I like the idea of having a base of operations. A place where I can store things and have a personal living space that is customizable. I think all it would need is a personal console to allow the player to access special missions. Nothing huge. I think the base/platform building idea should be personally instanced however. Many don't have the time to worry about defenses. But yes, players need to somehow be able to leave a mark on the galaxy.
Horizons Would you like to build your own base in Elite Dangerous?
- Thread starter W4rSkuLL
- Start date
I'd consider it more practical if players could take over existing bases:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213946
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213946
I love the idea of being able to set up a base, build defenses and maintain it. Don't give me that "Elite is just about a single pilot" thing. You don't lose your ability to drive a car once you build a house.
So yes, yes and yes. I'm all for it. Space is really big and it would be awesome to see things like other players being able to attack your base, etc.
So yes, yes and yes. I'm all for it. Space is really big and it would be awesome to see things like other players being able to attack your base, etc.
I could live without that, but if it's implemented well, then I'd be all for it. After all, those that don't want other players to attack their base simply need to take precautions not to be noticed. Which, given the size of a planet or asteroid belt, would be quite big.
Granted, a clever/cautious killer could do so... follow at a distance, high wake scanner to find system. Following them all the way to their base would be tricky (unless the pilot being followed was oblivious), but assuming they're going to low-wake in close to their base, a pilot could wait at a distance for them to drop then follow the low-wake in to the approximate location.
Yeah, you'd get people punked and rage because they expected their base to always be safe... to them it would just be important to make them aware of basic safety steps.
Then again, how many times a week do we have to repeat the mantra "never leave dock without insurance" to people here
I could live without that, but if it's implemented well, then I'd be all for it. After all, those that don't want other players to attack their base simply need to take precautions not to be noticed. Which, given the size of a planet or asteroid belt, would be quite big.
Granted, a clever/cautious killer could do so... follow at a distance, high wake scanner to find system. Following them all the way to their base would be tricky (unless the pilot being followed was oblivious), but assuming they're going to low-wake in close to their base, a pilot could wait at a distance for them to drop then follow the low-wake in to the approximate location.
Yeah, you'd get people punked and rage because they expected their base to always be safe... to them it would just be important to make them aware of basic safety steps.
Then again, how many times a week do we have to repeat the mantra "never leave dock without insurance" to people here
Well, if it's just a base of operations that would be kinda cool. However it should cost a significant amount of credits.
It's more the scale I'm concerned with; a small place to call home and store stuff is quite alright with me. A space-station or city owned by a player, not so much.
I think allowing players to build small based (be in on the ground or in space) would be a good thing
to give players a sense of ownership/belonging. Not speaking of coriolis stations, or even outposts (though
for player backed minor factions, it would be cool if you could trigger some kind of mini-CG where out can
help the faction build a new station, change the economy type or increase the population of a system).
Small bases where you can hide stuff and maybe auto-mine some ore ? hell yeah.
to give players a sense of ownership/belonging. Not speaking of coriolis stations, or even outposts (though
for player backed minor factions, it would be cool if you could trigger some kind of mini-CG where out can
help the faction build a new station, change the economy type or increase the population of a system).
Small bases where you can hide stuff and maybe auto-mine some ore ? hell yeah.
Agreed on all counts.
I wouldn't even mind if they were somehow made persistent and you could add auto-defenses to it - for those who don't want to be attacked, it won't be hard to take steps to prevent it (space is big - really really big), but imagine the fun different player groups could have and the stories they could make if they established bases and had to defend them. That wouldn't in any way affect those who just want a cheaper place hidden away somewhere that will never see another CMDR.
But given the sheer number of these things you could potentially have on one planet, the one thing you couldn't do is make them publicly visible on a system map/planet map.
But it would be good to be able to give visibility permission to people (not sure how, a code?) that would make it visible to selected people. Perhaps if you found one by accident (or cunning tracking) it can get saved on the system as well.
Now, all that said, I also wouldn't mind if they were only visible in your instance and disappeared when you were offline. It all depends on what you intend to do with the mechanic in the long run.
Here's a simple solution: Let the player make a choice as to whether his base of operations can be seen by other players or not. This could be done via, for example, a cloaking system. The benefit of NOT cloaking your stuff could be that it operates at higher efficiency, mining stuff more quickly, etc.
That way you can choose your prefered risk/reward ratio. Heck you could own bases that are public and others that are not. So it'd be totally up to you whether you risk being attacked. And of course, being able to mount automatic defenses is crucial here. If you spend the money you could fortify your outpost to the point where it takes one or two wings to get through.
BAM. Suddenly Elite not only gets a meaningful goal for the upcoming crafting system, but you get a metagame that matters to YOU, instead of some random fictional face on a Powerplay-card.
That way you can choose your prefered risk/reward ratio. Heck you could own bases that are public and others that are not. So it'd be totally up to you whether you risk being attacked. And of course, being able to mount automatic defenses is crucial here. If you spend the money you could fortify your outpost to the point where it takes one or two wings to get through.
BAM. Suddenly Elite not only gets a meaningful goal for the upcoming crafting system, but you get a metagame that matters to YOU, instead of some random fictional face on a Powerplay-card.
I was thinking about suggesting a scanner which can find player bases but this would be to easy I guess. So the personal base or base you built with a friend could only be found if a commander followed you to the base or discovered it by pure luck. Lets say it has a jammer which jams signals to find commander bases. So the base will be very safe. And given the scale of the universe and that bases could be built anywhere the chance of discovering a base would be very small. So if you look at ARK, where the base can be built where you like it and which ever way you like it. The same needs to be for E.D Its the building of the base which is fun, although blueprints for bases can be bought and then you build the base up after it. Or maybe some bases/layouts could be sold on the Frontier shop. Some loot could be special blueprints to make different stuff for the base. Or just different textures. But the resources need to be harvested around planets and in the universe. Maybe mined from asteroids. So to build a base you need to visit many different types of play styles. Lets say some types of metal drops from destroyed ships like alloys. Some stuff needs to be mined. Other stuff synthesized using the SRV or maybe a machine in your developing base. With the raw materials you create goods which make the base, but you could also buy stuff with credits. Lets say on the black market you could find randomly generated goods or resources which to build the base with. Although we need first person to build a base. So we need to be able to get out of the SRV. So I guess maybe in season 3 first person and then in season 4 planetary landings on atmospheric planets. Then the game is approaching "complete" feature status at least on the expansions. Updates will off course always enhance the universe in some way. There are many possibilities.
Way too simplistic to throw a solution like a cloaking system in because that has knock on effects on other things. Why not ships, for example.
Besides I'm not thrilled about auto-mining for a similar reason I'm not thrilled for owning stations - you're setting things up to gold-farm for you and travelling more into the X-series of games. Frontier and First Encounters did allow for a mining machine that you could return to and pick up from, if I'm not mistaken, but that was still on a small scale.
Not completely against it, just saying it needs to be scaled in a way to prevent abuse.
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Yes, a storage for synthesis mats ,cargo and ship modules. Id even be devious and make it a power play reward.
Base building is like powerplay "a marmite activity". Some people will like it and puts lots of effort in. Others will just think its a waste of time.
Thinking ahead to a possible elite future many years down the road. I suspect that if we ever get to the stage of having full access to the ringed space stations, then I think being able to build a house on one of those would be something that could be incorporated into the game as a gameplay mechanic, to make visiting them useful.
It might however work along the lines of Oblivion whereby you get a choice of houses and then kit them out yourself depending on wealth. So cheapest is a bed sit and most expensive is a manor house.
Worthwhile remembering that Frontier have lots of expertise in Roller Coaster simulators.
Doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to think they could apply some of the mechanics for Planet Coaster building, into player building structures for Elite. players would then be choosing from templates that you could adapt.
A big issue is the instanced nature of Elite. Frontier would need to code things so that pieces of land could be reserved across all instances, this would be to prevent people from picking the same patch of land. Once structure is built, then this would need to be saved into the permanent instancing code, so that any new player coming to the station could see the structure.
I doubt Frontier would want people randomly messing up planets and stations, so a likely solution would be to limit it to a couple of Pilots association approved stations, and powerplay faction stations in the leaders home system, where licenses to live would be granted.
Anyone unhappy with this apparent limitation would need to bear in mind that the playable area in a single station is greater than the Skyrim map.
Limiting players to only being able to build in a few stations also helps concentrate players into specific areas. This then builds station community, and allows for further player with player mechanics to be built into the game.
Thinking ahead to a possible elite future many years down the road. I suspect that if we ever get to the stage of having full access to the ringed space stations, then I think being able to build a house on one of those would be something that could be incorporated into the game as a gameplay mechanic, to make visiting them useful.
It might however work along the lines of Oblivion whereby you get a choice of houses and then kit them out yourself depending on wealth. So cheapest is a bed sit and most expensive is a manor house.
Worthwhile remembering that Frontier have lots of expertise in Roller Coaster simulators.
Doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to think they could apply some of the mechanics for Planet Coaster building, into player building structures for Elite. players would then be choosing from templates that you could adapt.
A big issue is the instanced nature of Elite. Frontier would need to code things so that pieces of land could be reserved across all instances, this would be to prevent people from picking the same patch of land. Once structure is built, then this would need to be saved into the permanent instancing code, so that any new player coming to the station could see the structure.
I doubt Frontier would want people randomly messing up planets and stations, so a likely solution would be to limit it to a couple of Pilots association approved stations, and powerplay faction stations in the leaders home system, where licenses to live would be granted.
Anyone unhappy with this apparent limitation would need to bear in mind that the playable area in a single station is greater than the Skyrim map.
Limiting players to only being able to build in a few stations also helps concentrate players into specific areas. This then builds station community, and allows for further player with player mechanics to be built into the game.
This could be a very interesting and constructive addition to gameplay. As long as player bases were limited to very small installations they would not require extensive asset development or coding, could fit well with other game mechanisms, and could contribute to gameplay positively. However I certainly don't think starports, outposts, planetside colonies or other NPC installations should be available to players.
What could work well is a unit about the size of a modern-day shipping container. They would occupy, say, 8 units of cargo space in a ship and would require physical transport and setup on a planet surface. They would be capable of holding small amounts of cargo, modules, synthesis materials, and later on loot and crafting materials when they are introduced. Basically, a small personal cache. Some could be optionally equipped with life support and function as habitats. Several could be connected to create larger habitats.
Functionally, the game engine would manage them the same way it manages ships, except they would be flightless. They would be undefended, but there is also the possibility that a player could purchase skimmers as defense. The player would know where they were, and could let friends know. An assemblage of these could function as a group base, but group funds would not be needed for purchase or maintenance (each component would be bought and installed by an individual).
They could be discovered by other players using a wave scanner, or in flight from a ship, just as with planetside POIs. They could then be plundered. This could have great gameplay possibilities immediately, and even more once FPS activity is introduced.
The constructing player/s would gain a planetside base for storage and as a "vanity" base of operations.
Opposing players would gain the possibility of discovering and exploiting them, or simply destroying them.
The game devs would gain thousands of new "hand-crafted" POIs planetside without having to do any coding.
There are precedents for most of this, the only extra step is allowing players to own what would amount to a glorified garage.
What could work well is a unit about the size of a modern-day shipping container. They would occupy, say, 8 units of cargo space in a ship and would require physical transport and setup on a planet surface. They would be capable of holding small amounts of cargo, modules, synthesis materials, and later on loot and crafting materials when they are introduced. Basically, a small personal cache. Some could be optionally equipped with life support and function as habitats. Several could be connected to create larger habitats.
Functionally, the game engine would manage them the same way it manages ships, except they would be flightless. They would be undefended, but there is also the possibility that a player could purchase skimmers as defense. The player would know where they were, and could let friends know. An assemblage of these could function as a group base, but group funds would not be needed for purchase or maintenance (each component would be bought and installed by an individual).
They could be discovered by other players using a wave scanner, or in flight from a ship, just as with planetside POIs. They could then be plundered. This could have great gameplay possibilities immediately, and even more once FPS activity is introduced.
The constructing player/s would gain a planetside base for storage and as a "vanity" base of operations.
Opposing players would gain the possibility of discovering and exploiting them, or simply destroying them.
The game devs would gain thousands of new "hand-crafted" POIs planetside without having to do any coding.
There are precedents for most of this, the only extra step is allowing players to own what would amount to a glorified garage.
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Yes, there are many good ideas here. I could see manufactured modules work as bases. But it would take away some of the fun collecting materials and crafting goods to make the base. Although if you could combine these methods. It could be very good. And to include them as pois, well it would expose the bases for other commanders. There is also a lot of work with coding this into the game. But things could be added over time with updates. So being able to build a simple base in the start then in time upgrade/expand it. They do this in ARK introducing new items to build with every patch, but E.D is a whole new ballgame. It would dwarf ARK in its possibilities.
My thoughts exactly. I dream of stuff like this before I go to sleep. Hopefully some say this will come to Elite; else I guess it will some day come in another space sim.
I can see the appeal of this idea, however, I don't think it's workable in a galaxy that millions can inhabit. Pretty soon, there'll be so many stations all over the place, and you'll struggle to find somewhere to put one. You'll end up having to build one hundreds of lightyears away from inhabited space just to find space...a bit like how you have to travel so far to find unexplored planets. You'll end up never going to it because it's just too far away. There'll also end up being abandoned stations as players decide not to use them anymore (but removing them is too much effort), and people will build multiple stations all over the universe, so there'll end up being millions of player owned stations that aren't even in use. Trust me, if player-owned stations become a thing, within a week, every planet in the Sol and Achenar systems will have a dozen stations orbitting it.
However, I've thought of a nice compromise: let us choose a station to make our home in, and give us a room in that station to "live" in, store stuff, etc. Best thing about this is: a physical in-game presence isn't required, because your "home" would be a virtual entity that only you can access, and there's no need for your home to be even visible to the rest of the community (unless you choose to let people in for some reason - I'm sure some arrangement could be made for that). So potentially, millions of players could have a home on Lave Station, and space needs not be an issue, neither does dormant homes or people who decide to build homes everywhere just because they can.
However, I've thought of a nice compromise: let us choose a station to make our home in, and give us a room in that station to "live" in, store stuff, etc. Best thing about this is: a physical in-game presence isn't required, because your "home" would be a virtual entity that only you can access, and there's no need for your home to be even visible to the rest of the community (unless you choose to let people in for some reason - I'm sure some arrangement could be made for that). So potentially, millions of players could have a home on Lave Station, and space needs not be an issue, neither does dormant homes or people who decide to build homes everywhere just because they can.
Owning some other property then ships would be nice, alltough not to the degree that you could somehow put rules on other players. Stuff like owning and controlling whole stations would be a bit much. Buying one of those houses in the Rings of stations? Yes please!
^^^ I'd even pay some credits for it in game.
More like Skyrim then. 1000t storage for cargo, modules, etc. And a shop to sell stuff we find in space and planets to other players.
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