Well, elite wasn't advertised as a MMO to begin with, but as a solo game with a multiplayer component and an offline mode, remember ?
Why is everybody complaining how much of a "grind" Elite is if every other MMORPG is exactly the same?
- Thread starter noldunar
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I think MMOs hide the grind better with varied environments, weather types, voice acting, etc. These things take your mind off of the grind as you look forward to moving on and discovering new stuff. Now I know Elite wasn't designed to be an MMO but I'd like to see some of this 'fluffy' stuff implemented and I'm sure it will come in time. I'd love to be sitting in space and my ship's coms starts ringing, I patch it through and it's a video message from an irate NPC coming to get me / asking for help / warning me of danger up ahead. The game just needs more variety in order to distract from the grind IMO.
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I can't speak for others, but for me the problem is not the grind itself. It exists in one form or other in most games that are about 'leveling' - i.e. you gain points and get better over time - it's a part of gaming nowadays. Usually, grinding is much like work in real life. There's a purpose to the grind, a clear reward for it, and it can be fun on itself, but usually it isn't. The reward can be awesome or not so much, but it's the reason why we do it and the ratio between effort and reward plays a big part on wheter we like it or not. And here ED is just like any other game. It works, it could use some balance but it works. I personally think that the proportion of work for reward is not adequate, but some feel that it is.
The problem is that ED could be much, much, much more. When I want to grind for items, credits and levels, I play Diablo 3. WoW. Path of Exile. HotS. LoL. In ED I was looking for something different. But, as the OP correctly states, this game is the same as all the rest. And that's a real pitty.
So please elucidate
Grind means laborious work. It's the same word from the idiom 'the daily grind'. The daily part makes people assume grind means repetitive, but that's not true. And anyone saying every game is a grind is wholly incorrect, it is a grind when it takes a lot of time and is very dull.
Obviously this lends itself to being subjective, what is a grind for some will not be for others.
What you need is a game-master.
Good luck with the AI for that.
Not really. Set list of peramiters with RNG would do it. Have you ever heard of "Choose your own story" books? THAT could be where Elite shines.
I hope I don't get the ending where I come back from space and I'm really old.
Motorcycle = grind. Throttle, brake, clutch, shift, slow, stop, go faster. There are sometimes quicktime events like Ignition, Choke, Fill Up - but that is all there is in the game. You really don't want it to crash though.
Now - given that those are all the options available to you on a bike (apart from several unpleasant things like Speeding Ticket or Mechanical Failure) - and the greater fun of being on a bike comes from putting all those simple actions into perspective, and enjoying the Journey and the experience itself - Elite is just like that. You enjoy the ride a lot more if you don't dwell on the little actions that make up the ride itself.
I think that's more of a philosophical or psychological mindset than a true grind but I like the way you think.
I'd say your example is backwards, really. Motorcycle isn't the game, it's the way you experience the game. And the actual details of the Elitebike are just phenomenal; it is a totally sweet ride. I immensely enjoy knowing exactly what my ship is doing merely by listening to it. The little actions that make up the ride itself are the very best parts of this game. I really don't want to give up that viscerality.
Where the game is lacking is providing interesting roadways and destinations, to make it worthwhile to get the Elitebike out of the garage and ride it in the first place. Right now we have variations on Going For Milk Down the Street, Visiting the Dentist, and Visiting a Second Dentist. Also, Sitting in the Garage Due to Thunderstorms on occasion. I'm completely satisfied with the bike itself, but I'm fairly disappointed in the shabby motorways I can ride it upon, and sometimes there aren't even any roads at all.
Also all this Capitalization of Things makes me feel like I came back to the Shire to tell off a bunch of Shirriffs. >___>
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Can't disagree with you on any of that - I hope that FD can give us much more varied motorways / interstates where going full WOT is actively encouraged
Some parts of the game really do give that exhilarating feeling, some other parts are like limping home on two cylinders and a dented front rim I do hope we'll see improvements down the road though!
In my opinion grinding is not the problem, It's the way is it set in the game.
If we can have the freedom to buy some interactive small outpost around the existing game station or around a planetary mining belt and sale some item like rare good we find elsewhere in the galaxy, or other item we like.
Make us control some economic Sphere from player to player instead of a computer one.
Imagine a start whit a small outpost an grind it to a large hotel whit casino.
If we can have the freedom to buy some interactive small outpost around the existing game station or around a planetary mining belt and sale some item like rare good we find elsewhere in the galaxy, or other item we like.
Make us control some economic Sphere from player to player instead of a computer one.
Imagine a start whit a small outpost an grind it to a large hotel whit casino.
Yeah, while I wish the game had better content than it does now, it really isn't too far off from most other MMORPGs in terms of grinding. The main difference in those, to me at least, is that it keeps itself fresh.
Most MMOs have classes and races to choose from, every level makes you stronger, you acquire new skills, there's incredible amounts of loot for all classes, huge variations in level design from place to place, and an insane amount of player interaction (compared to ED). That's just a vague list.
Most of my fun from those games comes in the endless customization, not the grindfest that they can become. High level play and deathmatch scenarios allows for skillful play beyond the mindless grind though.
ED is just grindy with no real customization, and huge amounts of time are required before getting new ships. In most cases, just getting a high end module can cost way more than the ship. I love most things about ED, but it's sorely lacking.
We need ship variants, module variants, weapon variants, common/uncommon/rare/worn out/used/new parts/ships etc. etc... Thats not even addressing any of the games other issues. I hope they get something going within the next year or so.
Most MMOs have classes and races to choose from, every level makes you stronger, you acquire new skills, there's incredible amounts of loot for all classes, huge variations in level design from place to place, and an insane amount of player interaction (compared to ED). That's just a vague list.
Most of my fun from those games comes in the endless customization, not the grindfest that they can become. High level play and deathmatch scenarios allows for skillful play beyond the mindless grind though.
ED is just grindy with no real customization, and huge amounts of time are required before getting new ships. In most cases, just getting a high end module can cost way more than the ship. I love most things about ED, but it's sorely lacking.
We need ship variants, module variants, weapon variants, common/uncommon/rare/worn out/used/new parts/ships etc. etc... Thats not even addressing any of the games other issues. I hope they get something going within the next year or so.
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Hang on, by that logic every game is a grind.
Sonic? You grind picking up golden rings.
Gears of War? You grind killing Locust.
World of Warcraft? You grind killing...oh wait, nevermind.
A grind would be if you have to do ONE SPECIFIC THING to progress in the game. There is nothing in Elite that forces you to carry out these tasks repeatedly to attain a certain goal unless you want to attain that goal. You want a bigger ship? You need to either explore/mine/trade/steal/kill to get the credits.
That's five different alternatives to attain a bigger ship. What's grindy about that?
What is not grindy about mining? What is not grindy about bounty farming? What is not grindy about trade? I wont even mention exploration, calling its gameplay grindy would be borderline criminal considering there is no gameplay at all...
Things are only a grindy as your approach to them, I don't do grind I do whatever I feel like.
If I'm bounty hunting and I'm bored of rocks I drag pirates out of supercruise or take pirate hunt missions/assassinations, or I drop into strong signal sources. If I feel like a change of system I grab a random mission and follow it, with a fuel scoop travel is free so returning for payoffs is no hassle.
I trade if I feel like it, but I never do the same route twice just fill up with something lucrative and wander till you find a buyer, again fuel scoop means this is free.
Exploration has never felt like a grind to me, but I do a long range run to something I feel like visiting then a run back via a different route scanning all the way. You don't need to scan everything, if you get bored just turn around.
CZ's are for when I feel like a good old scrap, again only if I feel like it.
I never try to maximize income, I just play for fun.
Sure, there might be five methods to get a bigger ship... Except, you need to do those 5 things a LOT of times. And I mean a freaking LOT (unless we're talking about starting Eagles / Vipers here). Plus you can't switch freely between doing one or the other. So you're locked into one role repeating the same task over and over again until you're either bored of that role and move on to another one (if you even fancy doing another one), or you're NOT getting the credits for that next ship.
All mmo involve repeating stuff. We only call it a grind when we don't enjoy the stuff we're repeating.
I've been playing since pre beta for a few hours a week and I don't find it a grind.
I spent the last two weeks getting a handle on mining which I hadn't looked at since last summer (when it was awful). It's a sandbox game so if you don't like one activity you try another.
Powerplay is the only thing that seems to break the design mould. It seems aimed at locking you in. It would be nicer if you could pledge yourself for a fixed period - then it would feel like you were more of the free agent we're supposed to be. Perhaps for those who want to pledge for longer the rewards could be better.
I've been playing since pre beta for a few hours a week and I don't find it a grind.
I spent the last two weeks getting a handle on mining which I hadn't looked at since last summer (when it was awful). It's a sandbox game so if you don't like one activity you try another.
Powerplay is the only thing that seems to break the design mould. It seems aimed at locking you in. It would be nicer if you could pledge yourself for a fixed period - then it would feel like you were more of the free agent we're supposed to be. Perhaps for those who want to pledge for longer the rewards could be better.