Rant corner

Pahl
18 Oct 2022, 12:53am
Yuna SakashiroSince Frontier decided to stick to the narrative that Horizons 4.0 isn't the latest release of Horizons but rather a "tech demo" for Odyssey, it's only appropriate to acknowledge this in a Steam review:



Very eloquintly written Saka

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:03pm
Episparh
18 Oct 2022, 3:33am
Beating a dead horse, huh?

... But then why Frontier asks 25 Eur for a dead game ( 3.8 is no longer developed and EDH was a "compliment" to players that do not like Odyssey)

Oh, my, oh, my...

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:03pm
User167261
18 Oct 2022, 7:58am
Such a messy situation FDev snookered themselves into.

Imagine you're a new player in the market for Elite Dangerous. You buy it, download it, then you realise if you want to get new story content (if you even manage to cop on to this being an issue with 3.8 in the first place) you have to install a completely separate (and 2.5 times as large) install, which also looks distinctively different and performs worse.

When it comes to default graphics settings, FDev decided to value performance over visuals and enabled FSR (and checkerboard rendering as well afaik) by default. The average user will just scratch their head why the game looks so fuzzy and ugly (a bunch of forum posts exist already), some may work out to disable FSR, only to get hit by a further performance hit depending on their hardware. You wouldn't really expect the end user to even know what FSR is and does, and why it's not a great implementation in Elite. Most people just want to boot up the game and play it, and I won't blame them.

You now have Horizons on the 4.0 client, which is the supported version (I presume FDev is not stating this yet on their Steam/store page?) unlike EOL'd 3.8.

But.... FDev in their additional eternal wisdom and shortsightedness declared that Horizons 4.0 isn't sold and is just a 'demo'. Confusing the average new player even further. Is Odyssey then the de-facto base game - the only version of the game that is supported with new content in the future? Who knows!

So to find out, best head to the company's official forums, right? - where a number of shills are suggesting that buying Odyssey is the way to go if you want to have a futureproof game install, and that Horizons 4.0 is "limited", "a demo", implying that it could be taken away at any given notice.

So you buy the DLC, realise it adds nearly fuck all to the spaceship game, the performance is even worse in settlements and ground CZs, engineering is even more grindy. So outside of a sale or buying it through dodgy reseller sites you'll have spent more on the DLC than the base game so far. Oh, and you can't instance with Horizons players anymore unless you fiddle with the installer - not a massive hurdle but it's there (and potentially luckily for FDev, players may not even notice and/or be aware of this intentional restriction).

This is probably the time when buyer's remorse and potential resentment towards the developer may kick in. A certain sense of things not being made as clear as they normally should be when you purchase a product.

All this could be avoided by a) FDev stopping this 'demo' nonsense (4.0 is the latest and only supported client, Odyssey is still sold as an optional DLC) and b) allowing Odyssey players to officially launch Horizons 4.0 as a workaround for those who want to keep playing with their friends on 4.0 without buying a load of extra Odyssey copies aka actively encouraging and supporting such questionable business tactics.

It just reeks of short-termism to squeeze the last few bucks out of the franchise, even if that's not FDev's plan - post-U14 will certainly be interesting as it should in theory give a good indication where the game is heading, maintenance mode or greater things to come and a real attitude change inside the company. I hope it's the latter but fear it's the former.

Edit - I'm also curious how CM engagement will change post-U14 - right now, they can excuse themselves for being tight-lipped to avoid spoilers, but once the cat is out of the bag story-wise in November (or at the end of it by the sound of things) if they keep their current hide-and-seek game up then yeah, don't expect much else for the foreseeable. That feature overhaul (singular) could just be the proverbial drop in the ocean if it really is just one, whereas the game needs some TLC in quite a lot of areas. Or worst case, it could go the same way as previously announced and never really completed rebalancing work they promised a few years ago.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:03pm
User378196
19 Oct 2022, 6:03am
EpisparhBeating a dead horse, huh?

... But then why Frontier asks 25 Eur for a dead game ( 3.8 is no longer developed and EDH was a "compliment" to players that do not like Odyssey)

Oh, my, oh, my...


Not like Odyssey and/or not need them.
From my experience Odyssey is under development yet - technically put. In terms of functions common with Horizons 3.8 Odyssey works well not excellent but average well (playable). New "features" are buggy as hell. I quit play it when after scanning bio entering my SRV and got black screen. Standard procedure: drop to menu and reload... and I found me on foot with my ship and SRV onboard orbiting somewhere. Thanks to max cell stock in backpack I survive this shit. Uninstalled Odyssey and stay with 3.8. Another problem was shifting ships on FC for refitting - after few swaps Odyssey begin crash with errors, relog to Horizons 3.8 and no matter how many ship swaps was done no more errors.
As explorer I don't need on foot shooter type actions, but exobiology was nice addon ... up to time. Menu and map system in Odyssey is unwieldy for explorers - what moron divided astronomical and physical body properties to separate tabs and require distinctive click on every for reading its data? In Horizons 3.8 all exploration data are in one tab and are updated by hover cursor over bodies on system map.
One point taken for copy/paste system and body locations from map to clipboard, but it's only one against many points lost.
In terms of graphic performance no problems noted, maybe because I not visit crowded areas and combat zone settlements.
Multiplayer instancing is away from me because I play solely in Solo mode, but I understand other people who are divided into separate groups. Developers' actions should go towards merging groups into one instance instead of splitting further (EDH 3.8, EDH 4.0, EDO 4.0 and consoles).
Contrary to Sakashiro I will keep my FC because it's my home far away from bubble and I have enough cash to upkeep for next years. I may wait for clearing this whole mess and I have many alternatives for my entertainment.

Cheers commanders 07.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:03pm
Kurakil
10 Nov 2022, 2:27am
A settlement security officer was stuck chest high in the ground. I have to walk past him to get to the objective. He wants to scan me... but he just stays imbedded in the ground and can't scan me. But if I move I get flagged as evading a scan.
Another time I had a heist mission and I was wanting to turn off the alarms. Only every npc in the settlement was frozen in place... including one standing right in front of the alarms console, in the exact place required to be able to interact with the console. At least everyone was frozen in place so even with the alarms going off I could just find some cover and wait out the timer before I run in to snag the sample.
I swear FDev goes out of their way to make things as frustrating as possible. Or in some cases impossible.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:04pm
Grecale80
23 Nov 2022, 9:50pm
Yuna SakashiroSince Frontier decided to stick to the narrative that Horizons 4.0 isn't the latest release of Horizons but rather a "tech demo" for Odyssey, it's only appropriate to acknowledge this in a Steam review:




Personally i really appreciate what you wrote on steam. As a customer/player you have shown more transparency and respect for other customers than the software house itself that create and sell the game; but the truth is that should be responsibility of Fdev, so for me this is AGAIN a lame way of communication from Fdev. When the things are going in this way something is gone definetly wrong.

I have just finished to make a copy of my psn account on pc too just for have a backup of my in game history, but this not mean i will play ED again, at least on PC.

After all why i should play on pc? I bought ED in 2016 for ps, if it was my intention play it on PC i could have bought it directly six years ago, don't you think, dear Fdev?

From my point of view Fdev haven't trustworthy anymore. You like it or not this is a kind of "deportation" (im sorry for the strong word): Frontier is forcing and pushing definetly hundreds of players switching form a platform to another and this only because these AMATEURS have decided this unilaterally (and with few days of forewarning too). I don't see any form of respect in this behaviour, respect for the whole community. Anyone is free to swipe or not, im not here for judge the decision of other players, but in my opinion when you give for the first time "green light" to a company for doing whatever they want just because they are sure the customers will accept any decision without sayin' a word, well when this happend for the first time you create a kind of "monster" that in the future can take any decision without caring about the consequences on the community (and i want remember again that any single member of this community is A CUSTOMER of Fdev with same rights).

Actually my credit to Fdev game's developing plan and his transparency in the communication's policy is terribly far below the zero...im easily reaching negative numbers about the good faith of this software house. From my point of view this software house is so untrustable that i can buy tomorrow a new pc just for play ED, but after few months these guys can decide unilaterally to shut down the whole game, or swap again to another game platform, or decide to develop the game for a pc with a higher hardware than mine. And any time We should start again this crazyness?!

So, dear Fdev? What Im supposed to do with this mess? I'm start thinking probably You are not aware Im a person, not a potato sack that You can shake and put where you want and when you want. Simply, dear Fdev, this behaviour is not fair for the players, and for the time and money they put in this game; simply is not fair "rule" a whole community according to your whims because WE HAVE to put a patch to your mistakes in the game's development: i'm a player not a game developer, this shouldn't be my problem at all.

Actually guys im a bit pissed off, did you noticed?

At moment i don't know if i will continue play again ED, either on ps5 or PC, or if i will ask the cancellation of my accounts: i'm really disappointed for the Fdev behaviour, and im not the kind of man that like do things i don't have trust in; probably someone of you can think im overreacted and melodramatic, after all is just a game. True, but i think the respect for the people should be shown same in the little and the big things of the life, at least this is my way to see the life at the venerable age of 42.

Consequently i don't know if this will be also my last post in this fabulous place and community, but this is not a real problem: i always preferred reading you than write my thoughts (is the better way to learn: speak few and listen twice than you speak)

So for now would you like accept my o7 amd my thank you

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:04pm
Aria Darabi
24 Nov 2022, 8:41pm
I have no qualms with the update to come. I have been a long-time supporter of the game (circa closed beta 2014) and I can understand why they are taking such drastic steps. You may not agree with me, but I think the game definitely needs this.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:04pm
Grecale80
24 Nov 2022, 9:25pm
Aria DarabiI have no qualms with the update to come. I have been a long-time supporter of the game (circa closed beta 2014) and I can understand why they are taking such drastic steps. You may not agree with me, but I think the game definitely needs this.


Off course i have not problem with your pov, as i said my intention was not to judge other's players decisions or opinions about this situation. The great problem imho is that Fdev should never put this game on multiplatform, this is the great old mistake of all this history. Fdev can barely walk (aka develop for one platform), think they could fly (aka develop the game on 3 different machines) was an act of arrogance and overrate of their own capabilities.

My only hope is that they'll never take the decision to abandon the game definetly in the same abysmal way they disbaned the console side of the project. But from guys like these personally now i expect only bad things

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 11:05pm
Prom3thean
25 Nov 2022, 8:22pm
I know I may be a bit late to this, but long have I noticed distinct lighting changes from Horizons 3.8 to Odyssey 4.0, after comparing the two it seems like Ambient Lighting is.. either gone or updated. I may sound nitpicky, but I loved Horizon 3.8's Ambient Lighting, it felt much more natural to me in some respects over Odyssey.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Meowers
25 Nov 2022, 8:26pm
Odyssey rendering messed up lighting everywhere.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Prom3thean
25 Nov 2022, 8:29pm
It did? When I switch between both versions currently it doesn't seem like much changes outside of the lighting and sharp/smoothness of objects, that and the planetary rendering ofc

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Episparh
26 Nov 2022, 6:31pm
Oh fk, I forgot how stupid new outfiting UI is. Not to mention that I do not see 4 modules which I recently bought

Actually bought 9 modified guardian weapons, flew back to FC to transfer them and half were missing. Returned back to see them if accidently I sold them but do not see them there. WTF is this BS?

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Kurakil
26 Nov 2022, 10:48pm
EpisparhOh fk, I forgot how stupid new outfiting UI is. Not to mention that I do not see 4 modules which I recently bought

Actually bought 9 modified guardian weapons, flew back to FC to transfer them and half were missing. Returned back to see them if accidently I sold them but do not see them there. WTF is this BS?

I think they automatically go to local storage where you make the trade for them. If not then I have no idea.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Episparh
27 Nov 2022, 9:08am
Yes, I was seeing all the modules in local storage but once I arrived at FC they were missing. Returned back, they were missing. Switched to 3.8 , they were missing.

The materials I've used to buy those modified Guardian tech are , surprise surprise, missing.

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm
Miseri
27 Nov 2022, 9:11am
Damn not even good ole galactic logistics is safe from package theft these days

Post edited/moved by: Artie, 21 Dec 2022, 10:38pm

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