The Planetary landing and planetside missions discussion Thread
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You are in dire need of credits after that last job went south. With no plan, you decide to dock at the nearest station: an Orbis that has seen better days but still has an air of arrogant luxury, like an ageing holovid star. Perhaps there's a freight job you can do to tide you over. It seems only marginally better to join the ranks of the mopes trucking biowaste than to starve, but you still appreciate the distinction enough to lower your standards, even if only temporarily. You head straight for the bar to clear your head (and your last few remaining credits - it is still an Orbis).
Spacer bars are the same galaxy-wide - you feel like a drink when you go in and a shower when you come out. Shady folks abound. Whilst you sample the local speciality (nothing special, but it still makes your teeth rattle) you overhear a bit of gossip regarding the mysterious disappearance of some old pilot - apparently he is a big deal in the local authority and owns one of the palaces in the 0.5G ring.
You start to pay attention.
You need a new job after that debacle with the Imperial battle plans. Frakking Feds proved to be as miserly as ever, and seeing their Vipers roasting those Imperial slaves in their cans to stop word getting out about the coming ambush left a bad taste in your mouth that this liquor isn't helping with. You're beginning to think that the Alliance are a safer bet...
You find out the missing old guy's address from the station directory and take an autocab there, where you are greeted by his distraught (and lovely) daughter. Your reputation as a detective appears to have preceeded you, and this is far enough out of core space where that's still a good thing. As soon as you give your name she appears visibly relieved. She offers a large reward (and the undying gratitude of the local authority, of which she is a fine representative) if you track her father down and find out what is going on. You don't turn down that kind of offer.
She reveals that the family owns a large plot of land on one of the uninhabited planets in this very system, only 75000 LS away. An old security sensor in an long-abandoned mine tunnel on that plot was triggered about 3 hours ago, meaning that someone - or something - has been there in the last 24 hours. You head out of the station and and engage your FSD, destination trouble.
It doesn't take long to find you.
Less then a minute into your journey, you are yanked out of supercruise by a pirate. Ratty-looking Cobra, skull decal, the whole nine yards. Something's up though. He's not looking to take your stuff, just kill you.
Odd.
He has some unexpectedly vicious weaponry, and a few other upgrades that mean your escape with only minor hull damage should be a source of pride. It's not though - you usually eat pirates for breakfast. Most of them only ever deal with trading escort details, who are low-rent muscle at best, and you merit the big creds. You suspect the pirate schtick is a ruse, and his warning over comms to "drop the case" does nothing to allay your suspicions. His behaviour seems a little desperate, and more intriguing than ominous, but you're not about to let your guard down.
You make it to the barren dustball, touch down, and walk from the bridge to the hold where your planetside ride is juiced and ready to go. You surface skim to the mouth of the mine tunnel, and then have to go in on foot. The gravity is a fair bit higher than you're used to, and the geothermal heat is quite punishing - you tire quickly. Luckily you find the intruder soon enough, and he looks worse off than you. A very quick gun "battle" ensues and you manage to incapacitate the goon. He seems less hurt, more relieved to be getting off this rock.
During your questioning, he doesn't take long to reveal that your quarry landed on and left the planet whilst in the company of a known killer and pirate and his cronies. This was apparently against the old man's will, but you know that appearances can be very deceptive. You were married once, after all.
The kidnapper is the head of a local anarchist "political group" - in reality, a mean bunch of thugs with lofty slogans and no actual ethics. He shares a family name with the guy who attempted to blow you out of space on the way here, and you don't do coincidences.
The gang, your captive reveals, are heading to an independent outpost in a neighbouring system to do who knows what (he doesn't know, having been told only to keep any explorers busy - or keep them from living any longer).
The plot thickens.
You decide to head further into the mine to see if there are any more clues, but it looks like a collapse was triggered by one of the kidnappers. However, one thing is obvious - there are untold riches (in the form of precious gems) within these rocks! You trudge back to your ship and put the guy who just tried to kill you in a suitably tuned life can, ready to hand him over to the authorities.... as soon as you investigate this outpost, to discover what could be more valuable than freely-available gems to a gang of "anarchists", and why this old pilot is so important?
Spacer bars are the same galaxy-wide - you feel like a drink when you go in and a shower when you come out. Shady folks abound. Whilst you sample the local speciality (nothing special, but it still makes your teeth rattle) you overhear a bit of gossip regarding the mysterious disappearance of some old pilot - apparently he is a big deal in the local authority and owns one of the palaces in the 0.5G ring.
You start to pay attention.
You need a new job after that debacle with the Imperial battle plans. Frakking Feds proved to be as miserly as ever, and seeing their Vipers roasting those Imperial slaves in their cans to stop word getting out about the coming ambush left a bad taste in your mouth that this liquor isn't helping with. You're beginning to think that the Alliance are a safer bet...
You find out the missing old guy's address from the station directory and take an autocab there, where you are greeted by his distraught (and lovely) daughter. Your reputation as a detective appears to have preceeded you, and this is far enough out of core space where that's still a good thing. As soon as you give your name she appears visibly relieved. She offers a large reward (and the undying gratitude of the local authority, of which she is a fine representative) if you track her father down and find out what is going on. You don't turn down that kind of offer.
She reveals that the family owns a large plot of land on one of the uninhabited planets in this very system, only 75000 LS away. An old security sensor in an long-abandoned mine tunnel on that plot was triggered about 3 hours ago, meaning that someone - or something - has been there in the last 24 hours. You head out of the station and and engage your FSD, destination trouble.
It doesn't take long to find you.
Less then a minute into your journey, you are yanked out of supercruise by a pirate. Ratty-looking Cobra, skull decal, the whole nine yards. Something's up though. He's not looking to take your stuff, just kill you.
Odd.
He has some unexpectedly vicious weaponry, and a few other upgrades that mean your escape with only minor hull damage should be a source of pride. It's not though - you usually eat pirates for breakfast. Most of them only ever deal with trading escort details, who are low-rent muscle at best, and you merit the big creds. You suspect the pirate schtick is a ruse, and his warning over comms to "drop the case" does nothing to allay your suspicions. His behaviour seems a little desperate, and more intriguing than ominous, but you're not about to let your guard down.
You make it to the barren dustball, touch down, and walk from the bridge to the hold where your planetside ride is juiced and ready to go. You surface skim to the mouth of the mine tunnel, and then have to go in on foot. The gravity is a fair bit higher than you're used to, and the geothermal heat is quite punishing - you tire quickly. Luckily you find the intruder soon enough, and he looks worse off than you. A very quick gun "battle" ensues and you manage to incapacitate the goon. He seems less hurt, more relieved to be getting off this rock.
During your questioning, he doesn't take long to reveal that your quarry landed on and left the planet whilst in the company of a known killer and pirate and his cronies. This was apparently against the old man's will, but you know that appearances can be very deceptive. You were married once, after all.
The kidnapper is the head of a local anarchist "political group" - in reality, a mean bunch of thugs with lofty slogans and no actual ethics. He shares a family name with the guy who attempted to blow you out of space on the way here, and you don't do coincidences.
The gang, your captive reveals, are heading to an independent outpost in a neighbouring system to do who knows what (he doesn't know, having been told only to keep any explorers busy - or keep them from living any longer).
The plot thickens.
You decide to head further into the mine to see if there are any more clues, but it looks like a collapse was triggered by one of the kidnappers. However, one thing is obvious - there are untold riches (in the form of precious gems) within these rocks! You trudge back to your ship and put the guy who just tried to kill you in a suitably tuned life can, ready to hand him over to the authorities.... as soon as you investigate this outpost, to discover what could be more valuable than freely-available gems to a gang of "anarchists", and why this old pilot is so important?
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Sounds totally tedious. My ship has a computer - I should be able to arrange all repairs, contracts, missions and trades from that. I don't want to board another ship for an epic laser battle - we have FPS games for that sort of thing. I just want to fly my ship, with a much better on-board computer system.
The game is currently basically built of placeholders and it desperately needs more depth. Planetary landings might be cool, but not a big deal if the only reason to go there is to find atmospheric USS or just land on new bases. We already have enough bases in game, now we just need more interactivity and game around them.
I'm not very excited about walking inside / outside the ships, sounds like a lot of work for little gain. Maybe if it's easy to let you walk on the pad staring at the ship why not. But to make the FPS part interesting and worthwhile it would have to be as good as a dedicated FPS game and that would take all the resources of FD for a long time and still might not work out. I really don't see how that would be a worthwhile investment at this time, it's something that certainly sounds good when you're in a brainstorming session, but if the coolness starts to wear off when FD actually start to design and implement it I hope they have the guts to call it off entirely.
If any of you know of good examples where something even distantly resembling Elite was combined with an FPS I'd like to check it out and perhaps change my mind, but until then I wish FD would focus on the core game before taking on features like FPS gameplay.
I'm not very excited about walking inside / outside the ships, sounds like a lot of work for little gain. Maybe if it's easy to let you walk on the pad staring at the ship why not. But to make the FPS part interesting and worthwhile it would have to be as good as a dedicated FPS game and that would take all the resources of FD for a long time and still might not work out. I really don't see how that would be a worthwhile investment at this time, it's something that certainly sounds good when you're in a brainstorming session, but if the coolness starts to wear off when FD actually start to design and implement it I hope they have the guts to call it off entirely.
If any of you know of good examples where something even distantly resembling Elite was combined with an FPS I'd like to check it out and perhaps change my mind, but until then I wish FD would focus on the core game before taking on features like FPS gameplay.
....you beat me to it. Last night I was thinking "wouldn't it be good if players could give credits directly to each other", for services rendered. IMO this would open up all sorts "sand Box" game-play opportunities.
Protection rackets.
Private assassinations.
Organising races with cash prizes.
Organising gladiatorial games, cash prizes.
Buying commodities directly from others.
Buying ships or ship components from each other.
Buying info.
Etc. All doable in space, outside stations.
this topic needs it's own thread IMO
Personally, I'm not too bothered about planetary landings.
These were exactly the kind of visionary posts that were discussed at length over a year ago. People were coming up with all sorts of brilliant scenarios that incorporated all three aspects of what they expected Elite Dangerous to be about; spaceflight, landing on some alien world, and leaving your ship behind and exploring that world.
I would love to see the game evolve and grow so that kind of gameplay is possible. But I've seen a trend in how the game has progressed since those visionary days. Sadly I get the feeling that its not going to be that in-depth, I just don't see it happening now. I've seen DDF features that were brilliantly thought out by the devs and fleshed out by players, only for us to ultimately end up with a shallow version of that idea. Exploration is a prime example. What we currently have (press a buzzer reveal all gimmick) is so far removed from the interesting and challenging DDF article on what exploration was supposed to be about, that you wouldn't believe it was the same company that is making this game. Yes its early days and there is time for these things to come, but the fact that we don't even have escaped pods yet (and they're no longer talked about) and instead we just magically reappear alive and well in a spacestation after death, tells me the game has taken a different path. It seems to about instant gratification at the moment.
We may get a ton of new features, but will there be any depth to them? I have a feeling Frontier are aiming the game at a completely different demographic of gamer since the kickstarter and DDF ended. So I will be surprised if the picture you painted there will ever become reality in Elite Dangerous.
The next content patch will be interesting and will give a better indication of what direction FD are going. Will it be more features with little depth?... or will we see existing features fleshed out and made more challenging and interesting? Maybe both? I really want the game to go on to better things and have the longevity we all hope it will. At the moment I have my doubts.
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I *REALLY* want planetary landings, just so that I can experience cruising over alien worlds - even if it takes a lot longer to get to the surface than just docking at a station in orbit). Have to keep running back to SpaceEngine and sighing at present... some day, some day...
Repeated in full, 'cus it needs repeating. I agree with you completely. Existing features need to be fleshed out and made more complete/more like the DDFs. At present I do feel a bit disgruntled that the backers seem to have got a slightly different game to that which we all (erroneously it seems) had a common vision of. Money talks, even with kickstarters and 'we're making the game we want to play without publisher interference', unfortunately.
Repeated in full, 'cus it needs repeating. I agree with you completely. Existing features need to be fleshed out and made more complete/more like the DDFs. At present I do feel a bit disgruntled that the backers seem to have got a slightly different game to that which we all (erroneously it seems) had a common vision of. Money talks, even with kickstarters and 'we're making the game we want to play without publisher interference', unfortunately.
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Planet landings, Yeah!
As ChrisT says; and expect a lot more than just atmospheric flight.
As ChrisT says; and expect a lot more than just atmospheric flight.
You are currently docked at an outpost, in an Independent system currently being courted by the Feds - who are the reason you're here in the first place. This dump orbits a planet of outstanding beauty that is ostensibly a nature reserve. No human population, apparently, other than a few guides. A shuttle travels to the surface and back every few days, carrying select people who can afford to see the sights and enjoy nature. The holobrochure makes it all look idyllic. Idyllic, and boring. But you know nothing is as it seems when the Feds are involved.
The planetary defences are swift and final - no invader has ever made it to the ionosphere. The only way in or out is via shuttle. Passengers are scanned upon boarding, and all weapons confiscated. Only the tour guides are armed. This whole sightseeing thing is not really you, but it's part of the job, and it is apparently very exclusive - you are the only passenger on the shuttle, apart from a young guide with a sorry look on her face, who tells you that she's back at work after some R&R. She has the familiar symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, and vows never to touch a drop again. Yeah right.
Your task is simple: to find and take a sample of a particular type of fungus which is rumoured to grow in only one (named) valley on this one planet in the galaxy. It must be valuable, given the size of the completion payment (from the Federation themselves, no less).
When you disembark from the shuttle planetside, you ask your new friend about the valley, and find out that the job is not as easy as the Feds made it sounds - what a surprise! The valley you seek is the home to the reigning champion of this world, it's apex predator - a carnivorous lizard that reaches almost the size of a cargo canister at full maturity, with speed and reflexes that belie it's size. It usually snacks on the various cute/harmless mammals that scamper around the surface, but it's apparently got nothing against a bit of soft human flesh.
When you ask about the weaknesses of the creature, the guide clams up initially, but her tongue is loosened with a bribe (a bottle of pure grain whiskey from Carter's World, the best in existence).
She tells you that these creatures weren't always the kings of the jungle, and that she has heard rumours from the older guides about a fungus deep in the valley (hello!) that attracted the creatures with the rotten meat smell of it's airborne spores. They would eat the flesh of the fungus, which would release a neurotoxin upon contact with saliva that induced euphoria - and eventually death. The carnivores were addicted to (and almost made extinct by) the fungus.
Luckily for them, there were a few who were allergic to and repelled by the spores, who survived and eventually thrived. The creatures stay away from that end of the valley, and so act as an unwitting natural barrier to accessing the fungus.
Your (now-drunken) guide tells you that another species of fungus with very similar spores grows by the compound in which you are currently located (before the big tour starts tomorrow). The spray also repels the carnivores, but is entirely harmless to humans, unlike the real fungus (another obstacle - the Feds outdid themselves this time). She reveals that the guides have even produced a repellent spray which they use if they ever need to venture into the valley, and points to a nearby box containing a couple of dozen spray cans.
Given that these creatures are the only thing on the planet that present any danger to humans, and they can be repelled without violence, it makes you wonder why the guides are so well armed?
You slip your new friend a mickey in her next shot and she is soon snoring away. You can't use her gun (DNA lock), but you can use her passcard to escape the compound under cover of darkness, steal one of the tour buggies, and trundle your way to the outskirts of the valley, guided by the vehicle's map screen. Once you eventually arrive, you find a suitable clearing to hide the vehicle, spray yourself with the rotting-meat-smelling repellent, and head into the valley on foot.
The vegetation thickens as you go deeper in, and the tree canopy is so thick that underneath must be cool, dark and humid, even in day time. Perfect for fungal growth.
Once you find the fungus, however, you are in for a surprise. They are all growing in regimented rows, and are of a uniform height, as if they are being farmed! There is no evidence of human involvement at first glance, but you find a service tunnel that convinces you otherwise. You head in...
Underground you find plenty of evidence of human activity. Stealth is needed to avoid attention. Luckily the whole place stinks like your repellent spray, so they won't notice you by smell alone... A map on a wall indicates where you might find a spare hazmat suit, which you soon don. Now you can travel without suspicion.
You soon discover that the whole place is a processing facility for the fungus. The packaging betrays the nature of the product - the most addictive (and expensive) narcotic in the galaxy. You realise two things - 1) that you have been an unwitting part of the Federation's War on Drugs thus far, and 2) why the guides are all bristling with weaponry.
You have to finish your job. Now to get the sample and escape before your sleeping friend awakens and sounds the alarm to signal your doom. But how can you escape when the shuttle is controlled by the "guides"? Well, the drugs also have to make it off the planet - all you need to do is find out how and do likewise...
The planetary defences are swift and final - no invader has ever made it to the ionosphere. The only way in or out is via shuttle. Passengers are scanned upon boarding, and all weapons confiscated. Only the tour guides are armed. This whole sightseeing thing is not really you, but it's part of the job, and it is apparently very exclusive - you are the only passenger on the shuttle, apart from a young guide with a sorry look on her face, who tells you that she's back at work after some R&R. She has the familiar symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, and vows never to touch a drop again. Yeah right.
Your task is simple: to find and take a sample of a particular type of fungus which is rumoured to grow in only one (named) valley on this one planet in the galaxy. It must be valuable, given the size of the completion payment (from the Federation themselves, no less).
When you disembark from the shuttle planetside, you ask your new friend about the valley, and find out that the job is not as easy as the Feds made it sounds - what a surprise! The valley you seek is the home to the reigning champion of this world, it's apex predator - a carnivorous lizard that reaches almost the size of a cargo canister at full maturity, with speed and reflexes that belie it's size. It usually snacks on the various cute/harmless mammals that scamper around the surface, but it's apparently got nothing against a bit of soft human flesh.
When you ask about the weaknesses of the creature, the guide clams up initially, but her tongue is loosened with a bribe (a bottle of pure grain whiskey from Carter's World, the best in existence).
She tells you that these creatures weren't always the kings of the jungle, and that she has heard rumours from the older guides about a fungus deep in the valley (hello!) that attracted the creatures with the rotten meat smell of it's airborne spores. They would eat the flesh of the fungus, which would release a neurotoxin upon contact with saliva that induced euphoria - and eventually death. The carnivores were addicted to (and almost made extinct by) the fungus.
Luckily for them, there were a few who were allergic to and repelled by the spores, who survived and eventually thrived. The creatures stay away from that end of the valley, and so act as an unwitting natural barrier to accessing the fungus.
Your (now-drunken) guide tells you that another species of fungus with very similar spores grows by the compound in which you are currently located (before the big tour starts tomorrow). The spray also repels the carnivores, but is entirely harmless to humans, unlike the real fungus (another obstacle - the Feds outdid themselves this time). She reveals that the guides have even produced a repellent spray which they use if they ever need to venture into the valley, and points to a nearby box containing a couple of dozen spray cans.
Given that these creatures are the only thing on the planet that present any danger to humans, and they can be repelled without violence, it makes you wonder why the guides are so well armed?
You slip your new friend a mickey in her next shot and she is soon snoring away. You can't use her gun (DNA lock), but you can use her passcard to escape the compound under cover of darkness, steal one of the tour buggies, and trundle your way to the outskirts of the valley, guided by the vehicle's map screen. Once you eventually arrive, you find a suitable clearing to hide the vehicle, spray yourself with the rotting-meat-smelling repellent, and head into the valley on foot.
The vegetation thickens as you go deeper in, and the tree canopy is so thick that underneath must be cool, dark and humid, even in day time. Perfect for fungal growth.
Once you find the fungus, however, you are in for a surprise. They are all growing in regimented rows, and are of a uniform height, as if they are being farmed! There is no evidence of human involvement at first glance, but you find a service tunnel that convinces you otherwise. You head in...
Underground you find plenty of evidence of human activity. Stealth is needed to avoid attention. Luckily the whole place stinks like your repellent spray, so they won't notice you by smell alone... A map on a wall indicates where you might find a spare hazmat suit, which you soon don. Now you can travel without suspicion.
You soon discover that the whole place is a processing facility for the fungus. The packaging betrays the nature of the product - the most addictive (and expensive) narcotic in the galaxy. You realise two things - 1) that you have been an unwitting part of the Federation's War on Drugs thus far, and 2) why the guides are all bristling with weaponry.
You have to finish your job. Now to get the sample and escape before your sleeping friend awakens and sounds the alarm to signal your doom. But how can you escape when the shuttle is controlled by the "guides"? Well, the drugs also have to make it off the planet - all you need to do is find out how and do likewise...
i'm with Erimus post there. judging by what we have at the moment and how difficult it is to develop games i don't think that it's realistic to expect that depth - and if, then not before 2-3 years from now.
i have no problem to be surpirsed and proven wrong
the atmospheric flight was just an example, that was teased in beta and i still don't see it. it would be a first step.
Yes we need that, ofcourse I expect that we could do something on the surface too, mine, go to cities to sell or buy contraband, deliver soldiers or arms, so really changing a planets history. Walking through ships where we can also repair stuff. Meet eachtother in the bar, so we can form groups. Etc etc etc.
totally agree. i actually just thought i wished they would have left out mining completely for release and fleshed out other things instead. but they went for more features with less depth.
but i have respect for their work, and hope they can improve on this foundation.
Very nice post Armour.
Here are another couple of cockles to keep the No Planet Landing nay sayers cockles warm.
Here are a few pics of planetary landings back in the day.
View attachment 6838
You'll notice that we have a landscape, seas, clouds, a city below, even domed cities. In one, we can see a gas giant in the sky, and its "sunset" as the sky is going dusky. This is in Frontier, a 20 year old game. In fact, the scary thing is, these images above, are actually at their native resolution. That in itself shows how much things have moved on (look at the colour banding in the sky, sans 24bit colour palette :/ ).
So, David Braben has lead a team that has delivered Planetary Landings some 20 years ago. I think the current team is well capable of delivering this again, in a next next next gen update that is going to be pretty amazing.
David has stated that Planetary Landings ARE going to be delivered in a big update. I also recall him saying that they will tackle this in a tiered approach. They will get the basics working with atmosphere-less moons, as these are a LOT less complex. Once these are nailed, they will move on to more complex variants, for instance moons with toxic atmospheres (no life) and finally, the big kahuna, Earth Type planets.
At the launch event, I recall him specifically saying during the Q&A session "wow, Planetary Landings are really popular...". I guess he had spent a lot of the evening being barraged by gamers asking when this feature was slated for release.
Do you see which way the wind is blowing. Frontier has a track record here, they HAVE done Planetary Landings before and are playing catchup to no one. It is going to happen, but yes, it will take a while, certainly.
FPS, walking around.
This IS new to the mix. Tellingly, I understand this is the last major feature that have pledged to tackle. So I don't expect to see anything of this until 2016. I think it will be a really good expansion, and it can certainly be used to expand o the scope, feel and gameplay of ED. If anyone cant imagine the possibilities with this, or thinks that it will be "boring", then never mind. Go back to organising your fluff collection maybe?
Development priorities.
I cant see Frontier diving straight into PL in January. As others have said, there is a lot to be done on the game as is. Bugs, feature fleshing out and so on. There are many many aspects that have nothing to do with PL or walking around that can and indeed NEED to be tackled in the near term.
I expect the dev team to have already partly split though. Some of the planet team will already be working on landings. Design, basic coding, fleshing it out. This needs to be dove-tailed with the existing Planet engine, which seems to be based on the older Frontier engine (1994) in that it used triangles to model the landscape (have a look at the landscape shapes, they are built from devolving very large triangles). Right now we are missing rivers, cities, roads and whatnot visible from space (aurora, lightning). So these issues, plus the LOD required for landing will all be worked on in tandem. Some of it will be public, and will be released this year, some of it will remain beta and will be released as the Planetary Landing update. Timelines for this, no idea.
So to be clear, core development will continue. New ships, UI updates, bug fixes, feature expansion will be the main priority for Frontier. PL will be a back-burner project that will have more and more resources allotted to it, as budgets and the demands of the core game demand and allow. At some point artists will need to switch over to make planetary assets, such as buildings, space-ports, roads and all that. Its down to Frontier producers how all that is managed, timeframes and all that.
Remember, this will be a paid for expansion. So this IS a big target they need to hit to bring in more money to the game.
Roll on Planetary Landings, it will be an EPIC expansion to the ED game, and I think walking around in our ships, space-stations and ON planets in cities and in the wilderness will be the final crowning achievement.
Here are another couple of cockles to keep the No Planet Landing nay sayers cockles warm.
Here are a few pics of planetary landings back in the day.
View attachment 6838You'll notice that we have a landscape, seas, clouds, a city below, even domed cities. In one, we can see a gas giant in the sky, and its "sunset" as the sky is going dusky. This is in Frontier, a 20 year old game. In fact, the scary thing is, these images above, are actually at their native resolution. That in itself shows how much things have moved on (look at the colour banding in the sky, sans 24bit colour palette :/ ).
So, David Braben has lead a team that has delivered Planetary Landings some 20 years ago. I think the current team is well capable of delivering this again, in a next next next gen update that is going to be pretty amazing.
David has stated that Planetary Landings ARE going to be delivered in a big update. I also recall him saying that they will tackle this in a tiered approach. They will get the basics working with atmosphere-less moons, as these are a LOT less complex. Once these are nailed, they will move on to more complex variants, for instance moons with toxic atmospheres (no life) and finally, the big kahuna, Earth Type planets.
At the launch event, I recall him specifically saying during the Q&A session "wow, Planetary Landings are really popular...". I guess he had spent a lot of the evening being barraged by gamers asking when this feature was slated for release.
Do you see which way the wind is blowing. Frontier has a track record here, they HAVE done Planetary Landings before and are playing catchup to no one. It is going to happen, but yes, it will take a while, certainly.
FPS, walking around.
This IS new to the mix. Tellingly, I understand this is the last major feature that have pledged to tackle. So I don't expect to see anything of this until 2016. I think it will be a really good expansion, and it can certainly be used to expand o the scope, feel and gameplay of ED. If anyone cant imagine the possibilities with this, or thinks that it will be "boring", then never mind. Go back to organising your fluff collection maybe?
Development priorities.
I cant see Frontier diving straight into PL in January. As others have said, there is a lot to be done on the game as is. Bugs, feature fleshing out and so on. There are many many aspects that have nothing to do with PL or walking around that can and indeed NEED to be tackled in the near term.
I expect the dev team to have already partly split though. Some of the planet team will already be working on landings. Design, basic coding, fleshing it out. This needs to be dove-tailed with the existing Planet engine, which seems to be based on the older Frontier engine (1994) in that it used triangles to model the landscape (have a look at the landscape shapes, they are built from devolving very large triangles). Right now we are missing rivers, cities, roads and whatnot visible from space (aurora, lightning). So these issues, plus the LOD required for landing will all be worked on in tandem. Some of it will be public, and will be released this year, some of it will remain beta and will be released as the Planetary Landing update. Timelines for this, no idea.
So to be clear, core development will continue. New ships, UI updates, bug fixes, feature expansion will be the main priority for Frontier. PL will be a back-burner project that will have more and more resources allotted to it, as budgets and the demands of the core game demand and allow. At some point artists will need to switch over to make planetary assets, such as buildings, space-ports, roads and all that. Its down to Frontier producers how all that is managed, timeframes and all that.
Remember, this will be a paid for expansion. So this IS a big target they need to hit to bring in more money to the game.
Roll on Planetary Landings, it will be an EPIC expansion to the ED game, and I think walking around in our ships, space-stations and ON planets in cities and in the wilderness will be the final crowning achievement.
Yes THIS!; talk about expanding the content in the game! The missions could easily be multi-tiered; -just one: On an earth like planet supporting the (local) major faction in recovering from a System take over by the 'Crimson State'; This implies more subterfuge then shifting System economics through stations...
Interesting links Kartonick, thanks for sharing!
I personally really look forward to seeing that side of SC using a Rift. That looks like a visual sumptuous-fest
In fairness, SC does have a much bigger budget and man power (what is it, 5 companies working for CR?) and can delegate resources to focus on specific tasks, and Im guessing that they would have a team dedicated to building starports and interiors from the start of production, which is looking like it will be a 2016 release (correct me if Im way off here please!). Thats another year or two away to go, whereas Elite D is out now (leaving aside the debate about how complete it is) So the comparison that you made between the two productions is somewhat apples and oranges.
Also that looks to be me be a set piece area like you would find in Mass Effect where its worth putting lots of time and effort into making it look great there in particular. I would hope that ED can eventually focus on certain starports and stations to make them a bit special but we'll see.
One thing I would say about the SC demo, the animation of the bipeds looks really poor. The main character runs like he's just done a massive number 2 in his pants.
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"Commander our business rivals are becoming very successful on *generic planet name*. We would like you to deliver a gift of rare exotic pets to them.
They more most certainly not pests which will completely destroy the entire ecosystem of the planet.
NOTE: This activity is considered illegal"
Yes please.
They more most certainly not pests which will completely destroy the entire ecosystem of the planet.
NOTE: This activity is considered illegal"
Yes please.
If FD implement the various forms of FP gameplay in a well staged form it will absolutely be an add on to the game.
I do share some of the 'concerns' about this topic, but as others said (including DB) if they want to do something they want to do it well.
But before going the player way (like OP suggests: let player do this, let player help other player etcc.)the option to do it in the environment is a better way to go Maybe Iam just biased since I find player ctrld stuff at this stage of the game not important.
And if that ever happens I hope its something innocent like: organizers of races with overcharged sideys and eagles. And nothing like own factions with spacestations or whatever.
Anyway
I have faith in them since they allready delivered a good base game.
Hopefully they will implement this in the following fashion:
- Walking around on ship and platforms
- Walking around inside stations.
- Planetary landings [only to ports/merc stations]
- Planetary landings
- Planetary exploration
Each stage should be properly fleshed out before going to the next.
Maybe FD has some grand plan how they will accomplish all these things, but it would be nice to get some sort of direction from them.
In a couple of months that is. The current game still needs polish and more add ons for the allready existing features.
Let's fix that first pretty please.
I do share some of the 'concerns' about this topic, but as others said (including DB) if they want to do something they want to do it well.
But before going the player way (like OP suggests: let player do this, let player help other player etcc.)the option to do it in the environment is a better way to go Maybe Iam just biased since I find player ctrld stuff at this stage of the game not important.
And if that ever happens I hope its something innocent like: organizers of races with overcharged sideys and eagles. And nothing like own factions with spacestations or whatever.
Anyway
I have faith in them since they allready delivered a good base game.
Hopefully they will implement this in the following fashion:
- Walking around on ship and platforms
- Walking around inside stations.
- Planetary landings [only to ports/merc stations]
- Planetary landings
- Planetary exploration
Each stage should be properly fleshed out before going to the next.
Maybe FD has some grand plan how they will accomplish all these things, but it would be nice to get some sort of direction from them.
In a couple of months that is. The current game still needs polish and more add ons for the allready existing features.
Let's fix that first pretty please.