Random crazy idea -- being able to do OOS stuff on mobile

[birdtable]

Could do with a SETA but not accelerator but arrester .... surely if the ability exists to speed up time then the opposite must be possible...get all the paperwork done..

[Drakuel]

Downtime is less of an issue in XR then in previous X games, maybe except for XBTF as you were required to be on site for most interactions iirc.
Still if the game has these I'd rather the game design be adjusted to provide alternatives within the game then a possibility to remote-play it.

I think with teleportation this will be less of an issue (speculating here). I can, say, send a ship to go to a place far away, teleport to a miner and do some manual mining in the meantime and then teleport back when the ship has arrived. Again, speculation on my part, but this would be a way to create option for player to not have to sit idle waiting for the game to create stuff to do.

In any case I would not like to play a game "on the side", either I'm in the game or I'm not.

MFG

Ketraar

I agree to a point.. I dont think remote play is fitting for this game.. However, I do see massive value in remote messaging and notifications from AI autopilots..

Having your in game staff notify my phone that task is complete would be handy, many times I get it to do some life tasks, while I wait for a long dock or delivery..

Just playing X3 right now and, I was cooking breakfast for wife, I had a long trade haul so I set my autopilot, and continued my breakfast, would be nice if I got status messages, like it was docked, or under attack or I arrived at sector..

[Alci]

Just playing X3 right now and, I was cooking breakfast for wife, I had a long trade haul so I set my autopilot, and continued my breakfast, would be nice if I got status messages, like it was docked, or under attack or I arrived at sector..

you know what you need? Simple wireless headphones/handsfree to hear the running game with a mod there should not be a thing that couldn't be done

[ZombiePotatoSalad]

*BUZZ BUZZ*

*takes out phone*

Betty: ONE OF YOUR SHIPS IS UNDER ATTACK IN XENON SECTOR 141.

No thanks. I never got the appeal of taking my eyes off of my PC game to play another function of the same game on my phone, then go back to my PC. It's an interesting gimmick, but ultimately inefficient.

[Tenlar Scarflame]

I had a thought some time ago about an X4 API (or some other variety of software interface) that would let external programs both detect and trigger events in-game. This is one of the more attractive possibilities that such an interface would allow - some kind of in-browser or otherwise separate-device interface for issuing commands and viewing some kind of sector map, using some kind of lightweight server with vision and control over the X4 game state. ^^

I guarantee this would be the domain of modders if it were ever a thing at all, but it would be up to Ego to provide (and document, ideally ) the interface.

[Drakuel]

*BUZZ BUZZ*

*takes out phone*

Betty: ONE OF YOUR SHIPS IS UNDER ATTACK IN XENON SECTOR 141.

No thanks. I never got the appeal of taking my eyes off of my PC game to play another function of the same game on my phone, then go back to my PC. It's an interesting gimmick, but ultimately inefficient.

I see it no different than AI messaging you status info, there is no play involved, since there is no interaction to it . To each there own, I will look at a mod down the road on extending my command radius. I like my simulations to run, never cared for the whole pause entire galaxy concept, seemed silly to me but that's me..

I dont see the issue though, I was not advocating this idea to impact anyone other than a option for players to enable or not... Again most things need to be options not hard coded forcing others to use something, like a script ya know, again I will just wait for mod or plugin, no worries..

[Vandragorax]

In my honest opinion, I'd rather Egosoft continue to move the X series AWAY from being an 'idle' game. The last thing I want is to be sat at my PC with X4 in front of me, thinking "I can just leave this running now and go to do something else with my time, then come back and have bazillions of moneys." I mean at that point, I might as well just cheat and give myself infinite credits to do what I want.

There should always be more compelling things to do myself whilst other things happen in the meantime. I.e. while a factory is being constructed, or miners are gathering ore, I can go do some bounties from a station, find a short quest/mission, explore an unexplored zone, or hop into one of the mining ships myself in order to speed up the gathering process. etc. etc.

At the point where, whilst playing, the best course of action seems to be "turn on SETA and come back in an hour" then honestly I think the game design has failed

[ajime]

In my honest opinion, I'd rather Egosoft continue to move the X series AWAY from being an 'idle' game. The last thing I want is to be sat at my PC with X4 in front of me, thinking "I can just leave this running now and go to do something else with my time, then come back and have bazillions of moneys." I mean at that point, I might as well just cheat and give myself infinite credits to do what I want.

There should always be more compelling things to do myself whilst other things happen in the meantime. I.e. while a factory is being constructed, or miners are gathering ore, I can go do some bounties from a station, find a short quest/mission, explore an unexplored zone, or hop into one of the mining ships myself in order to speed up the gathering process. etc. etc.

At the point where, whilst playing, the best course of action seems to be "turn on SETA and come back in an hour" then honestly I think the game design has failed

Well that's a thats up to personal preference. Such play is what i would call arcade. I wouldn't say it is a failed game design just because I am not interested in simulation.
Egosoft and many other games started from simulation. You have the freedom to do anything you want as what you already mentioned above instead of SETA as per all previous EG games. It's your choice and imo having these choices and options is very important in a game design. it expands imagination.

[Vandragorax]

I didn't say we shouldn't have the choice to leave our PC on overnight collecting money (or whatever you want to do if you feel that's a "better simulation" or something).

What I said is that I believe if the game makes the player feel like that is the ONLY choice, then it is failed game design. I'm fine with certain game tasks taking a long amount of time to add realism, grind, whatever you want. But there has to be other tasks to do, jobs to undertake, compelling content to keep me entertained alongside it.

Imagine you bought a book and a few pages in it says "Put this book down and stop reading it now, then come back in an hour and skip to the last page." You'd think that book pretty much failed at being a book. I feel the same way if a video game forces me to do something else while the game runs in the background, it then counts as an "idle" game like all those boring idle clickers that are around - it's more like the antithesis of a game if I'm not actually playing it.

[Drakuel]

I didn't say we shouldn't have the choice to leave our PC on overnight collecting money (or whatever you want to do if you feel that's a "better simulation" or something).

What I said is that I believe if the game makes the player feel like that is the ONLY choice, then it is failed game design. I'm fine with certain game tasks taking a long amount of time to add realism, grind, whatever you want. But there has to be other tasks to do, jobs to undertake, compelling content to keep me entertained alongside it.

Imagine you bought a book and a few pages in it says "Put this book down and stop reading it now, then come back in an hour and skip to the last page." You'd think that book pretty much failed at being a book. I feel the same way if a video game forces me to do something else while the game runs in the background, it then counts as an "idle" game like all those boring idle clickers that are around - it's more like the antithesis of a game if I'm not actually playing it.

Simulation games by nature have these kind of stretches or mundane things in them, for the main reason to simulate realness or feeling you are simulating.

I think this game tries like any simulation to counter this with gimmick tools, jumpgates, teleports, set a drives etc... This then opens up other issues in game, and waters down the simulation at the very least..

I think this dial of taking some of the real world effects out of simulation is a delicate balancing act for any developer.

I also have always maintained other things need to be in space or in ships that create gaming flow, more than just hidden crates and abondend ships, I do think there is opportunity to have these more within the game at least in the begging parts of the game, once you start getting to the point of managing things, this is where the players love X. So yes the issue is to get there we do need more fillers, progressing players to mid play.

I think missions was a good try at it, but they were poorly implemented, but if done better and a few other things, that early game could feel better and increase players to the series...