Elite: Dangerous

[DraQ]

i get what your saying. it still isnt just generated on the fly, any player can visit any system with a specific name and see the same system, and when you land two players will see the exact same terrain also.

Yes, it is. If you feed the exact same numbers to the exact same algorithm you always get the exact same result.

It's the actual randomness that's hard for computers and they need to fake it with stuff like having algorithm that produces numbers that are "random looking" and feeding it system timer or something derived from input. Pseudo-randomness that always arrives at the same result is easier than that being only a part of this task.

There's no technical reason that an offline mode with billions of star systems can't exist. As for why it doesn't exist, well, you'll have to ask David Braben.

And this is one of the two technical reasons why I haven't even considered buying ED.

There's player instancing and other issues, and I'm sure there's some clever work to allow multiple players to share the same space, but that's a different subject.

If I understand it correctly the main point of instancing is limiting the need for communication and synchronization between massive numbers of players.

 

[DraQ]

justincz
You should check out Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters to see how much storing all these systems actually takes.

Or Space Engine, for that matter - my conservative estimate is that if you scattered the number of ED's galaxies equal to the number of stars in ED's galaxy randomly across SE's universe, chances are no one would ever find any of them.

If ED's should require DB proportional to its universe's size, then surely SE should exceed current combined storage capacity of mankind.

 

[bonescraper]

Peek Of The Week: EGX Special

Today we took to the stage at EGX 2015 to announce some of the standout features you’ll get as part of the Elite Dangerous: Horizons season of expansions.

You’ve probably already seen the brief teaser trailer we debuted at Gamescom giving an all-too-brief glimpse of Planetary Landings – we’ll be showing much, much more of it in the coming weeks!

Planetary Landings itself is just the first part of the full season of Elite Dangerous: Horizons expansions.

If you missed us at EGX you can watch the archived stream at EGX's YouTube channel, We hope you enjoy this peek ahead at some of the season’s exclusive features.

On planetary and lunar surfaces you'll find new activities, new enemies and whole new ways to experience Elite
Dangerous.

Real 1:1 scale worlds of staggering variety and beauty offer endless new gameplay possibilities.

Ship-Launched Fighters can be docked in your ship's hold to give you a far greater range of options to tackle any situation in which you find yourself. Deploy your fighter under AI control or take the stick yourself and fly into battle while your mothership lies in wait.

Multi-Crew lets you fly in the same ship with friends, which will up the intensity and camaraderie levels of a joint mission even further! You’ll be able to share and alternate control of weapons systems, turrets and flight duties to multiply your effectiveness. Even to the extent of piloting a ship-launched fighter and working in combination with the mothership. It’ll be especially useful in some of the very large trading ships coming in season two.

The all-new Commander Creator brings your in-game presence to life for the first time, and lets you identify friends with a quick glance across your ship's bridge. Its the first step in the longer term plans we have for you, Commander…

There are features that are trickier to illustrate but still very significant, like the extensions to the mission system with new military missions and rank progression, Powerplay missions and chained missions which will deliver an even richer gameplay experience. And as already announced, season two will introduce a new loot and crafting system, letting you create unique equipment.

And there's more to come later this year for all players. The launch of the CQC expansion is just a few weeks away, and the ‘Ships’ expansion (Elite Dangerous 1.5) later this year will introduce a number of new spacecraft to the galaxy, including the awesome new Viper Mk IV.

We're happy to announce that, as promised, every player who backed our original Kickstarter at Beta level or above will find a Viper Mk IV docked at a starport for free in ‘Ships’.

The Viper Mk IV

Planetary Landings, Multi-Crew, Ship-Launched Fighters, the Commander Creator, new missions, and a new loot and crafting system are just some of the headline features you’ll find in Elite Dangerous: Horizons new season of expansions. We’re looking forward to having you join us when Elite Dangerous: Horizons lands later this year.

 

[Ulminati]

I want to believe this won't be shit, I really do...

 

[J_C]

I'm really regretting selling my account for Elite. Sure, it was a grindfest most of the time, but I enjoyed flying in space, enjoying the depts of space, docking to hangars. It felt nice to fire it up sometime, playing for an hour or two, then play something else.

I will buy it again sometime, but it is too damn expensive. Fucking Steam with its euro pricing.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I want to believe this won't be shit, I really do...

It's not the game I backed. I haven't played it since it was released, but one day I hope that there'll be enough of the game that was promised to justify my Saitek X52 Pro purchase. I really do want to explore all these many worlds, but if I'm honest I want to do it in the Newtonian Frontier universe, not the one created for a multiplayer Elite.

 

[J_C]

Newtonian

Fuck....You!


Oh, I'm sorry, I just have this urge to send everyone to hell who are parrotting this word. Thanks DraQ!

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Oh, I'm sorry, I just have this urge to send everyone to hell who are parrotting this word. Thanks DraQ!

Not a problem, although it at least expresses the difference between Frontier and ED concisely. At least give me some plausible orbits, though. I love a good orbit.

 

[Ulminati]

At least give me some plausible orbits, though. I love a good orbit.

Kerbal Space Program.

 

[J_C]

At least give me some plausible orbits, though. I love a good orbit.

 

[Duellist_D]

Hope 1: This won't be shit.
Hope 2: There will be a good sale for this + Addon.

Normal price is sorta bleh.

ED is 23 Euroshekels atm (until 28th of September).
Is it worth that money or should i better wait until there is a good offer for the Basegame + the Addon?
Atm i'm more inclined towards the second option.

 

[J_C]

I will buy it again sometime, but it is too damn expensive. Fucking Steam with its euro pricing.

ED is 23 Euroshekels atm (until 28th of September).

I should play the lottery today.

 

[DraQ]

At least give me some plausible orbits, though. I love a good orbit.

Kerbal Space Program.

Ok, now I will explain why I consider this kind of answer to be willful obtuseness of the kind that calls for execution by being anally violated with GAU-8/A.
But I won't do this by discussing Elite, Frontier or Sci-Fi in general. I'll do it by discussing My Little fucking Pony.

Imagine an alternative universe quite similar to ours.
The main difference is that while this universe contains all the ample fantasy literature ours do, pretty much no fantasy themed computer games exist.
Sure, there some historical themed ones that may involve knights on the horseback running around killing things, but they are strictly set in some historical period represented as faithfully as devs could manage. There is no magic, nor fantasy races, nor any sort of worldbuilding extending beyond what could be inferred from actual history. Other than that, the closest thing to the fantasy you can play on computers are countless MLP spinoffs.
In this alternative universe there is an alternative DraQ that's, at this very moment, trying to explain to an alternative Ulminati and a bunch of assorted fags who keep playing newest MLP game and, against all reason, enjoying it, that he would like something like this shit Tolkien, Mieville or some other authors wrote in a game form he would be able to play on his computer. In response he is reading somewhat baffled responses alternating between recommending this latest MLP spin off and suggesting that he should play one of the historical games out there, their vibe suggesting inability to grasp what the problem *is*, even after attempted clarification using some ancient blobber that actually happens to exist in this alternative universe as an example.
Needless to say this alternative universe DraQ, now enraged and frustrated, explores fairly exciting fantasies involving his interlocutors being turned into impressively sized if a little sparse Pollock paintings by the means of shoving GSh-6-30 down their throats and firing it.

Now,
DO YOU FUCKING GET WHAT IS THE FUCKING PROBLEM, WHY IT IS A PROBLEM AND THAT I, AND APPARENTLY NOT JUST I ALONE, WANT TO FUCKING FLY AROUND THE FUCKING UNIVERSE PEW-PEWING PIRATES WITH LAZORZ OR KEW-KEWING THEM WITH RAILGUNS OR MISSILES WITHOUT IT INVOLVING MOTHERFUCKING LOONEY TUNES PHYSICS?

 

[Duellist_D]

 

[praetor]

and, like c(l)ockwork, DraQ shows his autistic face again, spewing his bullshit. never change, man. it's always hilarious

 

[Bumvelcrow]

MOTHERFUCKING LOONEY TUNES PHYSICS?

Poetic. I can hear a younger, more idealistic David Braben spinning in his virtual grave.

 

[Ulminati]

TL;DR

 

[potatojohn]

I guess what bothers me the most is that if you're going to have flying mechanics that have no resemblance to real space flying, why go for the space theme at all?

Why do not go for an airplane theme ala Crimson Skies, or submersibles like Aquanox if you want low speeds and close distances?

Arcade space games like ED are such a huge departure to how it actually works on a fundamental level that there's no space left at all - it's just a skybox with stars.

It's so bizarre I'm not even sure what comparison to make. Does one even exist? I was going to say that it's like playing Rainbow Six with noclip cheats or something. It's got a tactical shooter theme but you're flying around and walking through walls. But I think arcade space games are even worse that than.

And having your game be set in a skybox with stars is so fucking boring too. They're completely empty and silent. Everything interesting is millions of miles away, there are no objects to avoid or hide behind, no clouds, no landscape to look at, nothing. All the elements that make real flight or naval games more interesting just don't exist. I guess it makes AI programming very easy - all you need is trivial steering behaviour and you're good to go.

 

[J_C]

I guess what bothers me the most is that if you're going to have flying mechanics that have no resemblance to real space flying, why go for the space theme at all?

I don't know. Let's ask the Freespace or Lucasarts guys, maybe they can share us what is fun about arcade space games.

Seriously, this is retarded. Why do you want to make racing game if you go for the arcade route ala Need For Speed. It is simulation or bust. Or why do you make a flying game like Crimson Skies or Ace Combat if you don't make them a sim like DCS?

It's like there is nothing more in a space game just the Newtonian (phej, fuck you) simulation. You have a whole universe to explore, combat and trade, but it is all for nothing if there is no real simulation? How close minded is that? ED might have problems, but the lack of Newtonian physics is not it.

 

[Tytus]

I guess what bothers me the most is that if you're going to have flying mechanics that have no resemblance to real space flying, why go for the space theme at all?

Why do not go for an airplane theme ala Crimson Skies, or submersibles like Aquanox if you want low speeds and close distances?

Arcade space games like ED are such a huge departure to how it actually works on a fundamental level that there's no space left at all - it's just a skybox with stars.

It's so bizarre I'm not even sure what comparison to make. Does one even exist? I was going to say that it's like playing Rainbow Six with noclip cheats or something. It's got a tactical shooter theme but you're flying around and walking through walls. But I think arcade space games are even worse that than.

And having your game be set in a skybox with stars is so fucking boring too. They're completely empty and silent. Everything interesting is millions of miles away, there are no objects to avoid or hide behind, no clouds, no landscape to look at, nothing. All the elements that make real flight or naval games more interesting just don't exist. I guess it makes AI programming very easy - all you need is trivial steering behaviour and you're good to go.

The example you are looking for is a game set in the atmosphere of a gas giant. You have a lot of space to fly in, you have atmospheric stations (for living, gas "mining", military stations etc.) But the momentum of the flight isn't conserved becasue you constantly fighting the atmosphere that slows you down through friction. And because the atmosfere on lower altitudes is thicker you can have slow, deliberate combat that main focus is precision not speed.

 

[J_C]

I heared that if you buy Horizons, you will also get the base game (obviously). This will cost you 50 EUR. But what if you already own the original game, and you are just upgrading to Horizons? Do you still have to pay 50 EUR or it will be cheaper?

 

[potatojohn]

Seriously, this is retarded. Why do you want to make racing game if you go for the arcade route ala Need For Speed. It is simulation or bust. Or why do you make a flying game like Crimson Skies or Ace Combat if you don't make them a sim like DCS?

What a disengenious comparison. Need For Speed isn't a realistic driving game, but it does have DRIVING. The cars accelerate, they're limited by air drag, going downhill is faster than uphill, there's gravity, etc.

Need for Speed is like I-War, it makes lots of compromises but ultimately it still has more features of what it's representing than not. Same for Crimson Skies.

Your "space sims" on the other hand have no relation whatsoever to actual space flight. They're just 6deg shooters with a space skin. You could reskin ED with an underwater theme and nothing would feel out of place. In fact it would be a more appropriate theme. There's no "space" in ED. THAT is the problem.

 

[J_C]

What a disengenious comparison. Need For Speed isn't a realistic driving game, but it does have DRIVING. The cars accelerate, they're limited by air drag, going downhill is faster than uphill, there's gravity, etc.

Need for Speed is like I-War, it makes lots of compromises but ultimately it still has more features of what it's representing than not. Same for Crimson Skies.

Your "space sims" on the other hand have no relation whatsoever to actual space flight. They're just 6deg shooters with a space skin. You could reskin ED with an underwater theme and nothing would feel out of place. In fact it would be a more appropriate theme. There's no "space" in ED. THAT is the problem.

It was a very good comparison. NFS is not realistic but it does have driving. ED is not realistic, but it has space flight. With flight assist off, you can accelerate, you have to use counter thruster to slow down, you have 6 degrees of movement.

And NFS is like I-war? Roffles. Have you played an NFS game in your life? I-war is a simulation, and NFS, with the exception of NFS5, has no simulation.

And I'm not even arguing that ED is a simulation or not. Obviously it is not. But your opinion that you either have full simulation in a space game, or don't even make a space game is ridiculous. Let's just forget about all the great arcade space games, they probably are overhyped garbage.

You could reskin ED with an underwater theme and nothing would feel out of place.

Yeah, I encounter suns and black holes while swimming all the time. Jesus, this must be one of the dumbest comment on the Codex and that says a lot.

 

[praetor]

i love the mental gymnastics of the autistic assburger kids in this thread. at times they're even more entertaining than the game itself

i mean... NFS is like I-War...

 

[Ulminati]

ED has the same space physics as Star Conflict, Wing Commander, Freespace, XWing/Tie Fighter/XWing Alliance, Strike Suit Zero and dozens of other space games. The devs made it abundantly clear during the kickstarter that that was what they were intending to make and it is what they made.'

Draq is the fucktard who would go into Sam's Steakhouse and complain they don't have a vegetarian menu