Useful features that were removed with neither notice nor explanation?

[Morbad]

Over the course of the game's history, we've lost many little useful features, often without being given any reason why, sometimes without any acknowledgement that these things ever existed. It's almost as if FDev, when they encounter a problem that isn't readily solvable, prefers to toss an entire feature rather than repair it.

Anyway, I was reviewing some of my old screen shots and figured I'd start a list of such depreciated features I miss.

Here's four to get things going...

Spoiler: Detailed BGS effects when turning in missions

Spoiler: Detailed mission notifications on galaxy map

Spoiler: High contrast decal colors on light paint jobs

Spoiler: Real-time ship recall countdown in SRV role-switch pane

None of these images were edited in any way. These are actual features we had.

Please feel free to contribute any feature you recall that is now absent.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

HGEs

Robigo Smuggling

Fun.

Lol

 

[Enrogue]

Or absolutely useless features that were added that are actually making gameplay worse. Like station menu not connecting both sides anymore. The stuff they pull, it's unbelievable really.

 

[Maro-Val]

Yep long range smuggling that was fun..

 

[Abysinth]

I can remember being interdicted by 8 sidewinders, best I managed was three kills before having to bug out - have always wanted to be able to beat that one.

then, I was hopeful, that those sidewinders would become adders then cobras then ... well, you get the idea.

 

[lenna]

@Morbad: WRT Explanation regarding the recent removals - perhaps you missed the point raised in the live stream about their user experience (UX) testing and monitoring what players actually look at - no point cluttering a UI with information if no-one or very few people use it is probably their reasoning.

Some things though, should be present regardless of UX testing findings because they provide information that may have relevance in some specific circumstances that did not occur during the UX testing.

Arguably, any detailed patch notes should have explained this in more detail but... shrug

 

[Maro-Val]

What about that nice NPC AI that we had for a short period? Yes the one that they took out, because they decided to go live, without using the combat ranks of cmdrs at all and it resulted, in elite anacondas interdicting noobwinders in starter systems lol.

 

[Old Duck]

I hear rumor that some people miss the ADS, but I think they all moved on to other games. I actually find that kinda sad, because many of those players were pretty cool.

 

[Morbad]

Like station menu not connecting both sides anymore.

What do you mean by this?

I can remember being interdicted by 8 sidewinders, best I managed was three kills before having to bug out - have always wanted to be able to beat that one.

then, I was hopeful, that those sidewinders would become adders then cobras then ... well, you get the idea.

I remember the eight hostile Vulture wings back in 1.2, often as part of 'gold trap' USSes...

@Morbad: WRT Explanation regarding the recent removals - perhaps you missed the point raised in the live stream about their user experience (UX) testing and monitoring what players actually look at - no point cluttering a UI with information if no-one or very few people use it is probably their reasoning.

The most recent removal in my list was the ship recall countdown...which was bugged for several versions before they finally yanked it in 3.x...and none of the ones I mentioned lacked utility, or added too much clutter.

I hear rumor that some people miss the ADS, but I think they all moved on to other games. I actually find that kinda sad, because many of those players were pretty cool.

The ADS doesn't really apply in this context as it was quite openly superseded by new mechanisms, rather than something that just vanished without fanfare one day.

 

[StevieG]

Useful feature = a market economy where every credit counts. Where rares good was a viable way to make credits.

Now = a joke, the galaxy awash with easy credits tuning a great space sim into an Arcade Joke of a game.

 

[[PS4 Pro - PC] earthtone99]

I wish these hadn’t been removed:

Dredgers

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Over the course of the game's history, we've lost many little useful features, often without being given any reason why, sometimes without any acknowledgement that these things ever existed. It's almost as if FDev, when they encounter a problem that isn't readily solvable, prefers to toss an entire feature rather than repair it.

Anyway, I was reviewing some of my old screen shots and figured I'd start a list of such depreciated features I miss.

Here's four to get things going...

Spoiler: Detailed BGS effects when turning in missions

Spoiler: Detailed mission notifications on galaxy map

Spoiler: High contrast decal colors on light paint jobs

Spoiler: Real-time ship recall countdown in SRV role-switch pane

None of these images were edited in any way. These are actual features we had.

Please feel free to contribute any feature you recall that is now absent.

What? I don't remember any of those.

Jesus, i've got to cut down on the old alcohol consumption.

On seconds thoughs, no way, i'll continue to fly drunk.

 

[Zieman]

I wish these hadn’t been removed:

Dredgers

DAMN!
Those were in the game?
FDEV, put them back in RIGHT AWAY!

 

[Agony_Aunt]

I can remember being interdicted by 8 sidewinders, best I managed was three kills before having to bug out - have always wanted to be able to beat that one.

then, I was hopeful, that those sidewinders would become adders then cobras then ... well, you get the idea.

Oh yes, the large wings. Those were fun. Made the game a bit more dangerous at times. First time you were like "LOL, 8 sidewinders, how much damage can they do?" 2 minutes later "I want my mummy!"

 

[Burke]

I hear rumor that some people miss the ADS, but I think they all moved on to other games. I actually find that kinda sad, because many of those players were pretty cool.

The ADS.... omg the ADS

 

[Jmanis]

Detailed mission BGS effects are still in the game though? You can see:

• Influence effects
• Rep effects
• Security effects
• Economic effects

It won't say +famine, or +lockdown or other individual state names because that doesn't make sense anymore... it's -ve economy til you hit famine, or -ve security, until you reach the lockdown state, etc.

It won't give you any visible effects for Outbreak or Pirate Attack, but I get the feeling they're deliberately hidden because they're meant to catch you off guard.

 

[Morbad]

I wish these hadn’t been removed:

Dredgers

Did those make it out of the beta?

What? I don't remember any of those.

What about these?

Spoiler: Ability to purchase system data from Universal Cartographics

Spoiler: Multiplayer Statistics screen (not that I miss this one)

It won't say +famine, or +lockdown or other individual state names because that doesn't make sense anymore... it's -ve economy til you hit famine, or -ve security, until you reach the lockdown state, etc.

True enough.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Did those make it out of the beta?



What about these?

Spoiler: Ability to purchase system data from Universal Cartographics

Spoiler: Multiplayer Statistics screen (not that I miss this one)

True enough.

Ah, i never purchased system data anyway, so no difference there.

 

[Jmanis]

Oooh, actually, I have one...

Spoiler: The Mysterious Eye Missions

(not a troll, during beta, these seemed to be tied to getting some dynamic UA-related events happening)

E.g

 

[[PS4 Pro - PC] earthtone99]

Did those make it out of the beta?

No, I don’t believe they did. If they were let out it was very brief. I think a commander or two flew inside one, blew up and complained...