I guess it depends on the scope of the game and where Frontier envisions it, but at this point in time, I don't think we are ready for it yet. It would be a good release alongside atmospheric landings imo.
The next big expansion. And other small stuff. What will it be?
- Thread starter W4rSkuLL
- Start date
I guess it depends on the scope of the game and where Frontier envisions it, but at this point in time, I don't think we are ready for it yet. It would be a good release alongside atmospheric landings imo.
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I would like to see...
Gas Giant scooping and flight
Exploration enhancements - detailed surface scanner actually providing detailed surface data, Advanced system scanner adding to telemetry, engineer tweakage on these module types. Ability to scan without facing planet/star. Additional skill based mini-game whilst performing scans that enhance reward the better you perform such tasks.
Additional in-system artifacts - research bases, asteroid bases, military ship yards, space based and surface based "race tracks", filling up the bubble with environments that act as mission destinations or alternative trade/smuggling destinations.
Gas Giant scooping and flight
Exploration enhancements - detailed surface scanner actually providing detailed surface data, Advanced system scanner adding to telemetry, engineer tweakage on these module types. Ability to scan without facing planet/star. Additional skill based mini-game whilst performing scans that enhance reward the better you perform such tasks.
Additional in-system artifacts - research bases, asteroid bases, military ship yards, space based and surface based "race tracks", filling up the bubble with environments that act as mission destinations or alternative trade/smuggling destinations.
Planet with atmosphere without the cities to begin
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Here's what I would like to see released in Season 3 and hopefully it represents a reasonable, achievable ask based of course only on estimations and uninformed guess work. Please let me know where I'm obviously talking out my cargo hatch or have missed something.
1. Walking in ships
I'm not expecting SC's level of ship functionality (I'm happy that ED isn't SC) but I think walking in ships is likely for the next expansion. I live in my ship, I put massive effort into obtaining and loading-out each ship, it is my home in space so I want to be able to properly live in it - not just in one chair facing in one general direction. ED's galaxy sim is great, and I love exploring it for long stretches. I love the feeling of solitude and vulnerability and dependency on my ship when I'm not docked-up. I feel like the galaxy is real and is really out there. Outside of what? Of my ship, the thing that protects me from the void. So there's something very attractive and immersive about taking a break (in game) from peering into the black , turning around, standing up and visiting other parts of my ship, to check cargo, snooze in my bunk, tinker with control panels, while all the time knowing that I'm doing it inside my own ship, floating far out in space. In fact being able to stay in-game and completely ignore the galaxy and everything in it for a while, helps to make not only the ship but the galaxy feel more real - after all the galaxy is still there when you get up from your pilot seat. It isn't paused. You're afk but still in-game.
The more focus on the ship, the more real it becomes. A 'cosy' ship might sound silly, but apart from the galaxy (and perhaps your character), it's the second most significant thing in the game and giving it more detail and more features, builds each ship's character and fleshes out its value and makes each ship more involved than simply a set of stats about jump ranges and hard points (and great audio!).
If Frontier can pull-off development of good quality interiors for all ships and adapt the first person tech they've already built for previous games then we're already most of the way there, no?
2. EVA
In my opinion, it would feel odd to be able to EVA without first having the ability to walk around inside your ship (you know, to get to the airlock). However, the way I see it, Frontier already have the external ship models finished. My brain gets a bit itchy when I try to understand SC's physics grids but perhaps ED's EVA requirements are different and won't require anything so tricky to implement? Either way, assuming at first, no interaction possible with anything but the exterior of your ship (and boarding of other player's vessels comes later), then EVA could be a possibility, even before walking inside your ship.
As for walking around inside stations, personally, I like the social idea but I don't think its as important yet as exploring the inside of your ship.
While we're on the subject of space-legs - FPS could be good, sure. But that can come much later if strategically possible (threat from other competitor games that can't be ignored, for example).
3. Ship interactions (repairs during EVA, repairs inside the ship or just reconfiguring/controlling functions of the ship manually rather than from your space-chair)
For me, a basic, static ship model to walk/float around, inside and outside, would be enough to start with. But I'd really prefer to eventually have some buttons to press, feedback to view on screens / ambient sounds etc - the idea of your ship being functional and responsive like in SC and not just a dumb set of physical boundaries, is really important to me.
Ship interactions are also perhaps the sort of features which can be added and improved over time, rather than delivered in one go, all-or-nothing.
4. Jump-gates to remote locations
I get that the sense of scale of ED's wonderful galaxy sim is only really apparent when you look back on the past month you spent moving through only a small fraction of it. But as a previous poster on a similar thread, pointed out, the galaxy sim is an incredible asset of this game so it should be exploited more by making it easier to experience more of it.
I know some purists might disagree but one thing that helps me justify (to myself) adding fast travel is that it would help dilute the current bubble-centric concentration of explored systems and help create new areas of concentration - and potentially new mini bubbles in the game lore. Or if not jump gates then worm holes a-la Eve Online or perhaps Thargoid structures that do the same job. Aren't they supposed to be well acquainted with witch space? Or a combination of all of the above.
5. NPCs
I'm thinking of wingmen for hire (no need to see the actual pilots - just their ships), and also NPCs who exist in your ship. I've heard talk that the cap on max pilots per (any) ship is 2. But what about the ubiquitous ship's cat (wanders around the ship, sleeps on deck behind your chair or at your feet, maybe even makes funny meows when scared. Or will it just be creamed against a wall if not strapped into something?).
The cat would be a physicalised, visible object but what about an AI to run the ship for you (like an in-game and more advanced/granular version of the excellent HCS voice packs (sorry HCS) which need only be a set of auditory interaction (not a visible entity in the game).
I'm ignoring NPCs you meet in stations (although that would be cool) - again, I'm happy for them to come later.
Season 2 brings multicrew. Perhaps these additional pilots will be models glued to their seats but that's still part way to implementing NPCs which exist inside your ship.
1. Walking in ships
I'm not expecting SC's level of ship functionality (I'm happy that ED isn't SC) but I think walking in ships is likely for the next expansion. I live in my ship, I put massive effort into obtaining and loading-out each ship, it is my home in space so I want to be able to properly live in it - not just in one chair facing in one general direction. ED's galaxy sim is great, and I love exploring it for long stretches. I love the feeling of solitude and vulnerability and dependency on my ship when I'm not docked-up. I feel like the galaxy is real and is really out there. Outside of what? Of my ship, the thing that protects me from the void. So there's something very attractive and immersive about taking a break (in game) from peering into the black , turning around, standing up and visiting other parts of my ship, to check cargo, snooze in my bunk, tinker with control panels, while all the time knowing that I'm doing it inside my own ship, floating far out in space. In fact being able to stay in-game and completely ignore the galaxy and everything in it for a while, helps to make not only the ship but the galaxy feel more real - after all the galaxy is still there when you get up from your pilot seat. It isn't paused. You're afk but still in-game.
The more focus on the ship, the more real it becomes. A 'cosy' ship might sound silly, but apart from the galaxy (and perhaps your character), it's the second most significant thing in the game and giving it more detail and more features, builds each ship's character and fleshes out its value and makes each ship more involved than simply a set of stats about jump ranges and hard points (and great audio!).
If Frontier can pull-off development of good quality interiors for all ships and adapt the first person tech they've already built for previous games then we're already most of the way there, no?
2. EVA
In my opinion, it would feel odd to be able to EVA without first having the ability to walk around inside your ship (you know, to get to the airlock). However, the way I see it, Frontier already have the external ship models finished. My brain gets a bit itchy when I try to understand SC's physics grids but perhaps ED's EVA requirements are different and won't require anything so tricky to implement? Either way, assuming at first, no interaction possible with anything but the exterior of your ship (and boarding of other player's vessels comes later), then EVA could be a possibility, even before walking inside your ship.
As for walking around inside stations, personally, I like the social idea but I don't think its as important yet as exploring the inside of your ship.
While we're on the subject of space-legs - FPS could be good, sure. But that can come much later if strategically possible (threat from other competitor games that can't be ignored, for example).
3. Ship interactions (repairs during EVA, repairs inside the ship or just reconfiguring/controlling functions of the ship manually rather than from your space-chair)
For me, a basic, static ship model to walk/float around, inside and outside, would be enough to start with. But I'd really prefer to eventually have some buttons to press, feedback to view on screens / ambient sounds etc - the idea of your ship being functional and responsive like in SC and not just a dumb set of physical boundaries, is really important to me.
Ship interactions are also perhaps the sort of features which can be added and improved over time, rather than delivered in one go, all-or-nothing.
4. Jump-gates to remote locations
I get that the sense of scale of ED's wonderful galaxy sim is only really apparent when you look back on the past month you spent moving through only a small fraction of it. But as a previous poster on a similar thread, pointed out, the galaxy sim is an incredible asset of this game so it should be exploited more by making it easier to experience more of it.
I know some purists might disagree but one thing that helps me justify (to myself) adding fast travel is that it would help dilute the current bubble-centric concentration of explored systems and help create new areas of concentration - and potentially new mini bubbles in the game lore. Or if not jump gates then worm holes a-la Eve Online or perhaps Thargoid structures that do the same job. Aren't they supposed to be well acquainted with witch space? Or a combination of all of the above.
5. NPCs
I'm thinking of wingmen for hire (no need to see the actual pilots - just their ships), and also NPCs who exist in your ship. I've heard talk that the cap on max pilots per (any) ship is 2. But what about the ubiquitous ship's cat (wanders around the ship, sleeps on deck behind your chair or at your feet, maybe even makes funny meows when scared. Or will it just be creamed against a wall if not strapped into something?).
The cat would be a physicalised, visible object but what about an AI to run the ship for you (like an in-game and more advanced/granular version of the excellent HCS voice packs (sorry HCS) which need only be a set of auditory interaction (not a visible entity in the game).
I'm ignoring NPCs you meet in stations (although that would be cool) - again, I'm happy for them to come later.
Season 2 brings multicrew. Perhaps these additional pilots will be models glued to their seats but that's still part way to implementing NPCs which exist inside your ship.
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