[REQUEST] New Game Features for Elite Dangerous

[Xantraus]

I've taken some notes during game play, and would like to make the following suggestions for incorporating into a future release of Elite Dangerous.


Docking, Landing and Navigating a Station's No Fire Zone:
Only the Landing Pad you are granted permission for landing will be illuminated on your HUD.

All space stations have Air (Space) Traffic Controllers to manage all traffic in a Station's No Fire Zone,
While Auto docking, all Ships receive messages: "Auto Docking in Progress" or "Waiting in Queue" (as is currently done)
While Manual docking, all Ships receive messages: "Manual Docking in Progress. Proceed to Landing Pad ##" or "Waiting in Queue"
When exiting the station, all ships receive messages: "Proceed to station exit" or "waiting in Queue"

If all Landing Pads are busy, then the pilot will receive a message to wait in queue until a Landing Pad is available. If a pilot does not desire to wait, they may cancel their docking request at any time.



Trading:
In Station:
A "Trading" Tab added to the Station Services Menu, allowing docked Players to trade goods and/or transfer money between them while docked in a Space Station.

In Space:
In The Systems Panel and on the Cargo Tab, a pilot would be allowed to transfer credits between their ship and another ship. (Could be used by friends, pirates, or bounty hunters.) A pilot would need to establish communications between the other ship, before starting the money transfer process. Cargo would continue to be ejected and scooped.



Fire Control Groups:
I recommend adding the ability to define and bind weapons or other installed equipment to Tertiary and Quaternary fire/activation sub-groups. They could in turn be bound to keys or joystick/controller buttons.



Addressing Player Disconnects:
Whether intentional or unintentional, disconnects are a part of life during online gaming. If a player DCs from a server for whatever reason, the player's ship will remain in the game with an NPC controlling it. The NPC will then navigate (flee, if still possible) to the nearest star base, and dock before the log off sequence is finished. Any player attempting to log into the game after DCing, will regain control of their ship at its current location and the log off sequence will abort.


Thanks for listening,
Xantraus

 

[Marco 68]

Some good ideas, some having already been mentioned, I must admit the last one sounds a bit flimsy, I agree we have lives, I don't know how disconnecting in space affects your ship at the moment, I hope its not d/c and disappear immediately, that would screw PvP, as to having an auto-run and dock, that would make flying most of the SC part pointless.

 

[Xantraus]

Some good ideas, some having already been mentioned, I must admit the last one sounds a bit flimsy, I agree we have lives, I don't know how disconnecting in space affects your ship at the moment, I hope its not d/c and disappear immediately, that would screw PvP, as to having an auto-run and dock, that would make flying most of the SC part pointless.

I've DCed three times in total over the past 4 months of play. Once while in Hyperspace, once during Cruise, and once while attempting to dock with a station. In each case, when I relogged, my ship was floating in space, exactly where I left it. Or even considering someone DCing during PVP combat. I would think that NPC control of the DCed players ship in these instances would help with the overall immersion for this game. I wouldn't want my ship only float around in space until I relogged , or vanishing until I can return. Nor would I want a ship that I was attacking to either vanish or suddenly begin drifting when the player DCed. I would want the ship to begin "rabbiting" and I would proceed to hunt it down for the final kill.

Xantraus

 

[h4wkrapt0r]

Certainly agree with the first suggestion, however the only real issue I can think of is that outside of the "core" systems (or at the very least the area I started) there really isn't much need (for the time being based on what I've seen) for a queuing system and as such I would think developer time could be spent better. As for the text being displayed I think "Please leave the station vicinity" (or something similar) might be better as platforms don't have a exit; although you could probably have a different leaving area message for each.

Fire control suggestion - Neat idea.

Trading and the other suggestion: Not fond of trading if the game remains as it is. As for the disconnect issue, although I see and understand your view I can see there being issues when it comes to pvp as to what exactly should the A.I be able to do (like whether it can just run, shoot at enemies that get in the way and/or use counter-measures).

 

[schuesseled]

I've taken some notes during game play, and would like to make the following suggestions for incorporating into a future release of Elite Dangerous.


Docking, Landing and Navigating a Station's No Fire Zone:
Only the Landing Pad you are granted permission for landing will be illuminated on your HUD.

All space stations have Air (Space) Traffic Controllers to manage all traffic in a Station's No Fire Zone,
While Auto docking, all Ships receive messages: "Auto Docking in Progress" or "Waiting in Queue" (as is currently done)
While Manual docking, all Ships receive messages: "Manual Docking in Progress. Proceed to Landing Pad ##" or "Waiting in Queue"
When exiting the station, all ships receive messages: "Proceed to station exit" or "waiting in Queue"

If all Landing Pads are busy, then the pilot will receive a message to wait in queue until a Landing Pad is available. If a pilot does not desire to wait, they may cancel their docking request at any time.



Trading:
In Station:
A "Trading" Tab added to the Station Services Menu, allowing docked Players to trade goods and/or transfer money between them while docked in a Space Station.

In Space:
In The Systems Panel and on the Cargo Tab, a pilot would be allowed to transfer credits between their ship and another ship. (Could be used by friends, pirates, or bounty hunters.) A pilot would need to establish communications between the other ship, before starting the money transfer process. Cargo would continue to be ejected and scooped.



Fire Control Groups:
I recommend adding the ability to define and bind weapons or other installed equipment to Tertiary and Quaternary fire/activation sub-groups. They could in turn be bound to keys or joystick/controller buttons.



Addressing Player Disconnects:
Whether intentional or unintentional, disconnects are a part of life during online gaming. If a player DCs from a server for whatever reason, the player's ship will remain in the game with an NPC controlling it. The NPC will then navigate (flee, if still possible) to the nearest star base, and dock before the log off sequence is finished. Any player attempting to log into the game after DCing, will regain control of their ship at its current location and the log off sequence will abort.


Thanks for listening,
Xantraus

A queue to dock is certainly a good idea, but we don't need a queue to leave. The pads being used is the only reason that a queue would be nice if you've launched the pad is clear and there's no reason to be queued.


Trading credits could lead to people buying credits. I hope you can see why that would be a problem.

Tertiary and more firing controls would be welcome.

Your player DC isn't well thought out, if you are 5000 light years from human space and log off...... Your half way between stations log off, no enemies around, come back online to find you've been killed... It would ruin the game. You cant exit the game whilst in combat anyway, pulling out your ethernet maybe.

 

[Xantraus]

A queue to dock is certainly a good idea, but we don't need a queue to leave. The pads being used is the only reason that a queue would be nice if you've launched the pad is clear and there's no reason to be queued.

Air Traffic Control (ATC) guidance when leaving the station is greatly required. There has been more than a few occasions where I had to use creative flying just to exit a station without hitting an inbound ship. Short messages displayed on a ship's HUD clearing a pilot when it is safe to exit the station is needed. Providing ATC messaging to the pilot is not only about landing pads being available, it is also about the Space Station guiding all ships (inbound and outbound) in their controlled space greatly reducing the chances of collisions at a station's entrance.

Trading credits could lead to people buying credits. I hope you can see why that would be a problem.

I'm afraid I really don't see a trading menu as being an issue. A trading menu that enables credit transfers between players would greatly improve the immersive nature of this game.

Your player DC isn't well thought out, if you are 5000 light years from human space and log off...... Your half way between stations log off, no enemies around, come back online to find you've been killed... It would ruin the game. You cant exit the game whilst in combat anyway, pulling out your ethernet maybe.

I am talking about NPC takeover only after client disconnects (both intentionally and unintentionally), not when players log off. If a player logs off in deep space or any place in the galaxy for that matter, they will log off at wherever location they are currently at and will still be there when they re-log later. However, if a player intentionally disconnects (DC) by terminating the game in the Windows Task Manager, or by removing their either-net cable or by whatever other means they choose, the server would have lost communication with that specific client; when this happens, it is a DC, and since the player did not "gracefully" log off, the Server would take over that player's ship as an NPC until the ship is either docked at the nearest station or the player re-logs into the game. If a player is DCed, most of the time they will attempt to re-log within a few moments. Unintentional DC would be handled in the same manner as intentional DC.

Xantraus

 

[Xantraus]

Certainly agree with the first suggestion, however the only real issue I can think of is that outside of the "core" systems (or at the very least the area I started) there really isn't much need (for the time being based on what I've seen) for a queuing system and as such I would think developer time could be spent better. As for the text being displayed I think "Please leave the station vicinity" (or something similar) might be better as platforms don't have a exit; although you could probably have a different leaving area message for each.

Very true, platforms do not have a single entrance as the larger stations do, so only a "Please leave the station vicinity" notification would suffice.

Trading and the other suggestion: Not fond of trading if the game remains as it is. As for the disconnect issue, although I see and understand your view I can see there being issues when it comes to pvp as to what exactly should the A.I be able to do (like whether it can just run, shoot at enemies that get in the way and/or use counter-measures).

I like the idea of players trading stolen or smuggled goods for credits to other players in a Station's trading menu. It is part of the Elite creed to finding your own way in the large galaxy. For the PVP DCs, an NPC is rarely as good has a player, so an NPC controlled player ship fleeing and deploying any available counter measures, would make for a nice twist to the PVP game play. I feel that a skilled pirate or bounty hunter in an appropriately outfitted ship should have few problems running down the ship and destroying it before it enters a station or platform's "no fire zone".

Xantraus