Blackcompany
Banned
No secret: Elite is a game at odd with itself. Or rather, the game as it exists, is at odds with the one Mr. Braben clearly wants to make.
Consider Mr. Braben's recent PCGamer interview. He talked about how there are tons of things to do in Elite. There aren't, of course; Mr. Braben commonly mistakes "doing the same thing lots of times" with "having lots to do" and it's a very revealing and very problematic paradigm. As long as Mr Braben believes Elite has lots to do, it never will, since he will not believe that adding more to do is needed. In terms of the robust game with ample player activities Mr. Braben imagines he has already created, the bare bones, three-pronged combat/trade/beep-scanning (I refuse to call that "Exploration" any longer) is a game at odds with what it's creator wishes it to become.
Likewise, Mr. Braben indicates that players do not travel enough. In fact he nearly goes so far as to blame players for not finding all of the things that (he mostly imagines) his game holds for them. The problem: Mr. Braben's game, as it actually exists, entices players not to explore the bubble but to stay put and make friends with one or two local factions. This rep gain is, after all, the only way to receive better missions and larger profits. Mr. Braben wants us to explore his Galaxy, but his game punishes us for doing so.
Mr. Braben talks about the lonely, lone-pilot-against-the-galaxy feeling he wants Elite to embody. Then he created an online, multiplayer game with frequent Community Goals. He imagines an online community that does not exist, full of loners who will never want to group up or band together, content to play together but in isolation. Give players an open, living universe and they will want the means to group up and exert influence. This is simple human nature.
Elite's biggest problem is that the creator behind the game believes himself to be making - and indeed, to mostly already have made - the ultimate Han Solo simulator. A lone pilot and their ship, free to roam about a living Galaxy full of enjoyable, varied and profitable yet risky tasks to undertake. In fact this neither describes Elite as it exists nor even it's underlying design philosophy, if the current game is any indication. For the game Braben and company are actually making is a repetitive space grind with three lackluster activities, all of them equally pointless after a short time, that actively encourages people NOT to explore their (not so living or dynamic) universe, but to pick a spot and stay there, all the while wishing the always online, multiplayer REQUIREMENT actually served some functional purpose beyond frustrating Europe on Sunday evenings.
Elite is a game at odds with what it wants to be. Elite's foundation is a bedrock frought with cracks and fractures, from bugs to game play decisions that actively contradict it's creator's vision. The need to keep people grinding rep contradicts the wish to have them explore. The need for MP balance contradicts the desire for unique customization and play style changes to ships. The fear that some may shortcut the grind contradicts the desire of players to trade and run lasting economies, which ability to group up and attempt itself contradicts the loner in a harsh Galaxy vision underlining Elite to begin with.
Mr. Braben needs to remove the Rose tinted glasses of his imagination and tune into his game as it exists. People are losing interest, and worse, beginning to question whether this is even the game they were promised, or ever will be. Some of the reasons for this doubt are listed above, in case Frontier are listening at all.
Consider Mr. Braben's recent PCGamer interview. He talked about how there are tons of things to do in Elite. There aren't, of course; Mr. Braben commonly mistakes "doing the same thing lots of times" with "having lots to do" and it's a very revealing and very problematic paradigm. As long as Mr Braben believes Elite has lots to do, it never will, since he will not believe that adding more to do is needed. In terms of the robust game with ample player activities Mr. Braben imagines he has already created, the bare bones, three-pronged combat/trade/beep-scanning (I refuse to call that "Exploration" any longer) is a game at odds with what it's creator wishes it to become.
Likewise, Mr. Braben indicates that players do not travel enough. In fact he nearly goes so far as to blame players for not finding all of the things that (he mostly imagines) his game holds for them. The problem: Mr. Braben's game, as it actually exists, entices players not to explore the bubble but to stay put and make friends with one or two local factions. This rep gain is, after all, the only way to receive better missions and larger profits. Mr. Braben wants us to explore his Galaxy, but his game punishes us for doing so.
Mr. Braben talks about the lonely, lone-pilot-against-the-galaxy feeling he wants Elite to embody. Then he created an online, multiplayer game with frequent Community Goals. He imagines an online community that does not exist, full of loners who will never want to group up or band together, content to play together but in isolation. Give players an open, living universe and they will want the means to group up and exert influence. This is simple human nature.
Elite's biggest problem is that the creator behind the game believes himself to be making - and indeed, to mostly already have made - the ultimate Han Solo simulator. A lone pilot and their ship, free to roam about a living Galaxy full of enjoyable, varied and profitable yet risky tasks to undertake. In fact this neither describes Elite as it exists nor even it's underlying design philosophy, if the current game is any indication. For the game Braben and company are actually making is a repetitive space grind with three lackluster activities, all of them equally pointless after a short time, that actively encourages people NOT to explore their (not so living or dynamic) universe, but to pick a spot and stay there, all the while wishing the always online, multiplayer REQUIREMENT actually served some functional purpose beyond frustrating Europe on Sunday evenings.
Elite is a game at odds with what it wants to be. Elite's foundation is a bedrock frought with cracks and fractures, from bugs to game play decisions that actively contradict it's creator's vision. The need to keep people grinding rep contradicts the wish to have them explore. The need for MP balance contradicts the desire for unique customization and play style changes to ships. The fear that some may shortcut the grind contradicts the desire of players to trade and run lasting economies, which ability to group up and attempt itself contradicts the loner in a harsh Galaxy vision underlining Elite to begin with.
Mr. Braben needs to remove the Rose tinted glasses of his imagination and tune into his game as it exists. People are losing interest, and worse, beginning to question whether this is even the game they were promised, or ever will be. Some of the reasons for this doubt are listed above, in case Frontier are listening at all.
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