So, 1.5 was "ships" and just fleshed out the roster while Horizons dropped. I would expect much the same for 2.4, but probably with more narrative hook.
2.4 dropping just as open hostilities begin between the Feds and the Imps. Alliance a few weeks in. First hostile encounters with Thargoids around this time also.
-New ships
--Guta fighter carrier/mid size runabout
--Guta long range explorer
--Asp Pathfinder, Multicrew focus, fighter option
-New SLF
-- Bombers/Assault fighters for each faction, each with slightly different armament options
-New Armoured SRVs
-- Faction based tanks, each armed with class 2 main gun (cannon, rail or plasma) and coaxial class 1 plas repeater, rapid pulse laser or mc.
-New weapons
-- Class 1 and class 2 plasma repeaters
-- Class 3 and class 4 missile racks and torpedoes
-- Class 3 and class 4 heavy railguns
-- Class 4 Frag cannon
-New Capital/Military ship classes
--Destroyers (mid-szed capitals with anti-capital weapons)
--Cruisers (similar size to destroyers, armed with more point-defences meant for attacking corvettes and below. Can dock medium ships for repair/rearm. Have some SLF)
--Frigates (smallest capital class, typically carrying a capital weapon on spinal mount)
--Escort Carriers (frigate sized carriers, can dock small ships for repair/rearm, carry some SLF)
--Carriers (large Capitals, can dock up to Large ships for repair/rearm, armed with many SLF)
-Overhauled mission/flight mechanics
--Approach to orbital stations and planetary rings now includes a "glide" phase, to smooth transition from SC to normal flight.
--Military ranking overhaul, new mission contact that on mission acceptance, pilot is taken to a Capital ship, where they fly missions using military ships, not their own. Start at SLFs, work all the way up to Corvettes/Cutters.
--Similar "out of ship" structure for new in game CQC arena missions, and new SLF and SRV race arenas.
-- CZ's now form around points of interest. Stations in lockdown, Capital ships that are present before player arrives, mining stations in rings, and above surface bases.
-New Experimental effects for systems other than weapons
-- eg: engines exp effect - Sustainer burn. Holding boost continues to deplete engine capacitor.
-- powerplay special hardware become unlockable experimental effects via PP engineers (does not cost reputation to equip). PP hardware unlocks expanded 3 fold. Each faction should now get 1 weapon, 1 core module and 1 optional module.
-Engine update
-- Lighting from multiple suns now supported, as is starfield-driven ambient lighting (planets near core should now be lit to same degree as the sky, instead of appearing dark against a bright night sky)
-- Acretion effects added between stellar bodies. Acretion effects generate as a cone of matter from donor body to edge of disk, and disk proper. Cone effect produces similar flight characteristics to white dwarf polar jet. Disk proper acts like a planetary disk (ie: will cause a drop to normal flight), however is made of high temperature plasma, extremely dangerous. Acreting Black holes generate polar jets with same effects as neutron stars.
-- Wolf Rayet stars now generate localised nebular effects within their system. Fuel scoops work out to vastly increased distances (1000's of times the previous limits) Small jets form all over WR stars at random, acting like white dwarf jets.
-- Stellar temperatures rebalanced. whiter and bluer stars now progressively more dangerous. Higher classes of stars provide zones closer to star with multiplied fuel scoop rates to compensate. High risk, high reward scooping.
So that's my wishlist for 2.4. I fully expect 2.4 will come out in tandem with 3.0, which might contain Atmo landings, or maybe spacelegs, or who-knows-what. But what I've added here are things that would expand upon things already present in horizons, and some things that enhance the experience of even 1.X players. Things that everyone can experience, like the engine changes, the inclusion of new capital ships and the new weapons. New mission structure for military missions and SRV/SLF related content, like the racing additions, are suggested to be exclusive 2.X content.
2.4 dropping just as open hostilities begin between the Feds and the Imps. Alliance a few weeks in. First hostile encounters with Thargoids around this time also.
-New ships
--Guta fighter carrier/mid size runabout
--Guta long range explorer
--Asp Pathfinder, Multicrew focus, fighter option
-New SLF
-- Bombers/Assault fighters for each faction, each with slightly different armament options
-New Armoured SRVs
-- Faction based tanks, each armed with class 2 main gun (cannon, rail or plasma) and coaxial class 1 plas repeater, rapid pulse laser or mc.
-New weapons
-- Class 1 and class 2 plasma repeaters
-- Class 3 and class 4 missile racks and torpedoes
-- Class 3 and class 4 heavy railguns
-- Class 4 Frag cannon
-New Capital/Military ship classes
--Destroyers (mid-szed capitals with anti-capital weapons)
--Cruisers (similar size to destroyers, armed with more point-defences meant for attacking corvettes and below. Can dock medium ships for repair/rearm. Have some SLF)
--Frigates (smallest capital class, typically carrying a capital weapon on spinal mount)
--Escort Carriers (frigate sized carriers, can dock small ships for repair/rearm, carry some SLF)
--Carriers (large Capitals, can dock up to Large ships for repair/rearm, armed with many SLF)
-Overhauled mission/flight mechanics
--Approach to orbital stations and planetary rings now includes a "glide" phase, to smooth transition from SC to normal flight.
--Military ranking overhaul, new mission contact that on mission acceptance, pilot is taken to a Capital ship, where they fly missions using military ships, not their own. Start at SLFs, work all the way up to Corvettes/Cutters.
--Similar "out of ship" structure for new in game CQC arena missions, and new SLF and SRV race arenas.
-- CZ's now form around points of interest. Stations in lockdown, Capital ships that are present before player arrives, mining stations in rings, and above surface bases.
-New Experimental effects for systems other than weapons
-- eg: engines exp effect - Sustainer burn. Holding boost continues to deplete engine capacitor.
-- powerplay special hardware become unlockable experimental effects via PP engineers (does not cost reputation to equip). PP hardware unlocks expanded 3 fold. Each faction should now get 1 weapon, 1 core module and 1 optional module.
-Engine update
-- Lighting from multiple suns now supported, as is starfield-driven ambient lighting (planets near core should now be lit to same degree as the sky, instead of appearing dark against a bright night sky)
-- Acretion effects added between stellar bodies. Acretion effects generate as a cone of matter from donor body to edge of disk, and disk proper. Cone effect produces similar flight characteristics to white dwarf polar jet. Disk proper acts like a planetary disk (ie: will cause a drop to normal flight), however is made of high temperature plasma, extremely dangerous. Acreting Black holes generate polar jets with same effects as neutron stars.
-- Wolf Rayet stars now generate localised nebular effects within their system. Fuel scoops work out to vastly increased distances (1000's of times the previous limits) Small jets form all over WR stars at random, acting like white dwarf jets.
-- Stellar temperatures rebalanced. whiter and bluer stars now progressively more dangerous. Higher classes of stars provide zones closer to star with multiplied fuel scoop rates to compensate. High risk, high reward scooping.
So that's my wishlist for 2.4. I fully expect 2.4 will come out in tandem with 3.0, which might contain Atmo landings, or maybe spacelegs, or who-knows-what. But what I've added here are things that would expand upon things already present in horizons, and some things that enhance the experience of even 1.X players. Things that everyone can experience, like the engine changes, the inclusion of new capital ships and the new weapons. New mission structure for military missions and SRV/SLF related content, like the racing additions, are suggested to be exclusive 2.X content.
