Newcomer / Intro Please fix the game... :(

All of this is valid. However, and here the OP is right: A small vessel ramming a much bigger vessel with a superior shield should not have a chance of popping it. And this is exactly what happens. THIS is a game flaw.

I got rammed by a completely shielded up Anaconda in boost speed and I was in an Asp Explorer. My shields went down and I lost 75% hull, but I survived.

That the OP could be taken out by a ramming Sidewinder or whatnot is troubling. There needs to be some logic behind the ramming mechanics.

It depends on where you get hit. Any spaceship flying straight into your cockpit will cause major trouble. Remember even a sidewinder weights a couple dozen tons and the collision speeds is usually a couple hundred meters per second. That is a lot of energy aimed at a fragile part of the ship.
 
That is how the dice rolls

Same here, albeit in a lower scale. New Cobra with the enemy at 5% hull, and straight Ram me, oh....... the humanity!
 
My main problem is with the loan structure or lack there of and the ramming/crash mechanics.

With full A5 shields up you would not expect a small collision to totally destroy your ship.

As far as the un ticking of items , it only listed external modules like weapons etc. No internals at all and only 200k credit when I've traded millions?

Yeah, I screwed up and bought too much on that run after spending a bit much doing the A5 shield upgrade, but it seems a bit harsh of a penalty for a small collision.

I'm disappointed because the game has been too much of a grind for the "fun" I'm getting out of it and this certainly doesn't add to the "fun factor" at all.
 
My main problem is with the loan structure or lack there of and the ramming/crash mechanics.

With full A5 shields up you would not expect a small collision to totally destroy your ship.

As far as the un ticking of items , it only listed external modules like weapons etc. No internals at all and only 200k credit when I've traded millions?

Yeah, I screwed up and bought too much on that run after spending a bit much doing the A5 shield upgrade, but it seems a bit harsh of a penalty for a small collision.

I'm disappointed because the game has been too much of a grind for the "fun" I'm getting out of it and this certainly doesn't add to the "fun factor" at all.

It would be nice if mechanics like the insurance and loan were crystal clear BEFORE players found themselves in the position of being set back to just a sidewinder. High stakes risks are fine, but they shouldn't be a surprise. And yeah, players would know about the Asp trap of they read the forums enough, but an important mechanic like this should be clear in-game.
 
I think Im usually sympathetic re these posts......but

This is 100% your fault.

Its a shame you didn't join the forums earlier as you would know that this topic crops up nearly everyday, why join a forum just to moan. The re-buy value of your ship is clearly displayed on your right hand console, you chose to fly without the funds to cover it. Whatever caused the loss of your ship this was a risk you were prepared to take.

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Also........

Get rid of insurance completely.
 
My main problem is with the loan structure or lack there of and the ramming/crash mechanics.

With full A5 shields up you would not expect a small collision to totally destroy your ship.

As far as the un ticking of items , it only listed external modules like weapons etc. No internals at all and only 200k credit when I've traded millions?

Yeah, I screwed up and bought too much on that run after spending a bit much doing the A5 shield upgrade, but it seems a bit harsh of a penalty for a small collision.

I'm disappointed because the game has been too much of a grind for the "fun" I'm getting out of it and this certainly doesn't add to the "fun factor" at all.

Do you understand that you are talking about huge energies generated by the head on collision of two objects one with the weight of over 300t and the other one with the weight of at least 40t at the combined velocity of over 300m/s? Shields or no shields this is very bad and should cause catastrophic damage. You should avoid collisions at all costs and not to rely on your shields. And it absolutely does not matter whether the ship you have collided with had shields or not.

So basically you propose that if you have better shields you should be able to destroy all smaller shields without any damage to your ship? I.e. one can take Anaconda, equip it with the best shields and start destroying all other ships by ramming them?

I doubt that it was a small collision if you have engaged the enemy in combat. I really suspect that it was a head-on collision.
 
The thing that confuses me, and because I've not died since leaving my Sidewinder I haven't experienced it, is the mechanic involved when you can't afford your insurance.

A number of players now in threads like this have complained that because they were a little short on the insurance value they were sent back to the starting condition Sidewinder and 1000cr. This is what I don't get, and don't know whether the players are wrong or whether the game is wrong.

Surely, say the insurance for your Asp* comes to 2,000,000cr, but sadly you only have 1,900,000cr in the bank, you can't afford the insurance so you get a Sidewinder, but you should still have that 1,900,000cr in the bank. It doesn't make sense to me that you go back to 1000cr as well, yet players keep saying that's exactly what happens.

*just an aside, I've not seen it here but since we're talking Asps, why do 50% of the players on this forum call it an ASP, as though it stands for something?
 
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Do you understand that you are talking about huge energies generated by the head on collision of two objects one with the weight of over 300t and the other one with the weight of at least 40t at the combined velocity of over 300m/s? Shields or no shields this is very bad and should cause catastrophic damage. You should avoid collisions at all costs and not to rely on your shields. And it absolutely does not matter whether the ship you have collided with had shields or not.

So basically you propose that if you have better shields you should be able to destroy all smaller shields without any damage to your ship? I.e. one can take Anaconda, equip it with the best shields and start destroying all other ships by ramming them?

I doubt that it was a small collision if you have engaged the enemy in combat. I really suspect that it was a head-on collision.

There is something weird with the Asp though. I have survived head on collisions with stations after boosting while trying to land, and destroyed Asp's by scratching a wing tip while entering a station.

Regardless the reason of the crash, if you don't have the money to pay for insurance, you are doing something wrong.
 
I think Im usually sympathetic re these posts......but

This is 100% your fault.

Its a shame you didn't join the forums earlier as you would know that this topic crops up nearly everyday, why join a forum just to moan. The re-buy value of your ship is clearly displayed on your right hand console, you chose to fly without the funds to cover it. Whatever caused the loss of your ship this was a risk you were prepared to take.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Also........

Get rid of insurance completely.



Its my fault that I launched without having enough credits in the bank to cover the insurance. Its the games fault that a small collision results in total destruction. I was barely moving when the other ship hit me and I don't think he was going 300 ms as another has posted. It sure didn't seem like an explosion worthy collision for either of us. I have hit the station entrance far harder several times and not exploded.

And yes I did join the forum and come here to vent. I love space sims and have probably owned every one ever made for the computer. I was so put off by my experience playing that I felt the need to come here and voice my opinion. I really want Elite to be a great game but I feel the save game restrictions will ruin the experience for many, including myself who don't know the details and unwritten rules regarding the insurance and what options are avail regarding credit and buyback options should I explode due to a small impact. I understand in online play but solo mode IMO is different. My playing mistake will not impact anyone else but me in solo mode. 99% of all other space sims allow multiple save points and it is a feature that should be an option IMO especially for the casual gamer who has limited time to spend playing.

In its current condition Elite is not worth playing IMO, the mining is terrible, combat (especially collisions) is iffy at best and the save game situation is just bad IMO.

When and if it gets better I may give it another go, but I'm done for now.

Hopefully the developers will recognize this as a problem that is ruining the game experience for many and do something about it.
 
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including myself who don't know the unwritten rules regarding the insurance


https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=83514
I have to be honest, I find it hard to believe someone who is experienced with flight sim doesn't read manuals. With most flight sims you can't even get off the ground if you don't! And the added info that you were almost sitting still, in combat, with a cargo-loaded asp, uninsured, and repeteadly hit the station entrance does not improve the story much. If anything it suggest you should have died more often, not less. Just IMHO ofcourse.

I agree that had solo no impact on open there should be an option to have as many saves as you want. You can even add godmode for all I care. But solo is not isolated, and you can always switch back and forth. If you'd add an 'easy mode' you'd run into a whole slew of problems. People could just play solo, build up the inevitable fortune, buy the biggest ship and annoy people in open. Many people are in favor of seperating solo and open, for many reasons, and I think you just added one. On the other hand the current design works very well for many people who are a bit intimidated by open and just want to dip in their toes now and then. And FYI: for many, including myself, the lack of saved games is one of the great and defining points of Elite. It means you are held responsible for what you do, and you only achieve things because of your actions, not because it was ultimately inevitable. The flip side of the coin is that if you do not read the manual, do not understand the mechanisms and add a string of poor descisions on top of that, well, I guess you now know what happens.

Having said that: if you really and honestly think the collision was very minor, not head-on and your cockpit was not hit, maybe you can ticket it. FD has recompensated players if they lost anything due to a bug. Without a vid noone here can tell you that but you can always try. Regardless of that: ED defines itself as a fairly difficult game where players are punished for bad choices. That will not be fixed, and I am not entirely sure it is a design choice that suits your taste.
 
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Perma-death can be a fun game mechanic. Playing a game like The Long Dark where death is unavaoidable at some point can really change your perspective on a games rules. While the rules of death can be expensive in Dangerous that is easily avoided. All you have to do is make sure you have a minimum balance. For example, if I never want to be in a sidewinder again, My minimum balance is going to be at least 300k, with that I can at least set up a different hauler and buy a load of goods with it and still cover the insurance again if I explode on my first trip out.
 
Its my fault that I launched without having enough credits in the bank to cover the insurance. Its the games fault that a small collision results in total destruction. I was barely moving when the other ship hit me and I don't think he was going 300 ms as another has posted. It sure didn't seem like an explosion worthy collision for either of us. I have hit the station entrance far harder several times and not exploded.

And yes I did join the forum and come here to vent. I love space sims and have probably owned every one ever made for the computer. I was so put off by my experience playing that I felt the need to come here and voice my opinion. I really want Elite to be a great game but I feel the save game restrictions will ruin the experience for many, including myself who don't know the details and unwritten rules regarding the insurance and what options are avail regarding credit and buyback options should I explode due to a small impact. I understand in online play but solo mode IMO is different. My playing mistake will not impact anyone else but me in solo mode. 99% of all other space sims allow multiple save points and it is a feature that should be an option IMO especially for the casual gamer who has limited time to spend playing.

In its current condition Elite is not worth playing IMO, the mining is terrible, combat (especially collisions) is iffy at best and the save game situation is just bad IMO.

When and if it gets better I may give it another go, but I'm done for now.

Hopefully the developers will recognize this as a problem that is ruining the game experience for many and do something about it.
yes it's weird playing elite with no save. i used to have a screen full of different saves, generally one before i tried something stupid like getting into a scrap with the police vipers outside a station :)

that said, there was never any risk in elite. as long as i remembered to save i could never lose anything worthwhile. as much as i enjoyed elite it didn't compare to the feeling i got when i first completed mario 1 on the gameboy. why? because mario 1 had no save feature. die too many times and you'd be back on the first level, it had real risk and as a result the reward felt greater.

eve-online is even harsher with regards to loss, and the excitement that can bring when you get in a dangerous fight is palpable. i think risk vs reward is a great way to balance a game as if the devs get it right the game is just more exciting than many other styles. in eve the payout for insurance is really stingy, and you have to pay upfront for a month before you get blown up. you get nothing for the modules, nor do you get a payout based on the true value of rare and high tech ships, only the raw metal they are made with. so to mitigate this i kept a fleet of ships, to ensure there was always something i could fall back on after a harsh loss.

i'm doing the same in elite, i have an eagle, adder, viper, cobra, type 6 and an asp. i don't just run the risk of NPC pirates when trading rares, i also run the risk of player pirates as i stick to open. this makes the Lave area feel like a different game. i don't just supercruise to the station in a straight line bluezoning it when i'm 7 seconds out. i fly out into the void then turn round to approach the station at an odd angle with nothing behind me. on final approach i spiral and loop in towards the station to make it harder for anyone to get an interdiction tether on me. my gameplay is a lot more active and i don't relax again until i'm out of the Lave area where i go back to a more chilled approach to flying.

i have lost an Asp to a player pirate, it was my own fault, i turned to fight and then went brain dead and didn't put up much of a fight at all. next time that happens i hope i'll at least put a dent in their hull with the changes i've made to my loadout.

so while i know a big loss can hurt (had enough of those in various games over the years) i also know the ability to lose so much can add so much more to a game than it loses by allowing us to save after every trivial bit of progress is made.

take a break for the game, then if you fancy trying again you'll know about the risks and how you can mitigate them and you might find it just makes the whole thing more exciting!
 
Yeah OP, didn't you know this is a NO-HOLDS-BARRED-SIMULATOR?!?! That's why your "space"ship moves through space like it's through air, has a garbage yaw, and no inertia. The simulation is truly second to none. Ps- stuff these boards, if you didn't want foul language, don't make a foul game.
 
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I've been playing Elite for about 3 weeks now, Started small and been trading my way up through various ships until I finally got an ASP. 6 million credits takes a bit of playing in solo mode to afford.

So tonight I take my fully loaded out ASP out for a trade run. I got interdicted along the way and thought "great finally some combat action to test my loaded ASP on". A few minutes later and I'm staring at the bankrupt screen. Yep I had a full load of expensive ore and a stupid ship with NO shields rams me with my full A5 shields up and I blow up???

Losing a 6 million credit ship with about 8 million plus in upgrades to a tiny ship ramming me is insane.

I've been playing space sims for 25 plus years now and never seen a lack of a saved game to go back to especially in solo mode.

My only options are to declare bankruptcy or start over with the beginner ship? I've got 8 million in ship upgrades and my credit limit is 200,000 credits???

Are you kidding me????


This is really messed up and a game ender for me. No way I'm going to scratch back from a tiny ship to where I was until this gets fixed.

What a waste of time and money on my part.


Massively disappointed in a most promising game. :(


Please fix the ramming and obvious flaws in the collision mechanics.

Please allow for more options to save and or restore previous saves or at least a more reasonable credit structure.


This is ridiculous I feel ripped off.

:mad:


Yet another " I didn't pay attention to all the zillions of other threads about going boom in a ship I couldn't afford to buy back"

Tiresome at the very least.
 
In its current condition Elite is not worth playing IMO, the mining is terrible, combat (especially collisions) is iffy at best and the save game situation is just bad IMO.

Have been there with collisions during fights as well but with lesser losses, but I feel you.

Now, I have been through forums and reading a lot, and finally went to try something I thought I would not be able to do, which is FLIGHT ASSIST OFF (at least party) during dogfights.

Yes ofc, in my early game experiance I had not that much trouble fighting against AI using only thrusters and the basic flight controls... up to the time when almost 3 times in a row I just ended up going splat with a Viper fighting an ASP...
I was very frustrated as well... and finally tried *flight assist off*...

I just cannot emphasis how much it will change your fighting flying patterns, and you might be very surprise to see that you are at very less likely chances to go splat against an other ship...
But as it is really hard to only fly with FA OFF, I tend to turn FA off to get my target in front of me, then FA ON again to shoot him, and then rise and repeat..., you will also very soon discover that you may get way less incoming damages flying this way... at least all of that was really helpfull to me...

Try not quitting for now... give yourself a chance
Stay safe out there
 
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All of this is valid. However, and here the OP is right: A small vessel ramming a much bigger vessel with a superior shield should not have a chance of popping it. And this is exactly what happens. THIS is a game flaw.

I got rammed by a completely shielded up Anaconda in boost speed and I was in an Asp Explorer. My shields went down and I lost 75% hull, but I survived.

That the OP could be taken out by a ramming Sidewinder or whatnot is troubling. There needs to be some logic behind the ramming mechanics.

The logic is the logic of the universe and it is called physics. You got lucky because of strike angle maybe but lucky is all it was.
 
If you're waiting for this to get fixed you're going to be waiting a long time... That's how the game is supposed to work more or less and I'm pretty sure loans are really meant more for the lower end of ships and it is assumed that by the time you're ready to fly an Asp or something equally expensive that you'll be more financially stable. Shields don't cancel inertia and they're not that powerful to stop your ship's hull from buckling under a heavy impact otherwise they would stop a lot more ammunition.
Sorry for your loss but you chose to fly a ship that you couldn't afford to break and you broke it. Newton slapped you, it happens. Regardless of what shields you had, you hit an object that weighs a minimum of 50 tons (assuming the Eagle) at probably somewhere around 300 m/s. That's over 670 MPH and almost 1100 KPH.
Short of flying a solid block of tungsten I don't know how you expect a ship to survive that kind of crash. It's a LOT of force.
All in all, you'll play again. You payed for the game and you'll more than likely pick it back up. I've taken breaks from it for a while when I lost an expensive ship or screwed up badly too. (I rammed my Asp into an asteroid on it's maiden flight, made me feel very silly indeed...) Next time, however, you'll be mindful of the rebuy cost and won't fly without the ability to pay the insurance cost for the ship you're flying.

Good luck out there.
 
Sorry for your ships man, all of them. It's a pretty lame experience. But I have to agree with the majority of people here that you definitely could have taken steps to avoid it. Hopefully you can get back in there and keep at it. As beautiful of a game it is, it can be quite deadly...hence the name.

Fly Dangerous! 07
 
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