Am I getting too old but is the new content too difficult to access?

[Rat Catcher]

Had to pay the hunter price to get to it. Thargoid roulette. Second try at least I wasn't interdicted on the way.

My last visit had a hyperdiction, then 3 interdictions - the last just beyond reach of orbital cruise - it makes a short journey time consuming.
I just blow up a single hunter, and hope that I can outrun them if they come as a pair!
Always means going back to the FC for repair / rebuy, which is more time spent doing anything but play the bit I wish - such is life. This content is certainly biased toward having a playmate or 3 at one's side!

 

[rootsrat]

isn't this what also lead to the situation of carriers ending up in goid controlled systems, because they manually turned the systems but forgot to move the carriers?

Oh.

I wish they told us when they do stuff like that :/ I'm a bit fed up with guessing what's a bug and what's a feature to be perfectly honest

 

[Kira Goto]

I'm under the impression they go away...
Perhaps one of the AXI group will drop in with an accurate update - I'm under the impression that Spire sites have dropped from 45 to 42 this week as a result of collecting a lot of pods.
It does remain to be seen if they 'pop up' again next week, I gather.

Well, I visited those ‘cleared’ systems, and the spires are currently very much still there and active. Orthrus and all. Will have to see what happens with them next week - but I suspect that a few kilometer-tall towers aren’t just gonna go poof into nothing at that point. What will happen? Dunno, but disappearing is probably not on the cards. Maybe those Aegis researches will get a more risk-free environment to do their poking around in.

Now, I also believe that the spire sites can’t really be affected via ‘traditional’ means - so, in that regard, they can’t just be sampled(urgh) out of existence. But killing Orthrus and the like in them should work*.

*If the galaxy map is to be believed. Current knowledge about them feels convoluted and just screws with my brain too much. Because they have to be a part of a Titan’s ‘periphery’(which is the outermost ten systems, it seems), and for whatever really stupid reason, doing work at one spire site results in another spire site getting progress awarded to it, because… that apparently makes sense? (It does not to me. Go Thargoids, drop three sites so you can save one of them for later.)

 

[Rat Catcher]

If you think Orthrus mean guardian weapons are useless, you simply do not know anything about Anti-Xeno Combat.

I know this - when meeting an Orthrus at a spire site a few minutes ago...

Which of us doesn't know anything about AX, again? (with no offense intended, naturally)

 

[Rat Catcher]

Well, I visited those ‘cleared’ systems, and the spires are currently very much still there and active. Orthrus and all.

Ah... So the information below is purely academic - that's good!

Sort of. If a spire site is in the 10 outermost systems around a titan, then titan-wide progress will affect them (and even past 85%, which is the cap for non-spire systems). You can cause titan-wide progress by doing titan pod rescues (the experiments we did gave the 655-662 range per percent of progress), but the rate of progress at Taranis suggests that there is also some kind of activity in the spire sites that gives this progress as well, though we haven't isolated what it is or how much of it is needed.

It's worth noting that technically, all we've accomplished is reaching completion in spire systems. It's not 100% guaranteed that this means it will revert to non-controlled next week, or that FDev won't un-win those systems like they did last time.

Indeed; activity at such a site draws Thargoid forces away from the farthest ten systems instead, but when there are few enough systems that the sites themselves are among that farthest ten, they are then themselves vulnerable that way. For example, attempting to attack HIP 30439 next to M. Hadad will give it nothing at all this week nor many weeks to follow, although those actions will progress Col 285 Sector VS-Z b14-3.

It remains to be seen what actually happens if they are cleared; I understand if the hope was that the newly-available thing does not become unavailable too quickly, but unfortunately their nature as impervious attackers has not been a welcome one with me ever since update 16. To be sure, I mind not that the system remains occupied by Thargoids, as long as it cannot attack other systems.

 

[Kira Goto]

Ah... So the information below is purely academic - that's good!

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that - the major state change from controlled to cleared next Thursday will tell us exactly what will happen with the spire sites, but so far, the preliminary clear hasn’t changed their behavior at all.

 

[nemolomen]

...
Anyway, managed to go to another site and collect goodies and look around some more. Had to pay the hunter price to get to it. Thargoid roulette. Second try at least I wasn't interdicted on the way.

The Glaives can be dealt with using ECM to stave off their missiles so you can jump out of the hyper/interdictions.

I played the spire sites the first two days after the update and had a very great time, in a Python...I added the ECM, AXMC, Shutdown Field Neutralizer and Xeno scanner along the way.

Here is my ship build: https://s.orbis.zone/n5cy

I modified it from its original purpose by replacing all of the cargo racks with Guardian HRP/MRP and a dual SRV bay, all of which, including the additions I mentioned above, I had lying around my carrier.

 

[BDelacroix]

Yea, can deal with hunters but they are annoying and delay me.

 

[BDelacroix]

Oh.

I wish they told us when they do stuff like that :/ I'm a bit fed up with guessing what's a bug and what's a feature to be perfectly honest

But its a famous pastime in ED to play "is it a bug or a feature"

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

I know this - when meeting an Orthrus at a spire site a few minutes ago...

Which of us doesn't know anything about AX, again? (with no offense intended, naturally)

I think what they're referring to (in a not-very-helpful way) is that if you wait to attack the Orthrus around the spires until they've started scanning something, they won't break out of that behaviour to trigger their shutdown pulse or guardian destructive field. You can just pound on them with guardian weapons until they (very quickly) succumb.

The same sort-of goes for glaives, you can kill them with guardian weapons if your aim is good enough and you can land around 6 shots (for gauss at least) before the weapons become useless. If you can pull it off it's an easy way to kill them but it's a hard fail (no alternative path to victory) if you don't.

 

[XenoZera]

ETA: Sadly I cannot post a youtube link to my favourite activity (which around 97.2% of my trade rank was earned) but it is simple to find on my video list on youtube...

I have seen plenty of people and have myself recently used modified shards against orthrus at Spire sites without such issues- so they're not completely useless there.
In fact, i had more malfunctions from human weapons than guardian weapons while using them but I'll say that's down to something weird with the spire sites- none of them were below 80% when they malfunctioned


But, again, guardian weaponry is still incredibly effective in this war. To imply otherwise is.... hyperbolic we'll say.

 

[XenoZera]

Hilarious. Where does a newcomer get the arrogance to tell people who have been here for ages that the game isn't for them or that they simply don't know anything about it?

If someone's complaint is "i dislike the grind" then yeah, they either are not into or have outgrown elite. That shouldn't be controversial regardless of how "new" someone may or may not be.

That is, ultimately, what the complaint boiled down to. "I did the grind before, i dont want to grind more for newer things"

Which is fine, just like, go find a different game then? Grind is synonymous with Elite and i dont think anyone sees that changing soon

 

[XenoZera]

But its a famous pastime in ED to play "is it a bug or a feature"

If old timers wanna complain about things, this is the type of thing to complain about. Its unnecessary the amount of times a bug report goes unacknowledged despite a plethora of evidence or contributors.

 

[terasz]

This whole thargoid story is boring like hell. Took the last one and half year, most of players can't join beause it's an endgame thing. Nothing, i mean absolutely nothing happens in the game, no exciting CGs like earlier, no clash of powers, no adventure. Third of player base left the game in the last 18 months, in huge waves after every new update. Truly hate this thargoid story, killed the game and fanbase. Had to finish months ago.

 

[R-Irish]

If its true that they increased the difficulty to promote people flying together, I think its a mistake...

For me, I'm the only gamer I know who plays elite dangerous, player numbers aren't exactly booming and lets be honest, its still a niche game. So teaming up with friends is not an option for me. I'm also an introvert and the idea of talking to people i never met via a video game makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I play MMO's solo (ESO, FF, GW2) and the only time I play with other players is in forced situations where I don't feel obligated to speak to people or to have some type of in game relationship (online FPS shooters).

Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine its similar for the majority of people to a certain degree?

 

[Rat Catcher]

I have seen plenty of people and have myself recently used modified shards against orthrus at Spire sites without such issues- so they're not completely useless there.

But they can, and will, if the Orthrus is not otherwise occupied, be negated...

That is, ultimately, what the complaint boiled down to. "I did the grind before, i dont want to grind more for newer things"

Complaint?

A bit like, offensive comments masked by politeness?

OK...

 

[Disemboweled Ego]

If its true that they increased the difficulty to promote people flying together, I think its a mistake...

I got 10-20 frames when on foot with multiple wings at the spires today, but had fun despite that because playing together is so much fun.

For the spire content the difficulty comes from depth and having many different problems to deal with so it'd be better to have multiple commanders to deal with each of them. This is a better way of adding endgame difficulty than having bullet sponge enemies or other mechanics where more people bruteforcing it ends up being the only efficient solution.

Around the spires/titans just having more inexperienced people around could also make it more difficult if they just make the goids angry when you're trying to be stealthy.

If it feels like the content would be more fun in a wing it's probably true, but only because having more players gives you access to more ways to approach it rather than having to be good at everything.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Exploring the spires can be done perfectly in solo. Maybe even better, because there's less disturbance that makes the goids go bonkers? The only things in the war I'd say are clearly meant as a team effort for the average player are the dual Hydras at the end of the CZs, and maybe hunting Orthruses, unless you have a very specialized ship with some insane DPS. Which might not even be necessary at the spires, because the Orthrus doesn't seem to jump out or disappear as quickly as it does at NHSS4s?

Some stuff gets easier or more fun with other players, but very little is actually gated behind multiplayer, in my opinion.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Exploring the spires can be done perfectly in solo. Maybe even better, because there's less disturbance that makes the goids go bonkers? The only things in the war I'd say are clearly meant as a team effort for the average player are the dual Hydras at the end of the CZs, and maybe hunting Orthruses, unless you have a very specialized ship with some insane DPS. Which might not even be necessary at the spires, because the Orthrus doesn't seem to jump out or disappear as quickly as it does at NHSS4s?

Some stuff gets easier or more fun with other players, but very little is actually gated behind multiplayer, in my opinion.

I think the big difference between playing with other people around the spires vs. doing it solo is that the banshees don't seem to ever respawn - meaning once they're gone, the instance can be held open indefinitely by other players and there's no risk of EMP missiles or being harassed by barrages of sticky bombs while on foot.

 

[nemolomen]

If its true that they increased the difficulty to promote people flying together, I think its a mistake...

I doubt that's true or at least highly unlikely. More likely just that some things should be very difficult for the more advanced solo players.

For me, I'm the only gamer I know who plays elite dangerous, player numbers aren't exactly booming and lets be honest, its still a niche game. So teaming up with friends is not an option for me. I'm also an introvert and the idea of talking to people i never met via a video game makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Back in 2015 I had a choice of Wasteland 2 or Elite Dangerous. The Open Mode multiplayer aspect of Elite Dangerous scared the bejeezus out of me. So, I went with Wasteland 2 and then stopped playing after a few months.

I pretty much stopped playing video games at all in 2016 because, with Wasteland 2, I came to the realization that single player games just don't interest me any longer. From roughly 2004 to 2014, some RL friends and I played a lot of co-op Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2. We had a boatload of fun, but that was missing from Wasteland 2.

I was also not interested in talking to people whom I'd never met before in a video game as the thought of it made me uneasy.

Then, 4 years later, in autumn of 2020, Elite Dangerous grabbed my attention. I started playing EDH and found out that two of my RL friends also had the game. So we started playing together. But they only played for a year or so.

I've since made friends here on the forums and, since then, on Discord, and now I play EDO with them, the vast majority of whom are in other parts of the world from where I am, and I've met none of them IRL, and we have a boatload of fun.

I love this game, there are so many things to do and I can tailor the difficulty by how much "upgrading" I do or do not do to my ships and ground suits/weapons, and now I'm a little over 3 years and 4600+ hours into the game and still going...

I play MMO's solo (ESO, FF, GW2) and the only time I play with other players is in forced situations where I don't feel obligated to speak to people or to have some type of in game relationship (online FPS shooters).

Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine its similar for the majority of people to a certain degree?

If it were similar for the majority of people, I think MMOs wouldn't really exist. But we, humanity, have been playing multiplayer games for thousands of years now. The internet and ubiquitous computer networks in general, and before that, telephone lines and modems, and before that, organized physical mail systems all made it possible to play games with other people who are not physically in our immediate viscinity, somtimes rather slowly, but possible and workable.

Playing this game with others makes a HUGE difference for me. And Open Mode is no longer scary...it "can" still be very dangerous when unfriendly players are around, which presents gameplay of its own, but it's no longer scary...

Apologies for the rambling post..