Elite Dangerous Odyssey is currently undergoing alpha testing on PC, and one of the major points of feedback has been in response to the minigame aspect of its major exo-biology feature. The Genetic Sampler minigame will be removed before or around launch time in responnse to the feedback.
Announced via the Elite Dangerous forums, Frontier noted that the change was coming to the minigame, but instead of revamping it, they would be removing it outright.
"We've heard you loud and clear about the sampling minigame mechanics and place within Elite Dangerous. We understand that a manual reactions-based minigame is not a good fit in this context and will remove it in time for launch or shortly after. Instead, the tool will take samples automatically (exact implementation TBD). This may mean that the circles instead appear only to indicate the level of sample completion: e.g. sample 1 completes the first ring, sample 2 the second, and sample 3 the third."
The Genetic Sampler minigame is a core aspect of the Exo-Biology gameplay when traveling to planets in Odyssey. Players can sample the organic life on a planet and then sell those samples at a station for credits. It adds another layer to Elite Dangerous' exploration. However, many players have expressed disappointment in the minigame itself. Removing it entirely hasn't sat well with some players as well, with some forums users calling out Frontier for only implementing "half of the solution."
However, the developer has responded to some of the critcism, as well as some ideas the community has put forward, stating that they "can't please everybody."
"We understand some players would have preferred to keep the minigame and have it adjusted, but we can't please everybody. The majority of the feedback pointed to the conclusion that the Exobiology gameplay loop didn't benefit from the minigame at the sampling stage."
However, Frontier developers are still looking through the forum post from yesterday, gathering feedback from the community to make this a more beneficial minigame in the future, with devs telling users they like some of the ideas, such as spltting the sampling and analyzing minigames up.
Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is currently in its third phase of the Alpha test on PC heading into the fourth and final step before full launch in the live game. Right now players can travel between systems within a 50 light year range, landing on planets and testing out the First Footfall system withing Elite. The Exo-Biology system was also a major component of Phase 3, and it remains to be seen exactly how the feedback will pan out for the future of the feature beyond launch.
