How FD could make a lot more people play in open play

[StiTch]

I was invited to 'stay out of open for 6 months, and then you'll see what you're missing', so I have been doing that. At the end of April my 6 months is over. In the mean time I have missed nothing by staying clear of open. Open holds no magic, it is just another state of the matchmaking system. Once players can rid themselves of the silly notion that open has to be special, these discussions will cease.

I get the feeling a lot of the whiners are people who haven't actually tried Open properly - which is a beautiful contrast to spending 6 months giving a game mode a go to get its feel.

Once you stop being squeamish and dip the metaphorical toe in the hot bath, open is not some horror filled galaxy. It's still elite. But for those that like to come across other players.

+1 for the epic attitude. I couldn't do solo only for 6 months.

 

[Mohrgan]

Solo/Group should just become entirely separate from Open Your balance/assets should be two entirely separate ones and background simulations should be separate. Its just amazing to me how so many people go on about factions in game and about affecting background simulation without being turned off by the fact that someone can affect pretty much as a ghost in Solo/group to something you are trying to do.

This is exactly what I am talking about. The BGS is not for open, and everyone else just gloms on. The BGS, and all of the content in E: D, is for all of the players. Everyone pays the same price of admittance, let them enjoy it the way they like. Open is not the special snowflake, it's just a decision that each players has to make. Play in the environment that best suits your interests. Remembering, that you can change your mind at anytime.

IF you have to bribe players to play your game, there is a problem. If you have to bribe players into a specific mode of a game, there is a problem. This problem was identified even before the game was released. That's why it released with the 3 modes. To offer playing environments to as many potential Commanders as possible. When you decide to play, you decide with whom you play with, nothing more. Open just has to get over itself. It nothing more than a choice on the log in screen.

 

[ShimEnki]

The game system pays me errm....25mill CR per week to declare / lock into open play on a weekly basis. Outside that...meh-na...nuup

 

[Jypson]

Solo/Group should just become entirely separate from Open Your balance/assets should be two entirely separate ones and background simulations should be separate. Its just amazing to me how so many people go on about factions in game and about affecting background simulation without being turned off by the fact that someone can affect pretty much as a ghost in Solo/group to something you are trying to do.

Though I'm flattered by your confidence in my ability to counter the intention of every player in Open, I must humbly admit that I am most ineffectual as thwarting everyone's plans.

 

[Phosphora]

If you die to another player, you respawn at the last station.... but you pay zero or just say 10 percent the normal insurance costs.

currently if someone dies, the cost is hours of work in credits, hence people dont play in open play.

games like world of warcraft if you die to another player, you respawn but you dont even lose any armor durability which is normally only a 100 gold or so at most.

currently people are simply unwilling to fight, or even, go back and get revenge on someone that attacked him, this simple change, would help a lot,

what does everyone think ?

I avoid open because I find PvP boring. I prefer exploring and trading to combat.

The only way to make more people play in open will be to go into people's homes and use surgery/drugs/psychology techniques to change player personalities. I suspect Frontier doesn't have the budget for that.

Cheers, Phos.

 

[Mohrgan]

I get the feeling a lot of the whiners are people who haven't actually tried Open properly - which is a beautiful contrast to spending 6 months giving a game mode a go to get its feel.

Once you stop being squeamish and dip the metaphorical toe in the hot bath, open is not some horror filled galaxy. It's still elite. But for those that like to come across other players.

+1 for the epic attitude. I couldn't do solo only for 6 months.

You attempt to read something into my comments that isn't there. I was interested in open, I freely passed between the modes depending on my mood but, I was challenged to stay out of open, because I defended the right to choose. Now I see that there is nothing the game lacks without playing in open. I've played E: D since release, that's 11 months of toe dipping before I took up that challenge. Characterizing players that see things differently than you as 'whiners' and 'squeamish' has no merit. It is attacking the person, not the argument.

Open is just a choice, nothing more. Once this is accepted everyone, even the overaggressive and childish players in open, will feel better. No one will be jealous of another's choices. All of this stems from someone bemoaning the lack of players in open, not that open isn't fair. Who's whining now?

 

[valbarr]

Open pvp
Open pve
Group play
Solo

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

When you are in open pve players inopen pvp see you on the radar as solid only other players in open pvp are seen as outlines

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Open pvp
Open pve
Group play
Solo

IMO cull it further - cut solo/group out .. done.

• Open PvP-Combat
• Open PvE

 

[DaveB]

If you die to another player, you respawn at the last station.... but you pay zero or just say 10 percent the normal insurance costs.

currently if someone dies, the cost is hours of work in credits, hence people dont play in open play.

games like world of warcraft if you die to another player, you respawn but you dont even lose any armor durability which is normally only a 100 gold or so at most.

currently people are simply unwilling to fight, or even, go back and get revenge on someone that attacked him, this simple change, would help a lot,

what does everyone think ?

I haven't read the entire thread but based on the history of such discussions on here I'm guessing you got an overwhelmingly negative response. Quite possibly some of it was not very polite or overly dismissive - because after all, internet. In spite of the mods best efforts it happens.

There are three things that argue against your proposal.

• No matter what changes are made, a very significant fraction of players that choose to play in modes other than open will not be attracted to open. They have varied reasons from "I don't want to deal with people" through "Why put myself in harms way if I don't need to?" and a whole host of equally valid others. Therefore you need to be aware that your proposal will only address a small minority of the people that are playing in other modes no matter what it is and no matter how "attractive" you make open play.
• Your proposal will destroy player piracy even further than it has already been damaged. A pirate cannot pirate unless they can present a threat. If it carries no risk to the losing player then every single trader will either run or fight to the death. Only NPCs will ever drop cargo for a pirate.
• Finally, FD are reluctant to put a wide gulf between the penalties/rewards resulting from action against a player and from action against an NPC. There have been limited discussions that raised this possibility but quite frankly I think that there's about the same chance of something this radical gaining traction in FDs offices as there is of me being elected the next pope.

 

[valbarr]

The threat would be you respawning at the last station and possibly a smaller insurance than you would atill get from npc ships still a threat just not a threat that would stop me from using open

 

[Jypson]

IMO cull it further - cut solo/group out .. done.

• Open PvP-Combat
• Open PvE

Ok, but why cut Groups and Solo?

 

[valbarr]

I see no reason to remove solo etc some like it
Just make more options

I want this game to be around for a long long time rhat means peoe need to have fun playing

The main reason people stay with warcraft isnt the game its the friends they have made playing it

 

[Seonid]

I see no reason to remove solo etc some like it
Just make more options

So to get more options is that simple, hand wave and done, right Boo? Might there be perhaps some development costs in terms of time and money that might be better spent on things that really need fixing?

 

[tagos]

So to get more options is that simple, hand wave and done, right Boo? Might there be perhaps some development costs in terms of time and money that might be better spent on things that really need fixing?

True. The current system isn't broken, mainly except for people who want more targets to act out their atavistic social tendencies. The rest of us are fine playing whatever mode takes our fancy that session.

 

[DaveB]

The threat would be you respawning at the last station and possibly a smaller insurance than you would atill get from npc ships still a threat just not a threat that would stop me from using open

If that were possible it would be viable. However, my impression of all the proposals to achieve that are that it would break too much other stuff for FD to ever consider it. Just IMHO of course, but in total honesty, if I were the project manager I wouldn't go to my management chain to argue for it - part of being a PM is that you pick the fights you can win.

 

[Slack]

The reason many cmdrs dont go in open, is because there is a real chance that no matter what you do, even if youre the best pilot, with the best possible equipment, you will automatically die if a particular situation presents itself. And there is nothing exciting about your trade ship getting interdicted by 4 Clippers that just want to kill you for fun. If youre someone working your way up, trying to save credits to get a better ship, going in open (alone) offers very few benefits, but has the potential for a lot of pain. So naturally many cmdrs avoid it like the plague.

One solution would be to give certain professions a large boost in profits when in Open. For example a trade ship would still have the risk of taking a huge loss, but would also have the potential for huge gains. After just a few runs that trade ship can offset the cost of dying and is now making pure profit. In other words unless you get killed on pretty much every trade run, you will be more profitable being in open. This would also add extra excitement of trying to not get caught/avoiding cmdrs in fighter ships. All of this would encourage more and more cmdrs to go in open and actually giving them safety in numbers. This would open up the game for Pirates too as there would be more trade/mining ships out in open to pirate. Everybody wins.

 

[valbarr]

Since we have no fugures its all speculation but quite a few people on here have stared they would like to play in open but cant because of the ganking how many peope have actually stopped playing because of this or even warned friends away from the game

 

[Seonid]

how many peope have actually stopped playing because of this or even warned friends away from the game

And how many are now playing with friends in their own private group?

 

[AJW]

I think the OP fundamentally misunderstands why people don't play in open. It isn't about losing credits, it is about the style of play there, and the antisocial attitude of many of the players. I for one have no intention of playing amongst individuals who routinely assert that how other players feel about their actions is of no concern to them.

 

[tagos]

The reason many cmdrs dont go in open, is because there is a real chance that no matter what you do, even if youre the best pilot, with the best possible equipment, you will automatically die if a particular situation presents itself. And there is nothing exciting about your trade ship getting interdicted by 4 Clippers that just want to kill you for fun. If youre someone working your way up, trying to save credits to get a better ship, going in open (alone) offers very few benefits, but has the potential for a lot of pain. So naturally many cmdrs avoid it like the plague.

One solution would be to give certain professions a large boost in profits when in Open. For example a trade ship would still have the risk of taking a huge loss, but would also have the potential for huge gains. After just a few runs that trade ship can offset the cost of dying and is now making pure profit. In other words unless you get killed on pretty much every trade run, you will be more profitable being in open. This would also add extra excitement of trying to not get caught/avoiding cmdrs in fighter ships. All of this would encourage more and more cmdrs to go in open and actually giving them safety in numbers. This would open up the game for Pirates too as there would be more trade/mining ships out in open to pirate. Everybody wins.

Attempting to privilege one mode is a recipe for discontent. Unless everyone, not just those flying fighters can have fun and have a fighting chance then things won't change.

Apart from anything else all your suggestion would lead to is people earning huge profits in an open Rare run and taking it back into another mode.