When I spent a few days exploring, I gave up exploring a number of remote objects due to the 10 min journeys required. I'd even suggest on 5 min journeys, is this really a good use of my time? ED is the only game I run in a window so I can browse and answer my emails while literally doing nothing in the game... Doesn't that say something about the game mechanics in some areas (eg: long SC journeys)?
Time waste (in the real life) in duoble stars systems
- Thread starter visaoverdemar
- Start date
When I spent a few days exploring, I gave up exploring a number of remote objects due to the 10 min journeys required. I'd even suggest on 5 min journeys, is this really a good use of my time? ED is the only game I run in a window so I can browse and answer my emails while literally doing nothing in the game... Doesn't that say something about the game mechanics in some areas (eg: long SC journeys)?
OK I havent explored that much to be honest. Seemed to me that objects more than 100k ls away were fairly rare. In any case 10 minutes does not seem unreasonably long to me when exploring the unknown. You know you can cut down on time by going full throttle away from the areas where gravity is densest? A straight line in plane with the orbital paths is the slowest route.
Also, exploring is just one aspect of the game. If you find it tedious and boring, then maybe doing missions and involving yourself in politics and battle is time better spent for you?
Yes and no. When I was spending a few days exploring, I was hitting these 10+ minutes of nothing flights quite regularly. Myself and a fiend, doing the same, both ended up skipping them in the end, as the time spent doing nothing - strangely - is very dull, and the reward was not worth it; The CRs received is small generally, and of course with the rather thin layer of sand in this huge sandbox, you know all you will ever find after your 10 minute flight, is another coloured ball (ie: No chance of anything else at all).
Additionally some trading routes require long flights to.
Anyway, I know some time is required to give these distances some inherant value, but at the moment I think the journey times can be too long. If we could both shorten the times and add more depth to SC at the same time? Surely that might be a win win? - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=94624
Last edited:
The problem with increasing speed in SC is that it changes so many things with the demographics. It would make the warp interdictors less useful and reduce the impact of USS encounters, increase traffic at stations and other natural junctions. And furthermore, while traffic would be condensed around stations, the general player population would be more spread out since the less patient of us would then go exploring more. I am sure the devs will fine tune this balance as the game evolves, but I don't think we will see any dramatic changes in travel speed anytime soon.
I do like the idea of slingshot mechanics to add an aspect of skill to the in system travel, but I am not sure that mechanic is suitable for E
.
I vote for slingshots. And FD were also speaking of slingshot maneuver as of a thing to be added eventually.
And speaking of voting, maybe someone could make a poll with all the proposed solutions and with a "leave as is" option?
I also wonder why would anyone want to build a station in Proxima when there are so much places that are "closer"? Achenar for example.
And speaking of voting, maybe someone could make a poll with all the proposed solutions and with a "leave as is" option?
I also wonder why would anyone want to build a station in Proxima when there are so much places that are "closer"? Achenar for example.
The problem with increasing speed in SC is that it changes so many things with the demographics. It would make the warp interdictors less useful and reduce the impact of USS encounters, increase traffic at stations and other natural junctions. And furthermore, while traffic would be condensed around stations, the general player population would be more spread out since the less patient of us would then go exploring more. I am sure the devs will fine tune this balance as the game evolves, but I don't think we will see any dramatic changes in travel speed anytime soon.
I do like the idea of slingshot mechanics to add an aspect of skill to the in system travel, but I am not sure that mechanic is suitable for E
Fair point(s)... That said I wouldn't like to think the feature would improve speeds over shorter journeys, and indeed it would have an increased effect the longer the journey is. As such it may be found that where players typically go (eg: <1500ls) isn't really effected by such a feature as it would only impact on longer journeys? ie: It's wouldn't be worth "Sling Shoting" to a station only 1000ls from the primary star. But if you were going alot further, then it would be (eg: cut 10 mins down to 6-7?)
EDIT: BTW you ofter see people posting things like this - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=99248&p=1542659&viewfull=1#post1542659 - Are we really suggesting 20+ minute journeys add anything to the game a 10+ minute journey instead wouldn't?
Last edited:
I'm an explorer by nature and I for one want supercruise to remain unchanged. I'm around 2600+ LY out from SOL and I've found many (documented) long distance drives where secondary stars are holding what looks like a terraforming candidate. For me, I like the anticipation of the find. And I like the possibility of finding nothing there. Do I drive all the way out there only to find that's it's too hot, too cold and have wasted my time? Yes, because I want exploration to be just that. It might be an ELW. It might be metal ball. But, out here credits/reputation aren't at stake. I'm not exploring for credits and I really want space to remain BIG... really BIG!
If credits/reputation are at stake and I were hauling or smuggling then I might want to RISK more frequent pirate encounters and TRADEOFF some cargo space for the ability to direct jump (see the mechanic above). It's a change to hyperspace jumps not supercruise. And it's an opt-in mechanic. But you have to be wiling to accept RISK and TRADEOFF to use it. Space remains BIG and ED remains dangerous.
Fair comment.
Personally though for me, the current reward of a "different coloured ball" and generally low credits is not enough generally to entice me to sit there for 15 minutes doing quite literally nothing...
Now if there was actually the small chance of finding something else than a "different coloured ball," as should be the case with "exploration," fair enough. But at the moment this huge sandbox doesn't have sand deep enough for that
- https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=95448
I think the suggestion about economics is very valid. Make the prices higher (selling prices) or provide some other reason to visit the second star. I took a mission without realizing on the return trip I would have a full 5 minutes staring at the screen with nothing happening, because the station was at a secondary star.
The observation that there are many threads on this menaing it could use some Dev love is also valid to me. At first I suggested micro-jumping like the original in-system travel proposal from FD. In retrospect, handling this economically makes a lot of sense and would be realistic. Pilots would want to be compensated for the longer trip. It would allow the current mechanics to stay in place, but make the long tedious screen staring time actually somewhat worth it. Maybe the secondary star has a "rare" that brings lots of value when transported out.
This game is a game. Games are entertainment. Entertainment does not to me, involve staring pointlessly at a screen and doing nothing for 5 full minutes, no video, no newsfeeds to read, no other traffic. This has happened to me more than once. Sure I could look at the galactic map, but already done that.
But in the end I can accept things the way they are. Travel tech is what it is in the real world. But that has political, social and economic implications which currently don't seem to exist in these binary star systems, or that make no difference in play.
Having said all that. this is at the bottom of my wish list for a fix. FD should just make it impossible for players to Start Out in one of the secondary systems, or to take a mission without realizing the delivery point will be a good time to go take a toilette break or get a snack.
Spoken like a true fanboy... If that's the game well then: the-F-word the game! I've got better things to do than "playing" (well the correct word would be "waiting") in front of a Windows 3.11 stars screensaver to get to a virtual location to sell my virtual cargo. There is simply nothing to do during this time. Take a real flight simulation that deserves the word "simulation", there is *always* something to watch while flying, even in a straight line. It's not boring like ED because the simulation requires you to do something. Even when sitting for hours in a tree, hunting, waiting for a deer there is something to do and it is far more enjoyable than just 5 minutes of super boring cruise.