Story/Content Packs

[Aurican]

If ED needs additional economic support, I don't see why short story narratives can't be added.

- Add a little journal section called Quests or some similar meaning name to record these

E.g.

• Some way to start the chain.
  • Receives a mysterious message while walking around a station or flying in a random system.
  • Special mission on boards
• Lore bomb the user
• Follow directions to do stuff
  • Explore POI
  • Explore abandoned stations
• Chain it for however long as needed to make it value for $
• Reward player with unique engineered module or ship

ED has trillions of systems, a decent world setting and just about all the systems in place to make this happen already.

 

[Jack Winter]

I've often thought that scripted (and maybe voice acted) mini story DLCs would be a great way for Frontier to add more revenue (and hopefully profit). For instance a pack that holds the players hand with unlocking the engineers. Like you say most of the mechanics needed are already in the game.

 

[metatheurgist]

I still think ED is too undercooked for that. it's a great end-gamish thing to do to keep the game running when you've run out things you want or conceivably can add economically. There's just not enough to do game mechanically to do story packs imo. They'd pretty much be as good as the general narrative right now, which for me are lacking.

 

[Jack Winter]

I don't know, there are quite a few mechanics in the game, I really think that they could do some interesting mission/story packs.

They could do an engineer one, or a mining one that explains and takes a new commander into a great mining ship. Maybe some quests that takes an established commander through a story to score some unique module.

But mission packs or not, I do wish that they would polish some of the stuff that's already in there.

 

[Shurimal]

This would be great. There are a lot of Unknown Permit locked systems and sectors that would be perfect grounds for such DLC storylines. Add some unique ruins and shipwrecks (explorable on-foot, with puzzles and platforming), alien artifacts (Guardian, Thargoid, some other hitherto unknown ones), pirate bases, secretive factions and cults in there for the stories to involve and there will be so much depth added to the game.

They could also take players to existing unique sights like Guardian beacons and Thargoid surface sites guiding newish players there with a reason to visit them other than just unlocking Guardian fighters or... Really, is there a reason these days to actually visit and activate a Thargoid surface site other than "I happened to read on Reddit that it's pretty cool and finally managed to hunt down a Thargoid probe to do it"?

Award unique cosmetics, engineered modules (like the community goal multicannons) and unique ship variants (like a special highly modified Cobra with scan resistant cargo racks and extra low heat emissions, built by an infamous smuggler-turned-freedom-fighter, wink-wink) and people will gladly drop 15€ for such 10 to 15 hour mini-DLC. I know I would

The precedent is there already: Ram Tah missions, but they lack any real reward for doing them. Frankly, I even haven't bothered with them yet for that reason.

 

[elginn]

If ED needs additional economic support, I don't see why short story narratives can't be added.

- Add a little journal section called Quests or some similar meaning name to record these

E.g.

• Some way to start the chain.
  • Receives a mysterious message while walking around a station or flying in a random system.
  • Special mission on boards
• Lore bomb the user
• Follow directions to do stuff
  • Explore POI
  • Explore abandoned stations
• Chain it for however long as needed to make it value for $
• Reward player with unique engineered module or ship

ED has trillions of systems, a decent world setting and just about all the systems in place to make this happen already.

Are you familiar with these guys? [ elitedangereuse.fr/ ]

They are doing things similar to your suggestions and I love it! Hopefully FDev will give support to this type of effort with additions to the universe to support them. Hidden bases, new NPCs, etc...

 

[elginn]

I still think ED is too undercooked for that. it's a great end-gamish thing to do to keep the game running when you've run out things you want or conceivably can add economically. There's just not enough to do game mechanically to do story packs imo. They'd pretty much be as good as the general narrative right now, which for me are lacking.

Take a look at what these guys are doing! [ elitedangereuse.fr/ ]

 

[SlickPBW]

Good idea.