The Open v Solo v Groups thread

Mr Jack Burton

Mr Jack Burton
wrmiller said:
Thank you, but I am not interested. And IMO the players I described are not worth recognizing. But that's just me.
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Fair enough, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But your comment reminds me of the joke about the guy driving on the highway. He hears on the radio: "Warning! There's a car going the wrong way on the highway!" And he thinks: "One? There must be a thousand of them!"

Sometimes, it’s worth considering if the problem might not just be with all those "other drivers." 😉
 

Mr Jack Burton

Mr Jack Burton
Robert Maynard said:
Are they really though? Those who preferentially target weaker ships are very predictable....
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Your statement oversimplifies and misrepresents the dynamics of player interactions in ED. Let me explain why:

While some players do target weaker ships, this doesn’t mean they’re predictable. Their behavior can vary based on context . Strategic reasons, opportunity, or even role-playing. Assuming that all such players act out of a desire to prey on the "weak" ignores the complexity of motivations in a sandbox game.

Labeling all players who engage in certain behaviors as "predictable" is not only inaccurate but also reductive.
A skilled PVP player might engage a weaker ship to provoke a larger response, test a tactic, or simply because it’s the only available target.
None of these reasons imply a lack of unpredictability or strategic depth.

Open mode is inherently competitive. Players in smaller, less combat-ready ships should expect some level of risk, especially if they enter high-traffic or contested systems. This is not a fault of the game or the players but a reflection of the open-world design, where choice and consequence coexist.

Your argument seems to shift blame onto a subset of players while framing them as inherently bad or predictable. This perspective is not only biased but also unproductive, as it overlooks the richness of ED as a living universe with diverse playstyles.
Dismissing a specific group of players or their actions as "predictable" undermines the complexity and freedom that make ED a unique experience.

Rather than criticizing these players, it might be more productive to explore the tools and strategies available to adapt to such interactions.
After all, unpredictability is what keeps the galaxy interesting. 😊
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Mr Jack Burton said:
Your argument seems to shift blame onto a subset of players while framing them as inherently bad or predictable. This perspective is not only biased but also unproductive, as it overlooks the richness of ED as a living universe with diverse playstyles.
Dismissing a specific group of players or their actions as "predictable" undermines the complexity and freedom that make ED a unique experience.
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The targets are not initiating the encounter....

No-one can reasonably claim to be free of bias.

Some of the diverse play-styles that the game permits add no value whatsoever to some other players. Noting that while players enjoy the freedom to attack anything they instance with players also enjoy the freedom to select who else they play among.
Mr Jack Burton said:
Rather than criticizing these players, it might be more productive to explore the tools and strategies available to adapt to such interactions.
After all, unpredictability is what keeps the galaxy interesting. 😊
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No-one without the inclination to do so need put up with their forced interactions, much less change the way they want to play to accommodate them - thanks to the design of this game.

It's very clear that gameplay that may include PvP is what some players are seeking in the game, just as it is very clear that some players choose not to present themselves to be engaged in in-the-same-instance PvP.
 
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Brrokk

Brrokk
Helmut Grokenberger said:
PG? Solo?
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Exactly. This whole debate is being misrepresented again. Most of us are happy with the way the game works. We have all the tools we need to manage our interactions with other players (except maybe for the obvious missing mode). We're enjoying ED; it's a great game. In spite of frequent claims, no-one is upset about or complaining about gankers. We just don't need to care about them.

All the salt and all the restarting posts which keep this immense thread going are from the other direction. Put simply: there are a small proportion of players who don't like us having tools to manage interactions. They just don't seem to be able to get over it, even after almost ten years.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Helmut Grokenberger said:
Imagine having a two year long thread demanding that everyone has to play in Solo now, or that players should get extra rewards in Solo because the game is harder without a little help from your friends. Ridiculous, right? RIGHT?!?
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Now imagine that it was merely the latest in a succession of such threads....

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread [See new thread]

There have been several threads on the topic of switching between solo/private groups/open. This thread is going to be the merge target for all other threads on the topic, no matter how 'unique' the thread creator may think their thread is. Creating a poll is not unique. Posting in here has...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Part the Second [Now With Added Platforms].

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Mk III

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Open v Solo v Groups thread IV - Hotel California

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

... which means that we are approaching the tenth anniversary of the mode megathreads.
 

Darrack

Darrack
Robert Maynard said:
Now imagine that it was merely the latest in a succession of such threads....

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread [See new thread]

There have been several threads on the topic of switching between solo/private groups/open. This thread is going to be the merge target for all other threads on the topic, no matter how 'unique' the thread creator may think their thread is. Creating a poll is not unique. Posting in here has...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Part the Second [Now With Added Platforms].

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Mk III

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Open v Solo v Groups thread IV - Hotel California

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

... which means that we are approaching the tenth anniversary of the mode megathreads.
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Wow so many guests in this Hotel, Hilbert!!!!!

O7
 

Riverside

Riverside
Helmut Grokenberger said:
Imagine having a two year long thread demanding that everyone has to play in Solo now, or that players should get extra rewards in Solo because the game is harder without a little help from your friends. Ridiculous, right? RIGHT?!?
Click to expand...
I hope that one day the game is taken offline rather than being depreciated (or whatever the modern term is for not being able to play it at all once the servers are switched off).

Your analogy is ridiculous, yes. Being unable to get help in Solo is an argument that has been discussed (I raise it occasionally).
 

Jockey79

Jockey79
Mr Jack Burton said:
In modern game design, players are often categorized into four archetypes:
  • Killers
  • Achievers
  • Socializers
  • Explorers
Each archetype represents a valid playstyle, and "Killers" (those who enjoy competition and conflict) are an integral part of the ecosystem.
Their interactions create the unpredictability and challenge that make multiplayer environments dynamic and engaging.
Instead of dismissing them, it's worth recognizing that they contribute to the game design as intended.

If you're interested in exploring this further, you can start with the Bartle taxonomy of player types.
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You failed to mention that "killers" does not mean "PvP".

Anyone playing in Solo Mode can play the "killer" archetype.
At no point do I need another human being to be my target to make it a valid playstyle.
So anyone can play a "killer" without ever directly impacting another player's game.
 

Jockey79

Jockey79
Robert Maynard said:
Now imagine that it was merely the latest in a succession of such threads....

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread [See new thread]

There have been several threads on the topic of switching between solo/private groups/open. This thread is going to be the merge target for all other threads on the topic, no matter how 'unique' the thread creator may think their thread is. Creating a poll is not unique. Posting in here has...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Part the Second [Now With Added Platforms].

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Mk III

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

Modes - The Open v Solo v Groups thread IV - Hotel California

Elite Dangerous is an online game that allows players to play in three potential 'modes': Online ALL group (called open play) where the player is in the same universe as all other players and can see and be seen by all others in open play Online PRIVATE GROUP play where the player is online in...
forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk

... which means that we are approaching the tenth anniversary of the mode megathreads.
Click to expand...

I did not need the reminder of how long we've had to keep explaining this very simple concept.
:p
 

anShpan

A
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But I can know for sure what topic will be in first 3 when "Colonization" appears in "Features of Elite"... correct, that is "Open-Only in Colonization 1.0" :)
 

Tyres O'Flaherty

Tyres O'Flaherty
Darrack said:
Lies!! The sky is never that blue, the bus is too clean, that wheels a rip off and where's me newspaper wrapper around the chips?

O7
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  • The sky is sometimes that blue - it depends on the pollution levels for any given day. Which is most days.
  • That bus is probably a hydrogen one and you can't see the inside from the pic - which probably smells of stale urine and Maccy D's
  • The wheel should spin at least 100 times faster. For Fun Times.
  • I agree with you about the chips and it should also be really soggy from all the vinegar and kind of crunchy at the bottom where all salt goes.
  • That knife is far too small.
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