WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG THING? ...and WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ,or not like IN IT

[VincentTH]

I like the idea of solar system based maps like in Frontier Elite, with HyperSpace Jump in between. When you go into HyperSpace jump, your factories will be at the mercy of pirates, (so you have to set up your factory defense) since it takes some time to reach the destination, and during hyperspace jump time, you can't do anything

Inner system travel can borrow the model used in IndyWar where gates can shorten the travel time.

Also a little bit of inertia that allows you to do strafe runs (ship turning to fire at cap ships, whithout changing direction/velocity). Cap ships would have weak points (turrets, shield generators etc...).

[EternalSpace]

You should be able to send down probes to planets to check for life and what elements the planet consists of. Then if you want send down a crew of miner's who have a mining operations base on the planet and one in space, think of the Nostromo from Alien.

[builder680]

I'd like a game very similar to X. Single Player. Things I'd like to see included are:

Planetary landings and exploration. Perhaps with the ability to perform operations (military or otherwise) planetside... maybe even as support for ground forces of a particular faction on that planet against another faction. Find minerals, life forms, ruins and artifacts ala Starflight 1 and 2.

A couple of new roles for ships, necessitated by implementation of the above. Some ships would be space only, some would be more like aircraft and planetside only, and some would be able to travel in both environments, a sort of technological amphibian. Hmm, makes me think about water/underwater combat!

FTL travel, seamless travel. Similar to how WoW handles its world zones, other than instances. Basically, less (or no) time staring at loading screens.

Walk around inside ships and stations. Free camera with the ability to zoom and take in the view from any angle. Interactivity with objects and PEOPLE in this mode.

A crew. A bridge, engineering section, etc..., for capital ships. All interactive. Optional (ON/OFF) cockpits for all ships.

More interactive boarding actions. SOCOM like operations and gameplay (been a long time since I played a FPS, but you get the idea)!

Randomly generated universe and economy infrastructure for each new game. I'm not a programmer, but I wonder if you can't make algorithms to generate any number of random characteristics for each game. This would also take the work of "building" the worlds and universe and put it in the hands of algorithms (which would need parameters so that the worlds and universe made sense). Would negate the problem of how much time it would take to draw and populate endless numbers of planets. For example, algorithms that could generate:

Planet size, composition, appearance, demographics (including number of factions, and which of those factions are at peace/war with each other, or even more specific diplomacy such as trade/tech treaties, alliances, etc...), topography, and distribution throughout the universe

Planet and space economies

The shapes and sizes of stations and planetary buildings (within certain parameters by station/building type) that would determine the internal layout of stations as well.

A better and more consistent UI. Just a slight example... "Follow me" should be the same keystroke combination regardless of ship class or software (if used). Customizable, modular, resizable, and toggleable (if that's a word) by module.

A standard interface for automated installation/removal of mods! A standard distribution location for same! Perhaps even licensed mods (some of them at least, with most going to Egosoft and small amount to the modder), I wouldn't mind paying a small fee for the work of really excellent mods. Not sure where that would leave the smaller mods, but the very large ones like SRM and CMOD, IR, XTC... those kinds of massive projects should be financially rewarding for both Egosoft and the modders, in my opinion.

This is really a very rough "wish list." I realize that many think planet landings and walking around would take away from the base game, but

A) I don't subscribe to that defeatist and zero sum mentality (you can add a patty to a cheeseburger and make it a double cheeseburger... without taking away from the cheeseburger... even it costs more time/money to make) Just sell it for more. Much more, if necessary! Only challenge is finding enough to buy it... hopefully a lot of gamers are like me and would pay premium for it... though I admit it's doubtful.

and

B) It's MY wish list. I'm not gonna aim lower than what I really want! Aim for the stars!

Whatever it is, I can't wait to see it. I've just discovered this game (X3TC) in February, so I'm VERY late to the party, but Egosoft has rapidly become my favorite developer. Especially after 15 (?) years of waiting for the next Elite, and seeing other franchises I've played for years, and in some cases decades, take a nose dive in design approach and overall quality (in my opinion) in exchange for mass appeal.

[EternalSpace]

I'd also like to see Residence Stations of some kind. In the X-Universe where the hell does everybody live! And you should be able to expand and add-onto these stations, like add more living quarters, power generators, etc... And that would add more places to walk as well. The insides of stations should also be slightly randomized, not in how rooms are placed, but how decorations are. Every race should have a different theme and layout inside their bases. For example if we were in the X-Universe the Boron might have rooms in the station filled completely with water that you have to fight your way through.

I think FPS style play while out side you're ship wouldn't take away from the game. Its not hard to design and it could make "boarding missions" and maybe "assassinate a citizen on a station" mission feel like you're an actual marine. If you wanted you could just let AI trained marines handle the work if you're not into the FPS parts.

[Nanook]

I'd also like to see Residence Stations of some kind. In the X-Universe where the hell does everybody live!...

Obviously, on the stations where they work. Anything else wouldn't make much sense in such an environment. Commuting would be a waste of time and energy, not to mention fraught with danger - pirates, Xenon, Kha'ak, autopilock.

[EternalSpace]

Uhhh... They could use new Transporter Devices which work at longer range, to get to different stations! They do it in Star Trek!

[Nanook]

They could, if they had such a thing, but why? Living in the station where they work makes so much more sense, doesn't it?

[EternalSpace]

Well, would you want to live at work? What if you wanted to visit family members at the Swarm Missile factory, they just allow you to move in temporary?

*Also, I'd like to be able to kill massive amounts of people without having to harm the local economy lol*

[Nanook]

Well, would you want to live at work?

Which is precisely what people do who live and work in harsh environments. And space is probably the harshest of all. You're thinking of these stations all wrong. They're actually little communities, like the space station in Deep Space Nine, for example.

What if you wanted to visit family members at the Swarm Missile factory, they just allow you to move in temporary?

No different than visiting relatives anywhere else, I'd guess. Most likely, you'd either bunk with the relatives in their private living quarters, or make other arrangements. Assuming an overnight stay, of course. Don't see the difficulty here.

*Also, I'd like to be able to kill massive amounts of people without having to harm the local economy lol*

So, you think killing off the station's workers, who happen to live in a separate facility, wouldn't harm the local economy? Odd.

[StarSword]

Well, would you want to live at work?

I'm with Nanook on this one. Notice that a lot of the stations have viewports? It wouldn't be hard for a percentage of those to be the windows of crew apartments.

Hey, Starfleet officers (and presumably enlisted, though we hardly ever saw any) live on their ships/stations for years on end (and not just by necessity, e.g. Voyager's situation). In Real Life™, the crew of the International Space Station stays aboard for months.

[Argon tactican Justin]

Well, would you want to live at work?

Would you want to have to find a new crew for your flagship every time you went through 5 sectors? It would be about the same thing except that you'd be stopped dead in space

*Also, I'd like to be able to kill massive amounts of people without having to harm the local economy lol*

What's the reason for escape pods if they aren't needed? The International Space Station always has an automated ship docked in case something happens and the crew needs to get back to Earth quickly, so why wouldn't stations in the X universe have something like that?

[builder680]

Well, would you want to live at work?

Would you want to have to find a new crew for your flagship every time you went through 5 sectors? It would be about the same thing except that you'd be stopped dead in space

*Also, I'd like to be able to kill massive amounts of people without having to harm the local economy lol*

What's the reason for escape pods if they aren't needed? The International Space Station always has an automated ship docked in case something happens and the crew needs to get back to Earth quickly, so why wouldn't stations in the X universe have something like that?

ISS crew using escape pods wouldn't be subject to incoming enemy spaceship fire whilst escaping... but I get your point.

[[FFCW]Urizen]

another good example are oil rig workers, they are out there for months

btt:

should it be a game in the x-universe with its mechanics, a little revise of the OOS-combats would be nice, as it is of now, it feels more like the game is rolling a die, to see which one wins (i´ve lost 3!!! Destroyer to only 1!!! Q, which btw. hadn´t even a scratch in its hull somebody said imba )

property management:

i´ve played through the plots, got my PHQ, added a little bit of money to it, and now i want my STs/UTs to work for that station, why the heck to i have to select the homebase via the universe map instead of the properties list ?

A option to link a player owned ED 2 the PHQ would be nice, so i can outfit those newly build ships right at the HQ (atleast with weapons, shields and missiles) instead of having them first to dock there (Bad luck again, Destroyer fresh of assembly line -> undocked -> kha´ak swarmed in and destroyed it before my patrol vessels could step in)

More interaction between the Races as of now it feels way to static to say its a living universe, oh yeah there are skirmishes between races, but thats all they are, and even the term skirmish doesn´t fit what i mean. Where is that Argon/Boron alliance in military terms??? Borons get slaughtered unhindered by split even in argon space and noone cares??? Paranids invading argon space through Boron space, killing argon merchants on the way and no response???
an argon fleet idling and enjoying space fuel whilst ore belt gets eradicated by kha´ak destroyers and carriers (so that´s not really race interaction ).

Command Menu:

Correct me if i´m wrong, but weren´t your ships linked to your brain by some sort of neural link, if so, commanding ships takes way too long, even if you memorized commands.

For example: (a little bit simplified) Colossus, docked with 3 M3, 3 M4 and 1 M5; 1 Cerberus, docked with 4 M4 and 1 M5; 2 Centaurs engaging a small Xenon Task Force consisting of 1 K and a lot of Fighters.

First Option: I send them at the enemy using Attack all enemies which isn´t actually very effective in terms of class roles, since they engage the first enemy that comes into sight or
Second Option: I send them at specific targets, but as it is now, it takes way to long to issue commands in real time.

The Broadcast option isn´t much of a help either because it lacks not only important commands (such as attack fighters...), but also you cannot select ships by class (just a broadcast to my M6´s to engage that M7 threatening my traders, whilst those M5 attack that lonely M3 and M3/M4 keep Protecting their respective target).

What i do miss is a command to recall launched fighters to return to their respective carrier (if anyone could give a link for this, or just a little direction SE wise, i probably could do it myself), yes again broadcast, but that means, other ships that are on escort duty will do nothing unless i give them that command again that´s a little bit of 2 much micromanagement, don´t u think 2.

Economy: Just 1 example, i could go on 4 hours if i wanted to .

Description of Teladianium says it is used in shipbuilding -> really? I don´t see it used anywhere, besides in biofactorys and PHQ´s and some techfabs as well i think. Solution: Shipyards that drain resources very much the same way ED do and not only teladianium, ecells, ore, silicon and other stuff as well.

Next Thing: Why do all Techfactorys have the same resource requirements, namely Food, Mineral(s) and Energy. Where do the Warheads/Guidancesystems for my Missilefactories come from, where do the optics for that laser come from and so on...
If some products are just secondary requirements (except PHQ), than either scrap that PHQ or scrap those wares, it´s just my opinion .

That´s it for the moment, it´s almost 3 in the morning and i need my beautysleep .

So Long Uri

[EternalSpace]

I've never understood why Micro Chips aren't really used for anything but as a secondary resource. Doesn't the game say they are used in Computer Components but they really aren't. They should be in Drones and Satellites at least.

*Whoops my mistake I guess they are used as a 2nd resource in Computer Components, but they aren't used at all for Drones or Advanced Satellites only normal ones.

[daman007]

Walking through stations, actually going to a jobs room, news room, trade room, weapons purchase room, etc. along with planet landing would make one of my fav games probably my most fav.

*eyes glaze over dreaming*

[dalin80]

Give me a mass of ways to customise my ship and iam happy.

On the subject of online I would be ok with the ability to co-op a mission or invasion type gameplay. Completely separate from the main game, a sector on its own which acts as a multiplayer lobby of sorts allowing players to join up to take on various missions. But i feel its very important to keep it separated from the main game, perhaps with news items informing people as too events occurring in the online sector.

[builder680]

I doubt they'll implement any online capability whatsoever unless it's designed as an MMO from the ground up. Otherwise, it's still a lot of work for little extra income. I think this is probably a lesson game developers as a whole have learned over the last few years.

Saying that, I don't think it will be an MMO, and therefore I don't think it will have many other aspects of online play either. My Facebook remark (in the Announcement thread) was (hopefully!) a joke.

[dalin80]

After being inflicted to the STO MMO community for a while any aspect of MMO needs to be shot in the face.

A group of whiners who cry their heads off at anything and everything that seems 'imba' or 'uber' until perfect balance is achieved by removing every aspect of fun.

The X games work so awesomely because some ships and weapons are more powerful or some products are more profitably, its not poor balance* its knowledge to be learned and used as you play. If the MMO'ers turn up they will whine until every ship is identical and every weapon does the same damage but with a +2% effect added to 'separate' them.


*unless its a boron ship but we have all learnt long ago that EGO hate them and never had any intent on making them anything but a joke.

[christina one dash one]

i hope itslike this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJs-NHTi3k

with more x3 universe this is totalllllyyyyy!! AWESOME!!! (with 3 ! )


dave

[Argon tactican Justin]

I predict TNBT will be released August/September of next year