Station Question

[ATARI.]

Can anyone point me toward any info on space stations?

I've seen the thread in the Design Discussion Archive, but specifically I'd like to know what we can do once we are docked inside a station - for example, will we be presented with a menu or are we able to walk around inside the station? If the latter, are we able to see other players etc?

Edit: Also, if we are able to walk around - will it be 3rd person? Procedurally generated etc?

Thanks

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Can anyone point me toward any info on space stations?

I've seen the thread in the Design Discussion Archive, but specifically I'd like to know what we can do once we are docked inside a station - for example, will we be presented with a menu or are we able to walk around inside the station? If the latter, are we able to see other players etc?

Thanks

For station visual design look at Newsletter #9 http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=7157d0e3e1

At first release there won't be walking around yet (it will come with expansions), and we will see overlay of station menu which will be part of our cockpit holographic HUD. We don't know anything about walking around, but I can guess we will see other players in our local instance

 

[Riedquat]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

 

[Juniper]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

That's because the gameplay hasn't been invented yet.

Hopefully it will be more than a mere gimmick, and we can explore planets on foot (or move into atmospheric vehicles like cars, planes, hot air balloons...), visit towns, meet people in bars, etc etc.

 

[Adam Lusardi]

visit towns, meet people in bars, etc etc.

And kill them

 

[ATARI.]

I think having the option to get out and stretch your virtual legs would be pretty neat.

Meeting someone in a bar and gambling some credits over a game of poker could be fun.

Anyways, was just wondering as I couldn't find any info on it.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

People have mentioned that, but realistically there's tons of game play to have plus immersion. It is hard to do that though. That's probably one of reasons why walking isn't in first release.

 

[Riandor]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

So what is the difference between flying around seeing the sights and walking around seeing the sights?

I am confident FD will give us reasons enough to do both without just limiting to aesthetics or mindless shopping where a in ship menu suffices.

Now, info retrieval, assassinations, big game hunting etc...anything that enhances the game, gives me reason to stretch my Avatar's legs is most welcome. Plus if it looks nice too, then so much the better.

 

[ATARI.]

Agreed, if you can visit planets in a later expansion then why not stations?

 

[Riedquat]

So what is the difference between flying around seeing the sights and walking around seeing the sights?

I am confident FD will give us reasons enough to do both without just limiting to aesthetics or mindless shopping where a in ship menu suffices.

Now, info retrieval, assassinations, big game hunting etc...anything that enhances the game, gives me reason to stretch my Avatar's legs is most welcome. Plus if it looks nice too, then so much the better.

The difference I think is that flying over a planet to dock and admiring the scenery belongs in the game and would really add to the immersion.

Running around shooting things or doing missions I think is best left to other titles.

 

[ATARI.]

I don't think shooting things or doing missions within a station is a good idea, I think more as a social hub could work and/or as a place to pick-up missions.

 

[Tinman]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

Put simply...imagine a game like GTAV, but without the ability to get out if your car. We are not talking about just walking around in bars and talking to people. That has been done before and is nothing more than a glorified menu system. We who are enthusiastic about this are talking about real meaningful gameplay. Sneaking into an pirate base. Assassinating someone. Having shootouts in a back alley when a drug deal suddenly goes bad. Exploring ancient ruins on alien worlds. Fighting of people who tries to board your ship. You name it. Pretty much anything you can see in all other games that take place on the ground. Will this require a lot of development time? Of course, but that is why they are doing it in separate modules/expansions.

 

[Riedquat]

Put simply...imagine a game like GTAV, but without the ability to get out if your car. We are not talking about just walking around in bars and talking to people. That has been done before and is nothing more than a glorified menu system. We who are enthusiastic about this are talking about real meaningful gameplay. Sneaking into an pirate base. Assassinating someone. Having shootouts in a back alley when a drug deal suddenly goes bad. Exploring ancient ruins on alien worlds. Fighting of people who tries to board your ship. You name it. Pretty much anything you can see in all other games that take place on the ground. Will this require a lot of development time? Of course, but that is why they are doing it in separate modules/expansions.

You see to me, that is not Elite, I would think they are going down the wrong road if they look to add that stuff.

just my two-pennies worth tho, I suppose I could be proven wrong.

 

[ATARI.]

I don't want to see too much focus on out-of-ship antics, though if implemented well.... why not I guess.

Personally, I think having a menu at each station would hinder immersion for me. I've just docked and landed at this station, people live and work here so why can't I walk around like them? If my friend is in the same station, why can't we meet each other?

 

[Cosmo Bozo]

You see to me, that is not Elite, I would think they are going down the wrong road if they look to add that stuff.

just my two-pennies worth tho, I suppose I could be proven wrong.

Well you are entitled to that opinion. But the other advantage of doing it as a separate expansion is, if you don't want it, you don't buy it.

 

[Zak Gordon]

Just want to throw KOTOR into this discussion, re the getting out of your ship to walk around. I know we won't have on planet travel until that expansion, but even in the context of a smallish area, KOTOR made getting out of the pilot seat very worth while.

 

[JohnStabler]

When the expansion is released I'd like to keep the walking around optional. I may just want to do a quick trade and refuel without having to plod around the respective vendors (think x : afterbirth). Also, missions that require you to leave your ship should be marked so or made obvious by the description.

 

[Zak Gordon]

When the expansion is released I'd like to keep the walking around optional. I may just want to do a quick trade and refuel without having to plod around the respective vendors (think x : afterbirth). Also, missions that require you to leave your ship should be marked so or made obvious by the description.

yeah this is an important lesson to learn from X: Rebirth. Don't force everyone to always need to travel on foot to places, provide short cuts/quick access from the ship etc.

 

[ATARI.]

Yep, definitely wouldn't want it compulsory.

 

[Alpha Protocol]

personally I have never understood the fascination with walking in stations, flying around planets and taking in the scenery sounds good , but I cant think of any reason I would need to be walking around anywhere.

It's more immersive, if you can "be" your character and not just a spaceship. I've played space sims where you are just a space ship and they always feel like they are missing something.

There are a number of social factors tied to an in-game avatar. People like to congregate, have a drink together, role-play, show-off their clothing, etc. as you can imagine ad infinitum.

Walking around your ship, manning other consoles, turrets, performing repairs, boarding other ships, engaging in EVA such as space-walking out to repair an external component damaged during a battle, and FPS game-play.

The possibilities are really limitless. It's up to the game developers to implement whatever they can.

Realistically, avatars will enhance E: D's accessibility by appealing to a wider audience and make Frontier more profit. More profit means lots of content updates and expansions resulting in a more robust game experience.

The difference I think is that flying over a planet to dock and admiring the scenery belongs in the game and would really add to the immersion.

Running around shooting things or doing missions I think is best left to other titles.

If you aren't forced to do it, why are you opposed to it. I have a hard time understanding why people would rather limit a games depth and embrace redundancy over innovation.

There are already a million space sims where you are your ship and that's it...

yeah this is an important lesson to learn from X: Rebirth. Don't force everyone to always need to travel on foot to places, provide short cuts/quick access from the ship etc.

I agree. If people don't want to leave their ships. Leave an onboard menu/interface intact and accessible.

You see to me, that is not Elite, I would think they are going down the wrong road if they look to add that stuff.

just my two-pennies worth tho, I suppose I could be proven wrong.

Technology is the primary bottleneck in game and software development. Back when elite first came out the biggest problem in computing was primary and secondary storage. Of course graphics technology was in it's infancy. Many game concepts that developers dream about or would love to add, just aren't possible at the time and are left up to future development.

This is that time. Space sims are coming back, full-featured, and technology is at a point where all those old dreams can finally come to life.