So, how are future features and expansions going to work?

[Daud]

I'm mildly worried that core-features, such as ship-boarding and walking inside your own ship, will cost money. Is this true?

Planetary landing costing money I can, to an extend, understand- since it seems like a very major feature- but does the same apply to all future features?

Yes, I'm new.

Thanks.

 

[Daffan]

Big expansion cost $$ always

That being said

They cant SHUT OUT all content for everyone, pay or not. Landings? sure only expac buyers can land. But a lot of other stuff has to work for everyone too who doesn't pay. if ya get my jist.

 

[Tinman]

All the features you mentioned will be part of paid expansions yes.

I don't really see why you consider boarding actions and walking around inside ships to be core features though. It's not like these ever were present in the previous versions of the game.

There will however still be plenty of free additions to the main game going forward, especially this year. The upcoming 1.1 and 1.2 updates are just the first of many.

 

[Madbeard]

All the features you mentioned will be part of paid expansions yes.

I don't really see why you consider boarding actions and walking around inside ships to be core features though. It's not like these ever were present in the previous versions of the game.

So how would boarding work between someone who does have the boarding expansion and someone who doesn't? Are you telling me that the person who does have the expansion will be able to board the person who doesn't? Wouldn't that be extremely unbalanced?

 

[Daffan]

So how would boarding work between someone who does have the boarding expansion and someone who doesn't? Are you telling me that the person who does have the expansion will be able to board the person who doesn't? Wouldn't that be extremely unbalanced?

This is what i was getting at in my post. I think for some things they cant make paid and others can.

 

[Rubbernuke]

It will be easy as people will be put into instances of matching add-ons.

 

[Daud]

I'm calling them core-features because it'd be extremely awkward if you could only board people who've bought an expansion, rather than everyone. Unless, of course, people who don't have the expansion can get boarded, but aren't allowed to board other ships themselves- which, in my opinion, is rather ridiculous. As for walking inside ships: Well, that's sort of a prerequisite for boarding.

Maybe it's just me being odd, but they just *seem* like core-features. Walking inside your ship doesn't seem like a major thing to ask for- especially since that's what many of Elite's competitors are doing.

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

So how would boarding work between someone who does have the boarding expansion and someone who doesn't? Are you telling me that the person who does have the expansion will be able to board the person who doesn't? Wouldn't that be extremely unbalanced?

I would assume that it only works if both have it. I'll get it anyhow (PB lifetime expansion), but I hope we can chose to uninstall/disable it.

 

[Madbeard]

I would assume that it only works if both have it. I'll get it anyhow (PB lifetime expansion), but I hope we can chose to uninstall/disable it.

Also how will it work when you are chasing some ship and that ship goes into the planet's atmosphere and you cannot because you do not have that expansion pack?

The previous poster says matchmaking will be a big part of it. How will that work for friends list when my friend only has the planetary landings expansion and I only have the boarding expansion?

By no way I am trying to troll but they are legit questions.

 

[Rubbernuke]

If you have the expansion but your friend does not, all Open players will be grouped according to what they have installed. To you it will be as if nothing has happened, you will never meet anyone who does not match your game install, just as Open and Solo players share the same universe but never meet.

 

[Madbeard]

If you have the expansion but your friend does not, all Open players will be grouped according to what they have installed. To you it will be as if nothing has happened, you will never meet anyone who does not match your game install, just as Open and Solo players share the same universe but never meet.

So what is the point of playing the game if I cannot play with my friend?

 

[SSTravis]

Edited: Someone already posted what I was going to say while I was typing it.

 

[ComradeFresco]

Smart money is go the arma-route for DLC that adds new features.

Here's how they did it: DLC adds a ton of new features. Everybody who owns the base-game can use those features and play with others. HOWEVER the DLC ALSO adds in new items (in arma helicopters - for Elite could be new ships/etc) to use those helicopters you have to buy the DLC.

So if elite just puts enough new ships/new content in every DLC they can open up the features to everyone and still have a strong enough incentive that most serious players will buy the DLC sooner or later.

That way you won't get any B.S such as "You cannot board CMDR Fresco's ship because he has not purchased the DLC" or seperate instances dividing people up.

 

[Rubbernuke]

So what is the point of playing the game if I cannot play with my friend?

What happens if you have a map pack for CoD that your freind does not? You can't play on that map. I'm guessing that instances will filter players like for like, but there may be other ways FD do this. It all depends on uptake, and can only really be answered further down the line.

EDIT- ninja'ed

 

[Agony_Aunt]

So what is the point of playing the game if I cannot play with my friend?

Bear in mind he is speculating. FD haven't actually made any public statement on how this will work. However, if it is the case, and you and both your friend are big fans of Elite: Dangerous, then i'm sure you both will be buying the expansions as soon as they are released.

If you are not such big fans, then i doubt you will be playing by the time the first expansion comes out.

I would estimate that the percentage of people (who are still playing the game by the time they come out) buying the expansions will be close to 100%... hell, even if i was on the dole, i'd beg/borrow/steal to get the money for expansions. I tell you, this game is worse than heroin!

 

[Tinman]

So how would boarding work between someone who does have the boarding expansion and someone who doesn't? Are you telling me that the person who does have the expansion will be able to board the person who doesn't? Wouldn't that be extremely unbalanced?

This has been discussed several times before. We still haven't heard the official plan, but this is how I see it.

Every time you try to board a ship there is a chance that this might fail even if both players have the expansion. Maybe you need to hack the other ships airlock to get in for example. Better equipment increases the chance of getting in but the possibility of a failed hack will always be there. If you try to hack yourself into someone who doesn't have the expansion this hack "just happens" to fail at that point. To the aggressor this would still be relatively seamless since they won't know if it failed due to bad luck or because the other player doesn't have the expansion installed (unless that player tells them that is ).

To balance this there could still be other benefits of trying to board another ship even if you can't physically get in. Maybe hack their computer and steal exploration data, bounties or other vouchers...maybe drain their fuel tank...hehe

Also, if FD are clever boarding actions won't be the only feature in that particular expansion. There needs to be other activities included to draw in people who aren't necessarily interested in the boarding part. Otherwise some might tactically choose not to install it. But if other interesting and worthwhile features are part of the same package it will decrease the likelihood of this happening.

 

[Daud]

That might limit- especially in the future- how many players you meet. Regardless, that- to me- doesn't seem like a justification for hiding large chunks of the game behind a pay-wall. I can agree with certain expansions, like walking on the surface of a planet- since that demonstrably *is* a very large feature, but making fairly simple features, such as walking inside your own ship part of an expansion, seems like a bad idea to me.

 

[babelfisch]

If I still play the game when the first paid expansions comes out I will gladly pay for it...

 

[glynie]

I'm calling them core-features because it'd be extremely awkward if you could only board people who've bought an expansion, rather than everyone. Unless, of course, people who don't have the expansion can get boarded, but aren't allowed to board other ships themselves- which, in my opinion, is rather ridiculous. As for walking inside ships: Well, that's sort of a prerequisite for boarding.

Maybe it's just me being odd, but they just *seem* like core-features. Walking inside your ship doesn't seem like a major thing to ask for- especially since that's what many of Elite's competitors are doing.

Raise some good points.

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

Otherwise some might tactically choose not to install it.

Tactics doesn't really have anything to do with it - I play with a HOTAS, a rift and pedals - I can reach my mouse and wouldn't see an issue using FPS controls on the keyboard, but I just wouldn't enjoy having to play an FPS all of a sudden (that would include NPC boardings). But we'll see - I think it will be quite some time before it is done and maybe they make it a bit like Arma, so I might even enjoy it...