The "problem" with the current Thargoid attack gameplay

[Julio Montega]

I'd personally love to see the GalNet UI improved to become more categorized rather than just a long list of article headers. Add a filter too making it much easier to sort and find the articles you are looking for. Currently there is a lot of fluff and oddball stuff that you need to sift through and sometimes it makes it confusing and easy to miss important news. Also having something like a "breaking news" section for galactic emergency stuff, like say aliens attacking stations, would be very helpful.

Think of it more like a newspaper and less like an RSS feed.

Sadly, while GalNet audio sounds like an awesome thing, it isn't targeting the actual problem with GalNet in my opinion.

The menue itself is hidden in the navpanel,
under "galactic powers".
Who thought of that?
Why is it not more accessible,
like having a short newsfeed in the comms-ui-element
showing the hot topics as bland text including a link to galnet ui?

Then again, the amount of info just ceased to be there.
Same old PP info, thargnet news...
We cannot set filters so we get job related news,
you know like having job related info there.

Say you'd be a bounty hunter, you can join that BH guild
and see news from them with job offers and tip offs.
Or say you arrrr a pirate, you get some shady news of theft ops,
maybe a request to free the people of a once prospering anarchy system.

 

[maboleth]

"We must evacuate damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. "We must repair damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. The problem is, what's unfolding risks feeling like a set of switches being flicked each Thursday morning, so IMHO it's not surprising many CMDRs simply risk responding with, Why?


Let's consider for a second where we are supposedly in the ED universe. Thargoids are now attacking stations. So what should we be doing logically?:-

• Possibly sending out scouting parties trying to spot the enemy. Seeing if they're building up in numbers etc etc. ie: Tactical information where they might be heading to next?
• If possible, try and hit them first before they can reach a station? ie: A first strike to stop an attack or reduce their numbers?
• Supply stations at threat to potentially build up defense related assets, to help them defend against any Thargoids arriving there?
• Defend stations, so if Thargoids do turn up, there's forces there or at least nearby to help reduce the damage done?
• And during evacuations/repairs, maybe defense could still be an issue, at least early on there would be the threat of Thargoid ships still potentially turning up again?

Instead, what we currently have is:-

• Thursday morning server tick - Station(s) damaged.
• "Safe" evacuation gameplay.
• "Safe" repair gameplay.

So all we see is a distant shadow of what's supposedly taking place in these terrible attacks...

And we're suppose to feel engaged how? We're suppose to feel motivated why? We're suppose to buy into this threat because?


Anyway, this is my take at least on the current position... Looking at it at the moment, personally I don't feel much motivation to get involved because, (a) there's not much gameplay involved that attracts me (this is a game not a job), and (b) I don't feel I/we can make any/much of a difference.


ps: And a minor comment along these lines - Maybe if a station is damaged by a Thargoid attack, any CMDRs who left their ships onboard should face a rebuy screen next logon This is suppose to be Winter in Elite Dangerous is it not?

I haven't played ED in a while, but all those station attacks sound so lame. I'm almost 99% sure ED engine can't handle what you guys want, not without major overhaul.

 

[insanephoton]

Hi there,

If I may; how should Beyond address this in your opinion?

I'd personally honestly like to know, because I keep seeing people declaring that nothing in game ever says anything about story (To perhaps draw a slight straw man, "Hey FDev, if I weren't on Reddit or watching Obsidian Ant's awesome series of videos, I would never know this had happened") but it's often detailed in GalNet (I will concede sometimes not until shortly after the event, but normally not long).

This obviously points to an issue whereby vast numbers of people aren't reading GalNet for whatever reason (which perhaps will be improved by already planned Beyond features such as GalNet Audio).

I have had very little to do with GalNet myself, past hooking up API calls which separated the Local and Global news bulletins into their respective UI screens way back in 1.3 and can offer no etas or guarantees of any of what you ask for actually being implemented, but I'd be interested to know.

Thanks,
Dom

Galnet Audio with the existing Galnet content could be a great cure for insomnia. We need a way to filter news relevant to the player. Maybe a tickertape style display of headlines somewhere on the HUD might help.

 

[Julio Montega]

Galnet Audio with the existing Galnet content could be a great cure for insomnia. We need a way to filter news relevant to the player. Maybe a tickertape style display of headlines somewhere on the HUD might help.

Then again, there are way more important things to adress,
like core game mechanics.
Everyone uses them, if they want or not,
galnet just is dressing.

 

[insanephoton]

Then again, there are way more important things to adress,
like core game mechanics.
Everyone uses them, if they want or not,
galnet just is dressing.

Indeed, but as it is the prime ingame source of information any improvement would be welcome.

 

[AndyJ]

Hi there,

If I may; how should Beyond address this in your opinion?

I'd personally honestly like to know, because I keep seeing people declaring that nothing in game ever says anything about story (To perhaps draw a slight straw man, "Hey FDev, if I weren't on Reddit or watching Obsidian Ant's awesome series of videos, I would never know this had happened") but it's often detailed in GalNet (I will concede sometimes not until shortly after the event, but normally not long).

This obviously points to an issue whereby vast numbers of people aren't reading GalNet for whatever reason (which perhaps will be improved by already planned Beyond features such as GalNet Audio).

I have had very little to do with GalNet myself, past hooking up API calls which separated the Local and Global news bulletins into their respective UI screens way back in 1.3 and can offer no etas or guarantees of any of what you ask for actually being implemented, but I'd be interested to know.

Thanks,
Dom

I'm sorry to say Dominic, but in-game information is awful. Very much awful.
GalNet got pushed to the background on the station information screen, I think in the 2.0 UI redesign - it is a tiny box to click on compared to how it was originally... if the player even realises it's something that they should click on...
And in GalNet, well stories are drowned out by all the powerplay auto-generated stuff that, let's be honest, most players have zero interest in and largely because items such as systems in certain states have likely changed again by the time you read the story ... AND there's no link from the story to the galaxy chart anyway so you have to remember/jot it down and search to find it ... AND anyway 99% of the time who cares about the 6 systems or so mentioned out of the whole bubble/galaxy?
GalNet needs a major rethink. As does the CG UI for that matter

Not least get some graphics in there in GalNet and CG UI, so we don't have to see pictures on Twitter to work out what we're meant to be pushing forward for in the narrative that's meant to be happening. Hint: There isn't a narrative as far as most players are aware! I spend too much time on the forum and for example, had no idea about the anti-thargoid weapons because the schematics graphics were on social media ... which I DON'T READ! I play a game and expect the info to be there!

Quality of information too - oh the Diamond Frogs CG's gave a decal to participants. This wasn't said anywhere -anywhere- until after the CG had ended.
Providing Information to the player is the greatest complaint about Elite: Dangerous. That extends to Engineers + searching for materials too ... this area wouldn't need to be reworked I think if we knew what materials were used by blueprints, and where to find them - oh and no blueprint pinning, just let us see what we've unlocked so that we can go searching for stuff!

Then there are the rare "breadcrumb" information local station news-stories that lead to a wider mystery... e.g. the missing explorer pilot that first found the unknown structures.
Far too obscure to come across when it's 1 or 2 stations in the whole bubble publishing it.

Yeah sorry, but there are many frustrations in Elite: Dangerous and they largely all stem from the flow of information.

And I will take the opportunity to ask, once again, please can you come back to me about the lost "Founder or Elite" missions and explain if they are now back in the game after they were left out of 2.0, or if perhaps there's a bug stopping them from appearing at Jameson's Memorial. These were part of a KS reward and I've asked every man and his dog at FD for 2 years now "where are they" ... this needs sorting out please. That KS pledge was promised more content to come from MB 3 years ago and we're still waiting without even having the original missions to play... not good, not at all.

 

[Julio Montega]

Indeed, but as it is the prime ingame source of information any improvement would be welcome.

The prime ingame source seems to be underused however,
so basing my argument on that, i'd rather see work done on
important stuff.

From my own experience i can tell you,
the info is way better presented on youtube
than the game can do that currently.

FD could however do a quick survey on the topic
and get the info needed.

 

[Cmdr Eran Mintor]

Yep. Do you have a point to make about it?

Mine was that considering there is ZERO News/Info about this latest round of attacks anywhere in the game other than on the forums, it seemed daft to me to move the two most active ones out of the most popular section and over to a section where only a minuscule number of players will see it. Not to mention the fact that anyone subscribed to a section called "ALIENS" is more than likely going to know about it anyway.

Sorry this point was totally lost on you.

Sorry the in-game galaxy map and galnet are totally lost to you.

 

[kofeyh]

"We must evacuate damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. "We must repair damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. The problem is, what's unfolding risks feeling like a set of switches being flicked each Thursday morning, so IMHO it's not surprising many CMDRs simply risk responding with, Why?

Because endless experts on the forums demand stuff, don't actually stop to think if what they are demanding is actually engaging, then immediately complain it's "flicking a switch". They can't win. Give people what they want, they whine anyway. My god; there are multiple complaints about frontier adding reasons for things. And things to do for reasons.

And you know who else, doesn't win? The rest of the community who are subjected to the whims of self-absorbed commanders who can't see 3 feet in front of their own demands.

Frontier could add a lot of engaging content; they don't because they're too busy fighting fires, created by the very people who complain, professionally, on the forums.

 

[Strangepork]

"We must evacuate damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. "We must repair damaged stations," I hear some CMDRs telling us. The problem is, what's unfolding risks feeling like a set of switches being flicked each Thursday morning, so IMHO it's not surprising many CMDRs simply risk responding with, Why?


Let's consider for a second where we are supposedly in the ED universe. Thargoids are now attacking stations. So what should we be doing logically?:-

• Possibly sending out scouting parties trying to spot the enemy. Seeing if they're building up in numbers etc etc. ie: Tactical information where they might be heading to next?
• If possible, try and hit them first before they can reach a station? ie: A first strike to stop an attack or reduce their numbers?
• Supply stations at threat to potentially build up defense related assets, to help them defend against any Thargoids arriving there?
• Defend stations, so if Thargoids do turn up, there's forces there or at least nearby to help reduce the damage done?
• And during evacuations/repairs, maybe defense could still be an issue, at least early on there would be the threat of Thargoid ships still potentially turning up again?

Instead, what we currently have is:-

• Thursday morning server tick - Station(s) damaged.
• "Safe" evacuation gameplay.
• "Safe" repair gameplay.

So all we see is a distant shadow of what's supposedly taking place in these terrible attacks...

And we're suppose to feel engaged how? We're suppose to feel motivated why? We're suppose to buy into this threat because?


Anyway, this is my take at least on the current position... Looking at it at the moment, personally I don't feel much motivation to get involved because, (a) there's not much gameplay involved that attracts me (this is a game not a job), and (b) I don't feel I/we can make any/much of a difference.


ps: And a minor comment along these lines - Maybe if a station is damaged by a Thargoid attack, any CMDRs who left their ships onboard should face a rebuy screen next logon This is suppose to be Winter in Elite Dangerous is it not?

its such a bore and disappointment.

 

[Cmdr Eran Mintor]

Because endless experts on the forums demand stuff, don't actually stop to think if what they are demanding is actually engaging, then immediately complain it's "flicking a switch". They can't win. Give people what they want, they whine anyway. My god; there are multiple complaints about frontier adding reasons for things. And things to do for reasons.

And you know who else, doesn't win? The rest of the community who are subjected to the whims of self-absorbed commanders who can't see 3 feet in front of their own demands.

Frontier could add a lot of engaging content; they don't because they're too busy fighting fires, created by the very people who complain, professionally, on the forums.

Think youre swinging at shadows CMDR

 

[kofeyh]

Think youre swinging at shadows CMDR

Not at all. I'm all for more 'live' activities. But Frontier is trying to do what they've been repeatedly asked to do. Give people a reason and purpose for mechanics. They are being shouted down, and will probably stop doing that, if there's no development value in it.

We know, how that works. Something with limited interest, decays. In the rush to pile on Frontier with the latest imagined slight, folks haven't really thought about how that might affect developer motivation (or really anything at all, to be fair).

 

[Riverside]

Hi there,

If I may; how should Beyond address this in your opinion?

I'd personally honestly like to know, because I keep seeing people declaring that nothing in game ever says anything about story (To perhaps draw a slight straw man, "Hey FDev, if I weren't on Reddit or watching Obsidian Ant's awesome series of videos, I would never know this had happened") but it's often detailed in GalNet (I will concede sometimes not until shortly after the event, but normally not long).

This obviously points to an issue whereby vast numbers of people aren't reading GalNet for whatever reason (which perhaps will be improved by already planned Beyond features such as GalNet Audio).

I have had very little to do with GalNet myself, past hooking up API calls which separated the Local and Global news bulletins into their respective UI screens way back in 1.3 and can offer no etas or guarantees of any of what you ask for actually being implemented, but I'd be interested to know.

Thanks,
Dom

Put it on the launcher. That's my google news equivalent. If the headline catches my eye (Maia burning would catch my eye) I might read further. Mostly it just tells me when a CG has finished. Can't remember the last time I used Galnet in-game. Unlike a real newspaper your galnet writers know when something is going to happen too. Particularly on a Thursday morning

 

[AndyJ]

Put it on the launcher. That's my google news equivalent. If the headline catches my eye (Maia burning would catch my eye) I might read further. Mostly it just tells me when a CG has finished. Can't remember the last time I used Galnet in-game.

There's only room for 2 stories. Things drop off too quickly. And anyway - no - it should be in game.
We have an in-box that receives useless delivery missions when we're flying about in our combat ships, yet doesn't receive important galaxy news...
There's not a big leap to work out how to increase visibility of stuff is there!

 

[Faybs]

How about instead of having to rely only on Galnet, we could get news through radio chatter or something like that. Instead of hearing about how every NPC Beluga in the game is in the top 1%, we could hear them chatting about recent events. NPC chatter could have hooks into a text file that could be that could be updates every week. Maybe when we land at a station we get approached by some NPC letting us know that our help is needed out in the Pleiades. There's lots better ways to do this kind of thing that are more engaging than Galnet.

True. In quite a few games, eavesdropping on NPCs is how one learns about the game's main plot and various side quests. From a gameplay point of view, sitting on your pad watching the comms panel as NPCs enter and leave the station, should be a great source of random gossip.

 

[Riverside]

There's only room for 2 stories. Things drop off too quickly. And anyway - no - it should be in game.
We have an in-box that receives useless delivery missions when we're flying about in our combat ships, yet doesn't receive important galaxy news...
There's not a big leap to work out how to increase visibility of stuff is there!

Maia being attacked is big news. What else is going on that is bigger than this? I assume all the headlines on the launcher are from the game, I would expect the same basic hierarchy of headlines there too, if I were ever to read it.

 

[Faybs]

Because endless experts on the forums demand stuff, don't actually stop to think if what they are demanding is actually engaging, then immediately complain it's "flicking a switch". They can't win. Give people what they want, they whine anyway. My god; there are multiple complaints about frontier adding reasons for things. And things to do for reasons.

And you know who else, doesn't win? The rest of the community who are subjected to the whims of self-absorbed commanders who can't see 3 feet in front of their own demands.

Frontier could add a lot of engaging content; they don't because they're too busy fighting fires, created by the very people who complain, professionally, on the forums.

I very much doubt that is the case; if it is, FDev fail at community management.

 

[kofeyh]

I very much doubt that is the case; if it is, FDev fail at community management.

lol, tfw when you're part of the machine, but don't think think it exists. It's not that Frontier fail; it's that they are still very keen to make people happy; the same people who have been a bit notoriously blind to consequences.

 

[Faybs]

lol, tfw when you're part of the machine, but don't think think it exists. It's not that Frontier fail; it's that they are still very keen to make people happy; the same people who have been a bit notoriously blind to consequences.

That's the failing part. Most people aren't good at game design, so a good game developer will take their fans' suggestions under advisement and use them to get an idea of where the wind is blowing, but not drive low level design decisions (eg weapon balance or flight model) - that way lies madness and manic nerf/buff swings. A great game developer will do that, and convince the fanbase that the new design was all the fans' idea.

 

[Dedhed]

Hi there,

If I may; how should Beyond address this in your opinion?

.......

Thanks,
Dom

Galnet being a major source of in-game information, it isn't the most obvious source of information. If it could have it's own UI window or at least it's own tab in a UI window, I think that would help a lot.