The events of the Gnosis, though promising, did result in a considerable backlash. Many commanders packed up and prepared for a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore an area of space usually inaccessible. But then the Thargoids got in the way and ruined it for everyone.
So how do we ensure future content delivers what the community wants?
Most communities, regardless of genre, like certain basic principles: the main one being for everything to work properly, and if it doesn’t for the developers to fix it. For the most part this is addressed, with the exception of the occasional gremlin that sneaks past. The other aspects are new things to play with, new places to explore or fight in, and for that additional content to be free. But communities also like their content to be seamlessly woven together, especially where persistent environments are concerned.
So I’ve got a number of suggestions for Fdev. I’ve posted stuff like this before. Before the Gnosis. But the events with the Gnosis and the Thargoids require some… adjustment.
I realise that implementing these won’t be to everyone’s taste, or easy. And that I’m no authority on video game design. But have done a lot of creative writing.
The devil is in the detail. Now I’m not talking about how things should look here. Fdev have definitely mastered the appearance of a galaxy more than a thousand years from now. The Ships look superb, the aliens are hauntingly spectacular, and the gameplay is essentially well implemented. But in order for a universe to be convincing, it must be alive, or appear to be. Other games achieve this with seemingly superfluous interactions between both playable characters and NPC’s. Notes here and there. Occasional comments uttered by people. Some of this takes place when playing ED. In the com chat we see NPC’s announcing a marriage or threatening others to drop their cargo when interdicting. But they don’t reflect the wider system or galaxy. No NPC, as far as I’m aware, has even mentioned the Guardians or the steady and seemingly unceasing advance of the Thargoids. And more of this bespoke chatter is needed. Play Halo 5 (whether you love it or loathe it) and you’ll notice that the other members of Blue Team will chat amongst themselves, revealing background information through seemingly casual conversation. Some of this is fairly personal, some is tactical, and some is historical. But it comes across naturally. The same goes for chatter in stations, docks, station security vessels. These all need to reflect the current state of affairs, something noted by another Commander, TomUSMC.
Another example would be to look at Skyrim. The game is chock full of history, but it’s delivered is multiple ways, via books, notes, inscriptions, dialogue,and progression. I’m not saying that killing a Thargoid should result in a discarded book on the history of caustic damage for you to retrieve with your cargoscoop, but add some character to the Thargoids beyond the usual tactical flight patterns. What about giving the occasional one distinctive markings? Like a fighter ace. Or add emotive death throes when it is on the brink of destruction. Though the Thargoids are utterly alien to us, from a narrative perspective we still need to be able to relate with their methods and habits, even if it’s just on the surface. To some, the Thargoid threat is nothing, fundamentally because it’s NOT a threat. You can simply avoid them most of the time. It’s a pre-scripted encounter in most cases, and then the AI responds to your actions in a predetermined manner. And only Galnet and the players talk about them. The Gnosis is the exception to this, but the main issue here is that the Thargoids aren’t even attacking the Gnosis, they’re just attacking players. And presumably if enough Thargoids are destroyed they’ll leave the Gnosis alone.
I think we need inquisitive behaviour here. The Thargoids have destroyed whole task forces before. But they were Navy, they were armed. The Gnosis isn’t as far as I’m aware. So I would have thought that some Thargoid investigative work would be prudent. That’s not to say that the Thargoids shouldn’t be violent. Have a certain class of ship repeatedly scan the Gnosis at close range, something previously unseen, taking samples, trying to dismantle it piece by piece. Commanders can observe and watch the Gnosis be taken apart, or intervene and brave the consequences from Thargoid ships that are tasked with protecting the more curious version of their ships. The Thargoids might hate us, they might be complete Xenophobes, but understanding us better enables our destruction, whether or not they want to sample our technology or biology. It also provides a distinct behaviour, as oppose to investigate signal source, shoot Thargoid ship, kill Thargoid Ship, and get paid.
And that’s another aspect here that has proved divisive: mission methods. For the most part, missions involve go here, do that, deliver this, shoot that ship, deliver those, get paid. For trade missions I have no issue with this. If you were to work for a freight company on modern day Earth that’s pretty much how things work out. Get in truck, drive here, deliver that. Perhaps with the occasional ‘bump’ in the road.
Other missions obviously involve scanning, or assassination. And I like the variety. I just think there could be more. And it could be more diverse. What about asking players to scan whole systems, planet by planet, with the objective being to find uninhabited but habitable planets. This could help create and spread the rumour of the Navy tasking commanders to find places an entire species can run to if the Thargoids get out of hand. So a surface scanner is required for this. Whether or not you find the ideal world is not the point here. It’s to represent the Navies of each faction throwing money at exploration. But to mix it up the Navy from said faction could try to assassinate you if you find a suitable planet, in an effort to keep things quiet ; ) Surviving that could result in a bonus.
Another mission idea, and one close to my heart, is reconnaissance. Sneaking in to some otherwise secretive location or getting a look at a prototype vessel for another faction. Or even tailing a Thargoid vessel without being noticed. There are many ways this could go, but I certainly don’t want this to become a simple surface scan mission but in space.
With the whole reconnaissance aspect in mind, there’s another way to improve simple assassination missions, such as sneaking into a military controlled area, taking out the command ship and getting the hell out of there. Or even boosting into a station and taking out a docked ship with its shields down and then getting out before the station blows you away.
Another popular topic is the aspect or absence of space legs, both on planet/moons surfaces and when docked at a station or facility. This shouldn’t just become a smaller SRV perspective but could allow for a more social aspect, very loosely reminiscent of Destiny’s social spaces but with more purpose than just needless dancing and demonstrating pointless emotes. Make it worthwhile. Make it matter. Allow wing invites when in this mode so joint missions are easier to arrange with strangers. It’ll still require a great deal of trust, but rocking up to a popular station and wandering around the bar should at least make it easier to meet players who also want to get rich, or create chaos. Whatever their pleasure.
Landing on habitable planets. This is probably no easy task. The effects required for this would require some work, as would cloud formations and storms that you can fly through, not to mention rain, snow, or adding other weather, vegetation and a day night cycle. But I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that many of us would love to visit Earth. Failing that (due to current limits) allow landing at designated facilities on the planet. Imaging landing at a more remote facility in upstate New York, similar to the Avengers facility, but not being able to land in New York itself. That sort of thing.
Artifacts or Artefacts, depending on your language. We currently have Thargoid and Guardians stuff dotted around. My main question regarding this is if there are other artefacts from either faction, or other historical finds dotted around the galaxy, literally in the middle of nowhere in modern (ED) terms. But obviously these artefacts might have previously been at the centre of some hub of activity several million years ago, but are now left, isolated, in the darkness of unexplored space. I hope there are finds like this, even if they’re not alien. I presume Fdev have a good idea of where the Guardians and the Thargoids are or were in relation to the current galactic layout and have items there are yet undiscovered out there in the deep black. If not, why not?
Combat. I’m not a fan of games that present situations as though I’m the only person in the universe to deal with it. Take R-Type, for those of you who’ll remember it. A great game, really enjoyable. But hampered by one thing: the premise that you are Earth’s best hope. Seriously? You’re telling me that all of humanity pinned its entire existence on my little ship getting past all these alien space beasts? Surely they have shuttles, frigates, cruisers that can at least contribute to the war effort.
I just don’t buy it. The original Halo is a great example of how to do it properly. Sure, I’m an eight-foot-tall genetically superior specimen with an armoured suit with energy shields. But I’m not the only one fighting. Everyone is doing their part. The Marines, the Navy, the Army, everyone is out there trying to survive. So I really enjoyed the situations where you encountered stranded Marines, who were actively fighting to survive, not just waiting to be rescued. I want this for NPC’s, for the Federal Navy or the Empire, when fighting the Thargoids. Are we [Commanders] the only hope forsurvival? It sure seems that way. It seems like everyone else has gone home with their fingers crossed. We’re all in this together, so make it seem that way. I want NPC’s lending a hand. Hell, I want the Navy to turn up for once, even in a big ship. What about an NPC escort vessel or vessels for the Gnosis? I know there's some sneaky stuff going on regarding the war with the Thargoids, and there'll be plenty of commanders who love solving that sort of stuff, all the conspiracies. But I want the rest of humanity to be concerned, to rise up and be ready to either run or fight.
Ganking. A sore subject for some. It's a dangerous galaxy out there, more so when other, 'real' players are involved. Sure, it's a pain when they purposefully hunt you down, torment you, and cause you to rebuy your expensive ship. But that's what I like. It adds some of the variety and danger that this game sorely needs. Real players have a personality, a distinct playstyle, a way of flying and fighting. Some role play, some don't care who they shoot. They just do it for fun. And no doubt there are people out there who do it for real. I just wish the Thargoids were as characteristic, and ballsy.
I know some of you will disagree. And I'm fine with that. Feel free to add your own thoughts.
I should also point out that I still really enjoy Elite Dangerous. I'm a big Star Trek fan who is currently planning for a trip similar to the USS Voyager, though I'll be taking a few detours and doing some truly isolated exploring.
So how do we ensure future content delivers what the community wants?
Most communities, regardless of genre, like certain basic principles: the main one being for everything to work properly, and if it doesn’t for the developers to fix it. For the most part this is addressed, with the exception of the occasional gremlin that sneaks past. The other aspects are new things to play with, new places to explore or fight in, and for that additional content to be free. But communities also like their content to be seamlessly woven together, especially where persistent environments are concerned.
So I’ve got a number of suggestions for Fdev. I’ve posted stuff like this before. Before the Gnosis. But the events with the Gnosis and the Thargoids require some… adjustment.
I realise that implementing these won’t be to everyone’s taste, or easy. And that I’m no authority on video game design. But have done a lot of creative writing.
The devil is in the detail. Now I’m not talking about how things should look here. Fdev have definitely mastered the appearance of a galaxy more than a thousand years from now. The Ships look superb, the aliens are hauntingly spectacular, and the gameplay is essentially well implemented. But in order for a universe to be convincing, it must be alive, or appear to be. Other games achieve this with seemingly superfluous interactions between both playable characters and NPC’s. Notes here and there. Occasional comments uttered by people. Some of this takes place when playing ED. In the com chat we see NPC’s announcing a marriage or threatening others to drop their cargo when interdicting. But they don’t reflect the wider system or galaxy. No NPC, as far as I’m aware, has even mentioned the Guardians or the steady and seemingly unceasing advance of the Thargoids. And more of this bespoke chatter is needed. Play Halo 5 (whether you love it or loathe it) and you’ll notice that the other members of Blue Team will chat amongst themselves, revealing background information through seemingly casual conversation. Some of this is fairly personal, some is tactical, and some is historical. But it comes across naturally. The same goes for chatter in stations, docks, station security vessels. These all need to reflect the current state of affairs, something noted by another Commander, TomUSMC.
Another example would be to look at Skyrim. The game is chock full of history, but it’s delivered is multiple ways, via books, notes, inscriptions, dialogue,and progression. I’m not saying that killing a Thargoid should result in a discarded book on the history of caustic damage for you to retrieve with your cargoscoop, but add some character to the Thargoids beyond the usual tactical flight patterns. What about giving the occasional one distinctive markings? Like a fighter ace. Or add emotive death throes when it is on the brink of destruction. Though the Thargoids are utterly alien to us, from a narrative perspective we still need to be able to relate with their methods and habits, even if it’s just on the surface. To some, the Thargoid threat is nothing, fundamentally because it’s NOT a threat. You can simply avoid them most of the time. It’s a pre-scripted encounter in most cases, and then the AI responds to your actions in a predetermined manner. And only Galnet and the players talk about them. The Gnosis is the exception to this, but the main issue here is that the Thargoids aren’t even attacking the Gnosis, they’re just attacking players. And presumably if enough Thargoids are destroyed they’ll leave the Gnosis alone.
I think we need inquisitive behaviour here. The Thargoids have destroyed whole task forces before. But they were Navy, they were armed. The Gnosis isn’t as far as I’m aware. So I would have thought that some Thargoid investigative work would be prudent. That’s not to say that the Thargoids shouldn’t be violent. Have a certain class of ship repeatedly scan the Gnosis at close range, something previously unseen, taking samples, trying to dismantle it piece by piece. Commanders can observe and watch the Gnosis be taken apart, or intervene and brave the consequences from Thargoid ships that are tasked with protecting the more curious version of their ships. The Thargoids might hate us, they might be complete Xenophobes, but understanding us better enables our destruction, whether or not they want to sample our technology or biology. It also provides a distinct behaviour, as oppose to investigate signal source, shoot Thargoid ship, kill Thargoid Ship, and get paid.
And that’s another aspect here that has proved divisive: mission methods. For the most part, missions involve go here, do that, deliver this, shoot that ship, deliver those, get paid. For trade missions I have no issue with this. If you were to work for a freight company on modern day Earth that’s pretty much how things work out. Get in truck, drive here, deliver that. Perhaps with the occasional ‘bump’ in the road.
Other missions obviously involve scanning, or assassination. And I like the variety. I just think there could be more. And it could be more diverse. What about asking players to scan whole systems, planet by planet, with the objective being to find uninhabited but habitable planets. This could help create and spread the rumour of the Navy tasking commanders to find places an entire species can run to if the Thargoids get out of hand. So a surface scanner is required for this. Whether or not you find the ideal world is not the point here. It’s to represent the Navies of each faction throwing money at exploration. But to mix it up the Navy from said faction could try to assassinate you if you find a suitable planet, in an effort to keep things quiet ; ) Surviving that could result in a bonus.
Another mission idea, and one close to my heart, is reconnaissance. Sneaking in to some otherwise secretive location or getting a look at a prototype vessel for another faction. Or even tailing a Thargoid vessel without being noticed. There are many ways this could go, but I certainly don’t want this to become a simple surface scan mission but in space.
With the whole reconnaissance aspect in mind, there’s another way to improve simple assassination missions, such as sneaking into a military controlled area, taking out the command ship and getting the hell out of there. Or even boosting into a station and taking out a docked ship with its shields down and then getting out before the station blows you away.
Another popular topic is the aspect or absence of space legs, both on planet/moons surfaces and when docked at a station or facility. This shouldn’t just become a smaller SRV perspective but could allow for a more social aspect, very loosely reminiscent of Destiny’s social spaces but with more purpose than just needless dancing and demonstrating pointless emotes. Make it worthwhile. Make it matter. Allow wing invites when in this mode so joint missions are easier to arrange with strangers. It’ll still require a great deal of trust, but rocking up to a popular station and wandering around the bar should at least make it easier to meet players who also want to get rich, or create chaos. Whatever their pleasure.
Landing on habitable planets. This is probably no easy task. The effects required for this would require some work, as would cloud formations and storms that you can fly through, not to mention rain, snow, or adding other weather, vegetation and a day night cycle. But I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that many of us would love to visit Earth. Failing that (due to current limits) allow landing at designated facilities on the planet. Imaging landing at a more remote facility in upstate New York, similar to the Avengers facility, but not being able to land in New York itself. That sort of thing.
Artifacts or Artefacts, depending on your language. We currently have Thargoid and Guardians stuff dotted around. My main question regarding this is if there are other artefacts from either faction, or other historical finds dotted around the galaxy, literally in the middle of nowhere in modern (ED) terms. But obviously these artefacts might have previously been at the centre of some hub of activity several million years ago, but are now left, isolated, in the darkness of unexplored space. I hope there are finds like this, even if they’re not alien. I presume Fdev have a good idea of where the Guardians and the Thargoids are or were in relation to the current galactic layout and have items there are yet undiscovered out there in the deep black. If not, why not?
Combat. I’m not a fan of games that present situations as though I’m the only person in the universe to deal with it. Take R-Type, for those of you who’ll remember it. A great game, really enjoyable. But hampered by one thing: the premise that you are Earth’s best hope. Seriously? You’re telling me that all of humanity pinned its entire existence on my little ship getting past all these alien space beasts? Surely they have shuttles, frigates, cruisers that can at least contribute to the war effort.
I just don’t buy it. The original Halo is a great example of how to do it properly. Sure, I’m an eight-foot-tall genetically superior specimen with an armoured suit with energy shields. But I’m not the only one fighting. Everyone is doing their part. The Marines, the Navy, the Army, everyone is out there trying to survive. So I really enjoyed the situations where you encountered stranded Marines, who were actively fighting to survive, not just waiting to be rescued. I want this for NPC’s, for the Federal Navy or the Empire, when fighting the Thargoids. Are we [Commanders] the only hope forsurvival? It sure seems that way. It seems like everyone else has gone home with their fingers crossed. We’re all in this together, so make it seem that way. I want NPC’s lending a hand. Hell, I want the Navy to turn up for once, even in a big ship. What about an NPC escort vessel or vessels for the Gnosis? I know there's some sneaky stuff going on regarding the war with the Thargoids, and there'll be plenty of commanders who love solving that sort of stuff, all the conspiracies. But I want the rest of humanity to be concerned, to rise up and be ready to either run or fight.
Ganking. A sore subject for some. It's a dangerous galaxy out there, more so when other, 'real' players are involved. Sure, it's a pain when they purposefully hunt you down, torment you, and cause you to rebuy your expensive ship. But that's what I like. It adds some of the variety and danger that this game sorely needs. Real players have a personality, a distinct playstyle, a way of flying and fighting. Some role play, some don't care who they shoot. They just do it for fun. And no doubt there are people out there who do it for real. I just wish the Thargoids were as characteristic, and ballsy.
I know some of you will disagree. And I'm fine with that. Feel free to add your own thoughts.
I should also point out that I still really enjoy Elite Dangerous. I'm a big Star Trek fan who is currently planning for a trip similar to the USS Voyager, though I'll be taking a few detours and doing some truly isolated exploring.
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