Ok, so 4 years in and not a single permit locked region is unlocked and this doesn't seem strange to anyone? The the sheer size of the permit locked regions is so vast that if filled it would represent almost the amount of content that is in the game currently. Clearly nothing that big is planned and only a small fraction of those areas can be realistically developed given the size of the Fdev team and the number of years left in their development plan. If you look at this from a practical standpoint, the indication is that Fdev have not even given a single thought to any of this and just locked away vast regions just in case someone has an idea at some point. This is not exactly the definition of forward thinking. In reality, its lazy. We can't be bothered with a 10 year plan so we will just make up as we go along and block some space out in case we need it. I hope this is not the case, but every indication points to that being exactly the case. Meanwhile, everyone has just accepted Fdevs "future planned content" line. If Fdev has future planned content for even one of these permit locked regions, tell us when it will be delivered. Don't tell us what it is or even the month, just give us the year that region will be unlocked. My suspicion, and I would like to be wrong for the games sake, is that Fdev has nothing and 6 years from now these regions will still be permit locked for planned future content that never happened and never will happen.
What is the REAL reason for Permit Lock Regions?
Not necessarily accurate - FD have been very cagey about what information they release about future content, even when they do release it the information is often quite vague.
We do not know how the Thargoid or Guardian situations are going to pan out in the long term and given the gnosis incident I would suspect the targeted locked region is going to involve Thargoid focused content.
Barnards loop was permit locked relatively recently,so there's clearly a plan in place to add content.
My guess is many different races to interact with.
My guess is many different races to interact with.
You really don't expect the size of the game to double in the next 6 years do you? Thargoids, Guardians and even a new race could be delivered but I don't see Fdev creating the amount of content equal to what is in the bubble now, in the next 6 years. I think that is probably a safe bet.
reserved for future use. it's kinda self explanatory.
true, they have not used the feature yet, but unlocking any region is irreversible so it's quite understandable they don't want to do that, even if that future is distant and currently just a 'vision' or some yet diffuse blob in the narrative.
thargoids. some episode in the galactic soap opera. or just placeholders.
space is big, just ignore the few holes.
First, make me believe that ED have this time before servers will be offline. Cause i don't. And not only me.
You probably smart enough to see the reality we facing today. FD will do their next game till 2020 release date. So ED should survive this mess in next 2 years. And ED will have to survive just after The Beyond mess. You know how bad it all sounds. 2 (3 with The Beyond) years in maintenance mode. Can you imagine it? Can you wait that long?
Meanwhile few actual good space games are on the way. Market is not sleeping. Elite will lose it's player base if things will be same as The Beyond mess. And it will be. Cause someone have to do the new game for 2020 release (cough *these 100 devs that FD love to mention* cough).
I am really worried about the future. What about you?
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The locked regions are where all the landable atmospheric planets are. Those of us with permits can go there and use our space legs to walk around on the sunlit uplands, frolicking through the green pastures with the unicor... no, wait, I'm getting my fantasy worlds mixed up. That's Brexit.
i only believe half of what frontier says, i'm convinced they have been working on other stuff this whole year and elite was indeed in maintenance mode, if not even frozen for long periods. but q4 does seem sort of a comeback, it would appear they got their other issues taken care of already. yes, 2020 is also my prediction for ed-new-era, i never bought the 100 man fairy tale, but even a 20 man team, if really dedicated, can indeed produce content (i'm guessing some dlc, the narrative, etc ...) to at least keep the core community interested until then. don't bury them just yet.
Not only do I not disagree you absolute melt, I actually said that in my post. 'most of the locked areas ... have been locked for anything between 2 years and the start of the game with none ever being unlocked.' Can you read?
They are areas that they think they might want to use at some point. They have locked them so that if they do decide they want to use them, they are available. Reserved space. Like I said.
Also the Col 70 sector is hardly an inconvenience - the only time you need to get round it is if you're making a trip past it which will be over 1,000 light years from the bubble to begin with. You only need to fly straight up from the bubble about 250 LY (or four jumps in a long range ship) and you can fly in a straight line right over the top of it.
I'd like to see some actual content delivered in there as much as anybody but the locked area is a pinprick in the galaxy, lets keep a sense of perspective here.
Permit Lock Regions = game contents for FD
post 2.3 them can also be called: "elements of personal narrative" if you like it
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post 2.3 them can also be called: "elements of personal narrative" if you like it
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The Real reason for permit locks is a simple one .....
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I have a differing opinion. So a bunch of Commanders found an alien structure in space, probably flew around it a bit, knowing the mentality of some Commander, probably shot at it a bit as well and yes there would have been selfies taken. But word got back to Aegis who upon closer inspecting realised that this structure is valuable and requires intense investigation, so knowing they couldn't stop tourists interrupting the investigation, they placed the entire system in a protected state. As the only way of doing this is to deactivate the Nav Beacon, hence HIP 24460 became a permit-locked system.
See you have your wild conspiracy theories, so do I
If you mean in terms of a number of systems comparable to what we currently have in the main human bubble - anything is possible.
I see no valid basis for your point of complaint.
Far be it for me to speak for Red but I can confidently tell you that the term he is using has nothing to do with tasty treats you have linked.
Also you're a complete melt for making me hungry!
Yes, please do so. They have a reputation of being very forthcoming with the things they have in mind for later use.
At the end of the day, it's made abundantly clear that that the Pilots Federation locks off systems or areas for hyperspace travel since they basically hold the key to the patent office in terms of navigational software. At least that's the lore reason these areas are sealed off.
OP makes a good point that areas where new content has been added in the past haven't had to be taken offline/permitted in order for that to happen. Why is the "future content" of the permit-locked sectors different? Even if it's just FDev keeping an option on certain areas, what could they possibly have in mind that requires such an option to be held? It suggests at least one of two things, possibly both:
1) The permit zones have, or will have, a "storytelling" or gameplay purpose. Somehow we can, or will, be able to unlock them, and we just haven't, or haven't been allowed to, yet. The unlock itself will be a big event.
and/or
2) What they are planning to add to these regions is so large and obvious that the idea players could have freely explored these regions previously and missed it wouldn't make any sense. Think systems full of huge guardian cities or planets riddled with Thargoid Surface Sites, things visible from orbit without going looking, and simply impossible to miss.
1) The permit zones have, or will have, a "storytelling" or gameplay purpose. Somehow we can, or will, be able to unlock them, and we just haven't, or haven't been allowed to, yet. The unlock itself will be a big event.
and/or
2) What they are planning to add to these regions is so large and obvious that the idea players could have freely explored these regions previously and missed it wouldn't make any sense. Think systems full of huge guardian cities or planets riddled with Thargoid Surface Sites, things visible from orbit without going looking, and simply impossible to miss.
At first I suspected for content.
But.. Seeing as not much has been added I won't hold my breath. They talk a big game but delivery of said talk has been "meh"
I'm a show me guy. So until they do. No confidence here.
But.. Seeing as not much has been added I won't hold my breath. They talk a big game but delivery of said talk has been "meh"
I'm a show me guy. So until they do. No confidence here.