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Elite Dangerous: Horizons |OT| Just scratching the surface

Burny

Member
This guy from the forums sums it up pretty well
...
or this one

They aren't wrong either. But it's still a minor feature debt they finally address, even if that leaves exploration the very same shallow watching doughnuts spinning game it has always been.

So far, engineer upgrades have been available for all kinds of things, especially combat related. Why the hell shouldn't they be for exploration scanners? At last they are...
 
Phenomenal screenshots from the new camera mode:
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Burny

Member
Phenomenal screenshots from the new camera mode:

Yeah, would be, if they weren't compressed to hell and back and the parts that are not smoothed out by the blur weren't as jaggy. Somewhat excusable, as high res screenshots partially don't seem to work in the beta.

Still pretty good prospects for nice screenshots with finally getting decent tools.
 

SmartBase

Member
They aren't wrong either. But it's still a minor feature debt they finally address, even if that leaves exploration the very same shallow watching doughnuts spinning game it has always been.

So far, engineer upgrades have been available for all kinds of things, especially combat related. Why the hell shouldn't they be for exploration scanners? At last they are...

A few token mods are barely worth mentioning but you're right even some scraps are nice. I just don't expect anything to be added to exploration so I'm never disappointed.
 

JoeMartin

Member
The level of focal disparity being used makes it looks like all this stuff is really tiny. At the relative size of and distance from these objects everything should be roughly in focus.
 
Bought my beta access but probably won't be able to play until tomorrow or Friday.

Also, here's a cool concept for fixing the Vulture cockpit (and maybe the other ship's cockpits): https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDange...e_cockpit_fix_image_credit_cmdr_therealphyzz/


Moving the position of the actual bridge + slightly modifying elements of the cockpit (removing some of the glass) could go a long way. Seems a lot easier than scaling the player up or scaling the entire cockpit down.

The level of focal disparity being used makes it looks like all this stuff is really tiny. At the relative size of and distance from these objects everything should be roughly in focus.

I think that really depends on what they're trying to simulate with the camera. Focal length + aperture can be used to play with DoF. Of course, a video game doesn't necessarily simulate a camera and can do a lot "more".
 

DrBo42

Member
That's pretty cool looking ship. I kinda hate that their docking pad design is literally ripped directly from the stations and tweaked very slightly. Seems to me it should be vastly different visually as you're landing on an exposed external pad of what can be a travelling ship. Doesn't make sense to have the same vulnerable towers etc. Hopefully it's just placeholder but with FD who knows.
 
That's pretty cool looking ship. I kinda hate that their docking pad design is literally ripped directly from the stations and tweaked very slightly. Seems to me it should be vastly different visually as you're landing on an exposed external pad of what can be a travelling ship. Doesn't make sense to have the same vulnerable towers etc. Hopefully it's just placeholder but with FD who knows.

To be fair the ships don't actually travel going by what I read before. They basically are just another station skin IIRC.
 
To be fair the ships don't actually travel going by what I read before. They basically are just another station skin IIRC.

From what I've heard/read they've reworked the way they can update stations (and these new mega-ships) to where they can move them without requiring a client side update or server downtime.

From what I understand you could now be in a system and have say "Mega-Ship A" near a planet and then they do their remote change with no downtime and now the next time you visit the system it's no longer there and it's been moved elsewhere.
 

Burny

Member
That's pretty cool looking ship. I kinda hate that their docking pad design is literally ripped directly from the stations and tweaked very slightly.

How can you live with all ships having the exact same HUD? ^^

Just one of those things where it becomes apparent that we can't expect 'AAA' production values from FDev. It's pretty ok, imo. At the very least places in the game are getting far more varied with Horizons. At launch there were largely 4 (5?) spaceport types with two interiors and nothing else. Now there are a handful more interiors to spaceports, non-spaceport installations, asteroid stations, the mega ships, engineer installations on the surface, surface spaceports and some non port surface installations.

Overall I'd say, the asset variety is coming along ok, even with the niggles like repeated sub-assets. Now, if only there were more intersting things to do with all that stuff...

Btw. has anybody found out what the ship data link equipment is they hinted at during their second 2.3 livestream?
 

Sibylus

Banned
Mission variety (and letting explorers name shit and stuff) would punch way above their weight in terms of freshening things up. Gimme my tie fighter missions!
 

DrBo42

Member
How can you live with all ships having the exact same HUD? ^^

Just one of those things where it becomes apparent that we can't expect 'AAA' production values from FDev. It's pretty ok, imo. At the very least places in the game are getting far more varied with Horizons. At launch there were largely 4 (5?) spaceport types with two interiors and nothing else. Now there are a handful more interiors to spaceports, non-spaceport installations, asteroid stations, the mega ships, engineer installations on the surface, surface spaceports and some non port surface installations.

Overall I'd say, the asset variety is coming along ok, even with the niggles like repeated sub-assets. Now, if only there were more intersting things to do with all that stuff...

Btw. has anybody found out what the ship data link equipment is they hinted at during their second 2.3 livestream?

The HUDs do bother me but I gave up on that complaint before Horizons.
 
The HUD having the same functional layout is just smart and intuitive game design. It's one of FD's rare moments of good decision making, so don't shit on it!

However--I've mentioned this before, but I wish that each ship, or manufacturer, at least, had a different visual display of the HUD information.

Like, an older model Lakon might actually have old CRT-style monitors (invoking Alien/retro cyberpunk) instead of holograms for design. Scanlines, the occasional visual glitch, etc. Whereas the Gutamaya is all super slick, soft glow, smooth transitions.

Even changing little things, like orbit line style, SC speed indicators, font, etc. between manufacturers would be cool.

EDIT: Oh nice! Asteroid base within a ring: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDange...nd_mine_in_t_tauri_an_asteroid_base_within_a/

 

DrBo42

Member
The HUD having the same functional layout is just smart and intuitive game design. It's one of FD's rare moments of good decision making, so don't shit on it!

However--I've mentioned this before, but I wish that each ship, or manufacturer, at least, had a different visual display of the HUD information.

Like, an older model Lakon might actually have old CRT-style monitors (invoking Alien/retro cyberpunk) instead of holograms for design. Scanlines, the occasional visual glitch, etc. Whereas the Gutamaya is all super slick, soft glow, smooth transitions.

Even changing little things, like orbit line style, SC speed indicators, font, etc. between manufacturers would be cool.

EDIT: Oh nice! Asteroid base within a ring: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDange...nd_mine_in_t_tauri_an_asteroid_base_within_a/

But that's exactly what we're talking about lol. I don't think anyone wants a completely different HUD arrangement and format, just different skins for each manufacturer that matches their style.
 
But that's exactly what we're talking about lol. I don't think anyone wants a completely different HUD arrangement and format, just different skins for each manufacturer that matches their style.

My bad! For a minute I thought you were advocating SC-style "guess where the information is now!" different HUDs for different ships.
 

SmartBase

Member
PuntcBX.png


Well there goes any point of me making my ludicrous 160 t sensors any lighter, on the other hand it sounds like it'll be useful for explorers.
 

danowat

Banned
Can anyone answer any question on how missions are generated?

I understand that your rewards are tied to your affiliation with the faction, higher equals better missions / better rewards, but are the missions themselves just RNG?, I have a high tech, high pop system where I am friendly with most of the factions, and the missions often dry up.

Does the system make any different to the RNG mission system?, because it just seems completely random to me, I go to a system that should be flooded with missions (high tech, large population, in boom) and there are a handful, I go to another system that, on the face of it, should be devoid of missions (low pop etc) and there are tons.

I just can't get my head around trying to find an area of space that consistently offers up a good level of decent paying missions.
 

DrBo42

Member
Can anyone answer any question on how missions are generated?

I understand that your rewards are tied to your affiliation with the faction, higher equals better missions / better rewards, but are the missions themselves just RNG?, I have a high tech, high pop system where I am friendly with most of the factions, and the missions often dry up.

Does the system make any different to the RNG mission system?, because it just seems completely random to me, I go to a system that should be flooded with missions (high tech, large population, in boom) and there are a handful, I go to another system that, on the face of it, should be devoid of missions (low pop etc) and there are tons.

I just can't get my head around trying to find an area of space that consistently offers up a good level of decent paying missions.

Missions are based on what's going on in the system. Current state, struggle between current factions for power, system allegiance, station economy type all factor in. It generates 20 missions (or is supposed to) based on those factors. Something like that. I think the system sucks personally. And waiting for the update ticks enrages me.
 

danowat

Banned
Missions are based on what's going on in the system. Current state, struggle between current factions for power, system allegiance, station economy type all factor in. It generates 20 missions (or is supposed to) based on those factors. Something like that. I think the system sucks personally. And waiting for the update ticks enrages me.

So my theory that a high tech, high pop system, in boom, should generate a lot of missions?, if someone were looking for missions, that would be a good shopping list?

I assume the powerplay, control, exploited and expansion have an impact too?

There is a heck of a lot of things at play here, most of it baffling without some proper documentation!
 

DrBo42

Member
So my theory that a high tech, high pop system, in boom, should generate a lot of missions?, if someone were looking for missions, that would be a good shopping list?

I assume the powerplay, control, exploited and expansion have an impact too?

There is a heck of a lot of things at play here, most of it baffling without some proper documentation!
Yeah I would assume powerplay has an impact as well. Not sure about amount of missions, it's more about what types of missions are spawned.
 

danowat

Banned
Reputation decay is crazy, I can barely keep my Fed rep stable with an hour or so play a day, let alone increase it by much.
 
Transferring from Python to Clipper feels like stepping 300 years into the future lol.


Also need suggestions on hard points for it. Lack of nose aligned weapons makes it more tricky.
 

luulubuu

Junior Member
Just bought the game and had a blast with the tutorials, but I think there's a lot to dig before having real fun with the game
 
Holy shit, this fan trailer is fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awAdT-Z2FSw&feature=youtu.be

Also, 2.3 beta exploration buff: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDange..._significantly_increased_exploration_payouts/

Those prices are between 2.2.0.3 and 2.3 beta:
Hight-metal content planets (no terraforming) = price is about 5.12 times bigger.
Metal-rich planets = about 6.28 times increase.
Water world (no terraforming) = about 7.88x price increase.
Hight-metal content (with terraforming) = price increase varies from 8.6-8.7x to 6.43x.
Water world (with terraforming) = about 9.52x increase.
Ammonia world - 8.5x increase.
Earth-like world - 9.53x increase.
White dwarf - x1.25 increase.
Neutron star - about 1.2x increase.
Black hole - about 1.26x increase.
Gas Giant Class I - 2.68x increase.
Gas Giant Class II - 5.12x increase.
Other Gas giant prices stay same. Prices for rocky, icy planets, main sequence stars, brown dwarfs and C, S, W (Wolf-Rayett) stars also stay same.
 

Jedi2016

Member
Yep, looks like I'd better get around to unlocking Lori Jameson before 2.3 lands!
The bitch of it is that you have to be Elite before you can unlock her. It says she's available because my rank is Dangerous or higher, but guess which system she's in?

Utterly pointless for me to bother trying to unlock her to get Elite, I might as well just head out now, fuck it.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Clearly this is what explorers wanted. Finally Mengy can stop complaining.

Higher payouts do not equal new and improved game mechanics. I will continue to complain!!!!!

But man, with payouts like those, I'd have billions from exploration had it always paid out like that. O_O
 
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