Ideally every area of the game is affected by the new feature. Some areas will be affected more than others obviously.
Realistically, not every feature can be connected with every part of the game, aside from indirect connection of being able to access it with a ship in some way. I understand what you are saying, game has to be cohesive and it already has way too many disconnects between various modes. It would be much better if the game had a more of a fluid gameplay flow instead of modes. That is one of the main things about interiors - they can add this fluid/natural connection to at least some parts of the game that feel very disconnected for many players.
Pirate massacre systems have already been affected. My super secret pirate massacre system no longer works due to colonization so I've been out looking for a new one. I had no reason to seek out a new one before and now I do.
That is how all systems in the game work. If we are talking about connection on that level - doesn't matter what a feature is - all of them are connected because they are the part of the same game and can be accessed in the ship. There is no Colonisation by combat, or ... or anything but the most basic hauling game loop. The only other game system aside from hauling that almost directly connected with colonisation - is BGS, and only in a way to build something for BGS to exist in, as after it is the same as other systems.
Yes, Colonisation connects hauling with BGS and with that also has the biggest possible impact on the game world. Completely agree. But just as big impacts on the game world are important, small impacts on how the game can be played and immersed in can be HUGE for a lot of players.
I understand, your initial point is also about involvement of as many of existing systems in new systems. But that approach has it's limits, and eventually - there will be a need to create completely new assets, new systems, new gameplay loops. Eventually there will be the need to create more of them for new features, so then they can be used for other new features.
Ship Interiors, at least with what is reasonably discussed for them in terms of systems and gameloops are exactly that. Nobody wants ships interiors as a separate game mode, and it's not like they reasonably can be. There are arguments for a minimal viable implementation to start with, but everybody agrees that there is a room to grow and reasons to go for that growth.
I also just finished engineering a Type-9 so I can help a friend build their colony. I don't do hauling so I never had an engineered Type-9. Now I do.
Ok, that not a direct connection, but at least it is something that influences comfortability/efficiency of participation in hauling game loop. The same way as with all other engineering in the game. With Interiors, engineering could have improvements of manual adjustments of engineering effects or extension of what is possible to do with engineering, not at the start of the feature probably, but as eventual improvements/additions.
The things you listed are not something we would get from ship interiors. The things you listed they'd need to build on top of ship interiors so we'd actually get some gameplay value out of them. Which runs the major risk of being an unfinished pit of development.
I don't see the reason to implement Ship Interiors without gameplay. Just as I don't see the reason to implement any feature without gameplay. And if any new gameplay development involved, no matter the feature - there is a risk of unfinished pit of development. Just look at how many bugs and unfinished things there are currently with Colonisation. Not yet and unfinished pit, but very far from clean implementation or feature complete. And it is a normal thing for the development, any feature will go thought that.
We all know FDev. They've been working on this game for over a decade. We've seen what they're capable of releasing and in what timeframe. The things you listed would take years of focused development if not more. This is where the "effort to reward" ratio comes in. Yes all of these things would be awesome but the cost would be enormous and, given FDev's history, it wouldn't be as epic as you imagine it to be.
Ok, I'm a firm believer that anybody can learn from past mistakes and do better in the future, if they want to. With how Frontier is not giving up on a 10 yo game - shows me that they may very well want to do better. And they are successful. Some might decide to be pessimistic about it, others want to believe that Frontier can do it. I want to believe.
There is no expectation that Ship Interiors will be done very soon. Of course it's going to take time. In my opinion - they are not yet ready for any of the desirable big features to be in full development. There might come time when they do, if the current success is to continue.
Ship Interiors have the best possibility to be developed with minimum investments (comparatively to other big features) by doing it part by part and releasing as current Early Access / mini-DLC model they are using for new ships. For example, by manufacturer (as all ships by the same manufacturer can use same models for rooms, textures), and add new gameplay loops with each such release.
That's not the kind of intersection I'm talking about.
But that is the kind of intersection players who want interiors want to have in the game. And it is a valid intersection for many aspects of the game.
The same can be said for a lot of features in the game.
For example I've never once interacted with the Thargoid war. I did go out of my way to get scanned down by a Thargoid ship once. Other than that I just enjoyed playing in a galaxy where stuff is happening that I'm not involved in. Reading news about the Thargoid war and watching people's videos was enough for me.
Yes, completely agree. Although I've enjoyed Thargoid content and took part in every aspect of it. I can understand that there are player who are not into it. This is fine.
But that is what's actually important for the game about any new feature - it needs to bring new players onboard and be compelling for old players to return. Thargoid content brought players who are interested in that. Power Play also. Now Colonisation brought players who are having fun hauling and building. When the game has variety of features, it has a potential to attract more players who are interested in those features, old and new - and that is the main and only benefit of any new feature for all players.
It sounds more like people want ship interiors to RP walk around their ships. They know that's not enough to justify the feature. So they're coming up with other features to justify it. Like... sure... you can list out features such as "boarding" like it's nothing but that's a massive undertaking for this game/engine.
RP is as valid way to play the game as any other, especially when immersion is the key feature/attraction of Elite.
Gameplay ideas are there to make the feature fun to play for a wide variety of players who are interested in Ship Interiors. The same thing with for example - ELW - they need a gameplay for players to enjoy it more that just screenshots.
About how massive undertaking that is - there were discussion with very knowledgeable people throughout this thread, recently one was also illuminating for me in the last few pages. Long story short - with what the Game Engine can already do - it is very possible, no overhauls are needed, it is quite in the realm of reasonable possibilities.
None of us are in a position to talk about what's "harder". We have no idea. We shouldn't act like we do.
Yes, all we can do is speculate, throw around educated guesses, or at least something that logically makes sense, and build understanding on information shared by those who have a better understanding of principles how thing work in the Game Engine / development, to have a better/reasonable outlook on things.
If adding ship interiors was truly easy then I don't think anyone would be against it.
Nobody says it is easy. Easier than other possible big desirable additions.
So far there are three major features that many players would want to see (from discussion in this thread and other places on forums/youtube/etc) - Ship Interiors, Atmospheric Planets/ELW, full blow Alien Civilisations. There are more minor features, but they are a part of one of these big features most of the time. And there are not direct gameplay wants and desires, such as Offline, Consoles, bug fixes...
Even people with extensive knowledge in the subject of development are not arguing that out of all these gameplay features - Ship interiors are on the easier side. Not a question of more or less desirable or popular or personal preferences. Strictly from a point of view of development.
One of the related discussions about how development of such a big feature could be made into a less of a risk and in a more comfortable way for the developer you can find in my sig, if you're interested in (one of the Updates sections).
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