What's the game like as a wholly SP experience?

[The Space Pirate]

I've asked this question in a few other threads, but haven't had any replies so I thought I'd open one specially for it to get the question cleared up.

I have very little interest in playing multiplayer; I have played those games before, and there's nearly always people out there whose goal in life is to spoil your fun. And if there aren't, the audio is full of people babbling about pretty much everything not to do with the game and destroying the immersion factor.

So what I want to know is how does the game stack up if you intend to play SP all the time? Most importantly, how is the AI because if it's just a load of mindless drones that offer no challenge at all, that might well be a dealbreaker for me, and I'll request a refund as I didn't pledge my hard earned to fund a MMO, which is what the game seems to be heading towards; indeed many articles label it as such. On the other hand, if it offers a decent challenge without being infuriatingly, hair pullingly hard, then I'll give it a go. Right now, I feel I've put a ton more money into this game than any other game I've ever bought, only to be saddled with online all the time, with all the technical annoyances that come with that as standard - a quick read of the forum will explain what I mean.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alric]

SP is 95%+ of the game right now... if you don't like SP you don't like the game (or you're working really hard to find PvP).
Expect the multiplayer game to be fleshed out significantly, but the SP game even more. So if I were you I wouldn't worry about that SP/MP balance.

The AI currently is generally not that great, but we've seen it can be quite good. Right now once you have a decent ship and you've learned to fight well, you will find most things quite easy. However, that's more because there aren't enough challenging encounters than because the AI is fundamentally bad. All they need to do is dial up the number of opponents you face and things will start to get tough, especially with the better AI pilots in good ships. Cap ship battles are fun now, and I think you'll see more tough normal fights coming soon.

 

[Rearden]

It is like the multiplayer but without interdictions and without having to wait 30 minutes to dock at outposts.

That said I spend most of my time in "private group" but the group is so small and the MP so limited that it is almost the same thing as solo. Eagerly awaiting for the "wings patch" next year.

 

[SharkH]

I've asked this question in a few other threads, but haven't had any replies so I thought I'd open one specially for it to get the question cleared up.

I have very little interest in playing multiplayer; I have played those games before, and there's nearly always people out there whose goal in life is to spoil your fun. And if there aren't, the audio is full of people babbling about pretty much everything not to do with the game and destroying the immersion factor.

So what I want to know is how does the game stack up if you intend to play SP all the time? Most importantly, how is the AI because if it's just a load of mindless drones that offer no challenge at all, that might well be a dealbreaker for me, and I'll request a refund as I didn't pledge my hard earned to fund a MMO, which is what the game seems to be heading towards; indeed many articles label it as such. On the other hand, if it offers a decent challenge without being infuriatingly, hair pullingly hard, then I'll give it a go. Right now, I feel I've put a ton more money into this game than any other game I've ever bought, only to be saddled with online all the time, with all the technical annoyances that come with that as standard - a quick read of the forum will explain what I mean.

Thanks in advance.

You have pledged the game you have dangerous forum rank but you haven't played the game and don't know much about these things yet? How come?

Anyway I give you my opinion about the NPCs. Although the the "stronger" your ship becomes the easier to kill the NPC ships but it doesn't mean they are stupid Its just that their skill no match to a human "pro" pilot. But I guess the higher ranked ones still gives more challange than an "avareage" gamer. But I would like that if FD would tone up the skill and difficulty of the higher ranked NPCs.

About the MMO thing. I think this game is fine and the single player can be just as fun as the multiplayer if you don't like that part .

 

[The Space Pirate]

You have pledged the game you have dangerous forum rank but you haven't played the game and don't know much about these things yet? How come?

Anyway I give you my opinion about the NPCs. Although the the "stronger" your ship becomes the easier to kill the NPC ships but it doesn't mean they are stupid Its just that their skill no match to a human "pro" pilot. But I guess the higher ranked ones still gives more challange than an "avareage" gamer. But I would like that if FD would tone up the skill and difficulty of the higher ranked NPCs.

About the MMO thing. I think this game is fine and the single player can be just as fun as the multiplayer if you don't like that part .

I have been stupendously busy and am now trying to figure out whether the game will be fun as an SP experience, which going by the replies so far, sounds like it will be. After all, once you've played you can no longer get a refund so I just wanted to be sure. Thanks for your replies so far guys.

 

[Ghostlight]

I played Open at first for a few days, but after constantly getting 30 min queues to dock, I was flipping to Solo to get round that. Eventually I just stuck Solo and have NEVER looked back. You will hardly notice a difference (except there will no queues to dock). There are plenty of NPC ships coming and going and I haven't seen an AI glitch yet. It is essentially a Single-player game. However SP is not a way to flee interdictions. I have been interdicted by NPCs about 20 times thus far and by a human player, not once, despite playing both modes about even. Not that I am saying you get interdicted more in SP, just that NPCs will interdict you far more often than humans will, regardless of which mode you play.
In my honest opinion, the only things Open mode adds are docking queues, griefing (kill lesser ships for giggles) and kill-stealing. I see nothing positive in it. If I ever get to the point that I feel the top level NPC enemies are too easy, I'll come back to Open. But right now a Deadly NPC opponent just tore me a new one, so I have no issues in that area.

 

[Ghostlight]

It is like the multiplayer but without interdictions

Not sure what's going on there. I've had 20+ NPC interdictions, and zero human ones.

 

[ste]

SP is MP without humans. Exactly the same experience. Infact MP is SP sometimes as the galaxy is so big.

I havent had a single technical issue with the online since launch. I dont think frontier got enough credit for such a flawless and stable launch. Never had a disconnect, the game ran almost 24/7 all weekend and its so good you forget its online.

 

[Ghostlight]

I have been stupendously busy and am now trying to figure out whether the game will be fun as an SP experience, which going by the replies so far, sounds like it will be. After all, once you've played you can no longer get a refund so I just wanted to be sure. Thanks for your replies so far guys.

Ouch I hate to say this, but I'd take the refund. I was a massive fan of the first Elite and played it for years, my expectations here could not be higher. But I am pretty disappointed really. I feel this game is inferior in many way. It feels very unfinished, and trading (which is how I wanted to play mainly) is pretty badly broken at the moment making it very painful and unrewarding grind.

 

[Rearden]

Not sure what's going on there. I've had 20+ NPC interdictions, and zero human ones.

Guess it depends on your playstyle. I do long range trade / smuggling - don't spend enough time on most systems to be interdicted and maybe I am interdicted 1 out of 20 times at my final destinations. I also don't trade with stations more than 5k LS away from the star

 

[burzum]

Multiplayer is no fun at all right now. I really don't get why ED sacrificed a well done single player experience with modding support for this not even half done thing we've got now with a pointless multiplayer that requires us to be online all time but having a near zero benefit from it.

 

[Double_Tap]

I think my instance is based in Siberia. I am on open servers and rarely see anyone. Last night I did the Any Na/ Fujin/ Xihe rare commodities trade run which is a long circuit. I saw one Commander all night.

In some systems like Sorbago and Eranin I will see more players, but usually so rare that we just say hello. I was interdicted for the first time by a player the other night and had a great tussle before evading the minigame. I am still to go toe to toe with one and I am looking foward to it.
In beta/gamma I played more Solo as I was having connection issues but they seemed to have largely gone now.

If MP is not your thing than Solo is fine. If you want to be inspired to play this thing then the best advice I can give you is to go to Youtube and look for Isinona's videos. The way he plays with just the basic ships and equipment is mind-blowing. If that doesn't make you want to dive in then you need to look elsewhere.

 

[Antenociti]

I've asked this question in a few other threads, but haven't had any replies so I thought I'd open one specially for it to get the question cleared up.

I have very little interest in playing multiplayer; I have played those games before, and there's nearly always people out there whose goal in life is to spoil your fun. And if there aren't, the audio is full of people babbling about pretty much everything not to do with the game and destroying the immersion factor.

So what I want to know is how does the game stack up if you intend to play SP all the time? Most importantly, how is the AI because if it's just a load of mindless drones that offer no challenge at all, that might well be a dealbreaker for me, and I'll request a refund as I didn't pledge my hard earned to fund a MMO, which is what the game seems to be heading towards; indeed many articles label it as such. On the other hand, if it offers a decent challenge without being infuriatingly, hair pullingly hard, then I'll give it a go. Right now, I feel I've put a ton more money into this game than any other game I've ever bought, only to be saddled with online all the time, with all the technical annoyances that come with that as standard - a quick read of the forum will explain what I mean.

Thanks in advance.

Honestly?

Its lifeless. ... depending on what games you have played over the years between then and now.

Story is all but non-existent (I'm sorry, but two text messages a day is not a galaxy wide epic story), factional progression is far, far, far too easy, combat is far too easy (shield-cells aka health potions) and the universe all looks the same (not enough variety in stations exterior and interior)... the only real spice in the game is from the occasional encounter with other players.

In X months time (and please, dont tell me weeks, it will be months if not a year) it might be astonishing, but at the moment it is a bare-bones experience beneath a glossy outer shell.

Somebody described it as an Ocean 1 inch deep - and that nailed it perfectly.

Ai combat is, at the moment, woeful, killings NPCs is the epitome of farming and some of the missions are just plain weird and counter-intuitive..and almost all are incredibly easy (have Cobra? have shield-cells? cant lose). That said about 80% of my "Federal Navy" missions have been "deliver 5 coffee to X station"... during which time i wasnt interdicted - at all. Never. 4 ranks later, and with the coffee, Wine, Beer and Computer components safely delivered, I'm a Petty Officer. ( 1 combat mission to kill a general)

If you are busy, and are having to shift important family around to find time to play, my advice would be to not bother until February...otherwise you run the risk of finding out how shallow it is and never coming back. Wait a few months and there should be more content, particularly for SP mode (such as story and decent missions, working factions, galactic-effects by player actions {for background story changes} and trade)...and hopefully they give the AI some form of brain implant so that it can actually fight. At the moment about 50% of the AI ships don't even have shields.


And, just so that people dont confuse me with a registered anti-FD whiner... I 'love the game's potential' ... just most of it is, when you are brutally honest with yourself, currently MIA.

3-4 months should do the trick though, if it isnt a lot better by then, then it never will be.

Your biggest danger is, imo, playing it now, finding out how shallow it is, and then never coming back.

YMMV

 

[Serkor]

Depends at what rate you're playing. You seem to be busy, so if you play only a few hours a week you might as well start now to learn the ropes and be ready for when the story improvements will be injected.

 

[The Space Pirate]

Honestly?

Its lifeless. ... depending on what games you have played over the years between then and now.

Story is all but non-existent (I'm sorry, but two text messages a day is not a galaxy wide epic story), factional progression is far, far, far too easy, combat is far too easy (shield-cells aka health potions) and the universe all looks the same (not enough variety in stations exterior and interior)... the only real spice in the game is from the occasional encounter with other players.

In X months time (and please, dont tell me weeks, it will be months if not a year) it might be astonishing, but at the moment it is a bare-bones experience beneath a glossy outer shell.

Somebody described it as an Ocean 1 inch deep - and that nailed it perfectly.

Ai combat is, at the moment, woeful, killings NPCs is the epitome of farming and some of the missions are just plain weird and counter-intuitive..and almost all are incredibly easy (have Cobra? have shield-cells? cant lose). That said about 80% of my "Federal Navy" missions have been "deliver 5 coffee to X station"... during which time i wasnt interdicted - at all. Never. 4 ranks later, and with the coffee, Wine, Beer and Computer components safely delivered, I'm a Petty Officer. ( 1 combat mission to kill a general)

If you are busy, and are having to shift important family around to find time to play, my advice would be to not bother until February...otherwise you run the risk of finding out how shallow it is and never coming back. Wait a few months and there should be more content, particularly for SP mode (such as story and decent missions, working factions, galactic-effects by player actions {for background story changes} and trade)...and hopefully they give the AI some form of brain implant so that it can actually fight. At the moment about 50% of the AI ships don't even have shields.


And, just so that people dont confuse me with a registered anti-FD whiner... I 'love the game's potential' ... just most of it is, when you are brutally honest with yourself, currently MIA.

3-4 months should do the trick though, if it isnt a lot better by then, then it never will be.

Your biggest danger is, imo, playing it now, finding out how shallow it is, and then never coming back.

YMMV

Mmmm. That's a very useful post and the honest sort of answer I've been seeking. Sounds very much like the AI holds very little challenge right now. Perhaps I will leave it for a while and then have a look, after all going by the articles around, refunds won't be happening in any case. Very disappointing to hear things like 'an ocean that's one inch deep', and 'barebones experience beneath a glistening shell'. To be honest, I was a little worried that might prove to be the case, what with no planetary landings, or ability to walk around the ships from the start. The other thing I'm a little concerned about is Frontier said there would be a single player offline mode throughout the Kickstarter, yet they pulled it. What else are they going to pull? I really hope I'm wrong, but I have a nasty feeling that very little of the grand scale of ambition the game purports to be aiming for will ever become reality.

 

[Erroll]

Just like the multiplayer but less chance of random ganking and no wait lines at the space station.

I am playing solo mode. I will switch over when they provide any positive reason to play with other players.