Obsidian Ant's "Powerplay Rant"

[Mephane]

Exactly the template I was using.

People say they want a large open world, but no one wants to travel more than 200 Ls to a station, some dont want SC at all, just jump from station to station, the SC drop in was moved from 20 km to 9.5 and even that was described by someone on this forum as literally "the worst torture ever" because it takes 40 seconds.

Missions that take more than one jump, apparently just an evil time sink, what were we thinking when we asked for them?

People say they hate Grinding and Farming and want dynamic living economies but flip out when trade routes don't consistently provide the exact same profit run after run after run, even a drop of 50 CR a ton is decried as a Shadow Nerf aimed are ruining their 'fun' which they call a grind 5 minutes before.

Bounty Hunters want one zone they can sit in endlessly shooting ships (endless because this dynamics living universe would not react to hundreds of pirates being slaughtered for hours on end in one place, nope, always more Elite Anacondas with fat bounties just sitting on the bench waiting for their number to be called), no one wants to get back to base to reload or turn in vouchers, or hunt in different zones or SC or Signal sources or take missions, nope not good for you Cr/HR and if the traders are about CR/HR so are we,.

Oh yes I agree so much. It shouldn't be about cr/h and I personally don't aim for any target value there, nor did I ever calculate how many cr/h do with any activity. There is however one thing to add to your post, and that is that the current powerplay merit system (even more so, the first installment in the 1.3 beta, the competitive ladder!) directly encourages that very kind of thinking and min-maxing approach. Because it asks players to achieve certain threshold numbers of merit within a week, and since everyone's time is limited, and few people wish to spend all their time only collecting merits and then hoping it is enough at the end of the week, a merits/h optimization seems almost mandatory.

In other words, not only are you right but you also prove why the current merit system is deeply flawed still.

 

[teaurn]

I think the best addition to the game would be the big red button on the control panel.

You know, the one marked 'WIN'

This game is the perfect example of the old adage that you can't please all the people all the time....

 

[CMDR Brock Samson]

Salute Commanders!

All I can say in response to the OP and the video is: I PLAY this game. I don't need to watch a video of someone explaining to me the meaning of words of what PP is.
Please tell me... WHAT the HECK is the use in this thread? To discuss CMDR Obvious telling us what we already know? Dang Commanders! Comon!

If something is a first step, FD will improve it. If something is a failure... I am sure FD will change it. NOONE has seen a tiny bit of outcome from PP yet. My gosh, give it/them (FD a chance).

So we should just play and shut it?No feedback?And how is FD supposed to know learn if it's a failure?I'll tell you, if they see that the playerbase is not satisfied.

 

[B33 ENN]

I suspect that Powerplay is the way Powerplay is because it only needed a very small team to implement. Hopefully because everybody else is doing paid expansions.

I suspect it is because it was easier than trying to integrate complexity into the placeholder faction/rep system without having to worry about effects on the game as a whole or they couldn't figure out how to do it at all within the framework and server model they have built

I get the opposite feeling, itt looks to me like a lot of time and effort of quite a large portion of the development team went into building this Powerplay system. It think it's a lot more sophisticated than it has been given credit for, mainly because it's been overshadowed by disappointment in the mechanics, but also because a lot of people don't understand it.

I've been critical, like many, but I feel now that it's here, we should give it some time before passing a second judgement. This is only the first week of the live test. And yes, I use the term "test" deliberately, because though it is officially out of beta, we PC/Mac players are the guinea pigs testing the bugs and refining the balance before it goes live on console, which is the real market it's being aimed at.

 

[Ydiss]

I haven't watched the video but I can imagine it's all been said a hundred times already here.

I posted a lot o on the beta forums and have made my opinion as clear as possible. I have really enjoyed playing this game. It's so much fun to just fly the ships and combat is excellent.

However, I've been playing the same content knowing the game will develop over time. And I imagine the game will be full of variety and fun things to do in future. The thing is, I was hoping power play would introduce something for me to do that was different to what I've been doing for months, but still let me progress my commander.

I don't have much time to play and PP offers me little. The actual content (what we do to earn merits) is the same. And it doesn't pay very well either.

I've hit that wall, finally. I've not really played this week and I've started playing dota with friends. It's the perfect game for casual players as each game lasts up to an hour or so. And it's excellent pvp.

I'll keep an eye on this game and I'll probably play it again. But only once there's something truly new to do.

1.3 was an excellent update and the game has improved a lot. But it hasn't yet expanded on the core activities nearly enough. So this is a good time to put it down.

I will probably log into Ydiss once in a while (he's still exploring) to get my fix.

Hopefully, we'll get more interesting activities soon.

 

[KING5TON]

Completely agree with the assessment in your video Granite (although it wasn't a rant, you're far too nice ).
My personal beef is that the game that was described to us in Kickstarter and the game we have now are two different things.

Compare this video with the game (that you refer to in your "rant")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKD1ap5hsI
Even the ardent fans must admit that what was described there and what we have aren't the same.

Not only is this a bit depressing from a backer's point of view but also for new kickstarter projects. If certain developers are describing one thing and delivering another then it undermines the kickstarter process and hurts the projects that follow yours. I know that I've not backed any games recently because of how Frontier have handled their project. Which is a shame. There's been a few projects recently that I would have backed but I just feel that I cannot trust any of them to deliver on their promises.

Here's a quote from a developer of the current kickstarter campaign for We Happy Few (A game I would have backed previously) when asked the question if big name projects are hurting indie projects.

It’s more about community expectations and education. I think what hurts more is people failing to complete their goals or match the expectations of their backers. Establishing KickStarter as a viable platform implies building trust between the people who pledge on it and the developers, and it takes the combined efforts of many different talented people to make a great game. I think – the way the folks at inXile and Obsidian have been approaching it, for example, has been super positive for the community and for crowdfunding in general.

 

[Kramster]

I get the opposite feeling, itt looks to me like a lot of time and effort of quite a large portion of the development team went into building this Powerplay system. It think it's a lot more sophisticated than it has been given credit for, mainly because it's been overshadowed by disappointment in the mechanics, but also because a lot of people don't understand it.

I agree a lot of work went into it and probably some love, but it just feels tacked on as a separate minigame. I also feel that the effects it has on the non PP game restrict or complicate other gameplay activities

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

@ FalconFly

Can't rep you enough, well said.

@ Obsidian Ant.

Ditto. Nice video, well presented, and echoes the sentiments of a lot of players I'm sure.

There's a growing concern at the direction ED is headed at the moment, just look through the fan forums, reddit, YT, etc, its becoming evident.. A roadmap just isn't there, or is deliberately hidden from us now, whereas before release, FD were positively falling over themselves with enthusiasm and pride at what was in the works and eager for our dialogue and input... now info is like getting blood out of a stone.. its become very closed shop, and the whole demeanor and direction of the game has changed.

Imho, what Elite Dangerous needs at this very moment, is this guy as lead designer.

[video=youtube;5uKD1ap5hsI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKD1ap5hsI&list=PL7-bwqQr_wrblH8pvXWeBx6pkeWO2q5Xe&index=4[/video]

He's the guy whose vision of an Elite IV I bought into.

 

[Obsidian Ant]

I guess we shall agree to disagree on if the travel distances in the Power Play missions pickup/action/drop off points are necessary or not to convey the sense of mission ie a time sink or not

Fair enough.

But it is irrelevant to the entire argument anyway. The point I am making, is that the game - Powerplay as it currently stands - is not the game Frontier and David Braben spoke about as recently as EGX last year. That is a factual statement, and not a matter of opinion. However the game still has time to change and head in the direction that was promised.

As King5ton posted above, the game described in this video, is the game I backed...but it isn't the game I got. I merely made my video to address that fact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKD1ap5hsI

EDIT: Erimus just posted the same video above...

 

[Mikey2305]

Hmm... Grind and timesink. My definition might be about watching a 40 minute video for a conclusion that can be summed up in about two sentences!


Edit
Sorry, that was snarky and you didnt deserve it!

 

[Barking_Mad]

So we should just play and shut it?No feedback?And how is FD supposed to know learn if it's a failure?I'll tell you, if they see that the playerbase is not satisfied.

The danger is that this forum (and this is not specific to ED) will attract people who aren't happy with stuff - but the posts on here are not necessarily representative of the entire player base, because the people who are having fun are playing the game, not posting on here about everything that irks them.

 

[B33 ENN]

I agree a lot of work went into it and probably some love, but it just feels tacked on as a separate minigame. I also feel that the effects it has on the non PP game restrict or complicate other gameplay activities

I don't know, I find the passive control effects are actually enhancing the standard gameplay for non-participants of the main PP campaigns. For me, it has revitalised the dry trading mechanics by introducing some personality into regional prices of things. At least, it did until Frontier's Nerf Squad started sapping the fun the moment it got interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKD1ap5hsI&list=PL7-bwqQr_wrblH8pvXWeBx6pkeWO2q5Xe&index=4 He's the guy whose vision of an Elite IV I bought into.

Videos like that one are precisely why I was reluctant to commit to backing. It's much the same reason I won't back Star Citizen with all its over ambitious promises, and cinematic trailers. Think of it like in that other thread where the guy posted the gameplay comparison to the trailer! Not literally, of course, but you get the idea. David's sales pitch sounds great there, and perhaps he really believed it himself until faced with the reality of the programming challenge to create that world he's describing?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have spent a lot of money on Elite store since buying the base game months ago, as I've got more than my money's worth of enjoyment out of it even up to now, with what, over 700 hours in, and plenty more to come. The amazing graphics engine, beautifully crafted ship models and combat animations are just so nostaligic and wonderful, that it's like visiting an old friend again, but the way it used to look in my imagination back in my childhood days.

However, this amazing living universe is likely to be a bridge to far... Unless, the game sells so amazingly well, that they really can fund the ten year plan of continued development. In that case, I think there is a chance that in five years you could see some of that promise come to fruition in the game you'll be playing. That is, of course, if someone doesn't create a better game in the meantime that you'll have moved onto?

 

[Kramster]

The danger is that this forum (and this is not specific to ED) will attract people who aren't happy with stuff - but the posts on here are not necessarily representative of the entire player base, because the people who are having fun are playing the game, not posting on here about everything that irks them.

No forum is totally representative of all players, yet it is the only place most of us have to put our opinions openly for all to read. It is up to FD to decide how much weight to give to the topic being discussed. The real danger is creating an atmosphere where players may feel unable to say what they really think.
The amount of debate following updates is a good sign that people still care and FD have been fairly careful about what they act on.

Anyway sorry OP back to topic

 

[tomalus]

First PP cycle is over, and its a bloody mess, systems with over 10 000 prep were not chosen for expansion. The game chose randomly or they hand picked themselves.So much for influencing,I feel bad for people who actually invested time and got those 12500 points in kappa fornacis for torval,only to find it under hudson expansion today.

 

[Ekar]

Tales told around the campfire in the ED Universe...

I'm with you man! I had just farmed 2100 points sitting hot in my awaitng vouchers to add to 5k i'd already turned in. I was going to farm the last 2500 tomorrow.. Now ALL those vouchers are gone. So on top of not getting rank 10 I lost 2100 points.
.

Riveting stuff. (nothing against you CMDR Noodles if you're reading!)


'It doesn't feel like a game, it feels like a world I've been brought into' - paraphrasing DB

 

[random_tangent]

Can't watch the vid yet because i'm at work, but i suspect i can guess at much of the content and probably feel a similar way.

I think a lot of people who have a problem with PP don't necessarily really have a problem with PP itself. It's more that they have a problem with the lack of content, and they were hoping the PP update might address that. It doesn't. The idea of PP as a mechanic is fine, but it feels too early to have implemented and too soon to be discussing it. Someone on page 1 said PP was like EDs end-game content. The problem is that there isn't a game yet for the end-game to follow. To me, elite doesn't feel like a living breathing universe in a way that most open world games aspire to. It feels like a space-flight, combat, galaxy simulator with simplistic placeholders where believable mechanics and game-play might one day fit.

 

[Muzz UK]

Just a quick point.... powerplay is still optional? you don't have to pick a faction or take part. You can remain neutral.... maybe I'm missing something.

 

[random_tangent]

Just a quick point.... powerplay is still optional? you don't have to pick a faction or take part. You can remain neutral.... maybe I'm missing something.

But that's a pretty sad indictment of the work that went into the new stuff. And the reason that that answer doesn't really pacify people is because 1) they take PP as a statement of intent, and they worry that FDev don't really recognise the same holes in the game as a lot of the players, because they have chosen to spend significant development resource on meta-game, rather than fleshing out the actual game, and 2) a lot of people have gotten to the point where they're bored and they were hoping PP would address that - give them more stuff to do. Now they're faced with waiting even longer for content which may never appear. Like I said, wouldn't it be logical, if you thought the game was incomplete just in terms of gameplay mechanics and low level building-block content, to add to that before adding layers of meta-gaming on top of it? Ergo, given that FDev have not done that, do they think the game is actually complete in terms of gameplay mechanics and low level building-block content? We face another long wait for the next version, less confident that the developers share our hopes and dreams for the game, and thus less confident we'll get more content when the next update does arrive.

 

[Varrag]

I've not really played this week and I've started playing dota with friends. It's the perfect game for casual players as each game lasts up to an hour or so. And it's excellent pvp.

Ahem. Few days ago I re-started my ancient (alpha test) WoT account which I haven't touched ever since ED has been released - it's a blast

I will keep an eye on ED and these forums, though, because I also expect that the game will grow in the future. If it doesn't... oh, well. Past six months were interesting. Sometimes. Kind of.

 

[Nervous Energy]

FD take more flack than normal (rightly so in this case) because the players really care about the IP.