Big problem when we want to smash our heads into the wall while playing this game....

[Ultra Fluffy]

That's not really true. Frontier have granted account connections only few years ago. Maybe you never used Inara or EDSM as Xbox player about 6/7 years ago

EDDB has close his service last week, for many reasons but one of them was that Frontier doesn't help to keep alive these kind of services.

I wasn't talking about account connections, I was talking about journal files.
You are right, only been playing Elite for 2 years. New person , but Inara and EDSM must have got their data from somewhere. Probably from PC players.

Agreed that FDev doesn't help much. There is documentation on Journal files, but it is limited and sometimes incorrect. The complex questions get answered by the community rather than FDev. Getting FDev to add functionality for 3rd party tools is extremely hard. There may be some being worked on, but who knows. Info from Fdev is about as rare as hens teeth, unless you want to know what the latest paint job on off via the twitch stream.

 

[Flagioz07]

You will probably find that the reason it is not quoted in game is because the pay outs vary dramatically depending on whether you bank your discoveries first or whether someone else beat you. If you are out in the black, you are fairly certain to get full credits. If you are one of these people that only wander 200LY outside the bubble then its a fairly high risk that someone will beat you. EDSM gives you an estimate, if its wrong the people will shrug their shoulders and get on with it. If it is ED that estimates and gets it wrong you will find a new entry in the forums where someone is complaining how rubbish FDev are.

Why don't give an in-game estimate too?

We get lost in simple questions guys!

I love this game like no others one, but in 8 years sometimes I'm bored about their lazy random way of development which makes this game feel like it's always in constant beta.

They aren't able to add/fix a simple Antialiasing in game after 2 years of user reports! But what are we talking about?!

 

[Frankymole]

I will keep coming back here and keep posting because it's just not getting through the dev's heads. The game has way too much prep work before you can actually DO anything. My god....my friend and I just want to play the game but instead we find ourselves spending HOURS (our entire play session) just PREPPING and then we either hit another brick wall (like finding out we need a permit for a certain system) or we run out of time and we can't play any more. This is the norm and it's just absolutely insane.

The prep is the game. Maybe you should stick to CQC Arena?

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

Why don't give an in-game estimate too?

We get lost in simple questions guys!

I love this game like no others one, but in 8 years sometimes I'm bored about their lazy random way of development which makes this game feel like it's always in constant beta.

Oh I agree that an estimate is better than nothing. It would be one of the features that I would ask for, but as it would take forever for FDev to implement, if a 3rd party provided it I would not criticise them.

 

[Flagioz07]

Oh I agree that an estimate is better than nothing. It would be one of the features that I would ask for, but as it would take forever for FDev to implement, if a 3rd party provided it I would not criticise them.

I’m agree! But some people (like some of my friends or others in communities I follow) has definitively left the game for these confusing aspects…they just want to play without loosing time on external tools while in game, and they are right!
I’m a kind of freaky nerd and I accept to play in this way, but I understand their reasons and I think Frontier should understand it too

 

[Frankymole]

I love this game like no others one, but in 8 years sometimes I'm bored about their lazy random way of development which makes this game feel like it's always in constant beta.

Hey, it's not Star Citizen!

Not sure Elite has betas, anyway. Doesn't it go straight from Alpha to release - we are the beta-testers?

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

I’m agree! But some people (like some of my friends or others in communities I follow) has definitively left the game for these confusing aspects…they just want to play without loosing time on external tools while in game, and they are right!
I’m a nerd and I accept to play in this way, but I understand their reasons and Frontier must understand it too

I understand your feelings, but I am of the totally opposite opinion. I love that people can customise the experience. I enjoy enhancing the game the way I want it to be without having a major advantage over other players. As an explorer out in the black I like that my ship can tell me about biologicals that I come across. I like that it can predict what types of species that signal may be and I like that I can customise what my 'computer' says about what it finds. I also like that it does not bother to mention the geological signals that I am currently not interested in. Fdev could have added that to the game, but it would be the Fdev way and not very configurable. I don't want FDev to decide what those customisations are. I also like writing my own tools. I've never come across another game that allows me to do that.

 

[nemolomen]

I will keep coming back here and keep posting because it's just not getting through the dev's heads. The game has way too much prep work before you can actually DO anything. My god....my friend and I just want to play the game but instead we find ourselves spending HOURS (our entire play session) just PREPPING and then we either hit another brick wall (like finding out we need a permit for a certain system) or we run out of time and we can't play any more. This is the norm and it's just absolutely insane.

Here are some actual suggestions to help with the problem, pick any or all or even just run with the basic idea of the suggestions;

• Once you unlock an engineer you can access ALL their engineering from ANY station and you can access the experimental from any station as well.
• Allow us to set ship "Profiles" so that instead of constantly going "okay now where did I put that component?" and having to check all your ships, it just moves everything appropriately and SAVES weapon slots and fire configurations.
• Make some "magical" space storage system so you always have access to your components no matter where you are (no more sending them around all over the galaxy).
• Reduce the required engineering mats by like....I don't know, half?

just...in general, if something is GRINDY or FARMY, REDUCE it or get rid of it. Come on guys....I want to PLAY the game. Please :\

I have a suggestion...bear with me...

1. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and let it out slowly (keep your eyes closed)

2. Get in the mindset (aka "pretending") that you are the owner and pilot of your very own spaceship and you live in the milky way galaxy, as presented by the game.

3. Think about your goals as a pilot/spaceship owner.

4. Break down your goals into smaller chunks that can be achieved in short order.

5. Open your eyes and play the game.

Elite Dangerous is not a game you can play and finish in a day, a week or even a year. It is a real-time 24/7 simulation of being a space pilot carrying cargo, exploring landscapes, finding aliens, fending off other commanders, mining, walking, shooting, delivering, running, manipulating factions, fighting pirates, jumping, cashing in, ferrying passengers, avoiding death, launching, landing, crashing and dying...all in full color and sound...

As one gains more experience, the pace picks up and readiness becomes more immediate...

I've been playing for 2 and a half years, almost 4000 hours. I've unlocked 6 of the ship engineers and 2 on-foot engineers. I've unlocked a few guardian items. I've explored deep space for months. I've fought the Thargoids. I've fought other players, rather poorly at that. I've fought in wars. I've manipulated entire star systems to my will. I've earned a metric boat load of credits. And, I've died, a lot...

Good luck in your journey...mine is awesome and yours can be too...

 

[Flagioz07]

Hey, it's not Star Citizen!

I've tried it last weekend. Technically amazing, good graphic optimization, better on-foot mode and fighting, terrain renders, fog, rain, ship interiors, quite variety design... very interesting to play. But it have many problems too obviously, in very similar way of Elite too (like bugged missions ).

I prefer Elite anyway, we have entire milky way

Not sure Elite has betas, anyway. Doesn't it go straight from Alpha to release - we are the beta-testers?

Odyssey was selled as alpha(or beta, don't remember) for a while with steps before his "definitive" totally unplayable release, with a lot of same bugs reported by beta testers and not fixed on launch...
Before Odyssey there was some free beta testing programs period too (Like on Fleet Carriers update)
So last time was very similar to the Star Citizen way

 

[Flagioz07]

I've been playing for 2 and a half years, almost 4000 hours.

Any time I read these play-times I think only one thing: “Why don’t I have all this time to play too? ”

 

[nemolomen]

Any time I read these play-times I think only one thing: “Why don’t I have all this time to play too? ”

Conversely, I look at my play time and think, "Wow, what else could I have accomplished with all that time instead of gaming?

 

[Shabine]

What do you need to use?

Just out of interest... did you discover the Guardian sites on your own and figure out the pylon minigame entirely by yourself with no external help or someone showing you how to do it? Because if you figured out the entire thing completely solo, you're an absolute genius.

 

[MickyG1982]

Just out of interest... did you discover the Guardian sites on your own and figure out the pylon minigame entirely by yourself with no external help or someone showing you how to do it? Because if you figured out the entire thing completely solo, you're an absolute genius.

Someone had to do it...

How do you think they were figured out in the first place? Wouldn't have been with guides.

 

[Shabine]

Someone had to do it...

How do you think they were figured out in the first place? Wouldn't have been with guides.

I was asking Darrack how he did it. Just, purely out of interest.

 

[starman]

some cmdrs buy credits with cash or pay Carrier owners who sell them cargo below market price so they can sell on in game for profits

 

[Greasetrap42]

But I’ve never seen a game that needs several different tools to fill the game’s lacks while you play as Elite Dangerous do.

I definetly needed external resources and tools when I played WoW back in the day.

• Learning how to use the macros. There is no way you can figure this out in-game. Impossible. At the very least you need a couple examples to see the syntax. And over the years many oddities and exceptions developed within the macro language. Macros were pretty important. Make your own or copy from others.
• Third party UI interfaces and Addons. Pretty much mandatory to run 3 or 4 of these. If you want to join a group or raid and not get kicked. Regularly updating these after game patches or updates.
• Ventrillo and then Discord... they were absolutely necessary to play with a group. Ingame text chat was good, but not good enough. They probably have ingame voice chat now.
• Suggessted Character builds, best in class builds and equipment, and combat rotation. Necessary if you want to be reasonably good without trying every combination yourself. Kinda equivalent to ED ship building. Without 3rd party tools a player is quite limited.
• Sites equivalent to INARA that show your character, stats, progress, etc.
• Googling the broken quests. All the time.
• Dungeon and Raid walk-through videos. If you don't know the weird mechanics in advance you just won't make it. And you get kicked.
• Where to farm various things. Dungeons for rare drops, mats for crafting, etc. How else do you figure out where to find a rare drop.... if it is super rare? Its not like you can just "know" what boss drops what. And lots of key items are "rare drops". Farming locations was a huge element of WoW to get the things you want.

I haven't played WoW in about 10 years.... but I did for a decade. And yea, 3rd party tools and resources were absolutely necessary if you wanted to do much beyond the noob level.

 

[Crank Larson]

EDDB has close his service last week, for many reasons but one of them was that Frontier doesn't help to keep alive these kind of services.

I disagree that FD doesn't help. Why would they have added journal and all the other status files? It's up to the third parties to keep their service alive if they want to - FD had no responsibility for EDDB. I didn't expect help or support from FD when I wrote SRVTracker and implemented race tracking, I just used what they'd published. One day if they give us better stats (a status.json that update more often) I'll be able to get better tracking implemented - but I'm not holding my breath for that, and I'd be happy if FD implemented something in-game that made my work completely unnecessary (even though I spent literally hundreds of hours writing it).

 

[Greasetrap42]

But I’ve never seen a game that needs several different tools to fill the game’s lacks while you play as Elite Dangerous do.

Games with large scope and a higher level of sophistication will have external resources and 3rd party tools. If the game has popularity these will naturally develop. Some players will go to great effort to develop aids, assists, and knowledge to share. Players that want to play on a higher level or just learn about the game quicker will use these. If not they can still play the game but in a more limited manner to everybody else.

Obvioulsy there is different types of resources available. Some offer game enhancements or knowledge. Others offer shortcuts and cheats. Choices can be made.

Simple games, or games with very little choice (ex: linear game play, arcade style games) often have less need for 3rd party resources.


Edit: Perhaps a good way to judge a game's level of sophistication and popularity are by the 3rd party resources available.

 

[Darrack]

I was asking Darrack how he did it. Just, purely out of interest.

No problem happy to tell you, the folks that introduced me to Elite (i did play it back in the 80s) showed me the guardian site when i was looking to unlock the FSD booster, same way as i helped them camp the AC in Everquest for their Epics when they joined my guild in 2001.

O7

 

[Darrack]

Any time I read these play-times I think only one thing: “Why don’t I have all this time to play too? ”

Simple for me as i mainly run my own business from home other than doing some part time truck driving and charity work, free time is something i have plenty of but then i am in my late 50s.

O7