the game is was one of the most creative and truly 'Alien' experiences I've seen in any medium (game or otherwise). That sense of awe and progression can't die out in such a vast game like ED. Pahhhlease don't let it.
Elite always had a bit of anarchic humour (edible poets and dangerous food blenders spring to mind from the original game). FE2 was a bit bland in the fun department, but FFE had a lot of wacky personal ads and other funny stuff...
But... cat memes? It's a new low.
Having seen this thread referenced by the DW3 thread, which indicates the event has been cancelled due to the state of EDO - I can't help having similar thoughts about bothering with my, increasingly futile it would seem, attempts to document the lore of the game. I hope and believe that the game will be fixed enough for DW3 to be reconsidered... but as for the lore...
I used to do it out of passion, then a sense of preservation and duty... now it's becoming an embarrassment to even be associated with it.
I hate leaving things incomplete, so I'll persevere and finish my lore videos for the "sensible" stuff in the game... but after that?
Feels like it'll soon be time to hang up the hat once and for all.
I mean... "Cat Media" ... In a universe where we had high drama, political intrigue, cryptic clues, galaxy spanning epic mysteries, sinister alien races and voyages to the edge of space... now we have "Cat Media".... Jeez. It's truly ignominious.
Cheers,
Drew.
I dont have issue with the cat memes - Elite had whole populations composed of Large Blue Fat Felines.... and lets face it everyone loves cat memes... whos to say they dont make a comeback in the 34th century? I am upset that they decided to put on extra pips to elite - whats the point of being elite if you are just going to keep adding extra pips...
Edit: And what about Hesperus? Wasnt he a walking talking cat meme
Let's not forget that the opposite of love is not hate, it's apathy.
Elite always had a bit of anarchic humour (edible poets and dangerous food blenders spring to mind from the original game). FE2 was a bit bland in the fun department, but FFE had a lot of wacky personal ads and other funny stuff...
But... cat memes? It's a new low.
Having seen this thread referenced by the DW3 thread, which indicates the event has been cancelled due to the state of EDO - I can't help having similar thoughts about bothering with my, increasingly futile it would seem, attempts to document the lore of the game. I hope and believe that the game will be fixed enough for DW3 to be reconsidered... but as for the lore...
I used to do it out of passion, then a sense of preservation and duty... now it's becoming an embarrassment to even be associated with it.
I hate leaving things incomplete, so I'll persevere and finish my lore videos for the "sensible" stuff in the game... but after that?
Feels like it'll soon be time to hang up the hat once and for all.
I mean... "Cat Media" ... In a universe where we had high drama, political intrigue, cryptic clues, galaxy spanning epic mysteries, sinister alien races and voyages to the edge of space... now we have "Cat Media".... Jeez. It's truly ignominious.
Cheers,
Drew.
I hope you do finish off those last few lore videos Drew, Its clear now that frontier no longer care about it, so only the players can preserve it now.
I was lucky enough to take part in most of the major events the community created, Distant Worlds 3302, the birth of Colonia, the Formidine Rift mystery, the UA mystery, and Distant Worlds 3305 (which for me was the best time ever in gaming, not just in elite). So I'm grateful I got my monies worth out of the game, and especially because of people like you Drew, who created some of the best narratives and fun times too.
If you ever do decide to do another lore tour, I'll dust off my Cobra and tag along for sure.
Of course, part of the problem is that the players like the status quo.
- Current CG - to determine whether a pro-corporatist movement retains strength in the Federation - currently showing a 4:1 ratio in favour of "keep the Federation as it is". The only significant organic BGS support for Jupiter Division since the original CG has come from an RP group who also thinks they should be wiped out but is having more fun fighting for the losing side.
- Mahon vs Kaine CG - 6:1 ratio in favour of the incumbent Mahon
- Mahon in Powerplay - number 1 rank and 50% bigger than the next closest rival
The good news? A single large - but not unprecedently so, a few hundred would do - squadron, filled with dedicated players who'd put in "top 10%"-class CG performances, could have swung the results of almost all recent competitive CGs towards the "interesting" side. Because of how CG participants are distributed, that's likely to always be true. Build that group, and the natural status quo preference of the player base can be overcome.
I was quite active during the first Jupiter Division CG in the hope that it might bring some new content, but it seems people would rather be “on the winning side”, keep everything the same and bemoan the lack of new content.
There won't be any new lore until the console versions are released.
I think you misunderstood my point a little.
I put the CGs as an example, and if you think carefully, the most interesting choice of the Kaine-Mahon election was Mahon on the long run, since he is poking the Thargoid's nest and Kaine was for giving that up. We don't know yet where that is leading into...
My point was about consequences, since its clear that the writters have little say on the direction of the game. They don't have enough resources to flesh out a narrative with lasting consequences on the game, appart from spawning a mega-ship there, giving discounts of a module, or altering prices of a market.
Most long runners MMOs build campaings that change the status quo of the game from time to time to keep people hooked and avoid the staleness. To shake things a little...
There is not always need to every expansion be for a new game mechanic, there could be 'storyline' expansions too.
And if you introduce a new gameplay mechanic, be sure to deploy it with a neat load of lore to justify it and attract people to do it.
Powerplay was a good example of that, and now Odissey shows that FDev made the same mistake again...
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They have the tools available to them (already demonstrated!) to destroy the entire bubble with Thargoid attacks overnight (so long as it's over Thursday night), to cause widespread goods shortages galaxy-wide, to wipe a superpower off the map, etc.
There are good reasons that they don't, of course.
"Lasting consequences" are all very well in theory but the history of such things implemented previously shows that the "losing side" of players in such a thing will complain for months that it was rigged against them.
The way that Elite Dangerous is funded, it does. A subscription game could get away from that (no, I'm not suggesting ED should be one) but all ED paid expansions need to have some sort of "gate" to them.
But the storyline isn't generally connected to the expansions that much anyway. They have the tools to tell big stories already, if they use them.
Yes, but that would be breaking game balance, that is a no-no at any instance. After all, is a game and the game must be playable and fair. And yes, burning the bubble is feasible with admin permissions, of course. But those are not "resources" I was referring to.
Take for example the Mahon-Kaine election. If Kaine win, and replaced Mahon on powerplay, they would need a new portrait, quotes and an entry on the codex. And Kaine, to all effects and purposes, would be the same as Mahon, so on gameplay perspective, nothing is lost.
Those are the resources I was mentioning. Changes on the code and art, but FDEV is not going to dedicate resources on that.
Not all expansions need to be paid. And even some expansions doesn't need to be named, take for example Colonia...
![[VR] Bulbulunufus](https://d2aefvhu2f0gi9.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/261/261245.jpg?1671230473){kind=avatar}
Going back to the specific changes that Odyssey brings. With menu/message/ship-based play, so much was left to the imagination, now we can see and engage with actual universe inhabitants in a social space, and it creates a burden on the content to live up to what we may have consciously or unconsciously imagined about the individuals and societies in-game. What was symbolically represented now becomes explicit.
For instance, engineers are a disappointment from what I can tell. And there seems to be no connection to planetside where the majority of people actually live out their lives (thinking particularly of earthlikes) - starports serve these populations, don't just float in isolation. I'd expect to see delegations from the planet in the station, for instance. There should be some connection or evocation of "the world below" (I gather that some elements of this do exist in the surface installations). This could be already have been done even without on-foot play (e.g. there could be locations on the surface of ELWs that you can't go to but feature in missions). There's so much opportunity (and it becomes more of a necessity/burden with on-foot interaction) to flesh out the universe in which everything is unfolding, and more directly connect the player with the underlying human fabric of the societies with whose front-end we're interacting. Arguably just some colour/flavour content, rather than interactible gameplay, would make a difference, reducing the required dev time.
As people have said, the lack of lore might come down to pandemic conditions, and delay due to desynchronisation of PC and console releases too.
For instance, engineers are a disappointment from what I can tell. And there seems to be no connection to planetside where the majority of people actually live out their lives (thinking particularly of earthlikes) - starports serve these populations, don't just float in isolation. I'd expect to see delegations from the planet in the station, for instance. There should be some connection or evocation of "the world below" (I gather that some elements of this do exist in the surface installations). This could be already have been done even without on-foot play (e.g. there could be locations on the surface of ELWs that you can't go to but feature in missions). There's so much opportunity (and it becomes more of a necessity/burden with on-foot interaction) to flesh out the universe in which everything is unfolding, and more directly connect the player with the underlying human fabric of the societies with whose front-end we're interacting. Arguably just some colour/flavour content, rather than interactible gameplay, would make a difference, reducing the required dev time.
As people have said, the lack of lore might come down to pandemic conditions, and delay due to desynchronisation of PC and console releases too.
Its not even that- it goes IMO much lower to a fundamental level.
Example: CQC. Its the in universe lore sport that we can play and one engineer was a champion in. FD provide a link while we wait in ships....which is fine and then.....stop.
I mean.....what? First why not go to town and have adverts for it? Booths where you walk in and whisk you off to play? Bet materials with the bartender on matches? Use what lore has been created in ED and leverage it?
Example: Galnet. Why is it not in tickertape across LED boards in stations, or has voice overs on the PA system? Why is this stuff not made into TTS packets?
Clothing aesthetics: where are the Feds, Imps etc? They are all designed (faction avatars have them) so why not use them and let us see the BGS subtly change things?
Its a stunning own goal by FD. Lack of imagination, attention to detail and utter ignorance of their own games previous updates / features.
It'd be interesting see what would happen if enough people pledged to buy enough ARX to create a blip in revenue, but only if certain content was added/developed/maintained (and maybe pledge not to buy any ARX for a year if it wasn't). FDev would probably not be able to acknowledge it, but they'd have no control over it, and it'd affect their bottom line.
I tend to interpret this in terms of them starting with a drawing board where all these options may exist, but are gradually thrown over the side of the balloon basket to keep them afloat with each waypoint toward a dev deadline. Going back to revisit the growing list of things neglected then gets harder, against the flow that pushes them toward a new development goal with a new set of deadlines, plus an inordinate amount of unforeseen(?) things to repair in what was just released. I think they really do need to take a cycle to do a backward pass to repay a chunk of their technical and content debt.
I can't see that plausibly working.
500k semi-regular players (plus however many free Epic accounts attracted)
10% of those buying an actual expansion on pre-order/before it goes on sale would be £15million ... plus however many purchases it attracts in the several years following at reduced cost.
I don't see how you could plausibly change enough players' ARX-buying habits to make a difference that was actually noticeable on Frontier's books
If we take "regular CG participants" as a very approximate proxy for "at least somewhat interested in the lore" then there's maybe 10,000 of them. Just how much ARX are you expecting them to buy each?