PC Gamer Article on 1.2 Wings

Just a question runs through my head. Will NPCs form these wings also?
Just for intrest and get aware what to expect from non humans.

Humans will surprise everytime because they have mostly imagination to use and sometimes abuse features.
So they will find out to what extend this Wings feature can be used and I am sure they find ways Dev's haven't thought of it yet.
 
Just wanted to point you towards Sandro's response to this in the article:

'While the coordinated firepower of a wing will be much increased, the four-pilot limit has been designed to prevent a squadron from owning a system. "It allows multiple wings to be present at any given location and it prevents a single wing from being able to completely dominate through sheer numbers," says Sammarco of the pilot cap. "There’s always room in any star system for more players than any single wing can accommodate, but at the same time, a wing of four still represents a significant increase of capability over a lone vessel provided players cooperate effectively."'

Might give you a better idea as to why the decision was made.

I had hopes for much more, 4 max is sadly just meh in my eyes. I want to fly with hundreds of ships (yes i know that wouldn't be a reality now but later) so i was at least expecting a wing of 20 ships or such.
Also it SHOULD be possible to own a system. Not being able to do so takes a way a lot of the fun. If we where to blockade a system then others would need to gather forces and come and try to get rid of us.
 
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sounds great, but please please more solo player stuff?

I'm disappointed that NPC wing members don't seem to be on the cards. There's a missed opportunity there I feel.

I am a lone wolf.

Why can't I hire a NPC wingman or 2 or 3?
Why is the intention, that it's possible to do "wingmen-missions" alone, i.e. hauling big stacks in multiple trips, instead of thinking about the idea, to just hire some NPCs to help me achieve my goal?
Why so limited thinking?

See now, this is kinda where I'm at and this 1.2 leaves me a bit underwhelmed. Where I am currently operating, I might see a commander once a week. So, I was really hoping I could hire an NPC wing. Or at least, some kind of bulletin that could attract nearby commanders to my location.

Oh well, I suppose it is time for FD to start telling us about 1.3 and 1.4....

They need NPC dialogs for that, which are yet to come. So NPC wingmen will come.

Why wait to add depth to hired NPCs? Seems we're waiting for depth to be added to much of the rest of the game. Just a simple system, that can be broadened over time, would be a great way to iterate a feature.
 
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so expect more USS hyper dynamic content like funeral processions?
I really hope they come up with something better than just throwing in another 5 random events into the USS pool.
 
Oh bloody hell, don't tell me they're actually serious with the godawful USS system. I was hoping that was one of many placeholders that would be done away with within a major update or two. I have no interest in this 4-player grouping malarkey so I hope that's not the only thing to come of 1.2, especially since it sounds like it doesn't actually do anything besides add some HUD elements and make the USS crawl more of an immersion-breaking annoyance.
Frankly I was expecting this to be the time they overhaul the entire mission set, but I guess I'm waiting for 1.3 for that now. Or maybe 1.4, who knows, they don't seem particularly pushed about fixing design mistakes, just making new ones. Oh well, it's not like our opinions matter anyway, they already have our money, that's why we find out details of upcoming features in press releases instead of devblogs.
 
Really enjoyed reading the article. Been expecting Wings for some time. Still, have some doubts:

Players will be able to share lots of feedback across the wing—who is targeting who, hull and shield statuses, etc.—and more easily follow each other in and out of Super Cruise.

So, i'm a bounty hunter/mercenary. If i got it right, there will be some new feature that allows you to follow your wingman. What if he jumps 30LY? Will I be able to jump those 30LY even if my FSD only allows 15LY jumps? If i can't follow him and have to take the economical route, the Wing will split. From A to C, i can't offer any protection to my trader wing buddy arriving at C while i'm still in B. If he adapts to my routes and follow me instead, it will break is trade route/profit instead.

it will let up to four players group together to patrol the galaxies as a single unit.

Does this mean our 'Wing' will appear in SC as a single contact?
 
Oh bloody hell, don't tell me they're actually serious with the godawful USS system. I was hoping that was one of many placeholders that would be done away with within a major update or two.

I doubt there are any place-holders in the game. That was just a term some over-defensive beta testers came up with to shut people up.
 
Exactly this.



.... or multiples of four - there would be the possibility for more than two wings to exist in the same instance - possibly as many as eight (if everyone's connections were up to it).

Exactly, but then, isn't the Sandro Sammarco statement obsolete really ?

"It allows multiple wings to be present at any given location and it prevents a single wing from being able to completely dominate through sheer numbers," says Sammarco of the pilot cap.

I don't really see the difference if one wing of 32 or 8 wings of 4 "dominates through sheer numbers", admitted it would be more difficult to organize.
 
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Exactly, but then, isn't the Sandro Sammarco statement obsolete really ?

"It allows multiple wings to be present at any given location and it prevents a single wing from being able to completely dominate through sheer numbers," says Sammarco of the pilot cap.

I don't really see the difference if one wing of 32 or 8 wings of 4 "dominates through sheer numbers", admitted it would be more difficult to organize.

I suppose the *technical* issue is that if it was a wing of 32 players, then it would mean no other players in the same instance. By having wings of 4 then you could have 4 * 4 on each side at least.

But even then, are we sure the instance numbers are up to 32? Was that ever confirmed (I've certainly never seen more than 9 or 10 players at any one time myself so I can't answer that)
 
Exactly, but then, isn't the Sandro Sammarco statement obsolete really ?

"It allows multiple wings to be present at any given location and it prevents a single wing from being able to completely dominate through sheer numbers," says Sammarco of the pilot cap.

I don't really see the difference if one wing of 32 or 8 wings of 4 "dominates through sheer numbers", admitted it would be more difficult to organize.

Well your theory could be applied to what we have in game now.

32 people, not necessarily in a wing, but playing with each other.
 
I am a lone wolf.

Why can't I hire a NPC wingman or 2 or 3?
Why is the intention, that it's possible to do "wingmen-missions" alone, i.e. hauling big stacks in multiple trips, instead of thinking about the idea, to just hire some NPCs to help me achieve my goal?
Why so limited thinking?

I think this is the quick fix. NPC updates..since we have none...are a different kettle of fish and might be available someday soon.
 
http://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-12-preview-flying-together-with-wings/

This is really interesting. Plus more information than has been shared on the actual Forums.

But only 4 players to a Wing ??? Begs the question: what's the point really if you can't create larger groups ?

He says is why.

32 people pre instance, so they don't want people to be wining through sheer numbers. 4 sounds good to me.

If we had 256 per instance id say go 32 but we don't.
 
I suppose the *technical* issue is that if it was a wing of 32 players, then it would mean no other players in the same instance. By having wings of 4 then you could have 4 * 4 on each side at least.

But even then, are we sure the instance numbers are up to 32? Was that ever confirmed (I've certainly never seen more than 9 or 10 players at any one time myself so I can't answer that)

Not so sure. The instancing has been so bad, and scan ranges so short, it's uncertain as to how many can fit in an instance. I can verify that there can be more than 15...what about the palladium give away at the monkey bar? Anyone confirm numbers from that?
 
I hope the system will recognise that I am not in a wing when I go to a USS on my own, and not hit me with something designed to be taken on by four people.
 
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