What happens when Elite: Dangerous dies?

Butter of Sorrow · May 31, 2016

WAIT! Hear me out...

Okay, first of all I'm very well aware we're talking about really far into the future here, like 10 years *minimum*. However, it is an undisputable fact that online multiplayer games won't live on forever, and eventually their developer pulls the plug on the project. What happens when FD does the same to Elite? I mean by the time that happens I've probably clocked more than enough hours playing the game, but I'd really hate it on the mere principle alone that a great game would be reduced into literally unplayable abandonware.

So I wonder is there gonna be some kind of backup or compromise plan for this? Or more to the point would anyone care either way? Basically what I'd wish for instance is to make all the server reliant content - bulletin boards and what not - operate straight from the client instead or allow players to host their own servers to allow private group multiplayer to live on... or something like that.

Nonetheless I'd imagine plenty of people would say that this matter isn't gonna be relevant anywhere near soon so who cares. Honestly I wouldn't blame them, since probably even Frontier themselves couldn't possibly say anything about it. Basically I'm just a crazy person rambling some afterlife theories of my own here just to see if there's one person out here who would be inclined to join the discussion, so feel free to do just that.

Chris Simon · May 31, 2016

David Braben said, that should that day come, they will either do an "offline patch" where the game would no longer need the servers, or give us the ability to have our own servers set up.

Butter of Sorrow · May 31, 2016

Oh, well that's cool. I'm actually quite surprised that they would be prepared for that. All the more respect to them I suppose.

PavelKCZ · May 31, 2016

Butter of Sorrow said:
WAIT! Hear me out...

Okay, first of all I'm very well aware we're talking about really far into the future here, like 10 years *minimum*. However, it is an undisputable fact that online multiplayer games won't live on forever, and eventually their developer pulls the plug on the project. What happens when FD does the same to Elite? I mean by the time that happens I've probably clocked more than enough hours playing the game, but I'd really hate it on the mere principle alone that a great game would be reduced into literally unplayable abandonware.

So I wonder is there gonna be some kind of backup or compromise plan for this? Or more to the point would anyone care either way? Basically what I'd wish for instance is to make all the server reliant content - bulletin boards and what not - operate straight from the client instead or allow players to host their own servers to allow private group multiplayer to live on... or something like that.

Nonetheless I'd imagine plenty of people would say that this matter isn't gonna be relevant anywhere near soon so who cares. Honestly I wouldn't blame them, since probably even Frontier themselves couldn't possibly say anything about it. Basically I'm just a crazy person rambling some afterlife theories of my own here just to see if there's one person out here who would be inclined to join the discussion, so feel free to do just that.

If I remember correctly, there was a promise to make all game assets public domain and Internet independent at the final end. Also, there was even mentioned, that it will be necessary to have something like 40-80TB disk storage to be able to setup a home server or standalone version of the whole system. Or some kind of "fan server".

Cynaqq · May 31, 2016

PavelKCZ said:
If I remember correctly, there was a promise to make all game assets public domain and Internet independent at the final end. Also, there was even mentioned, that it will be necessary to have something like 40-80TB disk storage to be able to setup a home server or standalone version of the whole system. Or some kind of "fan server".

Exactly.

DB personally declared they'd make the game code public in the case they cease production due to financial reasons or they finish development but decide not to run servers anymore. I don't think they'll go back on their word if the time comes.

Edit: word

LKx · May 31, 2016

I hope that if/when this happens, the game will be developed enough to be able to sustain itself in an offline mode (which i don't think it'd need all that disk space, because it'd have to care only about a single player data), without being boring.
I have no doubt that in another 2-3 seasons it will be good enough for that (but of course it'd require additional work, and would need to be financed... maybe an offline mode kickstarter

).

Btw i remember Mr. Braben talking about releasing a static server/background simulation snapshot, to enable local play (without any background simulation ability) if things would have gone wrong, i've never heard about server *source code*.

WeirdWizard · May 31, 2016

Cynaqq said:
Exactly.

DB personally declared they'd make the game code public in the case they cease production due to financial reasons or they finish development but decide not to run servers anymore. I don't think they'll go back on their word if the time comes.

Edit: word

No, because they've certainly never done that before

In all honesty the discussion is pointless right now. The only real future for ED is for Frontier to keep running it, it's very doubtful that Frontier could easily release the server code as it probably replies on all sorts of 3rd party stuff and an offline patch would take considerable effort which wouldn't make financial sense, especially if the games doing so poorly they need to shut down the servers.

Starkiller_ · May 31, 2016

Chris Simon said:
David Braben said, that should that day come, they will either do an "offline patch" where the game would no longer need the servers, or give us the ability to have our own servers set up.

Could they not have implemented this then for release for the people that wanted to play offline? Would have saved a lot of whining and refunds.

Dakron Nova · May 31, 2016

Its worth remembering, assuming of course that this is a few years away that the cost of storage will decrease and the amount of storage space on a device will increase. Therefore it may well be possible for the average home user to have his/her own copy of the universe stored locally

[VR] Marrs · May 31, 2016

PavelKCZ said:
If I remember correctly, there was a promise to make all game assets public domain and Internet independent at the final end. Also, there was even mentioned, that it will be necessary to have something like 40-80TB disk storage to be able to setup a home server or standalone version of the whole system. Or some kind of "fan server".

The likelihood is that in 10 years time that amount of hard drive space will be cheap and plentiful.

LKx · May 31, 2016

Starkiller_ said:
Could they not have implemented this then for release for the people that wanted to play offline? Would have saved a lot of whining and refunds.

The game wasn't (and isn't yet) developed enough to sustain itself in an offline mode without being dull and boring, but i'm sure it will get there in 2-3 more seasons.

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Dakron Nova said:
Its worth remembering, assuming of course that this is a few years away that the cost of storage will decrease and the amount of storage space on a device will increase. Therefore it may well be possible for the average home user to have his/her own copy of the universe stored locally

Probably no need for THAT kind of space, unless you run to a private server with all players' data

Chris Simon · May 31, 2016

Starkiller_ said:
Could they not have implemented this then for release for the people that wanted to play offline? Would have saved a lot of whining and refunds.

No, they wanted to create a living galaxy for everyone. Even in Solo you need the markets updated, exploration data to brag about and don't forget the game still is (and will be) in development, which means updates and tweaks.

GJ51 · May 31, 2016

PavelKCZ said:
If I remember correctly, there was a promise to make all game assets public domain and Internet independent at the final end. Also, there was even mentioned, that it will be necessary to have something like 40-80TB disk storage to be able to setup a home server or standalone version of the whole system. Or some kind of "fan server".

By then 100 TB SSD's will be entry level hardware

LKx · May 31, 2016

GJ51 said:
By then 100 TB SSD's will be entry level hardware

That and flying cars. ;P

Ignition · May 31, 2016

LKx said:
The game wasn't (and isn't yet) developed enough to sustain itself in an offline mode without being dull and boring, but i'm sure it will get there in 2-3 more seasons.

Being online doesn't prove the contrary. The game IS dull and boring.

The game has been developed online only because of DRM.

CG could be done offline, They are always the same: transport this, kill that, mine this.
Multiplayer is not an issue either, remember the 90's when you could play your offline games (almost any game) with your friends by IP.

PavelKCZ · May 31, 2016

Marrs said:
The likelihood is that in 10 years time that amount of hard drive space will be cheap and plentiful.

Well, I have 32TB now at my home NAS already and I am planning to double the capacity either this or next year. No problem on my side.

Red Anders · May 31, 2016

I think I'll probably be too busy playing Elite: Deadly by then to care too much about legacy software.

Lightspeed · May 31, 2016

What happens? We all step "outside" and wonder what that big glowing ball of light is in the sky .... and it feels warm, and welcoming ...... [heart]

LKx · May 31, 2016

Ignition said:
Being online doesn't prove the contrary. The game IS dull and boring.

The game has been developed online only because of DRM.

CG could be done offline, They are always the same: transport this, kill that, mine this.
Multiplayer is not an issue either, remember the 90's when you could play your offline games (almost any game) with your friends by IP.

It's not about multiplayer, it's about background simulation and they costantly working on it.

Think that released in offline mode with a statitc bgs.
It'd have been even worse that what we have now.
You'd basically agreed that it's not ready for that yet.

Arjin · May 31, 2016

FD will release the API and somebody will build an emulator server for folks to continue on.