Re: Chapter 4 Beta Questions/Answers

[V'larr]

Re: Chapter 4 Beta Questions/Answers

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/453803

I'd like to talk about some(most?) of the answers contained in the link above.

When we fully map a planet with probes does it reveal the exact locations of all POI's on the surface?
It will give you the exact location of persistent POIs. The more transient, smaller POIs such as a collection of skimmers will not be located by the surface scan.

Could it not be said that the nonpersistent POIs are akin to USS's, though, and ought to be revealed on a scan, given the similarity to the new ADS & new USS system?

Currently with exploration, I just honk the scanner, detect the planet and set course. What happens with this new mechanism?
If you want the location data without using the discovery scanner you can still scan the Nav Beacon to obtain this information.

Underline+italicized emphasis mine. There's not going to be any Nav Beacons in the uninhabited systems that people will be exploring. If the answer then is simply "use the new discovery scanner", that's fine.

Is the new discovery scanner a core internal now?
The new Discovery Scanner will still be an optional internal module. All that has changed in regard to that is that all previous Discovery Scanners are now a single module: Advanced Discovery Scanner'. Everyone's Discovery Scanner will be replaced with the Advanced Discovery Scanner, so if you're out in the black, you won't need to return home to get a new scanner.

A plain "No." could have sufficed here. I think it's safe to assume the question's coming from a hope that the DS will no longer take up an optional internal slot, as that has been a common point of discussion over the years. Personally I think it would make some sense; DS provides much functionality and is useful for activities besides Exploration. Certainly, the extra info provided about the DS changes will help unknowing players reading this Q&A and learning about that for the first time; but for the person asking I think it would seem rather beside the point.

Might there be a textured view of the orrey like you folks did with the system map to complement the geometric view?
It's not currently planned at this time.

Would player events such as community expeditions be included in the Knowldge Base? (I'm very curious to know what's written in Colonia)
It's not currently planned at this time.

Okay, but...do these ideas *sound cool*?

Will the new system scanning system locate objects like generation ships and Voyager?
Yep, the new system will make points of interest, such as Voyager 1, much easier.

I think I like this. I can anticipate some complaints regarding this, but the advantage of less obscurity to new players or ones that might not look outside the game for information outweighs whatever intangible benefits there are to leaving such things as 'easter eggs' only locatable through difficult means.

Didn't really seem to touch on any differences with the 3 current discovery scanners(Basic, Intermediate, Advanced). Is it just going to be one single discovery scanner now, or will there be some kind of limitations/advantages for each that wasn't shown in the livestream?
It will be one single Discovery Scanner now (the Advanced Discovery Scanner). You will need an additional module (the Detailed Surface Scanner) for probing interstellar bodies.

You know, about this...why not just call it simply "the Discovery Scanner"?

With the new system of discovered and mapped data being made available to any commanders who arrive in a system discovered/mapped by another commander are we still going to be unable to scan these planets to collect and upload this data for the communities use?
Yep, Commanders can still scan bodies using the FSS to gain more information and sellable Exploration Data.

If it hasn't been thought about, can we please have it enabled that you can still use the new ADS mechanic to "re-scan" already discovered planets to not only view the data on screen but also report that planets data to the CMDR's log as it current does now? This would be a huge benefit for those of us who choose to upload data for the communities use.
You can zoom in on bodies, even if you've already discovered them.

I don't understand what the questions are trying to ask here! It's not like planets suddenly change characteristics over time or anything. Once known to the community, that's it, it's known. And like you point out...you can always just go back and look at any discovered planet whenever you want....

If it's about "Road to Riches" style 'exploration' (which isn't exploration at all), then let it be known I am 100% against that. The new body-scan stuff provides more than ample rewards for 'exploring' already-discovered stuff.

Will factions have the same states in multiple systems or is it per system?
Factions will have multiple states per system. It'll be on a per system basis, so if your faction 'The Far Side Pioneers' is suffering from Famine in one system, they might be benefiting from Investment or Civil Liberty in another.

Your answer here makes it more confusing. Can 'Far Side Pioneers' have Famine & Civil War simultaneously in one system while Investment *AND* Civil Liberty is in the other? I believe that's what question meant to ask.

NPCs in the conflict zone are using engineered stuff, and tech broker stuff... is this intended?
Yes, this is intended.

P o w e r c r e e p

Colonization of new worlds as part of the BGS workings, will this be a part of 3.3 or something that might happen in the future?
We have nothing to announce regarding this, but we can confirm that this is not part of Beyond - Chapter Four.

Oho...for some reason reading this makes me want to look forward to the extended future.

Can stations could have scenarios happening very close to them?
This isn't currently possible, as such scenarios won't occur near Stations.

Okay, but, does it *sound cool?*

Will events like the Alpha Squads include things like engineered enemy ships?
Yep, Alpha Squads can include ships that have been engineered - so expect a fierce fight!

P o w e r c r e e p

It's been said that the trigger system will remain the same, and that conflicts will be now managed in 7 days, with daily battles that, if won, will determine the resolution of the conflict itself. We saw that a starport, or an outpost or a planetary station is the object of the contest between the factions, but what happens if the factions have more than one facility to contend?
This will work the same way as it did previously, the object of the contest should be the faction's highest value asset.

A manner of selecting which asset to contest would probably be desireable. I'd bet there's some circumstances where the selection of the highest value asset is not desired.

We've seen that conflict zones have now a little bar that shows the progress of the conflict zone itself, what happens when it's completed?
When it's completed, the battle will be won or lost (depending on which side you're backing) and then the Background Simulation 'rewards' are applied. After that, with brief respite, a new battle will begin.

Okay, neat. A question though: will the new battle begin right there in the same instance of normal space? 'Cause I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better that you'd have to jump out into supercruise and spot the next battle hotspot forming, so to speak. Space is rather big, after all, surely successive battles need not all occur in the same relatively tiny locales? (At the end of the day this doesn't *really* matter, it's sort of a game-world-immersion detail to me.)

Will larger ships count more towards the bar than small ships or will each kill count the same in Conflict Zones?
The amount added to the conflict bar will be based on the enemy ship's load-out and Combat rank.

I mean, that's good to know, but this question is asking about *size* specifically. Is the answer then that size does not in fact change the amount added to the conflict bar - at least not directly, granting that larger ships tend to have a higher quantity of loadout?

The bar seemed to fill up quite fast in the Conflict Zone. Was this only for the sake of demonstration in the stream/is this still WIP and therefore subject of change?
This is something we'll be reviewing and balancing throughout the beta.

I just want to caution against reacting by going the other way and making it feel like the player's only contributing tiny drops of water in a gigantic lake that stretches to the horizon. We get enough of that ranking up the Pilot Federation & Superpower ranks.

When you encounter an NPC with a request you seem to have only two options. Give them what they want, or refuse. If you want players to be able to leave and come back with the right equipment or cargo what do you do?
You can focus away from the panel without having made a choice, allowing you the option to leave and come back. The USS will persist on a timer, so you'll know how long you have to get the cargo, the NPC Commander might ask for.

This is NOT satisfactory. We need more up-front options. Being able to de-focus the panel is not an intuitive action (who's going to think of that on their own, seriously?). It's also not a resolution to the scenario being presented to the player, and does not clearly open a door to resolving the scenario either.

You mentioned scenarios across the galaxy! Does this mean explorers should be wary of these now?
Deep space will not feature any Scenarios.

Unpopular opinion time: I see this as a good thing.

Will we see an overhaul of RES's on a par with those we are seeing in regards to Conflict Zones?
We're not reworking Resource Extraction Sites at this time.

I think you ought to do so in the near future, as RES's have had very little to do with Resource Extraction and far too much to do with bounty/combat-farming for far too long. The changes made to these other bits of the game in Chapter 3 here have provided many other sources of finding bounties & combat when desired, so surely this opens up the opportunity to fix RES to be more suited for the purpose their name implies?