Why make the game easier?

[Cmdr Cheese Wedge]

I frankly wish the game were harder. (waiting for Ironman) There aren't too many things poorly implemented (yes there are bugs, what game doesn't?, but nothing totally game breaking and the mechanics are all sound) you just have to use your noggin, funny thing I ALWAYS seem to find something to do in ED without feeling frustrated or rage quitting.
If a game can suck up HOURS of your playing time it must be doing something right.

BTW this IS a hardcore, totally non-linear space-sim maybe that in itself is a major issue for those that simply don't get it.
The game is a space geeks dream and let's be honest it's really not aimed at the casual gamer market.

 

[Sargon]

I really don't get why some are finding ED so difficult to pick up or enjoy. As Cheese Wedge (love that name BTW) expressed above... This is a game for geeks.. I will add; it's not for CoD twitchy finger brainless zombie 'shrekking' Angry Joes.

I bought into the Beta, downloaded the game, started it up and within minutes was docking, jumping, dogfighting... no manual required.
it was totally intuitive for me. And I'm not what you'd call a spring chicken. But on a sidenote, I also see people struggling in life today with things that 30 years ago one would basically just pick run with straight away.

The real question for me is: Have people gotten dumber? Because in general, it sure seems that way. If you feel offended by this, I'm probably not referring to you in particular.. My question is more rhetoric than anything else. Because why should the more capable crowd suffer due to the dumbing down of games or anything in general. We've seen this happen in the education system where smarter students are held back because the State would rather go by averages, which never benefits those whom have the capacity to excel beyond the norm.

So do we want a challenging game that helps people grow? Or do we want yet ANOTHER stupid game that challenges nothing, and provides little enjoyment due to how led by the hand a player is?

Sure the game still needs work, but it's far from broken or unplayable.
Sure it needs a manual, but this isn't rocket science (pardon the pun).

 

[Cmdr Cheese Wedge]

I really don't get why some are finding ED so difficult to pick up or enjoy. As Cheese Wedge (love that name BTW) expressed above... This is a game for geeks.. I will add; it's not for CoD twitchy finger brainless Angry Joes.

I bought into the Beta, downloaded the game, started it up and within minutes was docking, jumping, dogfighting... no manual required.
it was totally intuitive for me. And I'm not what you'd call a spring chicken. But on a sidenote, I also see people struggling in life today with things that 30 years ago one would basically just pick run with straight away.

The real question for me is: Have people gotten dumber? Because in general, it sure seems that way. If you feel offended by this, I'm probably not referring to you in particular.. My question is more rhetoric than anything else. Because why should the more capable crowd suffer due to the dumbing down of games or anything in general. We've seen this happen in the education system where smarter students are held back because the State would rather go by averages, which never benefits those whom have the capacity to excel beyond the norm.

So do we want a challenging game that helps people grow? Or do we want yet ANOTHER stupid game that challenges nothing, and provides little enjoyment due to how led by the hand a player is?

Sure the game still needs work, but it's far from broken or unplayable.
Sure it needs a manual, but this isn't rocket science (pardon the pun).

I agree! As an example we only have to look at the state of commercial television to witness the dumbing down of society. unfortunately that train left the station some time ago.

 

[Renegade Roach]

You guys would do yourselves (and all of us who don't want the game made easy) a favour by not actually slinging insults at people debating it with you, calling them 'dumb' or 'kids', just saying.

Personally I don't care much about the last shot mechanic, I didn't feel like it equated to any great degree of skill to make sure I wasn't reloading/recharging when a target went down. I'd actually like to see them make combat a bit tougher but the only way to do that convincingly is to improve the combat AI. Hopefully FD will stick to their guns and not listen to a few inept whiners asking for SC, death penalties and so on to be nerfed. Those people really aren't representative and pandering to the lowest common denominator in gameplay terms is a recipe for utter blandness.

 

[Sargon]

You guys would do yourselves (and all of us who don't want the game made easy) a favour by not actually slinging insults at people debating it with you, calling them 'dumb' or 'kids', just saying.

Ok, then, they aren't dumb, they're just lazy.

If the shoe fits... Basic psychology, anyone offended by a rhetoric mention of a lack of intelligence is probably wondering whether or not he's smart.
I for one am not going to turn politically correct because of the stupid people in the world. Just saying.

 

[Torgrim]

It seems we are inundated with threads to make the game easier. Why don't people just want to get better? To me that is the fun and challenge of gaming. Are people really so obsessed with grinding that anything that hampers that by requiring improvement or effort is complained about?

The game is easy enough It's not about that It just have some tedoius aspect to it which not makes it hard just annoying.

 

[ries]

Yeah ive seen it too. "Too hard to dock manually", "chat should work system wide with no restrictions like MMO's" and "SC takes too long, and for some stupid reason slows you down now and then".
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1. Docking is not hard at all. It takes a bit of practice to get good at flying in ED because you have so many directions the ship can fly in (thrusters). You have, simplified explanation, sideways strafe, up/down, forward/backwards, sideways turn, tilting back and forth, tilting left/right. So if this is a first for someone then you just have to know it takes practice to get good. And ED feels awesome to fly when you know how. Definately shouldnt be dumbed down and made "easier" just cause some dont have the will or passion to get into it enough. It would hurt the game a lot to simplify it. There are always docking comp modules.
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2. Chat system wide would be constantly abused and spammed by those who think its too hard to dock and too slow to SC. When they are bored, and they get bored fast, they will spam the comms with and we will have to sit and block these people (ehum, censor didnt let me name them properly) on a daily basis. It would also break the feeling of being in a vast universe. Maybe we could have longer range, but have planets and other large mass scramble the incoming text which would restrict it and make it feel more "realistic" while at the same time get a little longer range so others are happy too.
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3. SC does not take too long and you are not slowed down for some stupid reason. When passing planets you are attracted to its gravity and you will slow down. Fly AROUND planets and you will not be slowed down. I am never slowed down when SC'ing from knowing this little bit of fact. And those rare times where you have to SC far for a couple of minutes, well thats space for you. If everything was "insta-get there" then it wouldnt feel like space. However, yes im also for inter-system jumping as long as there are binary stars there. And i think ED said they are looking into this so that should make people happy.
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Seriously though, if you think space is too big and SC too slow then ED might just not be for you. I play ED cause i have a passion for space and flying. I played combat flight sims for many many years where 1 single plane, for example in DCS, had 700 page manual to learn the systems and buttons. You wouldnt take off or be able to do a mission without learning this first. So months of learning to just get good at flying because of all the systems you need to have a grasp of, and then months/years to get really good at flying AND do combat (combat systems are a handfull, and doing that while flying and being shot at at the same time is hard/impossible for beginners). All the people in those communities play them cause they have a passion for it. Someone buying a simulator to pass time will get very frustrated, and since i see the flying in ED being very good i cant sympathize with those wanting it to be easier. They just have to get their cool on and start practicing more. With a little bit of time they will soar like eagles. Now im awaiting Wings to join up with mates and take on space together. When we get that and its going to be possible to group up and share rewards then i think we will see more people flying together, and flying together means that you will be able to talk to someone while doing the "long flights" so that should ease the pain for some that think its too boring to SC.

somebody sticky this, please, it will prevent a ton of whining.

 

[zorianarki]

Ok, then, they aren't dumb, they're just lazy.

If the shoe fits... Basic psychology, anyone offended by a rhetoric mention of a lack of intelligence is probably wondering whether or not he's smart.
I for one am not going to turn politically correct because of the stupid people in the world. Just saying.

Or offended by your liberal use of what you seem to think is a knowledge of highschool level psychology mixed with apparently using proverbs as serious arguments, as a substitute for actually trying to understand what the other person is trying to get across, and then debating that subject. I mean that is what is offending me, and it really doesn't matter whether it is the people who see themselves as "the old guard of true gaming" or the people who see themselves as "people not wanting to be stuck in tedious 1940's gameplay that grandpa demands", it is bad for the actual debate, it is classless and it is both a mockery of the person you seem to think you're able to do a psychological analysis of, and to psychology as a field. And lets be honest, psychology is the field the least in need of more silly people using it in really silly ways, perhaps only comparable to evolutionary psychology.

and please, deflecting peoples arguments by insulting them with 5th grade playground level namecalling is not being "brave in the face of political correctnes" it is simply either not being able to engage in the debate or not willing to. And look, unlike you I don't pretend to know your motivation, isn't it interesting how one can attack people's statements without resorting to armchair internet psychology?

 

[Antenociti]

I really don't get why some are finding ED so difficult to pick up or enjoy. As Cheese Wedge (love that name BTW) expressed above... This is a game for geeks.. I will add; it's not for CoD twitchy finger brainless zombie 'shrekking' Angry Joes..

it isnt hard, its just lifeless.

 

[zorianarki]

it isnt hard, its just lifeless.

Exactly, there is literally not a single person that has asked for CoD twitchplay, none, not ONE. nor zombies.

 

[Tradesman]

it isnt hard, its just lifeless.

Nerfing the NCPs are going to do wonders for that, right?

 

[Wicz]

It seems we are inundated with threads to make the game easier. Why don't people just want to get better? To me that is the fun and challenge of gaming. Are people really so obsessed with grinding that anything that hampers that by requiring improvement or effort is complained about?

I agree 100%, and I'm thoroughly fed up with all the bleating in the forums.

I think I'm just going to avoid them in future.

Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not talking about constructive criticism.

 

[Antenociti]

Nerfing the NCPs are going to do wonders for that, right?

They've got car parks in the game now?

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and, no - it needs depth, story, a working faction system and trade fixing.

pick your order but all of them are more worthy of time than the bounty-kill system... which is about the only not-entirely-monotonous system in the game (and even that is too easy and too monotonous)

This entire thread is a Slipper Slope fallacy anyway.

 

[Blake_Dragon]

make it easier.. where did i hear that before... mhh.. oh yeah, little game called SWG, we do know how well THAT went. hope FD stays the course.

 

[SirGirard]

No the game should not be made easier in my view. As I have said before "It is climbing the mountain that makes getting to the top so sweet".

Having said that there are game mechanic/tool improvements most definitely needed, but we should not confuse comments on this with the need to make a game easier!

 

[LawHunter]

Cos they are lazy and don't want to better their abilities. Game is too easy for me. Only died once since gamma. Would be good if difficulty level increased as the game went on.

If there was a Hard mode i would turn it on.

 

[zorianarki]

Cos they are lazy and don't want to better their abilities. Game is too easy for me. Only died once since gamma. Would be good if difficulty level increased as the game went on.

If there was a Hard mode i would turn it on.

Or perhaps instead of making the entire game harder, add more content that is harder. Use the sort of... security of a system to change the pirates there, in the lawless systems you'd be jumped by 2 condas and a wing of sidewinders, in sol you might get attacked but it'll be followed swiftly by a large federal patrol etc.

ad really hard missions for high ranking naval officers of all factions and so on and so forth.

add variety and depth, instead of making the entire game moar hard or moar easy. For that sake add some easy content for the beginners too. I wouldn't mind tho I'd never see it.

 

[Garik]

Lets not slip into personal insults.

Everyone has a slightly different perspective depending on their own personal investment. The beta testers have been with it for ages, they have grown with the game, they've also had plenty of time to get used to the game. They have also committed to the game in quite a big way and have developed some kind of loyalty to the game. The newbies have none of this and they've just forked hard earned cash......Which group of folk do you think have a more objective view of the game????

Personally I'm OK with the game but I will be happier when there are more tips and tricks available. Some of the menus could be could be better also.

 

[kvmetternich]

For me is too easy as it stands now. Make it more harder. And no, I'm not joking. Yes, I'm an experienced fighter pilot but c'mon! The basics of this game, with a good will, can be learned in just a couple of days and the rest is experience and fun.

For the rest, all vanilla games at the beginning are raws and looks unfinished. Look at Europa Universalis, Civ etc. We all know it... we are going to get balance tweaks, patch and expansions.

 

[Ebannaw]

Some aspects of the game are poorly implemented at this time. It's not so much that the game should be made easier, but that the game should be made better.

Don't settle for what you have now, give the devs a little pressure to improve things. You'll end up with a better game.

Put pressure on the devs? They don't need any pressure. They already are planning to improve things well beyond the current problems.

They don't need us putting pressure. What they rely upon is constructive feedback and notification of bugs.

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Ok, then, they aren't dumb, they're just lazy.

If the shoe fits... Basic psychology, anyone offended by a rhetoric mention of a lack of intelligence is probably wondering whether or not he's smart.
I for one am not going to turn politically correct because of the stupid people in the world. Just saying.

Hey man, I understand your sentiment but as another said, I think calling people who don't get this game, or can't handle some aspects of it "dumb" or "lazy" isn't the right way to go about things. I mean, I've been dumb and lazy myself many times. I think at one point or another, we all have. Instead, if some of these players don't have much experience with such games, and they need help, lets help them.

Lets not be that community that hates on people that don't get it. You know, we should do this even for people who are complaining about it being too hard.