Inside Egosoft Podcast -- #05 Stories and Missions -- now available

[iovic]

Loving the podcast so far!

This might be an unpopular or minority opinion, but I am really not enthusiastic about the proposed changes to venture mode. I don't tend to enjoy competitive multiplayer, and I hate having to be forced into teams with random people.

I understand that the mode is entirely "optional", but it really isn't if you're locking unique ships, equipment mods and paintjobs behind it. I've been missing all the paint mods since you shut down the previous iteration of venture mode, and would like them back without having to suffer through competitive multiplayer.

The new mode might end up being great and fun for a lot of people, but locking unique stuff behind modes I don't enjoy has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

[gevers]

I'm sorry I don't have time to listen to the podcast, is there somewhere a summary of it?

Judging from the users comments here, I can understand that there will be new ships as rewards for ventures, is that right?

If so, as an avid mod user, will I be locked out of those ships? Can modded games get those? (with no other mods ofc ).

[grimgore]

Hello


After going through CoH, I paused the game. There are too many problems to enjoy (see forums they are full of them).

I was hoping that optimizing the game would come first and that I would be able to continue my adventure soon.

Now I read about seasons and multiplayer .. I've played multiplayer games with seasons so often and I'm tired of the topic. I would give priority to a good "single player" at any time. X is my "single player" who carried me away from all the online crap.
Ventures were okay, and co-op as an option would be understandable. This multiplayer path is one that I don't like to go.

I bought a single player so I wouldn't have to compete online.
I play X because it's not Eve, not Elite, not Squadrons. I hope Egosoft you know what you are doing. At the moment I think you don't know your community very well anymore. But who knows, maybe I get something wrong and it will turn out differently.

[Raevyan]

After listening to the planned changes, I am even less convinced that this is the right direction. X always was a single player game and this addition isn’t a even real multiplayer. All of this will fall with the base game and it’s Problem that are still not fixed. The AI notoriously stupid. Also you basically cut out those players you play modded splitting the playerbase even more, considering the modding community in X is pretty big.

I‘m just waiting for them to reveal the online Shop where you can buy those OP venture ships.

I really feel like all this development time could have spend for fixing the game and improve it. Also what happens if there aren’t enough people to participate? There still is no beta date, we are waiting on fixes for things that got screwed up with 4.0. the first false promise was given when they said this patch would come a few weeks after 4.0. it’s now 2 month and the podcast format just shows, they are far away from this going live or even beta.

[Shehriazad]

Loving the podcast so far!

This might be an unpopular or minority opinion, but I am really not enthusiastic about the proposed changes to venture mode. I don't tend to enjoy competitive multiplayer, and I hate having to be forced into teams with random people.

I understand that the mode is entirely "optional", but it really isn't if you're locking unique ships, equipment mods and paintjobs behind it. I've been missing all the paint mods since you shut down the previous iteration of venture mode, and would like them back without having to suffer through competitive multiplayer.

The new mode might end up being great and fun for a lot of people, but locking unique stuff behind modes I don't enjoy has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

You might be overthinking this (possibly). It's not like you're going to spend a bunch of time with your random team and try to actively compete with enemy teams head-to-head. You'll still mostly do your passive venturing, just that there is scoring attached. And you are guaranteed rewards even if you go casual/lose. They even said you're gonna get a ship even if you lose. Just treat it as ventures were before the change...just that there'll be more rewards and new venture "targets"/missions.

After listening to the planned changes, I am even less convinced that this is the right direction. X always was a single player game and this addition isn’t a even real multiplayer. All of this will fall with the base game and it’s Problem that are still not fixed. The AI notoriously stupid. Also you basically cut out those players you play modded splitting the playerbase even more, considering the modding community in X is pretty big.

I‘m just waiting for them to reveal the online Shop where you can buy those OP venture ships.

I really feel like all this development time could have spend for fixing the game and improve it. Also what happens if there aren’t enough people to participate? There still is no beta date, we are waiting on fixes for things that got screwed up with 4.0. the first false promise was given when they said this patch would come a few weeks after 4.0. it’s now 2 month and the podcast format just shows, they are far away from this going live or even beta.

Modders will not lose out because they will do what they always do...create a mod version of it that they can use while being modded. Just like "old" ventures before modders will still have access to all rewards by installing mods which I can pretty much already see happening. Community is also not being split any more than it was with the old venture system.

Also a "shop to buy the ships?" I don't see that happening at all...not sure where that idea is coming from.

And not enough people participating? Don't think we need huge masses to make this work.

I'm sorry I don't have time to listen to the podcast, is there somewhere a summary of it?

Judging from the users comments here, I can understand that there will be new ships as rewards for ventures, is that right?

If so, as an avid mod user, will I be locked out of those ships? Can modded games get those? (with no other mods ofc ).

I don't see why you'd be missing out. Just like old ventures you're locked out of running them as a modded user...but again old venture was also put in as a mod and even had the "gameplay functionality" added. So yeah youll probably need a mod for it but youll likely get access to the content.

[gevers]

After listening to the planned changes, I am even less convinced that this is the right direction. X always was a single player game and this addition isn’t a even real multiplayer. All of this will fall with the base game and it’s Problem that are still not fixed. The AI notoriously stupid. Also you basically cut out those players you play modded splitting the playerbase even more, considering the modding community in X is pretty big.

I‘m just waiting for them to reveal the online Shop where you can buy those OP venture ships.

I really feel like all this development time could have spend for fixing the game and improve it. Also what happens if there aren’t enough people to participate? There still is no beta date, we are waiting on fixes for things that got screwed up with 4.0. the first false promise was given when they said this patch would come a few weeks after 4.0. it’s now 2 month and the podcast format just shows, they are far away from this going live or even beta.

You managed to write my thoughts, that's exactly it, but maybe we get a different perspective here on the forum, the modding community is not that big (on the nexus I see published 2/3 mods per week, mostly by the same authors), maybe egosoft just thought that if a player whom plays a modded game may just mod the new ship in their game...
As all of this sound awful to me, I feel like I have to listen to the podcast and wait to see further development to make a judgment.

And please don't speak about in game shop... This leads only to the death of all gaming... Microtransictions... (star wars imperial march plays in the background)

[iovic]

You might be overthinking this (possibly). It's not like you're going to spend a bunch of time with your random team and try to actively compete with enemy teams head-to-head. You'll still mostly do your passive venturing, just that there is scoring attached. And you are guaranteed rewards even if you go casual/lose. They even said you're gonna get a ship even if you lose. Just treat it as ventures were before the change...just that there'll be more rewards and new venture "targets"/missions.

Maybe. I'd like see more clarification from the devs.

Ideally I'd like the multiplayer to be more passive like it was previously, or else spun off into it's own unique thing.

I mostly just want my paint jobs back. I miss my shiny purple dragon raider.

[Raevyan]

Also a "shop to buy the ships?" I don't see that happening at all...not sure where that idea is coming from.

Bernd already mentioned they have to somehow monetize the whole thing. This isn’t just a small side feature. This requires a lot of resources and when it’s live also maintenance. Since they are planning different „stories“ for seasons that they are aiming for to last a month, they need come up with something new, again requiring resources they need to fund somehow.

[iovic]

Also a "shop to buy the ships?" I don't see that happening at all...not sure where that idea is coming from.

Bernd already mentioned they have to somehow monetize the whole thing. This isn’t just a small side feature. This requires a lot of resources and when it’s live also maintenance. Since they are planning different „stories“ for seasons that they are aiming for to last a month, they need come up with something new, again requiring resources they need to fund somehow.

Egosoft will have to be extremely careful with how they choose to monetise it. There's a lot of negative optics surrounding online monetization these days because of certain infamous publishers. Looking at you, EA, Ubisoft, Activision-Blizzard, 2K, etc.

I do understand that they'll need to recoup development and server costs, but I also understand that monetization will annoy a lot of players.

[grapedog]

I doubt ill use this feature much. X is my single player game. It scratches that itch for me, and I dont see it scratching my multiplayer itch.

That aside, they are Xperimenting with new things, like they did with Rebirth, and VR. I applaud them for trying new things, trying to continually develop their games in new ways it won't always be pretty or popular, but there is always an option to learn new things.

So have at it Ego, ill give it a whirl when it goes live, see how it jives with me. If it doesn't jive, ill move on. Ego will too, with new things rhey learned, and hopefully continue to keep putting out games in one of my favorite series.

[Shehriazad]

Egosoft will have to be extremely careful with how they choose to monetise it. There's a lot of negative optics surrounding online monetization these days because of certain infamous publishers. Looking at you, EA, Ubisoft, Activision-Blizzard, 2K, etc.

I do understand that they'll need to recoup development and server costs, but I also understand that monetization will annoy a lot of players.

Isn't the server cost almost negligible since there isn't any real "online" in the online mode? (So no need for high capacity and no need for high performance like you'd need it for online games that need to handle a lot of realtime player input)

Also not even sure what they'd monetize. Game is highly moddable and we're also talking buy 2 play type of game here.
I guess I'd pay a SMALL sum if they released some sort of permanent paintjob dlc based off of the consumable ones from ventures. Elite Dangerous has something like it I think. 2-4.99 for a handful of permanent version paintjobs that'll still be available as consumables from ventures.

But that'd only happen because I like them as a Dev studio and not because I particularly want the skins.

[Fishille]

I second paying for some DLC skin content to support the dev, there’s another umm “game” (term used loosely there) that people spend stupid money buying pictures of space ships. (SMH) I wouldn’t mind spending a few bucks helping a company that actually makes fun games.

[NightmareNight91]

I second paying for some DLC skin content to support the dev, there’s another umm “game” (term used loosely there) that people spend stupid money buying pictures of space ships. (SMH) I wouldn’t mind spending a few bucks helping a company that actually makes fun games.

*cough* yeah who would buy pictures of spaceships that may or may not ever exist... (looks around nervously)

But in all seriousness, I would pay for some small cosmetic DLC maybe even DLC that changes up the vanilla ships. (Or adds borons...)

[Raevyan]

I second paying for some DLC skin content to support the dev, there’s another umm “game” (term used loosely there) that people spend stupid money buying pictures of space ships. (SMH) I wouldn’t mind spending a few bucks helping a company that actually makes fun games.

That’s exactly how all the bs with microtransactions and the corporate greed of those other dev‘s/publishers began.

[Omni-Orb]

How is this new feature going to work with savegames and dying? How do you prevent people using death to load a "better" savegame?

[Shehriazad]

How is this new feature going to work with savegames and dying? How do you prevent people using death to load a "better" savegame?

Huh? Old venture already had no issues with this as the outcomes are basically more or less dictated by the server. You can reload all you want, the result of your ventures will stay the same. And if there is an active component to it in the new ventures then it wouldn't really matter, anyway. In that case just treat it like online games that usually let you re-do your fails until you eventually succeed, anyway.

[Omni-Orb]

I mean on the podcast they where talking about not being able to load an older savegame once we opted to be in the multiplayer with that save. I dont see how this can be avoided if the game reloads when we die

[Tamina]

I mean on the podcast they where talking about not being able to load an older savegame once we opted to be in the multiplayer with that save. I dont see how this can be avoided if the game reloads when we die

You have a time mark because I did not hear him saying that?

[errorname1002]

I mean on the podcast they where talking about not being able to load an older savegame once we opted to be in the multiplayer with that save. I dont see how this can be avoided if the game reloads when we die

Older "Separate" save games can be loaded , but you will not be able to access multiplayer over there. Although you can replace your online save with 1 of them if you wish later on .From what I understand, while playing in the online save, you can save as normal offline save if you want to make a back up point. I think the online save (the one you chose to use for multiplayer) has something similar to Iron man mode with maybe autosaves over writing the save ? I am not sure, but in the last Egosoft stream you could see a choice in the menu to load latest online save and a choice to continue venture game, that is separate from continue game.

[Omni-Orb]

I mean on the podcast they where talking about not being able to load an older savegame once we opted to be in the multiplayer with that save. I dont see how this can be avoided if the game reloads when we die

You have a time mark because I did not hear him saying that?

https://youtu.be/HCQnWHVpTw8?t=670