So I've been playing this game since day one release. It is one of my go to games, however lately I've stopped and starred at the client login and just wondered why I play. I love astronomy and space. That's the main reason. Because when it comes to game mechanics, this game is lacking in a lot of things now that I've slowed my hype train. The amount of ships in a space age game is a joke. Not only that they are only good for 3 things. Combat, Trading, Exploring. The only build up you get in the game and the only thing to work for are the (now 3 after a year and a half) Anaconda, Corvette, and The ALD Combat Logger.
However, lets say you die and loose everything. You literally take the same exact path back to those same exact three ships and there is nothing different about how you do it. The only reason this game is open world is because of the RNG'd Milky Way, of which there is no other intelligent life - YET.
I know I'm doing a lot of complaining, but i also have solutions. Other wise i'd just quit, but i love the idea of this game too much to do that.
1st. MORE SHIPS. I know this is the least-hard thing to do is to add more ships. People love ships. Its why we bought the damn game. and space.
2nd. Make the combat, trading and exploring more of an in depth experience.
For trading- Technically everyone who is trading is smuggling because no one has any licenses to trade the stuff they are trading. Make the trade-able items in game a licenses required trade item for the important stuff. It would allow you to diversify traders, factions, and the imperials. (say only an imperial pledged player can buy Slave trading license. Also a Hazmat license for trading hazardous material, that gives you a bigger credit payout because you bought the right to trade it. Everyone could start out with food, basic metals, and medicines and then you upgrade your ability to trade items along with the ship you do the trading in at the same time. More accomplishments = more satisfaction. It doesn't change your ability to play nor does it restrict game play, just makes it more rewarding and worth while to climb an individual branch. Also increase the armor on the trade ships. It will slow down the amount of grieving on trade vessels.
Smuggling- PLEASE actually make it a thing, not a mission that is run and gun that if you get scanned you are done. Add modules to support this play, like a scanner that blocks cargo scans or a compartment that says you are carrying food or something. This should also be a lucrative game play, so therefore items you are smuggling should be higher up on the licenses to buy list and then you sell it somewhere it in space that the product isnt allowed.
For combat- make it to where being an officer is a thing, to where people can actually patrol a system and scan bounty hunters and pirates and everyone else to make sure they have the proper amount of documentation. like Pirates for the Federation have an ability to purchase a license that states any imperial faction player they kill or steal from is legal in Federation space or else where. Or Mercenaries, Like an Imperial faction selling a license to Federation players to fight with them against another force without apprehension. And as far as bounty hunting goes, limit the kills to the licenses. Then reward the players for having a higher caliber license. It will encourage people to branch out more into pirating and other things knowing that players have a bounty cap before they turn in to a station and reset that cap. I'm not trying to limit the belt waiters just trying to open the game play so someone isn't sitting in a High Res for 5 hours keeping you from pirating NPCs.(or players)
For exploration- this was my first love. I loved to explore, i spent an entire week out in space just looking at stuff and learning how to do things in the game. Then i came back and turned in my new data and realized i could have saved so much time bounty hunting for 2 hours. I realized how much a waste of time this was. Its awesome to explore. Whats not awesome is the horrible reward for it, there are no special unlocks you get like a better FSD, meeting a new race of aliens, or money. This is literally the least fun thing to do right now, but because I'm a completion-ist I've slowly been doing courier missions because its more rewarding than going 1000+ light years away without being able to switch to combat or trading anytime you want. People need to be rewarded for exploring. I.E. -License for Exploration beyond Federation space. The Federation will pay for you to go discover new planets and stars, the better the license the better the reward. Also where is the High end Exploration Ship? We need an Enterprise thats sole mission is to explore with defensive capabilities.
Let me know if you agree or disagree or like this
However, lets say you die and loose everything. You literally take the same exact path back to those same exact three ships and there is nothing different about how you do it. The only reason this game is open world is because of the RNG'd Milky Way, of which there is no other intelligent life - YET.
I know I'm doing a lot of complaining, but i also have solutions. Other wise i'd just quit, but i love the idea of this game too much to do that.
1st. MORE SHIPS. I know this is the least-hard thing to do is to add more ships. People love ships. Its why we bought the damn game. and space.
2nd. Make the combat, trading and exploring more of an in depth experience.
For trading- Technically everyone who is trading is smuggling because no one has any licenses to trade the stuff they are trading. Make the trade-able items in game a licenses required trade item for the important stuff. It would allow you to diversify traders, factions, and the imperials. (say only an imperial pledged player can buy Slave trading license. Also a Hazmat license for trading hazardous material, that gives you a bigger credit payout because you bought the right to trade it. Everyone could start out with food, basic metals, and medicines and then you upgrade your ability to trade items along with the ship you do the trading in at the same time. More accomplishments = more satisfaction. It doesn't change your ability to play nor does it restrict game play, just makes it more rewarding and worth while to climb an individual branch. Also increase the armor on the trade ships. It will slow down the amount of grieving on trade vessels.
Smuggling- PLEASE actually make it a thing, not a mission that is run and gun that if you get scanned you are done. Add modules to support this play, like a scanner that blocks cargo scans or a compartment that says you are carrying food or something. This should also be a lucrative game play, so therefore items you are smuggling should be higher up on the licenses to buy list and then you sell it somewhere it in space that the product isnt allowed.
For combat- make it to where being an officer is a thing, to where people can actually patrol a system and scan bounty hunters and pirates and everyone else to make sure they have the proper amount of documentation. like Pirates for the Federation have an ability to purchase a license that states any imperial faction player they kill or steal from is legal in Federation space or else where. Or Mercenaries, Like an Imperial faction selling a license to Federation players to fight with them against another force without apprehension. And as far as bounty hunting goes, limit the kills to the licenses. Then reward the players for having a higher caliber license. It will encourage people to branch out more into pirating and other things knowing that players have a bounty cap before they turn in to a station and reset that cap. I'm not trying to limit the belt waiters just trying to open the game play so someone isn't sitting in a High Res for 5 hours keeping you from pirating NPCs.(or players)
For exploration- this was my first love. I loved to explore, i spent an entire week out in space just looking at stuff and learning how to do things in the game. Then i came back and turned in my new data and realized i could have saved so much time bounty hunting for 2 hours. I realized how much a waste of time this was. Its awesome to explore. Whats not awesome is the horrible reward for it, there are no special unlocks you get like a better FSD, meeting a new race of aliens, or money. This is literally the least fun thing to do right now, but because I'm a completion-ist I've slowly been doing courier missions because its more rewarding than going 1000+ light years away without being able to switch to combat or trading anytime you want. People need to be rewarded for exploring. I.E. -License for Exploration beyond Federation space. The Federation will pay for you to go discover new planets and stars, the better the license the better the reward. Also where is the High end Exploration Ship? We need an Enterprise thats sole mission is to explore with defensive capabilities.
Let me know if you agree or disagree or like this
