Should FD Sell the Ships in a Shop?

[BaalMoloch]

I can play 5 hours a WEEK at most and I DO NOT want the ships available for purchase.
That is not the solution.
The solution comes through more content and maybe more ships in different price ranges so you can have more options.
The big ships should be difficult to get and if you have less time to play then it is more difficult.
I currently have a viper fully kitted and only 2 millions in my account. I'm not even close to get a Python or an Anaconda, and that's the way it should be.
I would like more things to do and maybe more ships between the Cobra and the Clipper/Dropship.
What you are proposing is definitely PAY TO WIN and I don't care if you play Solo.

 

[trilathon]

Why oh why is playing a game a grind ?

Why oh why do some people fail to see something for what it is and think cheating your way to status is the answer ?

For a Thatcher era game I hope it remains starry eyed and never all about the £.

 

[Abaddonuk]

Now that the cash spent on ships figure actually contains a figure, it is scary to think how many hours I must have ground out in trading to have spent that much, admitedly I sold a lot of those ships afterwards but still.

So I have a Conda for trade and a Python for pew pew and an Asp for exploration meaning I have no axe to grind here as don't need to buy ships but see no harm in those who want to avoid the grind from doing so as long as they are the same ships people can get through gameplay.

 

[Marc Alexander]

I'm sensing that the likely root cause of people saying No to purchasing ships through the store is some kind of superiority or "deity" complex.

That's a pretty big inference to make! I, like you, can only speak for ourselves. I'm saying 'no' because it detracts from the ethos of the game structure - you start with nothing (or very little) and build whatever pathway you choose from that point.

 

[faloia]

I love the comments calling this "pay to win" in one breath and then the same people are arguing that Elite is a sandbox, there is no win in the end in another thread. Personally I don't care if they do or don't add the ability to the game. I've grinded my way up to a loaded T7 and Asp and don't have a tremendous desire to own anything much bigger. That said if buying ships can fund a dev team that is committed to actually adding some content and real game play with any depth to the PC version of the game then I'm all for it. I don't however see this happening as they're going to be tied up for quite a while porting Elite to the Mac, Xbox, PS4, and any other platform they can think of.

(edit corrected grammar)

 

[Sim Maker]

Why oh why is playing a game a grind ?

Why oh why do some people fail to see something for what it is and think cheating your way to status is the answer ?

For a Thatcher era game I hope it remains starry eyed and never all about the £.

Chap with "Thatcher Issues" wants "things" to be free............pleanty of time on your hands by any chance?

 

[Cryptonomica]

No, no, just no. Seriously. No.

 

[Stoffermann]

Pay for a ship. Yes. Pay for insurance. Possibly, once people pay for the ships then this becomes an issue. Maybe have an increased debt ceiling for those ships

As long as you still have to pay for for hard points and internals. There should also be a clear warning of recommended credit levels for a purchase. And you would still at a point potentially lose it. (Player salvage missions would be nice). And you would need cred with factions for faction ships.

Unique ships as well, limited scope for upgrades, so a fully jacked standard ship is always better, could be made. But maybe better as mission/faction rewards.

A paint job market where players can contribute paint jobs for the market in return for cash or credits would increase the number of paint jobs out there and raise revenue.

 

[Hadron-Higgs-Boson]

I think its inevitable once the 30 ships have been delivered, maybe even before, either directly as ship purchases or as cash for credits. FD will need to generate revenue for the games ongoing development, this would potentially be a pretty lucrative source.

As for the 'No it would be pay to win' argument, well, win what exactly? There is no win in this game, do they mean 'no I don't want someone being able to pay for a bigger ship than me because I spent 3 weeks grinding 8 hours a day for it which is how ED is supposed to be played'?

I don't think I care one way or the other about it, my enjoyment or not isn't going to be altered by some guy in an Anaconda blowing up my Cobra then yelling 'I bought this in the shop, pay2win FTW!'

 

[RedWizzard]

The problem lies in the implicit assumption and definite possibility that the price of purchasable in-game items is not only determined by game mechanics and balance, but also by how much more money can be earned if the price goes up at the cost of enjoyment of the in-game path towards that same price. Therefore, it would have a - dare I say: negative - effect on both the finances of people who would choose that option as well as on the game itself for those who don't.
If this system were in place right now, people would very likely suspect that the pricing of the FDL is due to this very discrepancy and not address the issue in terms of the game's mechanics alone.
Thus, the current debate about the differing profitabilities of the available carreers might not take place and the underlying issues might not be addressed, leaving the game in a worse state that it could be.

That's only really good argument I've seen against it. The problem could be largely avoided by selling credits rather than ships. They could still inflate prices in game but it would be very obvious what was going on.

 

[PirateBait]

and build whatever pathway you choose from that point.

I've watched grass grow faster than my credit balance toward a Type 7 or a decent fighter to get past the second faction mission to take out some General in a Dropship instead of using my pathetic Eagle. I tried exploring last night. Scanned 15 objects in a system with detailed surface scanner. Got 10,000 credits for it. Must have taken an hour thanks to it being split into thirds 75,000 ls apart. They have some serious brakes on this digital hamster wheel. I'm about 1 week from taking the red pill and set aside this game until an expansion pack comes out.

 

[OrLoK]

Hello there

A firm NO from me. Pay to Win? Not exactly, but it *is* pay to have an enormous advantage.

The whole ethos of the game is to work ones way up the greasy pole.

If I want a quick blast a play a "quick" game like Insurgency If I want an in depth game I play Arma 3.

Same with Elite. Its a time sink. Not as bad as EVE but nonetheless...

For those with little time it *is* unfortunate, but on the flip side what about those with little or no disposable income? Would it be fair to them?

And for the rest of us why grind when one can buy? It would alter the whole feel and balance of the game.

Whats needed is more ships/customisation/etc for those stuck in the grind to make it more palatable until one can get to the higher teirs.

Rgds

LoK

 

[Abaddonuk]

I've watched grass grow faster than my credit balance toward a Type 7 or a decent fighter to get past the second faction mission to take out some General in a Dropship instead of using my pathetic Eagle. I tried exploring last night. Scanned 15 objects in a system with detailed surface scanner. Got 10,000 credits for it. Must have taken an hour thanks to it being split into thirds 75,000 ls apart. They have some serious brakes on this digital hamster wheel. I'm about 1 week from taking the red pill and set aside this game until an expansion pack comes out.

Ahh but people will tell you, the reward for exploration is in the discovery of amazing things not mearly in credits.

Personally I would say they need to reduce scan times and up the rewards to make exploration pay better.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

To win what, exactly? I thought the idea of E|D was there was no 'win'.

And this is the reason why I don't oppose this idea. If you can buy ships and credits online for real money, those with little time but abundant cash can quickly get to the ship they want, and can rebuy it with real money if they crash it without having ingame insurance money.

 

[Marc Alexander]

I tried exploring last night. Scanned 15 objects in a system with detailed surface scanner. Got 10,000 credits for it. Must have taken an hour thanks to it being split into thirds 75,000 ls apart.

Well, it depends entirely on how you approach exploring. I do it because I like cruising about, discovering stuff (and getting a 'discovered by' tag ). The money is of minor interest. Purely payment for services rendered.

 

[Midian27]

No! Worst idea ever!

 

[Steve50]

no, No and thrice NO!

 

[Kiblams]

I love how every person who says 'yes' spends the time to justify their reasoning, and those that say 'no' don't bother

 

[Forzeti]

That's only really good argument I've seen against it. The problem could be largely avoided by selling credits rather than ships. They could still inflate prices in game but it would be very obvious what was going on.

Well, the thing is: Some might view the current prices as obviously inflated in just such a way. However, since there's no paying for ships with real money, we know that it is a gameplay issue instead and can be addressed as such.

 

[Jorlin]

No! Worst idea ever!

believe me, there were much worse ones in this forums

doesn't mean that i like the idea though.