I was getting ready for a reset to start a new character for a more organic play style. But I thought I'd give Colonisation a try first while I had the infrastructure for it. I quite enjoyed it, but I think I'm done now as well. What I do like is that if I do that reset after all, I've got some systems that I set up that I can play in.
Thinking of buying the game
- Thread starter Icecreambeanfruit
- Start date
I have some functions bound to keyboard keys. While the controller can trigger quite many functions, there are only so many button combos that it supports.
(By my count the absolute maximum amount of buttons and button combos, and thus different functions, that you can bind with a controller is 38, plus the two analog triggers. Although 6 of them are two face buttons pressed at the same time, which is a bit awkward and prone to accidental presses, so you might want to avoid those, so 32 in practice. That's quite a lot, but there are way more than 32 different things you can do while flying a ship. Not all of them crucial, of course, but still, you might want to sometimes be able to toggle them.)
SNAP. I've not watched so many of my old DVD's in years as I have during the past couple of months of colonisation.'ll say this for the grind, its led me to watch a ton of films and TV series that i probably never would have watched otherwise over the years!
Not saying that's a good thing in general, but a positive side effect overall
Hell, i've honed my skills to the point i can do CZs with one eye while watching a film with the other.
Ermmm... yes. I'm flying with HOSAS - two Virpils that provide 6 axes and 31 buttons each. I still have some buttons (like screenshots[1] or microphone) bound to the keyboard lying next to my chair, and use the context sensitive mapping for some functions (i.e. the same switch can move my cursor when I'm in a menu/text screen and move my pips when I'm in the cockpit). I heard that some people are using throttles (like Virpil/VKB) with more than 32 buttons and a splitter software that split those devices into 32-button-devices (ED is still imited by the older Windows limit of 32 buttons per device), and I suppose even those will not have bound all controls to a dedicated button or axis.
[1]Yes, screenshots are hardwired to F10 and alt-F10. But Autohotkey can take care of the remapping to any joystick button.
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
I think that many people incorrectly equalise grinding to farming.
Grinding is the same as farming... with one exception - it has a negative connotation. Farming CAN become a grind, if it becomes an annoyance. "Oh gawd, I've been collecting these mats for 3 hours now, I've got enough!". For example, I can spend hours on end doing deep core mining, as it is a very relaxing experience for me. That's farming. But I can't stand hauling for colonisation, it is extremely boring and annoying for me. That's a grind (so I don't do it, I did a few stations and now I'm waiting for the Panther... or some alternative ways to get the cargo hauled).
Elite offers quite a few ways to get to the objective for most of the gameplay.
Example: want that Imperial or Federal rank for the Cutter or Corvette? Most of the so called "guides" will tell the player to go to Cubeo or Robigo and farm the passenger missions, to the point they do eventually start feeling like grind. GET THE CUTTER IN A WEEK - gotta get them clicks on YouTube man!
However there are quite a few different ways to get the rank (which is based on reputation) - you can hand in exploration data OR you can do passenger missions OR you can hand in bounty hunting vouchers OR you can do missions, which in themselves offer an amazing variety of content and gameplay.
But if someone is blindly following their favourite YouTuber guide, of course they will think getting the rank is a grind.
Plenty more examples, with a few exceptions with I think colonisation being the biggest example here (at this stage), as there is only one way to achieve this: haul more cargo. Another one would be competitive PVP, where you surely need to keep those material bins topped up for different synthesis or testing new builds. But the vast majority of goals can be achieved with quite a varied gameplay, which means the grind is 99% player choice.
I talk about it a lot in my videos, but unfortunately (for most
) they are in Polish, so they don't reach too many people
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In terms of input device: If you fly in VR, a HOTAS or HOSAS is probably the best and most immersive solution. I fly with two VKB Gladiator EVO Premiums, normal on the right, Omni Throttle on the left. I have a small wireless keyboard between them and a mouse to the side for on-foot gameplay. For ship gameplay, I have everything bound between the sticks and still free buttons. I also use a Streamdeck XL as button box mostly for out-of-game controls like media player, volume control and all that.
I have never tried a controller or M+K in VR, so can't comment on that. Sticks feels probably most like really flying a ship, which is what you want as VR basically transforms the game from playing a space ship game to actually flying one.
I have never tried a controller or M+K in VR, so can't comment on that. Sticks feels probably most like really flying a ship, which is what you want as VR basically transforms the game from playing a space ship game to actually flying one.
Terrific playlist of videos giving various overviews of Elite Dangerous over the years.
no, since early 2024 ED is not limited to 32 buttons any longer
"Grinding", to me personally, can be simply reduced to "highly repetitive activity". I don't put a fun factor on it because as you say it's highly subjective when that grind becomes unpleasant.
Yes, some functions aren't assigned in my configuration, but what is allows me to do everything in the game, so it works for me.
Well the first 50 hours are obviously spent setting up your control scheme
Not to forget to print and attach labels to all buttons on your HOTAS...
I would just say buy it. If you put the "work" in, it's a very rewarding experience.
Don't forget your limpets and never fly without rebuy.
@@@07
That's what EDRefcard was made for.Not to forget to print and attach labels to all buttons on your HOTAS...
I was lucky, I had picked Elite back up last November, right after the re-balancing of materials and means to acquire them. I didn't perceive it as grindy, it felt adventurous to me. A new player would definitely want to ask for advice or check out videos to find the alternate methods of material gathering for engineers. I personally prefer the easier route with the anaconda crash site, Jameson crash site, and high grade material locations from the wiki. I actually have fun doing all of those methods. I also enjoy the visits to the engineers for experimental upgrades. I totally get why a ten year player is bored with those though, and craves more or different interactions.
I think that many people incorrectly equalise grinding to farming.
Grinding is the same as farming... with one exception - it has a negative connotation. Farming CAN become a grind, if it becomes an annoyance. "Oh gawd, I've been collecting these mats for 3 hours now, I've got enough!". For example, I can spend hours on end doing deep core mining, as it is a very relaxing experience for me. That's farming. But I can't stand hauling for colonisation, it is extremely boring and annoying for me. That's a grind (so I don't do it, I did a few stations and now I'm waiting for the Panther... or some alternative ways to get the cargo hauled).
Elite offers quite a few ways to get to the objective for most of the gameplay.
Example: want that Imperial or Federal rank for the Cutter or Corvette? Most of the so called "guides" will tell the player to go to Cubeo or Robigo and farm the passenger missions, to the point they do eventually start feeling like grind. GET THE CUTTER IN A WEEK - gotta get them clicks on YouTube man!
However there are quite a few different ways to get the rank (which is based on reputation) - you can hand in exploration data OR you can do passenger missions OR you can hand in bounty hunting vouchers OR you can do missions, which in themselves offer an amazing variety of content and gameplay.
But if someone is blindly following their favourite YouTuber guide, of course they will think getting the rank is a grind.
Plenty more examples, with a few exceptions with I think colonisation being the biggest example here (at this stage), as there is only one way to achieve this: haul more cargo. Another one would be competitive PVP, where you surely need to keep those material bins topped up for different synthesis or testing new builds. But the vast majority of goals can be achieved with quite a varied gameplay, which means the grind is 99% player choice.
I talk about it a lot in my videos, but unfortunately (for most
There is alot of truth to this, perception is your reality, and there are alternatives in Elite if you perceive the repetitiveness as boring or not fun. The only singular method that has turned me off from participating in is colonization. I really want to partake in this endeavour, but am very turned off from the singular method. And i'm a trader by nature in this game.
As far as the Federal and Imperial ranks, I enjoyed that, I really wasn't even trying, I simply did any missions that caught my eye from those powers wherever i was hanging out at. I think I even ended up achieving both ranks at about the same time.
I wonder if the original poster has checked back yet and read all of these great posts.
This is almost, word for word, how I would describe ED.
I recall, ages ago, there was a "describe ED in a single word" thread.
I picked the word "daunting".
As I've said before, I started playing ED with a bunch of mates, after we graduated from multiplayer FPSs to multiplayer flight sims (Aces over Europe etc) and then to ED.
We were going to RESs and kill-stealing from cop-ships in our Sidewinders to earn credits then buying Eagles to do more of the same.
Eventually I decided I wanted to earn heaps of credits to buy a bigger ship, and upgrade it, so I needed to get into the game "properly".
That was the daunting part.
Suddenly I needed to know about trade, ship outfitting, potential threats, weapons, armor and a heap of other things.
So, yeah.
If you're at the point where you think ED might be worth a look, it's probably a game that you WILL enjoy.
You just need to accept that, as you look deeper into it, there's going to be a heap of stuff you'll find baffling, frustrating, confusing and downright obtuse at first.
Check out the newbie forum, ask questions and be prepared to learn from the answers.
That was made after i labeled my HOTAS in old times... but yea, it's the way to go today. If you have a second monitor to keep this displayed.
Elite Dangerous is obviously what God invented personal computers for.
I agree, this has been a great thread.
I concur...
In complexity you can compare it to DCS flight sim, so if you like space, flying around and push buttons this is the game, the on foot FPS is still in Alpha I would say however they are improving it.