Surely its time to drop base game customers

What other games with many DLCs(over time) do is include previous DLCs with the release of the latest DLC, it works, no free loading and new players(to DLC) will have all the previous content.
 
There must be good financial reasons why FD still support the base game. Presumably, they feel it is still acting as a hook to bring in players or they wouldn't do it. The "Horizons Special" prices may be testing how many are prepared to upgrade and, when the statistics break an unknown boundary, they incorporate the small number of remainders. But maybe they are not even close to that tipping point just yet.
 
It’s probably not hard for Frontier to manage base and horizon players in the same game galaxy. After all, they have three modes coexisting on the server; solo, group and open. Just a matter enabling the planetary approach suite slot on the ships.
 
Don't know about the rest of you but I have been "restored to orbit" a few times when Horizons went bad. Handy that.

OP, perhaps next time something gets nerf'ed/removed/changed it will be your ox that is gored.
 
To be serious momentarily, I think at this point they may as well offer a free update so they don't have to bother about differing versions.Those still playing will probably purchase something from the shop in gratitude, or dormant customers who return may do the same if they feel well treated.

While that might be a straightforward thing to do, it's not really a good business model.

It might be viable for Horizons, given that Horizons makes fundamental changes to the game's architecture, but it's not going to work for more peripheral expansions and it also puts pressure on FDev to continuously come up with expansions which do make fundamental changes to the game in order to entice customers.

In simple terms, if FDev create, say, a guild-based expansion or a trading-based expansion, or possibly even space-legs, I'm not going to buy it if I can assume it'll be incorporated into the game for free a couple of years after launch.
In that scenario, the only expansions I would buy would be ones that dramatically alter the core-gameplay which, as I said, would mean FDev would have to keep coming up with those types of expansion to keep generating revenue.

Given that ED has a projected lifespan of another 3 or 4 years, it's honestly doubtful whether FDev have the time or inclination to create one more big expansion before time runs out.
Seems more likely, and more pragmatic, that FDev will simply release a variety of specialised paid-expansions and continue to update the core-gameplay for free.

Honestly, the only fundamental expansion to the game that I can think of that's worth having is "atmo' landings" (including all the stuff that should include, such as flora, fauna, seas, cities etc) and, frankly, unless they're already a long way into that, I don't think they have time to build it before ED gets canned.
 
.............. Realistically players not bought into horizons are freeloading.

If I wrote what I really want to about this nonsense I would get banned.

Stop trying to make me use rude words. ;)



Ah fair enuff... I had thought the base game still was...
(re 32 bit version)

I think the Demo (i.e. Single Player Combat Training) is still 32bit - I have not fired up my really old 32bit PC since the main game dropped it so can't confirm.
 
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I'd be happy to have a cobra mk4 to compensate for people coming away from base game. They should sell them as a once off to celebrate..but only when I can get it..
 
While that might be a straightforward thing to do, it's not really a good business model.

It might be viable for Horizons, given that Horizons makes fundamental changes to the game's architecture, but it's not going to work for more peripheral expansions and it also puts pressure on FDev to continuously come up with expansions which do make fundamental changes to the game in order to entice customers.

In simple terms, if FDev create, say, a guild-based expansion or a trading-based expansion, or possibly even space-legs, I'm not going to buy it if I can assume it'll be incorporated into the game for free a couple of years after launch.
In that scenario, the only expansions I would buy would be ones that dramatically alter the core-gameplay which, as I said, would mean FDev would have to keep coming up with those types of expansion to keep generating revenue.

Given that ED has a projected lifespan of another 3 or 4 years, it's honestly doubtful whether FDev have the time or inclination to create one more big expansion before time runs out.
Seems more likely, and more pragmatic, that FDev will simply release a variety of specialised paid-expansions and continue to update the core-gameplay for free.

Honestly, the only fundamental expansion to the game that I can think of that's worth having is "atmo' landings" (including all the stuff that should include, such as flora, fauna, seas, cities etc) and, frankly, unless they're already a long way into that, I don't think they have time to build it before ED gets canned.

I'll put that down as a Game's Doomed post, then :p
 
Ha, people go berserk when you propose giving the cobra mk4 for free to people. You think they would be okay with giving away something they actually paid for? :)

Okay, maybe smooth was a poor adjective. :D

I think the people who have Horizons and also hate the spacepoors will probably whine pretty loudly. I'm hoping that's a small percentage of players, but then, this is the Elite playerbase where we hate everything and everyone. Could be a gigantic crapstorm but I like to pretend people are better than reality. >__>

I mostly don't want to have two ever-separating versions of the game getting supported and holding back any type of primary development, and I'd rather bring the spacepoors up to achieve that goal than kick them to the curb.
 
I know there was something about Horizons that kept Mac players from playing it, but I don't recall what it was.

That said though, just like Mac occupies the #2 OS position, ahead of Linux, I have to wonder what percentage of the player base is Mac-based. I'm guessing 2.8%.
 
They should just make the base game free to play with ads on station docking, limited to small ships and open only. No access to powerplay, planetary landings, engineering or thargoids.

.... Then again ...

Hmmm...

Now I come to think of it...

Maybe they should give Horizon purchasers the option of reverting to such too!
 
Why can't we make life even harder for base gamers. We know they are the lowest bottom dwelling slime suckers.

FDev should make stations with their ships in get DESTROYED by Thargoids and any ships lost forever. And modules too.

I'll have a little think about what else they deserve and get back to you later.
 
They could just stop selling the base game without Horiizons, and offer a free (or cheap) upgrade to existing base players, then stop upgrading the base game.
That would probably please the most.

However, what of 32bit players who for whatever reason can't upgrade? Do we abandon them?
What next? Abandon non-VR players?

IIRC the 32 bit version already is or will be abandoned.

PS
After reading the rest of the thread it seems like I am late to the party.
 
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Don't know about the rest of you but I have been "restored to orbit" a few times when Horizons went bad. Handy that.

OP, perhaps next time something gets nerf'ed/removed/changed it will be your ox that is gored.

I don't think there is a comparable situation in open space, maybe getting stuck in the station slot. A client side quick fix should remain, if just for reducing the amount of support tickets (I think every MMO has a way to get the player out of problems with geometry). I know I needed it multiple times.

Regarding the main point of dropping the basegame, there might be a not-insignificant number of basegame players running the game on office computers without great graphics capability that still use the store from time to time. The game runs well on older hardware as long as the planets are just textured spheres. I think opening up the exclusive features like ships even if it is an important incentive for horizons upgrades could happen before people are locked out for hardware reasons. Removal of 32bit support was for most just a software issue.
 
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