Modes The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread [See new thread]

[shadragon]

Fact is, plenty of traders in open don't have a problem with interdictions.

Correct. I have no issues with being interdicted. I joined Mobius (along with almost 4600 others) because of the, what do I call them, assassinations, destructions, mindless losses of my ship with no warning or reason. Even when my cargo holds were empty, I got trashed in seconds with no communications beforehand. Killing for the purpose of killing and no other.

Although I'm sure they felt quite the personal achievement taking out my unarmed Hauler with an up-rated Viper. Oh, the manliness, the machismo, the bravery.

When FD can figure out how to filter out the boneheads, I'll be happy to come back to Open.

Until that day, the people who abuse others in Open play are: "Not my circus. Not my monkees."

 

[Dave1235]

Nope, we have never, ever, ever, ever had a poll on that. Nope, not at all.

Rofl, and yes this is also the first time this subject has been discussed here too. "Honest guvnor, I have no idea whey the Mod's started this black hole", unless ofc it was a new post on on the same subject appearing every ten minutes

 

[ViciousMink]

Considering the number of merges into this thread, I'm starting to see gravitational lensing affecting surrounding ones.

 

[Dave1235]

Hell yeah.... With all those Rares at Diso, Lave, Orrere, Uszaa (etc)........we're flying under your nose every day.......... hehehe.......

Not been there yet, in fact been here since PB and never traded a rare yet, I think I will give it a go tonight.

Now the only choice is solo or Mobius

 

[ChrisUK27]

Correct. I have no issues with being interdicted. I joined Mobius (along with almost 4600 others) because of the, what do I call them, assassinations, destructions, mindless losses of my ship with no warning or reason. Even when my cargo holds were empty, I got trashed in seconds with no communications beforehand. Killing for the purpose of killing and no other.

Although I'm sure they felt quite the personal achievement taking out my unarmed Hauler with an up-rated Viper. Oh, the manliness, the machismo, the bravery.

When FD can figure out how to filter out the boneheads, I'll be happy to come back to Open.

Until that day, the people who abuse others in Open play are: "Not my circus. Not my monkees."

From the aggressors perspective are you not essentially one more kill that counts towards making the next rank.

Unless there's some odd -1 for a player kill it's part of the game and it's normal game play for that chosen career path. There are aspects that are needed in respects of Anarchy meaning just that but it's been in and out of this thread probably a hundred times by now. I find it a bit sad that people run off to the relative safety of Solo rather than working out how to deal with their problems and then maybe, just maybe tell everyone else who's scared to come into Open.

 

[Robert Maynard]

I find it a bit sad that people run off to the relative safety of Solo rather than working out how to deal with their problems and then maybe, just maybe tell everyone else who's scared to come into Open.

It may be that the result of "working out how to deal with their problems" is a desire to play in solo or private group - and not be preyed on by players simply because they are players. Also, it is not up to any player to "tell everyone else" how to play.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

From the aggressors perspective are you not essentially one more kill that counts towards making the next rank.

Unless there's some odd -1 for a player kill it's part of the game and it's normal game play for that chosen career path. There are aspects that are needed in respects of Anarchy meaning just that but it's been in and out of this thread probably a hundred times by now. I find it a bit sad that people run off to the relative safety of Solo rather than working out how to deal with their problems and then maybe, just maybe tell everyone else who's scared to come into Open.

I've heard that there's no progression for killing a clean player, but that could be rubbish. As a higher ranking combateer, taking out a Harmless Trader actually does nothing to progress you. That much is certain. You have to be killing players with a matching ranking to progress.

I heard talk of making the ranking match on ship types at one point.

Essentially, picking on someone lesser than yourself is effectively like "Oh... explosions. Lulz" and that's really the best of it.

 

[ChrisUK27]

It may be that the result of "working out how to deal with their problems" is a desire to play in solo or private group - and not be preyed on by players simply because they are players. Also, it is not up to any player to "tell everyone else" how to play.

I've said this before mate several times; there are loads of guides, websites etc for traders to make lots of money quickly and easily.

How many offer valid techniques for avoiding combat or getting out of trouble in comparison? You may say choice (And others) but I bet there's an element of it's easier to make money so that's where I'm going.

 

[Jorlin]

I've said this before mate several times; there are loads of guides, websites etc for traders to make lots of money quickly and easily.

How many offer valid techniques for avoiding combat or getting out of trouble in comparison? You may say choice (And others) but I bet there's an element of it's easier to make money so that's where I'm going.

So when it's about less danger, easy money... why i'm not in the PvE group instead of solo?
The answer is simple: My choice to stay solo (at the moment) has nothing to do with anything you bet on.

 

[Robert Maynard]

You may say choice (And others) but I bet there's an element of it's easier to make money so that's where I'm going.

For some that may be the case. For others it may be as I suggested. Not all players do the same thing for the same reasons.

 

[Dave1235]

I've said this before mate several times; there are loads of guides, websites etc for traders to make lots of money quickly and easily.

How many offer valid techniques for avoiding combat or getting out of trouble in comparison? You may say choice (And others) but I bet there's an element of it's easier to make money so that's where I'm going.

Rather than speculating why not give it a try and speak from experience.

In my case you are LY's off the mark, played since PB mainly in open (apart from buggy times) right through to mid gamma, now almost exclusively Solo or Mobius.

Nothing to do making money I have an A spec type 6 & cobra to my name hardly rich, I came into open a month ago with the intent to get pirated in my type 6 on my usual route, it happened pretty soon after by a proper pirate, was great fun but I was in the mood for it.

When they make the penalty for PKing (not proper piracy) fit the crime, or I finally get an Asp with a few rebuys and stand a better chance of surviving I might spend more time in open, but maybe not.

But the biggest factor between Solo and Mobius / Open for me is how I feel at the time and how much time I have to spare, if I had a bad / long day at work it will always be Solo.

 

[ChrisUK27]

Rather than speculating why not give it a try and speak from experience.

In my case you are LY's off the mark, played since PB mainly in open (apart from buggy times) right through to mid gamma, now almost exclusively Solo or Mobius.

Nothing to do making money I have an A spec type 6 & cobra to my name hardly rich, I came into open a month ago with the intent to get pirated in my type 6 on my usual route, it happened pretty soon after by a proper pirate, was great fun but I was in the mood for it.

When they make the penalty for PKing (not proper piracy) fit the crime, or I finally get an Asp with a few rebuys and stand a better chance of surviving I might spend more time in open, but maybe not.

But the biggest factor between Solo and Mobius / Open for me is how I feel at the time and how much time I have to spare, if I had a bad / long day at work it will always be Solo.

Absolutely. I've played in Open exclusively since the Beta's.

Never been attacked by another player, only ever interdicted once and that was a test in the 1.1 Beta test server. I have however chatted to a few fellow CMDRS from time to time.

I'm there in Open, trading, Merc, exploration, running missions, even tried mining (which needs lots of work).

The suggestion that Open is a pew pew PvP fest everywhere you go is LY's off the mark. Fact.

 

[Jezzah]

Absolutely. I've played in Open exclusively since the Beta's.

Never been attacked by another player, only ever interdicted once and that was a test in the 1.1 Beta test server. I have however chatted to a few fellow CMDRS from time to time.

I'm there in Open, trading, Merc, exploration, running missions, even tried mining (which needs lots of work).

The suggestion that Open is a pew pew PvP fest everywhere you go is LY's off the mark. Fact.

Totally agree. I'm a pirate in the game and even then I maybe pick on one or two players in the few hours I'm on every week and that only tends to be in the systems that FD has spawned community goals or luxury traders which is exactly what FD intends by concentrating people with these things.

 

[Garik]

Been in open for weeks now, not one cmdr has tried their luck. OK, I have been grinding trade out in the sticks for most of the time so today I went looking for humans. I found loads of them around Eravate, swarms of cmdrs and not one jumped me. I did find a wanted Viper cmdr, we stood toe to toe and looked at each other. I could see his nostril hairs we were that close, as I waited to see what he would do he turned away and went to hyper space............it isn't that dangerous in open. Spent most of the day saying hi.

 

[Tryst]

IRL, when I drive to work in the morning I really don't want to interact with other cars, so if I could beam myself into an alternate reality where I was the only person on the road, I'd gladly do that. I don't have that choice however, so I'm stuck in the traffic jam.

the difference is that you HAVE TO go to work. You don't HAVE TO play this game. If it wasn't a requirement to work, you could avoid the traffic jams by staying at home.

By that logic, an open only game would simply drive players away. I certainly wouldn't play it any more and I wouldn't have bought it if there wasn't the solo ability in it since I never wanted an online game anyway.

 

[ChrisUK27]

the difference is that you HAVE TO go to work. You don't HAVE TO play this game. If it wasn't a requirement to work, you could avoid the traffic jams by staying at home.

By that logic, an open only game would simply drive players away. I certainly wouldn't play it any more and I wouldn't have bought it if there wasn't the solo ability in it since I never wanted an online game anyway.

Logic? He's bought the game so of course he's going to play it.

You last comment makes the rest of it make sense, Offline is gone.

 

[Lenroc elisav]

Didn't read through the entire thread-naught but I'll risk throwing my 2 cents in. Mixing effects from open, solo and group is weird and bad design choice, in my opinion. And the argument that lead me to that conclusion is that a sand-box in which someone else can knock over your castle while you are unable to defend it, more so you don't even know who does it, it's unpredictable, inconsistent and won't entice people to build elaborate structures. Not now nor in the future. At best we'll just have snail trails over the sand. Nobody builds castles over quick-sands.

The above doesn't necessarily mean that they should ditch the solo/private mode just separate it from open. Separate characters locked in the chosen mode and separate galaxies. In the solo/private one players castles should be invisible to other players. I don't know if that's economically viable for FD. Or if they can transfer the entire game on the users PCs.

On the other hand, the no-subscription business model requires the game just to be appealing enough to convince players to buy payed DLC and not to keep playing the game between DLC releases. What I mean is, pay for planetary landings, play it until you get bored then step off until next release.
IMO the game is addictive enough to retain curiosity and interest in that way even if it lacks the depth to keep players investing time on a daily (regular) base.

P.S. Since the depth of the sand-box is quite shallow I think that the game is a bit too punishing at higher tiers of play for the amount of fun and accomplishments provided by the game-play. That may change in time.

 

[Joe Spivey]

Didn't read through the entire thread-naught but I'll risk throwing my 2 cents in. Mixing effects from open, solo and group is weird and bad design choice, in my opinion. And the argument that lead me to that conclusion is that a sand-box in which someone else can knock over your castle while you are unable to defend it, more so you don't even know who does it, it's unpredictable, inconsistent and won't entice people to build elaborate structures. Not now nor in the future. At best we'll just have snail trails over the sand. Nobody builds castles over quick-sands.

The above doesn't necessarily mean that they should ditch the solo/private mode just separate it from open. Separate characters locked in the chosen mode and separate galaxies. In the solo/private one players castles should be invisible to other players. I don't know if that's economically viable for FD. Or if they can transfer the entire game on the users PCs.

On the other hand, the no-subscription business model requires the game just to be appealing enough to convince players to buy payed DLC and not to keep playing the game between DLC releases. What I mean is, pay for planetary landings, play it until you get bored then step off until next release.
IMO the game is addictive enough to retain curiosity and interest in that way even if it lacks the depth to keep players investing time on a daily (regular) base.

P.S. Since the depth of the sand-box is quite shallow I think that the game is a bit too punishing at higher tiers of play for the amount of fun and accomplishments provided by the game-play. That may change in time.

perhaps you should read more of the thread, then you may get a better idea of: why the modes are as they are, why your arguments are invalid and finally, why the status quo isn't going to change.

 

[Robert Maynard]

The above doesn't necessarily mean that they should ditch the solo/private mode just separate it from open. Separate characters locked in the chosen mode and separate galaxies. In the solo/private one players castles should be invisible to other players. I don't know if that's economically viable for FD. Or if they can transfer the entire game on the users PCs.

Recent answers from Michael Brookes to direct questions on the topic:

Will at any time solo and private group play be separated into a different universe/database from open play? It's kind of cheap that you can be safe from many things in solo, like player blockades and so on, and still affect the same universe.

No.

Michael

Thanks for that clarity Michael.

Are you in a position to confirm that group switching between the three game modes will remain as a feature of the game?

We're not planning on changing that.

Michael

Hi Micheal

I know you said that solo/group and open will always use the same universe, can you also say that there will be no specific perks in playing in one mode over another? i.e bigger profit from trading in open or bigger bounties?

None are planned at the moment.

Michael

 

[Stein]

the difference is that you HAVE TO go to work. You don't HAVE TO play this game. If it wasn't a requirement to work, you could avoid the traffic jams by staying at home.

No, actually I want to go to work I need the money so I can buy stuff like ED. I could get a job another place in town where there was less traffic, but they wouldn't pay me as much.
Similarly, I want to play ED. Right now I want to trade, so I can get a better ship, and I'm gonna rare trade in the Lave cluster. Now, I have the choice to do this in solo or open, and going solo is for me a no-brainer since I'd rather avoid the "traffic jam" around Lave. But if I didn't have that choice, and had to play in open? Then I would have to make the much more interesting choice of whether to go to Lave at all, maybe prepare my ship better - or avoid it altogether and do less profitable runs elsewhere.
I don't think an open only game would drive players away. On the contrary - I think it would eventually make for a much more interesting game.