Elite boring?

[Jex =TE=]

Not enough rep in the universe for this post, but you can have what I can give.

Agreed except this bit....?

Frontier had to make two kinds of decisions to please the players:
- avoid subscription fees, so keep things cheap: no huge central server but peer-to-peer networking (and paid-for expansions).

We have "cloud computing" now which is scalable, right. I'm wondering what the cost of the server is over the cost of the bandwidth that would be required? If the bandwidth is affordable, it would be more affordable if they'd gone with the offline mode too as half (?) the player base would play that and not use the bandwdith?

 

[Darkfyre99]

Agreed except this bit....?

Frontier had to make two kinds of decisions to please the players:
- avoid subscription fees, so keep things cheap: no huge central server but peer-to-peer networking (and paid-for expansions).

We have "cloud computing" now which is scalable, right. I'm wondering what the cost of the server is over the cost of the bandwidth that would be required? If the bandwidth is affordable, it would be more affordable if they'd gone with the offline mode too as half (?) the player base would play that and not use the bandwdith?

I don't know, but both the peer-to-peer networking architecture and the solo/group/open modes were already in place before the kickstarter began, and Frontier has made it clear that they were making a PWP (play with players) game, not a PvP (player vs player) game. While their plans have changed a bit, especially moving the bulk of the galaxy sim to their own server, I'm sure they did a cost/benefit analysis before they made their decision.

 

[nexxo]

I think the issue a lot of us have isn't that we aren't patient to see the game get better over time. It's that the game they made didn't have to be made the way it was and could have had more in it to begin with.

I disagree. I'm frankly impressed that they pulled as much together as they did. CIG has considerably more resources --a 200 member core team plus outsourcing to other teams-- and they have produced almost nothing at all in comparison. Nice models, yes, but only barebones game mechanics and I'm really worried about how they're going to fit all those different moving parts together in a coherent mechanism. Frontier at least has a coherent game mechanism.

Agreed except this bit....?

Frontier had to make two kinds of decisions to please the players:
- avoid subscription fees, so keep things cheap: no huge central server but peer-to-peer networking (and paid-for expansions).

We have "cloud computing" now which is scalable, right. I'm wondering what the cost of the server is over the cost of the bandwidth that would be required? If the bandwidth is affordable, it would be more affordable if they'd gone with the offline mode too as half (?) the player base would play that and not use the bandwdith?

I think that the only meaningful comparison that can be made is the Eve Online servers. They are a huge, expensive farm that is fed by subscription fees. Peer-to-peer suffers from the weakest link in the chain: the player with dodgy router and poor bandwidth over some crappy phone line. But we didn't want subscription fees, right?

 

[Shad9w]

We want cheap fee, cheap-made game! Right?

 

[KellyR]

I disagree. I'm frankly impressed that they pulled as much together as they did. CIG has considerably more resources --a 200 member core team plus outsourcing to other teams-- and they have produced almost nothing at all in comparison. Nice models, yes, but only barebones game mechanics and I'm really worried about how they're going to fit all those different moving parts together in a coherent mechanism. Frontier at least has a coherent game mechanism.



I think that the only meaningful comparison that can be made is the Eve Online servers. They are a huge, expensive farm that is fed by subscription fees. Peer-to-peer suffers from the weakest link in the chain: the player with dodgy router and poor bandwidth over some crappy phone line. But we didn't want subscription fees, right?

I would have been happy with a $5 a month subscription for this kind of game, but obviously a lot of people wouldn't have been. Don't know why because right now I'm paying $5.00 a month anyway; it's just made into a lump sum yearly payment instead of spread out month to month. And I put back $5.00 a month anyway so I can have it ready on hand when an expansion comes out. So for me, $60 a year purchase or $5 a month subscription; it's all the same to me.

 

[CMDR Nick]

YES - it is boring.

 

[nexxo]

I would have been happy with a $5 a month subscription for this kind of game, but obviously a lot of people wouldn't have been. Don't know why because right now I'm paying $5.00 a month anyway; it's just made into a lump sum yearly payment instead of spread out month to month. And I put back $5.00 a month anyway so I can have it ready on hand when an expansion comes out. So for me, $60 a year purchase or $5 a month subscription; it's all the same to me.

If anything, ED has once again revealed how irrational our spending decisions are. People pay £120,-- a year on Eve Online: no problem. People buy £400,-- virtual ships for Star Citizen: a game that doesn't even exist yet. No problem. Frontier asks £40,-- for a game that exists and gets a year's worth of expansions, and another £40,-- for another year's worth of optional expansions and enhancements --and everybody loses their mind.

 

[KellyR]

If anything, ED has once again revealed how irrational our spending decisions are. People pay £120,-- a year on Eve Online: no problem. People buy £400,-- virtual ships for Star Citizen: a game that doesn't even exist yet. No problem. Frontier asks £40,-- for a game that exists and gets a year's worth of expansions, and another £40,-- for another year's worth of optional expansions and enhancements --and everybody loses their mind.

^^^^This. I couldn't have said it better myself. I'd give you rep but it says I must spread some rep around before giving you more.

 

[Ignition]

If anything, ED has once again revealed how irrational our spending decisions are. People pay £120,-- a year on Eve Online: no problem. People buy £400,-- virtual ships for Star Citizen: a game that doesn't even exist yet. No problem. Frontier asks £40,-- for a game that exists and gets a year's worth of expansions, and another £40,-- for another year's worth of optional expansions and enhancements --and everybody loses their mind.

£40 for the actual core game is really expensive, maybe not in 10 years....
I wish I never told my friends to buy the game.

 

[sos4biz]

£40 for the actual core game is really expensive, maybe not in 10 years....
I wish I never told my friends to buy the game.

Outstanding remark, I have paid a lot more for PC and console games inc flight sims, so I do not consider Elite Dangerous to be really expensive, and as to your friends, do they also regret buying the game as much as you do, for me and thousands of others playing Elite Dangerous find it a great game, but you must really enjoy playing these type of games to get he most out of it, this is also true for other types of games be it, MMO, D&D Roleplay, Action Adventure to name a few, not all of these are my cup of tea and I can live with that.

Over the years I too have paid lots of money on supposedly great games only to be greatly disappointed with them, but thousands of others loved them, you can not win/like them all.

CMDR SOS4Biz

 

[KellyR]

£40 for the actual core game is really expensive, maybe not in 10 years....
I wish I never told my friends to buy the game.

Not when you consider EVE online charges you 120 a year in subscription fees. Plus the 20.00 for the download of the client. But as sos4biz said, you have to like a game or it won't be worth it to you, no matter what. If this isn't your cup of tea, then I'm sorry you wasted your money, but you aren't the first that that's happened to. Happened to me with Tachyon: The Fringe. I thought it would be great and it was horrible; to me. I'm sure others loved it. But for me it was a waste of money.

 

[Ignition]

My friends and I stopped playing ED since 5 to 6 months.

I have bought the game after read the DDA, it was glorious, different types of fuel, exploration mechanics which blew your mind, comunications with NPC, Misjumps, when I saw this http://www.mmorpg-center.com/wp-content/gallery/elite-dangerous/elite-dangerous-image9.jpg and this http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Il1CX0eTyMc/UdwO-WzMJEI/AAAAAAAAI7E/pRQiQ_pXWA0/s1600/Elite+4+starmap.png I thought it was going to be the game I was waiting for.

I have also played EVE with plex (free no subscription) for 2 years. Not my game anymore because of the PVE.
For me its not about the money but the content, and I think Elite Dangerous is heavily lacking content, fun, complexity and dynamic.

 

[Shad9w]

It seems expensive because there's not much content. The price is not the problem really.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Il1CX0eTyMc/UdwO-WzMJEI/AAAAAAAAI7E/pRQiQ_pXWA0/s1600/Elite+4+starmap.png

There's a Staaaaarmaaaap waiting in the game
It'd like to come and meet us
because the system map is lame

There's a Staaaarmaaaap waiting in this game
It was decided not so show it
So sad they had to blow it

I told them:
Let the players use it
Let the players use it
Let all the players boogie

 

[Jex =TE=]

I disagree. I'm frankly impressed that they pulled as much together as they did. CIG has considerably more resources --a 200 member core team plus outsourcing to other teams-- and they have produced almost nothing at all in comparison. Nice models, yes, but only barebones game mechanics and I'm really worried about how they're going to fit all those different moving parts together in a coherent mechanism. Frontier at least has a coherent game mechanism.



I think that the only meaningful comparison that can be made is the Eve Online servers. They are a huge, expensive farm that is fed by subscription fees. Peer-to-peer suffers from the weakest link in the chain: the player with dodgy router and poor bandwidth over some crappy phone line. But we didn't want subscription fees, right?

We'll have to wait and how SC works when it comes out - no point talking about it until then. I was surprised to hear they've made $85 million now! With regards to a subscription, you already have that now in seasons. Yes people can argue "it's not a sub" but who cares. The end result is the same, more cash coming in (admittedly less than a years worth of subscriptions).

But that's why I asked about the cost of the servers over the cost of the bandwidth - which one is the expense? Bandwidth can now be scaled to the amount of players using it which means you pay for what is used, right?

 

[Syax]

This ^ is excellent advice. I only get to play for 2 -3 hours a week and because of that I love playing and really look forward to it. Now if I was playing 2-3 hours a night I would imagine I would get a bit bored (although thinking about it probably not!). I'm still messing around with FAoff doing massive loops around the space station in a T6. Great fun.

Yeah I second this too. Work and kids limit my play time so only manage a couple of hours a night but still find it interesting enough to stick with it. taking one's time and no rushing tends to help as well.

 

[Fubidou]

They could have made, for instance, 15 station types instead of 4 and have different station types prevalent in Federation/Alliance/Empire to give them more flavor. No one cares about billions of systems because they are copy-pasted and there's nothing of interest in them.

They're not actually copy pasted. I've been to more than I care to remember, and most of them are different. But I know what you mean about grind. Actually although I try to continue playing, the game doesn't appeal to me very much any more, which is probably a good thing, because now I get on with doing stuff like ... work...! My wife's really happy with that too, there's nothing she likes more than seeing me .... work.

So now I'm just making my way slowly across the galaxy in a T6, with no plans to return or go anywhere. I just switch it on, visit a few stars and planets, and then switch it off. I never play for longer than about half an hour now, because it just gets boring.

 

[Vindris]

This game is what you make it. Set some long term goals for yourself.

I set out to have a fleet of ships that are the best at what each of them can do.

I also want to master the art of dog fighting and become unstoppable in 1v1 combat.

I also want to rank up to Elite in all 3 categories.

And I'm really looking forward to what Frontier has in store for this game. I refuse to miss a second of it!

 

[Executive]

This game is what you make it.

This gets so old.
Still not true though. If we would talk about a real sandbox game like Arma 3 for example, yes, it is what you make of it - cause you can actually do something with it.
This isn't the case with Elite, where everything is done in a certain matter which is not up to you.
The player only has "fake" choices what of the activities he does at what time, or at all but not how he does them.
While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it isn't enough to justify this old catchphrase of yours that reminds me of these cheap TV sale shows from the 90's where some sketchy "businessmen" tried to sell their crappy wares to old people... meh.

 

[KellyR]

This gets so old.
Still not true though. If we would talk about a real sandbox game like Arma 3 for example, yes, it is what you make of it - cause you can actually do something with it.
This isn't the case with Elite, where everything is done in a certain matter which is not up to you.
The player only has "fake" choices what of the activities he does at what time, or at all but not how he does them.

You are describing life as well. But contrary to what you say, what you say isn't true. You can bounty hunt, trade, mine, explore. Within the mission system or out of it. How effective you are at each one is a function of your previous experience and your previous success because success breeds success.

And trading can be done in a variety of different ways. So can exploring and even mining (although mining is the most limited of the 3 on ways to do it). Bounty hunting on the other hand is rather limited in the way it can be done, I will admit that.

But the choices are not "fake" anymore than the choices you make in life are "fake". You work with what you have.

It sounds to me like this game isn't your cup of tea, and if it's not I think you should find a game you enjoy. I've already found one. This one.

So saying Elite Dangerous is boring is a subjective statement. It will be for some. For others, the majority of them, it seems, it's great fun.