The irony of the console drop.

[Dakron Nova]

I'm hoping there still a few about from the Betas of Elite Dangerous who remember the original launch of the game and then the salt following the original release on consoles.

For those who don't there were plenty of threads re texture downgrades, vector reductions and gameplay simplification to keep the game running on consoles to the detriment of the PC experience.

It seems the inevitable has happened, the effort required to keep this running on consoles just isn't possible or cost effective within the limitations of the Cobra Engine and I really do feel this is the core problem, and yet now we should all feel the loss of this part of the community.

This may remove some constraints for Oddessy on PC to allow Frontier to squeeze out a little bit more from the engine to finish their vision for the game. But thinking logically this seems like a small reprieve and I do wonder how much further the game will be developed. Its probably a fair assumption that, for this incarnation of the game, we are nearer the end than the begining.

I hope that FD give us enough notice before turning off the servers for us to arrange a community meet up at Saggittarius A as we watch the stars go out one by one.

 

[BigBANGtheory [VR]]

I hope something good comes out of it, I'm not sure I can add more than that.

My heart says there is potential, my head says look at the track record.

 

[Dakron Nova]

I hope something good comes out of it, I'm not sure I can add more than that.

My heart says there is potential, my head says look at the track record.

Agreed, the big tell for me is how they handled the request for console account transfers. To be silent for so long and announce this in the way they did without it seems even considering that this would be asked for or needed shows actually even after all these years.....they still don't get it and by this point definately won't.

 

[JohnRoberts]

My heart says there is potential, my head says look at the track record.

I suspect at some level it comes down to the viability of the business model. Console being dropped means no income from selling Odyssey there, and a smaller audience for ARX. On the PC side, I don’t know what the take up rate of EDO has been, but in general, the question can be asked: where is the return in future investment in Elite coming from? I assume that certain provisions were already made for the next 12 months (e.g. EDO + 2 years).

If FDev can keep delivering new content (and not mainly fixes for a flawed release), maybe there will be a market for another DLC later. I guess that the reason console has been let go is exactly to ensure the franchise is still viable for another DLC in the future.

 

[NoVR - What_The_X_F_Dev]

@Dakron Nova - yes I remember "the great beiegification" which was attributed to console port, however, after significant pushback from the community planets were reworked and for a few years now there's been no acrimony between console plebs and members of master master race. [I use those terms in jest BTW]

My interpretation is somewhat gloomier than John Robert's interpretation, I feel that by nixing the two console platforms, they've dropped about a third of the playerbase, and thus at least a third of the franchise's ongoing revenue that would build the business case for future DLC's meaning the axing of console development is actually detrimental to the chances of a new DLC (Elite Dangerous 5.X).

 

[JohnRoberts]

My interpretation is somewhat gloomier than John Robert's interpretation, I feel that by nixing the two console platforms, they've dropped about a third of the playerbase, and thus at least a third of the franchise's ongoing revenue that would build the business case for future DLC's meaning the axing of console development is actually detrimental to the chances of a new DLC (Elite Dangerous 5.X).

You are correct, and I didnt mean to imply otherwise - with console should have been an important source of revenue. But if console cant be delivered, then perhaps this was taken as the "least worst" way forward. That's certainly how I interpreted David Braben's message.

 

[Zieman]

FDEV should of worked on bringing EDO to current gen consoles only right from the start, not XB1 & PS4.
Why they didn't do it? Can't fathom what kind of thinking would've made Sony & MS forbid current gen version only.

 

[Zak Gordon]

(projected) Dev costs vs (projected) Income costs = answer we got. Sadly.

 

[Zieman]

(projected) Dev costs vs (projected) Income costs = answer we got. Sadly.

Oh yes. No need for anything convoluted or conspirational, just the hard truth of $$$ (or £££ in this case).

 

[Agony_Aunt]

My heart says there is potential, my head says look at the track record.

What do your toes say?

 

[Bottom Hat]

What do your toes say?

"Let us out of our leathery prison, it smells of cheese in here"

 

[GraphiteGB]

Screen grab the Price for cosmetics and paints in ARX...
Then put it on a safe online storage...
And then see what the price is next year...
See if they push out a Price rise as PC users allready willing pay for an over priced market hardware whats it matter to over pay for skins next year...
Did Fdev share price drop yet...

 

[JonesTheFilm]

TLDR: I think it quite possible that ED only has a couple of years left in it.

I'm one of the 'recently divorced' console CMDRs. I'm a console gamer in general. I just like the relative simplicity of console gaming, less problems with compatibility, no messing with drivers, etc, no reason to upgrade components (until the next console gen, then just buy a new machine).

I do have a PC, I mainly use it for work. I do film & TV animation so it's a very capable PC. The only game I have installed on it is Star Citizen, and it runs that fine so it would probably handle Odyssey.

I could easily go buy ED & Odyssey right now and install it on my PC, except there's that problem of the account transfer. I really don't fancy starting from scratch after building my CMDR & fleet up over nearly six years. I'm not naive enough to hold my breath for the full account transfer FD are 'looking into'. They knew this was coming, why wouldn't they have looked into it already?

If I did bite the bullet and start over I'm not convinced ED has another six years in it for me to get to where I was.

I wonder if the troubled development of Odyssey is linked to their beloved Cobra engine. Is it getting old and bloated? Is it still up to the task? Why is it FD's other games are all management games? ED stands out like a sore thumb in terms of game type. Has a galaxy-wide open-world live-service game ultimately become too ambitious for it?
By the time they get Odyssey to a place they can call 'good', and finish off the big story arc they've started, this will probably be a ten year old game, and their next move may well be announcing the end of all development.

 

[Simon Templar]

TLDR: I think it quite possible that ED only has a couple of years left in it.

I'm one of the 'recently divorced' console CMDRs. I'm a console gamer in general. I just like the relative simplicity of console gaming, less problems with compatibility, no messing with drivers, etc, no reason to upgrade components (until the next console gen, then just buy a new machine).

I do have a PC, I mainly use it for work. I do film & TV animation so it's a very capable PC. The only game I have installed on it is Star Citizen, and it runs that fine so it would probably handle Odyssey.

I could easily go buy ED & Odyssey right now and install it on my PC, except there's that problem of the account transfer. I really don't fancy starting from scratch after building my CMDR & fleet up over nearly six years. I'm not naive enough to hold my breath for the full account transfer FD are 'looking into'. They knew this was coming, why wouldn't they have looked into it already?

If I did bite the bullet and start over I'm not convinced ED has another six years in it for me to get to where I was.

I wonder if the troubled development of Odyssey is linked to their beloved Cobra engine. Is it getting old and bloated? Is it still up to the task? Why is it FD's other games are all management games? ED stands out like a sore thumb in terms of game type. Has a galaxy-wide open-world live-service game ultimately become too ambitious for it?
By the time they get Odyssey to a place they can call 'good', and finish off the big story arc they've started, this will probably be a ten year old game, and their next move may well be announcing the end of all development.

Agreed, this collectively feels like the beginning of the end, sadly. Giving up a lot of bums on seats to make this work doesn’t smack of a lucrative long term strategy (regardless of the tech reasons). Had this update come with a concerted push to have console gamers switch en masse to PC I’d be more confident. That it didn’t makes me think writing is on the wall for the whole thing.

 

[Winterwalker]

I suspect at some level it comes down to the viability of the business model.

Bet your bottom dollar there will be an intent to port to next gen.

 

[the100thmonkey]

Bet your bottom dollar there will be an intent to port to next gen.

One of the CMs has already said there are no plans to port to current gen consoles.

 

[Northpin]

For those who don't there were plenty of threads re texture downgrades, vector reductions and gameplay simplification to keep the game running on consoles to the detriment of the PC experience.

Weird.
The only things i've seen in EDO since launch was a reduction in gfx quality to make the PC game run on ... PC

 

[Darth Wonko]

Agreed, this collectively feels like the beginning of the end, sadly.

Actually, I believe the reverse is true. By discontinuing console development, they've freed up a lot of resources that can focus on a single code base. This bodes well for the future of the game.

I feel for the console players and I'd be very disappointed if I were in that position. Let's hope FDev provides a clear and smooth transition to PC for those who wish to go that route.

 

[Mogen Teras]

Actually, I believe the reverse is true. By discontinuing console development, they've freed up a lot of resources that can focus on a single code base. This bodes well for the future of the game.

Disagree. We already know they had put console development on complete hold after what, Update 1 or 2 of Odyssey? This entire time has been all hands on deck of PC development. Resources were not being diverted to consoles in that time, so what we have been seeing since launch HAS been a case of "freed up resources" via not working on consoles.

I highly doubt development will improve and/or get faster after this decision. All it means is that they don't have the concept of a console port hanging on their conscience anymore.

 

[St0rmFury]

Actually, I believe the reverse is true. By discontinuing console development, they've freed up a lot of resources that can focus on a single code base. This bodes well for the future of the game.

I feel for the console players and I'd be very disappointed if I were in that position. Let's hope FDev provides a clear and smooth transition to PC for those who wish to go that route.

What Mogen said, I don't think they freed up a lot of resources. Probably just a smatter here & there.