Mind numbingly boring hauling

[Greasetrap42]

I think the issue is that there isn't just one problem with colonization, so there won't likely be just one solution to fix it. I don't hate hauling, but hauling for no real reason? That gets old fast. There's no real reason to colonize except to say you did it.

I agree with this specific point, remembering that is the same as lots of other ED activities. (but with a key difference)

Example: Traveling to Beagle Point had no real benefit either, except self accomplishment and bragging rights. Key Difference: When traveling to Beagle Point, if a cmdr was careful and did everything they thought correct... after several weeks of travel they would accomplish what they tried to do. Success! After two weeks of travel they wouldn't eventually find themselves on the wrong side of the galaxy, so far away they might as well abandon the trip and start all over.

 

[CMDR Vhi]

I agree with this specific point, remembering that is the same as lots of other ED activities. (but with a key difference)

Example: Traveling to Beagle Point had no real benefit either, except self accomplishment and bragging rights. Key Difference: When traveling to Beagle Point, if a cmdr was careful and did everything they thought correct... after several weeks of travel they would accomplish what they tried to do. Success! After two weeks of travel they wouldn't eventually find themselves on the wrong side of the galaxy, so far away they might as well abandon the trip and start all over.

I do make a distinction between a game mechanic and a gameplay loop. Not every game mechanic (like jumping from system to system) needs to be engaging and rewarding, but every gameplay loop should be, and the reward should not be mostly from outside the game-- personal pride in completing a gameplay loop shouldn't be the main reward for doing it. Also, stringing the same game mechanic in a row 500 times doesn't make it into a gameplay loop, by itself. Making it to Beagle Point is more like an emergent gameplay goal. It's just looking at a loading screen for a couple hours.

 

[CMDR Vhi]

No, it does not - as long as a member of the Squadron that is affiliated with the desired Faction is System Architect then, once the first station is completed, the three Factions should be present with the Squadron affiliated Faction in third place in terms of influence.

I think it's 4 factions, right?

• Permit faction: 60%
• Random nearby faction: 20%
• Squadron faction: 13%
• Random nearby anarchy faction: 7%

The squadron faction is replaced with a random faction if the squadron faction is the permit faction, or the squadron has no faction.

 

[Robert Maynard]

I think it's 4 factions, right?

• Permit faction: 60%
• Random nearby faction: 20%
• Squadron faction 13%
• Random nearby anarchy faction 7%

The squadron faction is replaced with a random faction if the squadron faction is the permit faction, or the squadron has no faction.

Thanks - I was sure about where a Squadron affiliated Faction would end up but not that there was automatically a fourth Faction too.

 

[Sublime]

I used to fish. Found out it was a former radioactive waste site...

 

[Peter Mannion]

When credits are, to a not insignificant number of players, effectively meaningless and where fun during their game time is more valuable, it's not really about the credits any more.

I think this is another case of living in a bubble. You're not speaking for the average player. Maybe you and the people you know (probably diehard players?) have lots of money. Great, fantastic! The rest of us, do still value credits.

If credits are meaningless:

• How are carrier economies still functioning?
• Why are my carrier commodity orders only being fulfilled by setting competitive prices?
• Is it just a coincidence that ED YT channels get a spike in views on video topics to do with money making?
• etc ...

Assuming that those that do not value credits are significant (such as those within your bubble), they are still not a representation of the playerbase as a whole. We should be listening to the average player instead of those at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

We should support game features that mean something to the many instead of the few ...

 

[Peter Mannion]

Phew! I'm glad you see the error of your ways. I was worried I was going to see you also suggesting we hire NPCs to do all of the Power Play tasks or BGS missions. Heck I might see a thread from you in the exploration forum lamenting that you can't send out npc expeditions to scan systems and take exobiological samples. So it's good you understand.

ah well. fdev should bin off npc pilots while they're at it. cant allow players to have some ... god forbid ... help ...

 

[CMDR Vhi]

I think this is another case of living in a bubble. You're not speaking for the average player. Maybe you and the people you know (probably diehard players?) have lots of money. Great, fantastic! The rest of us, do still value credits.

If credits are meaningless:

• How are carrier economies still functioning?
• Why are my carrier commodity orders only being fulfilled by setting competitive prices?
• Is it just a coincidence that ED YT channels get a spike in views on video topics to do with money making?
• etc ...

Assuming that those that do not value credits are significant (such as those within your bubble), they are still not a representation of the playerbase as a whole. We should be listening to the average player instead of those at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

We should support game features that mean something to the many instead of the few ...

I happen to agree that credits aren't much of an incentive for a significant portion of the player base, but I also don't think adding in the ability to entice people to build a station by offering to pay a little more out of your own pocket would hurt anything. The only real-world issue is that the time spent by Fdev developing such a system is time not spent doing something else. I am skeptical that it would be worth the effort for Fdev to add it, or, rather, that there are better options to resolve the problem.

 

[heathenlamb]

The problem is the game mechanic does not fit the game. In a proper god game/command and control game you don't do stuff like this personally. You send and direct resources and minions around to do your bidding with a click of a mouse and the game you play is the strategic game. Supply, conflict, resource management because that's the fun stuff. The manual schlepping of crap from one end of the universe to another is not something anyone wants to do. But that's what happens when you keep shoehorning the wrong game mechanics into a game about manually flying a spaceship. The game was never designed to do this rubbish, that's why it's clunky as hell.

I don't know what game Frontier have made but it's not Elite.

This x 1000 ^

 

[Felix DiCestria]

I think this is another case of living in a bubble. You're not speaking for the average player. Maybe you and the people you know (probably diehard players?) have lots of money. Great, fantastic! The rest of us, do still value credits.

If credits are meaningless:

• How are carrier economies still functioning?
• Why are my carrier commodity orders only being fulfilled by setting competitive prices?
• Is it just a coincidence that ED YT channels get a spike in views on video topics to do with money making?
• etc ...

Assuming that those that do not value credits are significant (such as those within your bubble), they are still not a representation of the playerbase as a whole. We should be listening to the average player instead of those at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

We should support game features that mean something to the many instead of the few ...

When you think everyone else is living in a bubble it's time to check your own periphery.
No-one is denying that there are new players coming in.
Looking back at the Thargoid war the big spike in numbers came when AX offered mats as well as credits. Mats being the true currency players are interested in. You might want to check YT numbers (if that's your metric) for vids on obtaining mats Vs credits.
Otherwise you can continue indoctrinating yourself that credits are the only thing that matters, in which case what is the point of the thread as you already know the answer apparently.

 

[Peter Mannion]

I happen to agree that credits aren't much of an incentive for a significant portion of the player base, but I also don't think adding in the ability to entice people to build a station by offering to pay a little more out of your own pocket would hurt anything. The only real-world issue is that the time spent by Fdev developing such a system is time not spent doing something else. I am skeptical that it would be worth the effort for Fdev to add it, or, rather, that there are better options to resolve the problem.

I'm all ears for any other suggestions. Anything to ease the hauling. But all suggestions so far has been as good as "prayer and hope someone comes to the rescue" sorta thing.

 

[CMDR Vhi]

I'm all ears for any other suggestions. Anything to ease the hauling. But all suggestions so far has been as good as "prayer and hope someone comes to the rescue" sorta thing.

There have been quite a few in this thread already.

 

[Peter Mannion]

When you think everyone else is living in a bubble it's time to check your own periphery.
No-one is denying that there are new players coming in.
Looking back at the Thargoid war the big spike in numbers came when AX offered mats as well as credits. Mats being the true currency players are interested in. You might want to check YT numbers (if that's your metric) for vids on obtaining mats Vs credits.
Otherwise you can continue indoctrinating yourself that credits are the only thing that matters, in which case what is the point of the thread as you already know the answer apparently.

The "everyone else" being 2 people on the forums? Yikes ...

Missed the point if you're arguing about whether its a bigger spike than materials vids. Its a spike nonetheless.

Never said credits was the only thing that matters ...

confirmation bias much ...

 

[Peter Mannion]

There have been quite a few in this thread already.

Haven't seen any realistic suggestions that are any cheaper from a dev pov

 

[Felix DiCestria]

The "everyone else" being 2 people on the forums? Yikes ...

Missed the point if you're arguing about whether its a bigger spike than materials vids. Its a spike nonetheless.

Never said credits was the only thing that matters ...

confirmation bias much ...

Ok, do you think credits are the answer? Are they solving your problem?

 

[Peter Mannion]

Ok, do you think credits are the answer? Are they solving your problem?

They are for carrier orders. Just need the same existing concept to allow for carrier - colony ship trade.

This shouldn't be difficult to grasp

 

[Desirsar]

I'm in this camp. Two of us have made small stations, we've made two, going on three, larger stations. Since we can't have our own small faction own the place because (some mega-player group controls everything around) that already takes some of the fun out of it. Anything to help offload some of the hauling monotony would be appreciated, because there's no challenge or gameplay involved really. Jump > buy > jump > sell. The hardest thing is not slamming into the ground or cage trying to do it 2 seconds faster than the last 100 trips.

They turned you down when you tried to negotiate with them? Why not just move?

 

[Greasetrap42]

Assuming that those that do not value credits are significant (such as those within your bubble), they are still not a representation of the playerbase as a whole. We should be listening to the average player instead of those at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

If we ignore players at either end of the of the wealth spectrum:

<5 Billion -------------------------------- > 100 Billion

I think we can comfortably say credits aren't going to be a big motivator for a huge portion of the player base. It absolutely depends on the activity. For example I kinda liked Thargoid evac missions that also paid huge credits. I'm not sure why I liked them... I just did. I think maybe it was just fun to see the billions ridiculously roll in.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

They are for carrier orders. Just need the same existing concept to allow for carrier - colony ship trade.

This shouldn't be difficult to grasp

Does not work because you can't see commodity prices in systems you haven't docked in.

 

[Markov Chaney]

The realism nerds hate everything that doesnt make their eyes bleed and their bottom sore.

No, I'll tell you what realism nerds hate.

They hate it when someone has a position based on two assertions, which are:

• everyone is motivated by credits
• stations are too hard

and eight screens later on the thread, there have been a dozen completely valid demolitions of both of these assertions so the proposers and defenders of these demonstrably incorrect assumptions just start picking different fights, erecting straw men, making snippy comments, and whatever else is weirdly "fun" for them.

The most ridiculous thing of all is that there are entire mini-bubbles which are built by co-operatives already with zero money changing hands and you can point to them on GalMap but still people here are saying that's "impossible."