*******Odyssey: Console Release ETA. *******

[DazeDreamer]

It’s really more along the lines of they just don’t have anything more to offer up to us. As they’ve said multiple times, the only way to getting a console port is to first stabilize Odyssey, and they’re a long, long way from doing that as we can all see. They cant even have a set timeline for finishing Odyssey because of the magnitude of the underlying core engine issues they’re dealing with. They just don’t know, and after botching the Odyssey release so badly, the last thing they’re going to do is give us information, or an estimated date and then realize they can’t hit it.

Some of us remember the Cyberpunk 2077 release debacle. FDev is headed straight down that path with two important differences. One, CD Projekt Red released the console version and it was well nigh unplayable due to frame rate issues and bugs. FDev has learned how devastating that mistake is with the PC release of Odyssey and they won’t replicate it. Second, CD Projekt Red is just now getting around to try and release an optimized port for next gen consoles to try and get some console players back, and some of them will, but only because of the amazing rep that CD Projekt Red has built up amongst the player base from the Witcher series. Even with that, the growing worry that they won’t meet their roadmap they released for this year for the DLC and optimized release is threatening the game, and the studio. FDev isn’t going to release a console roadmap because they know if they miss it, they’re doomed. Frontier Development is no CD Projekt Red, unless you think they can fall back on Planet Coaster as a franchise bookend.

For better or worse, FDev is choosing the lesser of two evils, either stay silent about the future of consoles, or promise something and go bankrupt when they can’t meet it. The choice there is obvious.

Again fair point but Fdev could still engage at a community level if there can be nothing voiced on Odyssey or Updates they could still orientate themselves to be more involved and as said communicate better, maybe more console orientated streams focusing on current bugs on console for example sure our fellow pc cmdr's could spare one or two streams a month to be focused on console or even just a fifteen minute slot (As said not Odyssey related). If they don't want to follow a similar path to what you mentioned above surely they will want to try and retain some of the present console cmdr's if for nothing else to at least purchase Odyssey when it does eventually come out. Unless their anticipating the loss of console players and its factored in and will simply try to attract new players on Odysseys release in which case communicate that admitted a bit more diplomatically than I've just put it lol

 

[Deleted member 254248]

Yeah, I think they’re probably falling back on the Fleet Carrier release model for now. That brought a lot of players back, and brought in a lot of brand new players for both PC and consoles. Im guessing they’re banking on that same thing happening with Odyssey for consoles. If they leave now, they weather the storm and bring them back with Odyssey. That’s why I don’t think we’ll see any console Horizons content drops any time soon.

As for engaging with us, I agree, but we all know the marketing department controls everything the community managers here say. I personally would respect and approve of one of them coming here and saying, “honestly folks, we just don’t know when we will be able to release Odyssey for consoles. We still are committed to a console release, but with the magnitude of obstacles standing in the way of both a stable PC version, and the worry that current generation consoles won’t be able to support the finished game once it’s ported, we don’t want to disappoint you by giving you goals we are not positive we can meet. We hope you can trust that we’re trying our best to get you what you want, but if you choose to leave, we respect that, and will hope to see you back when Odyssey releases for consoles.”

The chances of some marketing VP allowing that to happen are somewhere between nil and nil minus one.

 

[Snowymonk]

Frontier have said nothing
Frontier are not willing to say anything.
no timescales for console
no timescales for when they expect PC to be deemed sufficient that they can swing focus.
no bench mark for what they deem sufficient
no scope on what will (will not) be coming to last Gen / current Gen consoles
no session dedicated to the giving console players an insight to the challenges FDev are facing in transitioning the PC build to console

 

[Stinja]

Just a prominent opinion how well odyssey now works: watch from minute 09:00. Does not look like an unplayable awful state.

Burr slanted towards apologist about the same time Ant and D2EA stepping up criticism / reduced content. He was a little more balanced beforehand, i can't help wonder if skewing white-knighty was to pick up their viewers.


re: MacOS / OSX, there were options back then, other companies were still making games on Apple, FDev just didnt have the resources and/or care enough to rewrite Elite.
The parallels to console dev are there, if if not directly translatable. Using backwards compatibility reduces the SKUs needed to support, as there likely are minor differences needed to be accounted for different console's codebase.

Need an example? Blizzard just put out an update for Diablo 2: Resurrected and broke it for the native PS5 version, the PS4 version still works, so clearly there are platform factors at play. https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d2r/t/update-1004000-on-ps5-game-unplayable/26265


As for the silence around console info: not exactly hitting the "new openness" they talked about after the Odyssey launch. Although maybe that was a feature only for PC players too...

 

[Northpin]

 

[Chase Quinnell]

As for engaging with us, I agree, but we all know the marketing department controls everything the community managers here say. I personally would respect and approve of one of them coming here and saying, “honestly folks, we just don’t know when we will be able to release Odyssey for consoles. We still are committed to a console release, but with the magnitude of obstacles standing in the way of both a stable PC version, and the worry that current generation consoles won’t be able to support the finished game once it’s ported, we don’t want to disappoint you by giving you goals we are not positive we can meet. We hope you can trust that we’re trying our best to get you what you want, but if you choose to leave, we respect that, and will hope to see you back when Odyssey releases for consoles.”

Unfortunately, not all gamers™ are as reasonable as you so there's zero chance of them taking the candid approach, especially not as a publicly-traded company.

 

[Deleted member 254248]

One thing I’ve certainly learned in my 43 years playing video games is that most gamers are not reasonable, and even fewer are reasonable when posting on the internet. Which is what makes Marketing such a headache.

 

[Chase Quinnell]

One thing I’ve certainly learned in my 43 years playing video games is that most gamers are not reasonable, and even fewer are reasonable when posting on the internet. Which is what makes Marketing such a headache.

Marketing, Customer Service, IT, Public Relations... all of them have one thing in common: They deal with people. And people suck.

 

[sallymorganmoore]

Maybe when the community calendar goes live we can have a console CMDR mass-solace stream?
We'd have to do one on XBox and one on PlayStation though as there's no cross play.

It might even make the Frontier Community Highlights stream. There was one today, there is a lot of stuff coming to Elite, apparently, just nothing for consoles, according to @Arthur Tolmie :

Source: https://youtu.be/RhsHHeJWTfc?t=3626


Also it's worth pointing out that, according to the background, the 'community stream' is not targeted at console CMDRs at all. (there was no mention of anything to do with consoles either). We mustn't be part of the community any more?

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o7

Is there a reason for the screenshot? GENUINELY intrigued haha...

 

[sallymorganmoore]

don't have the motivation I used to lol

You like to remind me, for sure. Very aware.

Just thought of something so thought I would add it on (As this will be my only ping for the week) , there was a mention of a possibility of an inkling of the miniscule chance that there could potentially be an official post put up for consoles as a reference point so at least there was something to refer to that didn't involve the word nothing and also wasn't a sentence in the middle of massive update/content post on pc........still hanging on

Aww look it's Dazedreamer! You're here!
I know it stings when I do so, so I won't give you a repeat performance response like those from the previous replies I've had for you. Not until I have something you want to absolutely hear...read o7

 

[amigacooke {macOS}]

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Are you suggesting the Odyssey version for consoles is far, far away?

 

[WINGBACON]

It has been 5 months since console was last mentioned officially. I'd too like to hear more about console development. Fyi, cyberpunk 2077 was put back on the psn store and I play ark: survival evolved even tho the graphics aren't the best. They are both great games. I'd play Oddysey in the state it may be in as long as its presentable.

 

[Northpin]

Are you suggesting the Odyssey version on consoles is far, far away?

That's a matter not only of distance, but speed too

I still think the release date might be no later than May 2022 - now, if that's far far away or really close, depends on our expectations and patience

 

[amigacooke {macOS}]

That's a matter not only of distance, but speed too

I still think the release date might be no later than May 2022 - now, if that's far far away or really close, depends on our expectations and patience

Given there's no basis for that date, and Frontier have indicated that console development is suspended indefinitely, I don't think there's any option but to consider the time frame as far, far away.

The console version of Odyssey has been added to the 'jam tomorrow' list of ED features to be done at an unspecified point (if at all).

 

[WINGBACON]

Guessing the release date may cause more delays. However I believe it will be ready 'soon'. I'd also add that graphics shouldn't make a game but gameplay should be what counts.

 

[Northpin]

Given there's no basis for that date, and Frontier have indicated that console development is suspended indefinitely, I don't think there's any option but to consider the time frame as far, far away.

The console version of Odyssey has been added to the 'jam tomorrow' list of ED features to be done at an unspecified point (if at all).

It's not quite indefinitely - they will resume working on consoles as soon... but you know that already.
The initial estimation was 4-6 months. So if they start working on Consoles in December or even in January - it will fit.

And the basis is: launching the Consoles version before end of May is that launch will still count in FY2021 (as expected initially)

 

[amigacooke {macOS}]

It's not quite indefinitely - they will resume working on consoles as soon... but you know that already.

And we also know there's no date for when console development will restart, so that's indefinitely until it actually restarts.

 

[Northpin]

And we also know there's no date for when console development will restart, so that's indefinitely until it actually restarts.

No, i'd say indefinitely mean ad infinitum (but since i'm not a native English speaker, i might be wrong)
Not the case here since we have a certain condition for resuming work on consoles edition.
And EDO will get fixed eventually so while that date might not happen this year, it will happen next year or maybe in 2 years.

 

[Exterminatus93]

Do not expect it at least until April-June 2022, why? There is some business logic to launch it in fiscal year 22. But I do not fully put my hand on fire to ensure it.

 

[JonesTheFilm]

I agree there's no point banging on at the CMs. They don't know when Odyssey console dev can start again. Personally I don't think Frontier as whole know either.

There are clearly some serious engine-level problems with this expansion. We're about five months and 7 updates from release now and many players are still not seeing playable performance from it. For some reason they're really struggling to optimise Odyssey and there seems to be no logic to its behaviour on different setups. It must be a diagnostic nightmare.

A separate point relating to the MacOS discussion. Frontier do have a MacOS version of Planet Coaster ...but they didn't make it, they hired another company (Aspyr Media) to port it to Mac. So Frontier are obviously willing go to some lengths if/when they think it's worth it.