Hyperion interiors are insufficient for a DLC ship

[Falcrack]

The Hyperion interior seems a bit lacking, especially considering that this was the only ship in this paid DLC. There are a couple doors in the middle hallway that don't open, could there not be something added there? For a paid DLC, I would think that something along the lines of the interior of the Astrid would be warranted.

[Thomas2052]

I would respectfully second that.

Those middle sets of doors seems a massively missed opportunity (not to mention a lower corridor that is visible, but not accessible).

Even adding in existing assets such as the Paranid representative room as an office or similar would be welcome.

As an aside, I've never quite understood why this is not done with all of those locked rooms in L+ class ships - the generator room, office room assets etc. already exist...

Regards

[StoneLegionYT]

Holy crap and I thought they did an amazing job....

I guess I have to start focusing more on egging game developers and less on what really matters in life.

The multiple elevators also was a nice touch not having or needing to use the transporter was I think an awesome touch too. Gave more life to the ship to me.

[Falcrack]

Holy crap and I thought they did an amazing job....

I guess I have to start focusing more on egging game developers and less on what really matters in life.

The multiple elevators also was a nice touch not having or needing to use the transporter was I think an awesome touch too. Gave more life to the ship to me.

What they have was nice. It's just that when I went exploring in there, I was left thinking, "Is this all there is?" I guess I was expecting just a little bit more exploration area. It's supposed to be the yacht of the Pontifex Maximus Paranidia, I was expecting a bit more luxury.

[StoneLegionYT]

Holy crap and I thought they did an amazing job....

I guess I have to start focusing more on egging game developers and less on what really matters in life.

The multiple elevators also was a nice touch not having or needing to use the transporter was I think an awesome touch too. Gave more life to the ship to me.

What they have was nice. It's just that when I went exploring in there, I was left thinking, "Is this all there is?" I guess I was expecting just a little bit more exploration area. It's supposed to be the yacht of the Pontifex Maximus Paranidia, I was expecting a bit more luxury.

I always wondered, and even hopped that those are going be used / planned for the future, but are not ready yet. Sadly they might never be used, but I was always hoping there be a use for them some day. Some sort of plan they have that is just not ready yet.

[Scoob]

I think what they've done is nice. I love the unique elevators and the enclosed S-Pad with the hangar door, all that's great. I do however agree that more rooms are needed. Those two inactive doors could be put to use! Some sort of Captain's State room would be nice, as well as a general crew lounge. Rooms need to have large Windows for an external view - I particularly like that the S-Pad has Windows. I enjoy riding around inside a ship, but with a view. I've not checked the model to see what there's actually room for, but the size of the ship suggests ample interior space to expand.

So, nice ship, but I agree that more rooms are needed, especially as this is paid DLC for just a single ship and a plot line that can be completed (to obtain the ship) in just a few minutes.

[Raptor34]

The interior is great. The only issue is all that work goes towards stuff you cannot interact with. If you actually paid attention, you'll notice the whole bunch of stuff around the area, like the AGI/engine core at the back, or the small things below the landing pad.

The problem is that all those are kinda pointless and frankly the effort should have been spent on rooms we can stay in instead. Which is similar to my thoughts on the new construction vessel models. The work done of those would have been better served for ships we would actually see and use more often.
Incidentally I've also recently come around to the thought that the E variant of ships being just the same old ships but with new models is also wasted effort, those should have been new actual variants instead that is more distinct from the older ships rather than just brand new look, same old internals. And no, I don't consider their slightly tweaked stats to be that much of a difference. Maybe for the Paranid one's since iirc those actually gained a substantial travel speed increase to make them a little more distinct.

[vvvvvvvv]

I think what they've done is nice.

It is nice, but more could've been done.

Astrid was more impactful and had more interactivity. Even though you couldn't swim in the pool, couldn't lie on the bed, and couldn't get hammered at the bar and go on drunken space adventure, you could open the shutters and toggle bedroom lights.

I think the key lesson here is because video games are interactive, things are more fun when you can interact with them. Like you press a button, something happens. Hyperion leans towards visuals.

Imagine if... one of the locked doors would lead to captain's quarters. With a deck, sleeping pod, opened cocoon. There are few interactive objects, like book shelf with 333 copies of the axioms of holy-3-dimensionality. But those objects are a puzzle. When you solve the puzzle, a secret compartment opens, there's a key which leads to the corridor below. And there's something beyond the last door. Could be an easter egg.

But I guess it is what it is.

[azaghal]

I think the key lesson here is because video games are interactive, things are more fun when you can interact with them. Like you press a button, something happens. Hyperion leans towards visuals.

Imagine if... one of the locked doors would lead to captain's quarters. With a deck, sleeping pod, opened cocoon. There are few interactive objects, like book shelf with 333 copies of the axioms of holy-3-dimensionality. But those objects are a puzzle. When you solve the puzzle, a secret compartment opens, there's a key which leads to the corridor below. And there's something beyond the last door. Could be an easter egg.

I mean... If you want true interactivity, why not make it so that all those different displays we see around the large ships etc are actual in-game menus/maps that you can use to review personnel, issue orders etc. That would build both towards the immersion and functionality. For example, while on a carrier, you could have map of the surrounding area on one of the consoles - during the combat you make a decision that the wing assigned to defense duty should be moved into interception to help deal with the influx of enemy fighters, after which you would walk to another console and change the assignment through some kind of selection menu. All of this done using first-person perspective and (interaction) controls. Or... Maybe you would even have some way of issuing a fall-back order so that the fighters would bring the enemy closer to the capital ships for some flak cannon festivities. And how about external monitors (man, I miss those from the X3 so much).

I am not saying it should replace the way we currently interact with the menus (having them available at our fingertips), but it would be a nice and way more meaningful addition to the game. (and this goes beyond the Hyperion, really)

[vvvvvvvv]

I mean... If you want true interactivity, why not make it so that all those different displays we see around the large ships etc are actual in-game menus/maps that you can use to review personnel, issue orders etc. That would build both towards the immersion and functionality. For example, while on a carrier, you could have map of the surrounding area on one of the consoles - during the combat you make a decision that the wing assigned to defense duty should be moved into interception to help deal with the influx of enemy fighters, after which you would walk to another console and change the assignment through some kind of selection menu. All of this done using first-person perspective and (interaction) controls. Or... Maybe you would even have some way of issuing a fall-back order so that the fighters would bring the enemy closer to the capital ships for some flak cannon festivities. And how about external monitors (man, I miss those from the X3 so much).

I am not saying it should replace the way we currently interact with the menus (having them available at our fingertips), but it would be a nice and way more meaningful addition to the game. (and this goes beyond the Hyperion, really)

Capital ships have named consoles. "Comms", "Navigation", etc. Those bring up menus, when you activate them. Comms brings up your chat history, navigation brings up map, etc. Gunnery does nothing.

Rendering actual map will have performance impact. The good news is that this has to be done only on ship where the player is present and only when the player sees the map, so it won't be huge. Probably.

Also, I was talking among the lines of "you active an object, something moves". Most functionality for this is already in the game. Fully dynamic screens, however, aren't used anywhere.

[flywlyx]

I was actually expecting more internal rooms that could be shared across different ships, but this is fine too. I don’t think a larger interior is a good idea since, unlike other capital ships, it’s always rendered. More interior space would mean higher resource consumption. Plus, Hyperion isn’t a unique ship like Astrid—players could potentially build many of them, which could put a significant strain on resources.

[LameFox]

It seems like a pretty good level of interior space to me. I don't want every single ship to be another Astrid. If I had any complaint, it would be there's so much room behind the bridge with so little evident function. Compare the Odachi, which looks like its interior is serving some kind of purpose.

And while I wouldn't mind in theory if they had other shared rooms in it, I don't think the ones that exist for ships have much/any racial variety currently, which isn't ideal.

[flywlyx]

It seems like a pretty good level of interior space to me. I don't want every single ship to be another Astrid. If I had any complaint, it would be there's so much room behind the bridge with so little evident function. Compare the Odachi, which looks like its interior is serving some kind of purpose.

And while I wouldn't mind in theory if they had other shared rooms in it, I don't think the ones that exist for ships have much/any racial variety currently, which isn't ideal.

Isn't the Odachi just a long, empty walkway? It has the most barren cockpit in the entire game—the designer must be a minimalist. I actually like the cockpits of the F and B models; they have just enough details to fill the space while still offering a decent field of view. Especially the display screen in the F model—it’s not only cool but also practical.

It’s actually quite difficult to find rooms with functional purposes. The only one that comes to mind is the turret control room. Other than that, the engine room and crew compartment don’t really serve any practical function.

[LameFox]

It seems like a pretty good level of interior space to me. I don't want every single ship to be another Astrid. If I had any complaint, it would be there's so much room behind the bridge with so little evident function. Compare the Odachi, which looks like its interior is serving some kind of purpose.

And while I wouldn't mind in theory if they had other shared rooms in it, I don't think the ones that exist for ships have much/any racial variety currently, which isn't ideal.

Isn't the Odachi just a long, empty walkway? It has the most barren cockpit in the entire game—the designer must be a minimalist. I actually like the cockpits of the F and B models; they have just enough details to fill the space while still offering a decent field of view. Especially the display screen in the F model—it’s not only cool but also practical.

It’s actually quite difficult to find rooms with functional purposes. The only one that comes to mind is the turret control room. Other than that, the engine room and crew compartment don’t really serve any practical function.

Odachi looks like someone actually lives in it/uses it. If you're looking for functional things to do then of course it's as empty as any ship (though I think you can open a compartment on the wall) but that's just because all of the interiors in this whole game are meaningless decoration. Xenon are also good but I don't think I'd want non-Xenon to look as chaotic and alien as they do.

Paranid ships are kind of weird though, their whole aesthetic seems to be that of an empty container with almost nothing that even looks interactive. Same with present-day Terran. I think Egosoft assumes that high-tech means you design stuff to completely obscure its function and just leave it blank and smooth, but to me that looks very sterile and boring.

[Scoob]

It seems like a pretty good level of interior space to me. I don't want every single ship to be another Astrid. If I had any complaint, it would be there's so much room behind the bridge with so little evident function. Compare the Odachi, which looks like its interior is serving some kind of purpose.

And while I wouldn't mind in theory if they had other shared rooms in it, I don't think the ones that exist for ships have much/any racial variety currently, which isn't ideal.

It's pretty decent with some unique element I really like. However, this is not every single ship, it's a new, initially unique ship that has to be paid for as part of a DLC. Expecting it to be as detailed as the Astrid, with more to explore, isn't unreasonable at all. It's a Large ship, whereas the Astrid is Medium, so there's more space to be filled.

I don't know about others, but I often like just existing (passenger) on a ship as it follows orders. Be it standing on the flight deck of a Carrier watching ships do their thing. Or stand in a room, watching the universe go by. It was "hanging about on stations", that lead to the Observation modules being introduced, something I'd requested a number of times over the years. Now, they're my go-to location while I do management stuff. it'd be similar with such a room on a ship like the Hyperion. Of course, a ship is potentially on the move, so it's a mini sight-seeing adventure lol.

I entered the ship, was looking around going "ooo!" internally, then I see an inactive door, and another, and there's not Captains quarters, no Crew quarters. It felt less because of that. What they've done is nice, but it genuinely feels like some bits are missing. Future plans perhaps? I mean, why add the doors at all if there was never a plan for rooms behind them?

[azaghal]

Also, I was talking among the lines of "you active an object, something moves". Most functionality for this is already in the game. Fully dynamic screens, however, aren't used anywhere.

Even with that simple activation - you could try making it do something useful. Like summon/dismiss a pilot, toggle some functional aspect of the ship (drone/turret activation), open comms to someone on the ship (opening comms dumps you into first person view anyway). Heck, I wanted to suggest adding a small bell to trader areas that would speed up the trader spawning (for all those impatient people). And if it can move another object, it should be able to turn on some light here and there as an indicator.

[LameFox]

Other ships also have doors that don't go anywhere tbh. Like Sapporo.

I mean, on one hand sure it's nice when ships have cool interiors, but also that's effort that is going to something with no function besides decoration that you will most of the time only briefly pass through on your way to the bridge. To me the Timelines and flyable Xenon ships represent the ideal compromise of interesting interior without spending an excessive time on it. Astrid is nice as a one off but I wouldn't want a slow trickle of weirdly detailed Astrid-like DLC ships that make you look at all the normal ships in the game and wonder why their interiors are so pathetic. To me the approach of making a good looking mid-detail ship that is designed not to be unique but as a production ship in the universe is really the ideal, and the Hyperion seems to have done pretty well there (except as noted I don't know why so much of that effort went to a fairly empty space behind the bridge).

Regarding observation rooms on ships, this is something that's come up before a few times. IMO the ideal approach would be a limited number of separated rooms (maybe one per main race?) which use screens to display the goings-on around the ship, like how Xenon cockpits work. In this way you could even refit them into older capital ships, or things like Admin modules on stations.

[flywlyx]

Odachi looks like someone actually lives in it/uses it. If you're looking for functional things to do then of course it's as empty as any ship (though I think you can open a compartment on the wall) but that's just because all of the interiors in this whole game are meaningless decoration. Xenon are also good but I don't think I'd want non-Xenon to look as chaotic and alien as they do.

Paranid ships are kind of weird though, their whole aesthetic seems to be that of an empty container with almost nothing that even looks interactive. Same with present-day Terran. I think Egosoft assumes that high-tech means you design stuff to completely obscure its function and just leave it blank and smooth, but to me that looks very sterile and boring.

You must be confusing the Odachi with another ship. Its cockpit is literally just an empty room, like an exhibit space in a museum.


The chaotic, alien style is more suited for PE and SE, with the wires and tubes effectively shaping the environment. F and B, on the other hand, align more with the ATF style—cold, war-machine aesthetics. It’s a shame there aren’t more ATF ships.

I completely agree—while the current TER and old USC styles work fine for civilian ships, they don’t suit warships.

[Thomas2052]

You must be confusing the Odachi with another ship.

I think he means the Cutlass.

Love that interior with the bed and what have you. In previews, I hoped it would be the Xperimental shuttle, but alas.

Regards

[vvvvvvvv]

but also that's effort that is going to something with no function besides decoration

The function is to make player happy. To make the ship a place the player want to (re)visit.

If graphics didn't matter people would've been still playing wireframe elite from 1980s, and never needed anything more. Visuals and decorations matter, and right now visuals are part of X4 appeal.

Also, consider this. No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous both feature cockpit customization items. Bobbleheads and placeables. People are willing to go through challenges (NMS) or pay real money to get them. Because one of t he things people typically want is to express themselves in the world. That's why X4 has logos, paintjobs, lets you select player name and your ship. That is also why base builders are popular. And that's why people didn't like being locked into Albion Skunk.