Once the dust has settled...

DanGriswold

DanGriswold
This has been on my mind for quite some time and wanted to know what you guys think may happen.

Hopefully many years from now, but likely sooner than I would like, Frontier will no longer support Elite Dangerous. There won't be any development on new content, no more bug fixes or patches, etc. That's understood and inevitable. When that day comes, however, will we still be able to play Elite? I'm no techie, but isn't the Galaxy stored on one of their servers? I figure they'll want to stop maintaining this server or want to clear off the files to make room for another game, which would mean, I think, we'll no longer have access to it. Is this the case? I still have my old Sega Dreamcast that, almost 20 years later, I can dust off and still play. I'm very worried that this will not be the case with Elite.

Any thoughts?

07
 

Koen

Koen
if I recall correctly: David Braben has promised, around the time he announced that there would be no offline mode for Elite Dangerous, that Frontier would release the servers into the open when Frontier stops maintaining them.

Edit: Quote in Eurogamer on 2014-11-18:

Looking further ahead, we're faced with the possibility that Elite: Dangerous will become unplayable if Frontier ever stops supporting the game and shuts down the servers.

"If it were ever to happen, we would be able to release an archived version of the game, including the servers, but of course this would not evolve any further," Braben said.
Click to expand...

Edit: David Braben on the forum on 2014-11-18:

David Braben said:
We have no intention of taking the servers down, but I understand what you are getting at. We plan to archive the game from time to time (ie matching client and servers and game world state), and would release such an archive if the servers were to come down. That would also address the issue of how you preserve an online game for the future, from the whole 'retro' perspective.
Click to expand...
 
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Ian Skippy

Ian Skippy
DanGriswold said:
This has been on my mind for quite some time and wanted to know what you guys think may happen.

Hopefully many years from now, but likely sooner than I would like, Frontier will no longer support Elite Dangerous. There won't be any development on new content, no more bug fixes or patches, etc. That's understood and inevitable. When that day comes, however, will we still be able to play Elite? I'm no techie, but isn't the Galaxy stored on one of their servers? I figure they'll want to stop maintaining this server or want to clear off the files to make room for another game, which would mean, I think, we'll no longer have access to it. Is this the case? I still have my old Sega Dreamcast that, almost 20 years later, I can dust off and still play. I'm very worried that this will not be the case with Elite.

Any thoughts?

07
Click to expand...

Supposedly they'll 'give the code to the community'. IMHO, ED will simply die. Its the nature of the beast with such games. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about whether you can play ED in 20 years or not, I am sure by then much bigger trouble burden our minds. :D
 

Gortron

Gortron
Koen said:
if I recall correctly: David Braben has promised, around the time he announced that there would be no offline mode for Elite Dangerous, that Frontier would release the servers into the open when Frontier stops maintaining them.
Click to expand...

Yeah he did but I don't believe it will ever happen. The reason given for there being no offline mode was that they couldn't do it; it was too hard technically and the data storage requirements were too vast.

I think so long as FDEV can make any money out of ED whatsoever it will be maintained but the code will never be released.... EVER.
 

Necronaught

Necronaught
There is no reason why they cannot release it into a single player state. I'm sure modders will go to work on the economy and BGS. Or it will become emulated like Star Wars Galaxies and Planetside 1.
 

cpbtrading

cpbtrading
I was one of those that got in reasonably early and paid to have eveything (dlc wise), free later. But I read recently that he has said something about paid content. I know it's a little off this subject here, but I was wondering if he perhaps sees a time when they will have to charge to continue.

Also he relates that ED is in its 5th financial year, and still viable or making money. Its a very good business way of talking to share holders, but perhaps not gamers, i.e. once its no longer viable 'its gone', yet the game could live on forever as it is. But if he looks on such things in a very business like way, then perhaps his commitment towards the game could be questioned.

Just thinking out loud..
 

Manticore

Manticore
This:

Koen said:
if I recall correctly: David Braben has promised, around the time he announced that there would be no offline mode for Elite Dangerous, that Frontier would release the servers into the open when Frontier stops maintaining them.
Click to expand...

That's the really important bit. The Elite franchise has been around forever and I still remember all the fun I had with the earlier games in the franchise when they first came out.

There's a lot of gaming heritage here for a lot of gamers. I don't think ED will disappear but go (sort of) "open source" on private servers.

cpbtrading said:
I was one of those that got in reasonably early and paid to have eveything (dlc wise), free later. But I read recently that he has said something about paid content. I know it's a little off this subject here, but I was wondering if he perhaps sees a time when they will have to charge to continue.

Also he relates that ED is in its 5th financial year, and still viable or making money. Its a very good business way of talking to share holders, but perhaps not gamers, i.e. once its no longer viable 'its gone', yet the game could live on forever as it is. But if he looks on such things in a very business like way, then perhaps his commitment towards the game could be questioned.

Just thinking out loud..
Click to expand...

3.x is giving us free content but I certainly can see value-adding and paid DLC coming up somewhere into 4.x.
 
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Deleted member 110222

D
Navigare Necesse Est said:
When you buy an online game you'll always have to take into account that some day, the servers will be switched off and the lights go out.
Click to expand...

This, and honestly, ED has become the exception to the rule for me. Almost all my other games are SP RPGs that don't require so much as a log in.

I will not be buying another online-only game. Elite is the exception, because, well, Elite.
 
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