NMS is a building game so kind of makes sense. ED isn't. We shall see what happens.
I'd categorise it more as an exploration game with building mechanics, but yes, better to wait and see what they implement.
It's still a possibility that it's real. Consider the likelihood of this hypothetical sequence of events:
How to reconcile this above with spacelegs, FPS combat and base building? Well, a whole chunk of the team got moved over to work specifically on the 2020 update, so it might have been easy enough to have a wander over to where they're working and see that, vaguely, they're working on things like walking physics, gunplay, character models and base components, without having to see an update schedule at all.
- When the mole inside FDev got hold of the roadmap and decided to leak it, the Fleet Carriers concept was still uncertain. It was still "reprioritised" and "delayed", and not allocated to particular update or on the update schedule at all. More work needed doing on them, so they were taken off the schedule temporarily.
- The community already had some information about the carriers - namely the old info about them being a Squadrons-only feature, but even FDev themselves didn't know what they wanted to do with them fully at the time.
- The mole knew about the Arx update and some of the minor updates, but didn't consider the detail important enough to pass on, OR did pass it on to the leaker, but the leaker himself didn't consider it important enough and decided to word it essentially as "don't expect much in between now and 2020, priority is only to keep Elite making money".
- So by the time of the leak, Fleet Carriers were totally up in the air, with no concrete information to leak, and the minor updates looked uninteresting and/or unimportant.
- Some time after the leak happened, FDev made its mind up about the Fleet Carriers, changing them to being personal to CMDRs, rather than Squadron specific. Then sometime later, decided they could complete them for the December minor update, and so stuck them back on the update schedule.
- Since the leaks stopped at two distinct events, we can surmise that the mole probably got caught out, or decided her job was at risk and went dark, meaning that the later-added information never got leaked.
How to reconcile this above with spacelegs, FPS combat and base building? Well, a whole chunk of the team got moved over to work specifically on the 2020 update, so it might have been easy enough to have a wander over to where they're working and see that, vaguely, they're working on things like walking physics, gunplay, character models and base components, without having to see an update schedule at all.
Alternate hypothesis: Fleet Carriers, shortly after their reprioritisation and delay, got provisionally moved onto FDev's internal schedule for 2020.
What if the "base building" was the mole's interpretation of "fleet carriers" and they saw them provisionally scheduled for 2020, leaked the information, and subsequently fleet carriers got their own concrete release date?
Many are saying what's the point of base building when we're going to have mobile personal bases now? Well... Indeed. This hypothesis suggests that fleet carriers = bases.
And, what if that's what was meant by that anecdote attributes to Will the confession that the leaked roadmap didn't get everything right?
So many variables to consider here, and halfway reasonable guesses to be made.
What if the "base building" was the mole's interpretation of "fleet carriers" and they saw them provisionally scheduled for 2020, leaked the information, and subsequently fleet carriers got their own concrete release date?
Many are saying what's the point of base building when we're going to have mobile personal bases now? Well... Indeed. This hypothesis suggests that fleet carriers = bases.
And, what if that's what was meant by that anecdote attributes to Will the confession that the leaked roadmap didn't get everything right?
So many variables to consider here, and halfway reasonable guesses to be made.
The leaker seems to have seen some form of visual representation or concept art, going by their wordings. I'm not sure how images of carriers could be misconstrued as 'base building'. (Unless there's some form of internal customisation to come in 2020 or something).
Carriers & Ice have been known entities both internally and externally for ages. (And look likely to have been deliberately pushed down the line as tideovers before 2020 drops). Pretty unlikely to be bundled in concept for the 'Watson' DLC all told. Whatever the 'leaker' saw was something distinct IMO.
(Admittedly base building still seems like a slightly peculiar 'stretch' for the franchise, particularly prior to Atmos and the more obvious harvesting / explo potentials. Guess we'll get clarity in like, 10 months or something :/)
Carriers & Ice have been known entities both internally and externally for ages. (And look likely to have been deliberately pushed down the line as tideovers before 2020 drops). Pretty unlikely to be bundled in concept for the 'Watson' DLC all told. Whatever the 'leaker' saw was something distinct IMO.
(Admittedly base building still seems like a slightly peculiar 'stretch' for the franchise, particularly prior to Atmos and the more obvious harvesting / explo potentials. Guess we'll get clarity in like, 10 months or something :/)
Has anyone ever managed to dig up a timestamp for this? Would be interested to hear the exact wording
Fleet Carriers were already known to be coming so its not interesting to mention it in the roadmap.
Base building is a good addition to space legs. Because bases could be built on the available and future planet types. Frontier wouldn't need to design station interiors for FPS yet. Many other games have shown how base building can be fun.
Frontier could add base building features so that players can customize the ship interior sections and walk around.
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Has anyone ever managed to dig up a timestamp for this? Would be interested to hear the exact wording
I'd also be interested to hear it, I do wonder though if it's even real. But it makes me theory sound better
They could be misconstrued as base building if that's how FD are interpreting the concept. I mean, they are functionally mobile bases. The "building" of them could indeed refer to further enhancements done over time, or even conservatively as the initial carrier "build" i.e. the loadout that you choose on purchase.
I'm not so sure about the concept art, but certainly if a concept (as in, the idea, rather than artwork) is floating around Frontier Towers and being discussed, then I can see the two being related.
Plus FDev have a track record of interpreting concepts in a less imaginative way than the community.
Yep true if it was a written concept. I still imagine that Carriers would be in the top line somewhere though, and would affect the leaker's summary. IE they'd lean more to 'portable bases' as a description or whatever.
Mainly though I just don't buy the 'Carriers as 2020 material' line as being super likely. FDev were publicly adamant that they weren't being shunted to a PDLC package back at the time. (Plus I'm super wedded to the 'tideover' theory that they were shunted from Beyond to bridge to 2020 not to supplement it
)
Errr, NMS is a building game because they greatly expanded upon the concept of building in many patches. If ED adds it in a patch it will also be 'a building game'.
Providing tools for base building and building of any sort is what frontier excel at. See all of their planet games.
They got a rock solid base of tools to incorporate into elite dangerous.
I hope not. It's not that game I want ED to be.
I don't really get this talk of the park game tech being a shoe in for ED. Cobra will have been nuanced in different directions for each game's different requirements (ED's all 64 bit positioning for scale, proc gen surfaces, twitch PvP multiplayer support etc). It's not like Planet Coaster's 1000 piece constructions or terrain manipulation are going to slot in painlessly etc
It's kinda notable that whenever Braben's asked about tech-share between the games he cites optimisation benefits, not tech transfer per se. IE:
But don't get me wrong, FDev do have broad expertise in the area, and I could see them doing some modular base building or something that works just fine with the ED world & tech constraints. (I just find some of the 'Coaster crowds for stations!' stuff can get a bit carried away
)
Hmmm - fdev seem to have accidentally confirmed base building
Look at the source for the web page : https://arx.elitedangerous.com/
Near the top :
Anyway, discuss
Look at the source for the web page : https://arx.elitedangerous.com/
Near the top :
Anyway, discuss
Nice findHmmm - fdev seem to have accidentally confirmed base building
Look at the source for the web page : https://arx.elitedangerous.com/
Near the top :
View attachment 144293
Anyway, discuss
I'm just the reporter - tip off from the Italian community. Good find I thinkNice find
Nice find! Now I wonder what kind of "buildings" we will be able to purchase with ARX! I demand a theme park, 3x size Statue of Liberty (with animated flaming torch) and a race track... or i will be asking for a full refund ASAP!
Kidding
Kidding
Some kind of zoo, or amusement park, dinos may or may not be involved.Nice find! Now I wonder what kind of "buildings" we will be able to purchase with ARX! I demand a theme park, 3x size Statue of Liberty (with animated flaming torch) and a race track... or i will be asking for a full refund ASAP!
Kidding