The Improbable Future - AKA, things that would be fun to see in X4

[the_lainers]

Before we start, it is just a post about ideas. Be sure to post at your heart's content.

- Space Legs Plus

Years ago, an EVE Online developer said that once you give the player "space legs", he will demand guns and conflict to go along with it. While I don't think it is mandatory, that would be cool to have some kind of "run and gun" action for the X series, even if restricted to special instances.

One example? Think about a boarding party. Sending the marines is OK, but joining them and helping the chance of a better outcome would be sweet. Mount and Blade: Warband is a good example of how the player can turn the tide to his favor.


Next, pls!

[Tomonor]

I strongly oppose the idea of giving the player guns as of yet. Mostly because the game needs some serious resources elsewhere, and the fact that Egosoft still has no experience with FPS combat.

[Socratatus]

Before we start, it is just a post about ideas. Be sure to post at your heart's content.

- Space Legs Plus

Years ago, an EVE Online developer said that once you give the player "space legs", he will demand guns and conflict to go along with it. While I don't think it is mandatory, that would be cool to have some kind of "run and gun" action for the X series, even if restricted to special instances.

One example? Think about a boarding party. Sending the marines is OK, but joining them and helping the chance of a better outcome would be sweet. Mount and Blade: Warband is a good example of how the player can turn the tide to his favor.


Next, pls!

Giving players guns and a chance to board ships to fight would mean creating a fighting squad AI (both friend and enemy) and a map interior Of pretty much most places to fight in. It would take a LOT of work, not that I wouldn`t mind it, but I don`t think the Devs would take on such a feat.

If we are going there though, here`s my never to happen silly future wish- To be able to have relationships and even get married to a sexy woman npc and go off on journeys and return to see how she and the kids are getting on!

[the_lainers]

I strongly oppose the idea of giving the player guns as of yet. Mostly because the game needs some serious resources elsewhere, and the fact that Egosoft still has no experience with FPS combat.

Hence the name of the thread

[Arghan]

Think Consortium and how this game turned out. I would rather has solid space game + small legs elements than that mess again. If they make stellar space sim than maybe it could be time to think star citizen style. For me solid, robust and working game > bunch of great unfinished concepts.

[Shy'la Nesthorn]

I 100% am against the FPS combat aspect. I love FPS games but don't think people should try to mix gameplays that don't need to be mixed.

I WOULD like to see more fleshed out ship interiours tho. If I got a big frigate with 50 crew, I wanna travel the halls, see them walking around doing ship crew stuff. No just an elevator that takes me to the door, or the bridge with the pilot and one crewman playing musical chairs

[the_lainers]

I 100% am against the FPS combat aspect. I love FPS games but don't think people should try to mix gameplays that don't need to be mixed.

I WOULD like to see more fleshed out ship interiours tho. If I got a big frigate with 50 crew, I wanna travel the halls, see them walking around doing ship crew stuff. No just an elevator that takes me to the door, or the bridge with the pilot and one crewman playing musical chairs

There is this game, Interstellar Rift, that does a good job with ship's interiors. I imagine a mix of this with Mass Effect/Knights of the Old Republic.

[Belarin42]

This may not be improbable future and aside from the obvious (mostly) bug free game I would personally like to see more rooms on the ships/stations (from medium up) to include things like a ready room, maybe a conference room (on big sips) where you can actually plan and manage your empire, engine room, mess area maybe an infirmary, heck even just being able to enter a cargo hold and visually see how full your ship is would be cool. one of the things I liked in rebirth was that stations tried to have places in them, it just wasn't well implemented.


Usable co-pilot seats that have functionality (navigation, tactical etc.) Also though I may be remembering wrong but I seem to recall that in X3 you could manually fire and switch between turrets so sitting in the tactical seat could give you a switchable view from the turrets to aid in the AI piloted ships defence.


Maybe some slightly more interesting sector events or "diversions" like races, we already have the ships mods to alter the stats and sectors are big enough that you could be informed somehow of a race being set up and when you enter the sector a special course has been laid out with random NPC racers who have diverse modded ships that you can bet on or join the race yourself. I'm sure we could come up with many other fun events that could happen.


There are loads of things I would like to see but even if they are possible with the engine they would be a long way off yet.

[Helmut_AUT]

I'd like to see big main plot events. Not playing Elite myself, but from a friend and online I can see how they introduce the Thargoids and build them up as antagonists. I.e., plot events that really "threaten the Galaxy" and are told piece-meal trough set scenes and prescripted events to raise the tension.

Of course this goes against the sandbox and living economy, so it's not going to happen.

[LTerSlash]

Maybe XR capital ships and a few missing from X3 as Cruicers, Heavy Cruicers, Battleships.

[Hero77]

I would personally like to see much more compelx systems in general.

- For example Scanning with different types of scan probes for the different signal sources and using triangulation to locate a signal source etc,..

- Or more complex missions. For example in a kill mission instead of telling your the location of the target on your map, you would have to first investigate the surrounding of the target, interviewing npcs that had business with him before and can give you little clues about his whereabouts. Then you have to put the puzzle pieces together, and make an educated guess on where you will find him/her.

- More complex economy systems with much more different wares (like in EVE Online) and an escrow-type trade system

Just add more depth to every aspect of the game.

[edit]
oh, and I would love to see Helge pick up his work on Plutarch Rising again and also work on new novels for X4 and beyond... but one can only dream about such things..

[Riccardoman]

Improbabile but 1% possible?
Let's see :

-Every previous X Universe models translated into the new engine and overhauled, I know I'm a dreamer

-Hugely improved AI pathing and collisions

-Better animations overall and better connections between animations for NPCs

-More rich and detailed interiors (docks included)

-Better lighting system and reflections for interiors (docks included)

-Hangar and docking platforms inside the ships

-Differences between races evident from the most insignificant things (architecture, decorations, textures etc...... I'm talking about interiors again, and yes you guessed it, docking platforms)

-Improvements on loading priorities (it's pretty ambarassing seeing a pixelated white circle instead of a planet when going through a jumpgate)

-Better human clothing, poses and faces (with that I've said everything ) there's an entire thread about that

Hopes up! And a sincere appreciation for the developers and their hard work!

[Eriodas]

Borons.

[pittlebelge]

Low orbit sectors, I want to see the planets take up my whole screen

[arrowrl201]

Make station scanning less of a pain in the ass. I'm all for the idea of scanning stations to reveal information but having to get out of my ship and nitpick every single module is more effort than it's worth. And I need to do this for EVERY STATION.

A quick flyby should be enough, really.

[SparvieroGed]

1) First we need bug fix. Months of bug fix. Maybe years.

2) We need better Fly IA. I started a X Rebirth game a week ago and I stopped after 3 hours becouse my L Cargo can't correctly collocate itself to make a trade with a station. In X4 today I watched 10 minutes a L ship trying to get inside a portal ( and portal are really big in X4 )...at end I went away. Sometimes I think X games will be better if only small ship could move along z axis.

3) We need stories and lore. Tons of both for the greater good of immersion.


But X5 will come out before the above.

[Socratatus]

I think some of you don`t understand what IMPROBABLE means.

[myztkl-kev]

Make station scanning less of a pain in the ass. I'm all for the idea of scanning stations to reveal information but having to get out of my ship and nitpick every single module is more effort than it's worth. And I need to do this for EVERY STATION.

A quick flyby should be enough, really.

what? why are you getting out of your ship? your ship has a close range scan too. You only ever need to leave your ship for data leaks. But yes, being able to scan the whole station, or at least a radius to get a few pieces at once would be nice.

[Barnardstar]

I would personally like to see much more compelx systems in general.

- For example Scanning with different types of scan probes for the different signal sources and using triangulation to locate a signal source etc,..

- Or more complex missions. For example in a kill mission instead of telling your the location of the target on your map, you would have to first investigate the surrounding of the target, interviewing npcs that had business with him before and can give you little clues about his whereabouts. Then you have to put the puzzle pieces together, and make an educated guess on where you will find him/her.

Maybe not quite that complex, but this kind of thing would be great.

1. For bounty hunter missions, instead of having a shiny gold marker telling you which ship to kill you could be given a description of the target. For example: He's a trader who flies a mercury with serial number xxxx (are they still in the game?), he usually trades in Argon prime. She's a Split pirate who patrols Heretics end and flies an Eclipse.

2. For finding lockboxes etc, I really like the triangulation idea. With some kind of manual control on the scanner direction so you have to move it around until you get a signal, mark the line on your map, repeat until you have enough data to find the box.

One of my own - equipment for smuggling/piracy like hull plating to hide from police scanners, or id scramblers so you can do some piracy in friendly sectors without losing rep.

FInally - a cabin/office of my own on any ship m+.

[myztkl-kev]

some improbable things that would be nice to see. Picture in Picture camera's like the old days - Being able to see your rear and your targeted ship at all times was super nice. I'd say jump drive, but with teleport, the "Ring-way" as I dubbed it and seta, it's really not needed. more black market trades aka slaves - it was always surreal running into those pirates. Made the universe seem alot more bleak, and let the player feel absolutely evil if they wanted. X4 doesn't have that feeling. I donno about you guys, but hauling space weed at most i feel like a paranoid teenager hiding my stash from my parents.

also, you guys mentioning guns on foot. Don't you already have a laser gun on foot? I wouldn't mind some kind of boarding mini-game where its basically just you and your marines in the ships hangar shooting back and forth from behind cover until there's a victor. That way they don't have to craft elaborate interiors for cap ships