The current state of space games.

[GoryDamnPixie]

No Mans Sky.
-Community excited for the new FREE Spacelegs mech suit walker update.
Playerbase: Overall Happy.

Star Citizen.
-Community ecstatic with the new Anvil carrack ship and upcoming prison gameplay and capital ship updates.
Playerbase: Super ecstatic.

Elite Dangerous.
-Community in Uproar.
After waiting two years frontier has once again delivered a half cocked update.
Playerbase: Super mixed.

Is Frontier tone deaf at this point? Why are they doing things so completely different from the competition. Its like they want to set themselves up for failure. Where is the fun in elite anymore. There needs be an emphasis on less grind and more on the fun.

 

[PiLhEaD]

Fun is the word, exactly what's needed back in ED. Pretty please.

And hula-girl bobbleheads, obviously!!!

In fairness to FDev... I've never known this community to be sanguine and broadly happy about anything......

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

No Mans Sky.
-Community excited for the new FREE Spacelegs mech suit walker update.
Playerbase: Overall Happy.

Star Citizen.
-Community ecstatic with the new Anvil carrack ship and upcoming prison gameplay and capital ship updates.
Playerbase: Super ecstatic.

Elite Dangerous.
-Community in Uproar.
After waiting two years frontier has once again delivered a half cocked update.
Playerbase: Super mixed.

Is Frontier tone deaf at this point? Why are they doing things so completely different from the competition. Its like they want to set themselves up for failure. Where is the fun in elite anymore. There needs be an emphasis on less grind and more on the fun.

Frontier is a mega publisher now. The perfect mini me of EA and Activision in their own competitive niche. See all the white knight threads about annual reports for details.

In short, i think its a combination of a the same time not being dependent on any project to succeed combined with so much going on from so many projects. They don't really care and they can't care (and they care about different things now).

 

[Commander Biscuit]

I used to think they started choking development to ED because they failed to monetize the game correctly, but ED had it's best financial year in 2019? iirc.

I'm going to assume it's the path of least resistance. If low effort is rewarded, then low effort will continue.

And seconding the Hula Girl Bobblehead. Just give us it already!

 

[Wendake]

Problem is that FCs are only a tool. They don't bring any fun or "wow".

They only bring QoL asked for years by the community (storage & player to player trading)...for 5 billions + every other expenses.

Quite amazing to wait over 2 years for a feature that is so underwhelming.

 

[Vedmo]

I only play one and I'm still very happy with it, although it did just open a beta for a new feature that makes next to no sense to me, it is still a great place to fly a spaceship.

I have a friend that plays SC, they told me last week they logged on and three times in a row a crash caused them to lose their entire savings in the game, then asked how ED is as they are done with SC until it is a functioning game.

NMS I played when it first came out, and I don't have anything bad to say about it nor do I have any clue what it is like now with all the new features, but it isn't a game I would go to for flying spaceships.

 

[GoryDamnPixie]

Frontier is a mega publisher now. The perfect mini me of EA and Activision in their own competitive niche. See all the white knight threads about annual reports for details.

In short, i think its a combination of a the same time not being dependent on any project to succeed combined with so much going on from so many projects. They don't really care and they can't care (and they care about different things now).

That just makes me sad to be honest, but it's likely very true.

I used to think they started choking development to ED because they failed to monetize the game correctly, but ED had it's best financial year in 2019? iirc.

I'm going to assume it's the path of least resistance. If low effort is rewarded, then low effort will continue.

Your probably right, when people praise things like bobble heads, paint jobs and arx points, why spend the hard yard to make good fun content when some asset flips and grind will suffice.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

That just makes me sad to be honest, but it's likely very true.

I didn't think much about just distribution, could be just dipping their toes into it. Only found out over the last report though that frontier are actually funding the development (and the rest of it assuming) for a title with heimont games. Id be the first to put my hand up for surviving mars 2, but.. yeah this is not the frontier you're looking for. At the very least, you can imagine a very very different set of decisions being made if say something in elite "needs more time". etc. Don't even think about what happens to your ship skin money.

 

[Kaocraft]

I must still believe in them a little bit because they manage to somehow disappoint me every time.

 

[Stinja]

I thought you can queue for CQC now? So thats them going back to revisit an "abandoned feature".

Just need AI/npcs in CQC; multi-crew mixable with wings; and multi-limpet controllers to appease the masses (blah blah Powerplay something).

 

[Dutchman141]

If this FC abomination holds any prospect for the future New Era update then imho ED is done for.

Hello Games knows how to make their game more fun with every update, more things to do in a pleasant way, it's sheer fun!!
That without penalizing their players or sucking their credit balance dry, without overloading you with management and stuff you don't like to do in order to do what you like.
I know NMS is way different then ED but still, they're both games, and I play games for one reason only, FUN!!

 

[Stinja]

I know NMS is way different then ED but still, they're both games, and I play games for one reason only, FUN!!

The way updates are messaged, delivered and supported also show the difference between Hello Games and Frontier Developments.

I honestly do hope the New Era update is massive and extensive: after so long, and the supposed number of developers working on it, it should at least equal what Hello Games have done in a similar time frame.

 

[GoryDamnPixie]

I only play one and I'm still very happy with it, although it did just open a beta for a new feature that makes next to no sense to me, it is still a great place to fly a spaceship.

I have a friend that plays SC, they told me last week they logged on and three times in a row a crash caused them to lose their entire savings in the game, then asked how ED is as they are done with SC until it is a functioning game.

NMS I played when it first came out, and I don't have anything bad to say about it nor do I have any clue what it is like now with all the new features, but it isn't a game I would go to for flying spaceships.

Hehe, I can attest to that having played star Citizen. You can have hours of stable play than a few minutes of server crashes and disconnects. People put up with it because once the game works and there's no crashing or bugs, it's a very fun game.

No Man's sky is a very chill game to me and I've had countless hours of fun with it, even built my own planetary base. Will re-visit it with the new update.

As for elite, Its been a mixed bag for me, I log on every now and than, but there's not much to do once you have 9 billion in the bank (I was hoping fleet carriers would be it). I wish there was more meaningful fun content that kept you coming back, and I don't mean the grind kind.

 

[Dutchman141]

The way updates are messaged, delivered and supported also show the difference between Hello Games and Frontier Developments.

I honestly do hope the New Era update is massive and extensive: after so long, and the supposed number of developers working on it, it should at least equal what Hello Games have done in a similar time frame.

Please realize that Fleet Carriers have been postponed several times for further development, and this is what they come up with.
After seeing Obsidian Ant's and Yamik's video I'm literally at a los for words.

 

[CMDR Mayhem]

Haha imagine the cost and upkeep our bases will need(if next era is basebuilding). I foresee a salt explosion.

 

[Cheese Helmet]

I thought you can queue for CQC now? So thats them going back to revisit an "abandoned feature".

Just need AI/npcs in CQC; multi-crew mixable with wings; and multi-limpet controllers to appease the masses (blah blah Powerplay something).

Don’t forget to make multi crew work with srvs too

 

[Dutchman141]

Haha imagine the cost and upkeep our bases will need(if next era is basebuilding). I foresee a salt explosion.

My base will costs next to nothing because it will be on a tropical planet in NMS.
In fact my base makes money instead of absorbing it.

 

[GoryDamnPixie]

If this FC abomination holds any prospect for the future New Era update then imho ED is done for.

Hello Games knows how to make their game more fun with every update, more things to do in a pleasant way, it's sheer fun!!
That without penalizing their players or sucking their credit balance dry, without overloading you with management and stuff you don't like to do in order to do what you like.
I know NMS is way different then ED but still, they're both games, and I play games for one reason only, FUN!!

The way updates are messaged, delivered and supported also show the difference between Hello Games and Frontier Developments.

I honestly do hope the New Era update is massive and extensive: after so long, and the supposed number of developers working on it, it should at least equal what Hello Games have done in a similar time frame.

One can only hope the new era actually brings Frontier back to form, there's so many ways they can go with this. But now I'm dreading that any way they do go with will come with a load of grind.

Regarding No Man's Sky, I still consider it to be one of the best evolving games of all time up there with Warframe. What a comeback happy games has done. Fun free updates after update, the game is very consumer friendly.

 

[Cheese Helmet]

One can only hope the new era actually brings Frontier back to form, there's so many ways they can go with this. But now I'm dreading that any way they do go with will come with a load of grind.

Regarding No Man's Sky, I still consider it to be one of the best evolving games of all time up there with Warframe. What a comeback happy games has done. Fun free updates after update, the game is very consumer friendly.

Frontier’s problem is they design with the question of “how do we limit players appropriately” in mind vs nms seems to follow “what would be fun/cool/interesting.”
if fdev actually stopped trying to keep a leash on player creativity this game would flourish

 

[Madrax573]

NMS: player base are super excited as they finally have the game that was promised from the start. Very fun game but very different to ED in playstyle and has had, and still does, have a lot of critics around it's procedural generation of planets and biomes etc. Always had space legs and in some ways is more focused on that aspect from the design. After a few thousand hours can get way more repetitive then ED as most of the stuff you have to do rather than can do cos you want to etc.

Star Citizen: Has a crazy number of people who think this is the best thing since the dawn of the internet. has many more people who still think it's a giant scam.... Overall mixed from my research into it. Have flown a few times during free fly. Looks good and very ambitious and I hope they get it to where they say they are going but sceptical...

ED: Generally a happy community as the majority just play the game for fun and the idea of being a pilot flying around the galaxy since 1984. A VERY Vocal minority that spews salt all over the interwebs when they don't get spoon fed everything for now effort The new FC is serious 'endgame' content. They are bigger than outposts yet people still want to get them for nothing and no effort. They should go play X4 or something if that is how they want to play.

EvE Online: Been around for ever and is still pulling in good numbers. Ridiculously complex social and economic mechanics with a wildly difference player base demographics. Known to be 'hardcore' and this FC thing wouldn't even seem like anything to waste breath over for most of EvE's capsuleers

TBH the state of space games is in a good place overall, each game has a dedicated following and generally good communities with minorities that whine about anything.