∞ probes?

[Arkadi]

Slightly offtopic: What about a crafting overhaul? Let us change position inside the ship to the crafting deck. There we can manually put together stuff with soldering iron and blowpipe. Also another use for multicrew. Scotty will fix it and make us another batch of probes.

I would like it. Call it the "garage update".

 

[NeilF]

I wonder how many players still plays Elite without the Horizons update since it was really cheap several times.

Or what if basic materials could also be found in USS.
The scoop is another thing FD should look at because the mechanic is... another wait still doing nothing.

But anyway I don't really care too much from where the materials come from but I care about my ship, systems, equipment, ammo, and Elite needs more things to take care off and not less.

Basically agreed on all accounts... Hence from my previous post, We need more things to be able to do "well", not simply less things to do.

 

[Weps]

Slightly offtopic: What about a crafting overhaul? Let us change position inside the ship to the crafting deck. There we can manually put together stuff with soldering iron and blowpipe. Also another use for multicrew. Scotty will fix it. And make us another batch of probes.

To be honest that's what I was hoping Engineers would be years ago. Instead we got RNGineers.

From an immersion point of view, to me it wouldn't have even mattered if we would have had infinite mats / components / resources at our disposal. A complex crafting minigame with the appropriate graphics, where I would have to put stuff together, discover new possibilities and blueprints on my own, and end up with modified weapons, crafted limpets or probes, would have been miles better than the current RNGineers, which is not crafting, it's actually a scavanger hunt.

Unfortunately FDEV's idea of a crafting overhaul is "how to leave stuff just as it was, with a teensy bit less grind but with more imbalance and grandfathering".

That "garage update" you refer to will never see the light of day in E: D.

 

[NeilF]

Arguably its fundamentally what video games are. This one doesn't add any fun though.

For me, it's entirely possible working out if, where, when and how to top up my probe ammunition efficiently and wisely, using the tools and information available, is what I construe as "fun" in a video game like ED.

 

[Nagual]

Slightly offtopic: What about a crafting overhaul? Let us change position inside the ship to the crafting deck. There we can manually put together stuff with soldering iron and blowpipe. Also another use for multicrew. Scotty will fix it and make us another batch of probes.

I would like it. Call it the "garage update".

Do we get unlimited ammo for the blowpipe?

 

[Stigbob]

Basically agreed on all accounts... Hence from my previous post, We need more things to be able to do "well", not simply less things to do.

Which is exactly why exploration improvements are being added, such as unlimited probes.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Let's make it extra extra extra sciency.

Let's introduce a minigame before you can launch each probe.

It's called the Probe Integration Synthesis System.

First you have to collect the materials necessary to build each probe - one of the mats is Manufactured. Then...

You have to go into the Probe Integration Synthesis System mode and you get a little microscope view. You have to manipulate little circuits - but first you have to scan your assembly area - there's a little meepmeep sound. Then you have to scan around the assembly area with the microscope view, and you have to focus the microsope to bring your target circuit into proper view. Then you have to aseemble and rotate each circuit so they all fit together. After that, you get to install that circuit into the launch hardware. Only then can you launch a probe.

It stays consistent with the new "improved" FSS system after all, and should keep the IIIIMMMMUUUURRRRRSHHHUUUNNNNZ folks happy.

I'd like to reiterate this post I made earlier on in this thread, because we've again reached that stage this late in the thread's life and it's just going round in circles anyway

p.s. it was sarcasm, for those who couldn't spot it first time around - don't be getting any ideas now

 

[Stigbob]

For me, it's entirely possible working out if, where, when and how to top up my probe ammunition efficiently and wisely, using the tools and information available, is what I construe as "fun" in a video game like ED.

You are in a minority on that on this specific issue and FDEV seem to know that.

 

[Oss133]

You are in a minority on that on this specific issue and FDEV seem to know that.

There is no majority

 

[thistle]

The cake is a lie.

And so is democracy in games design.

 

[NeilF]

Which is exactly why exploration improvements are being added, such as unlimited probes.

Which is exactly why some of us see having more areas where we can "do things well", such as managing finite probes, as potentially appealing... (If it's an easy mechanic to add.)

 

[Ignition]

It looks like some people know they are bad at games and need cheats with infinite ammo.

 

[Oss133]

It looks like some people know they are bad at games and need cheats with infinite ammo.

Infinite Cheats Confirmed!!!

 

[bitstorm]

There is no majority

There's also no minority given the poll Stigbob is referring to was not polling infinite vs non-infinite, which are the options being discussed.

 

[CMDR MICHAEL AAGAARD]

It looks like some people know they are bad at games and need cheats with infinite ammo.

How is it cheating if it's part of the core game mechanic?

 

[bitstorm]

I dunno, I just want a reason to scoop gas giants to be honest.

This probes thing seems a decent enough excuse to do so.

 

[andrewg_oz]

But as pointed out, using mats means non-Horizons owners, or people out in the black without an SRV will be stuffed.

Frontier would have to be a special kind of stupid to require mats for a new feature, but not implement support for it where required. There's nothing stopping Frontier from adding the required support for non-Horizons users. If that's even required. I thought that had been debunked a long time ago and materials have been available for all users from planetary rings.

One thing I keep on thinking about with regards to this topic is the fact that Frontier have made a huge effort in improving the lighting system and the mining system. I think there was a reason the devs demonstrated their new lighting system in a planetary ring in the first livestream.

Something I've thought Frontier should have added a long time ago was a reason for explorers to visit planetary rings (or asteroid fields). In the current game there is no reason for explorers to do so. Finite probes requiring materials from planetary rings or asteroids fields could be that reason.

The only question is the level of effort required to maintain the supply of probes. Infinite probes require no effort, but then there is zero reason for explorers to go to planetary rings. I'm sure there must be some middle ground between "too much" effort to gather materials, and the "zero" effort of infinite probes.

I've previously stated I think SRV refuel/rearm levels of effort would be a good starting point. I think I need to rearm my SRV about once every 1-2hrs while doing concentrated prospecting while exploring. I have on hand enough materials to rearm 150 times without needing more materials.

Do people really have such a low tolerance to material gathering and synthesis that synthesising a new batch of probes every 1-2hrs and to be able to repeat that 150 times before *having* to mine is "too much". I would expect that people would typically do a few reloads before mining, so in practice 3-6hrs between mining for a few minutes to top off the materials storage. Edit: In any case the beta test is where this amount of effort could be balanced.

I think it would be a great thing to add more gameplay and depth to the game, and give explorers a reason to visit more of the beautiful game environments Frontier have made such a large investment in developing.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I've been using the infinite lives cheat since day 1.

Also think I activated the god mode cheat by accident because I've also stopped using up my infinite lives...

 

[akaliel]

There is no majority

Yes there is. By a considerable margin.

 

[Oss133]

There's also no minority given the poll Stigbob is referring to was not polling infinite vs non-infinite, which are the options being discussed.

So... there's nobody? Seems awfully noisy.