Been playing this game every day for nearly 2 years. Not bad for a game that's "wrong". There are lots of games I can't play for nearly that long. I uninstalled Morrowind 5 minutes after I clicked the game icon and apparently it's one of the best games ever. I didn't feel the need to go to Bethesda's forums and tell them why their game was "wrong" though, I just realised I didn't like it and moved on.
What went wrong with Elite Dangerous
- Thread starter Sole Hunter
- Start date
- Status
Sole Hunter
Banned
I tried going back to morrowing recently since I do modding on the TES games and it just doesn't feel the same anymore but it was an amazing/incredible game for it's time. I don't think i can say the same thing about Elite... the game is good but just not as amazing for it's time.
Last edited:
I agree with most of your point but wanted to clarify this. This project was understood from the start -- by those who backed the Kickstarter and those who knew the history -- to be a spiritual update to both Elite and Frontier, with all of the quirks and niche appeal that entails. However it was clearly advertised, circa December 2014 when the launch video and website premiered, as Combat Flight Simulator in space. That's part of the problem right there.
Having said that, I don't think the blatant mis-selling is a factor in the OP's argument. If he has been here since the Kickstarter as he asserts then he must have known what he was buying into. In fact nobody who had any connection to ED prior to December 2014 has the right to feel deceived by the launch trailer. Surprised by it, yes. Disappointed that FD allowed the marketing tail to wag the development dog, yes. But not decieved. They should already have known what this game was.
Sole Hunter
Banned
so does that mean the game will never evolve? look I understand what you are saying but that doesn't mean Elite can't improve into something else from 1984 and re-brand itself into something far better.
Last edited:
![[DOOK] Droogie](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/124/124078.jpg?1553527149){kind=avatar}
Yeah, uhh.. That, or, they're just not interested in PvP. I'm sure people like you with your ad hominem have nothing to do with them not wanting to play with you.
Believe it or not, some people just like Solo. Elite was always a single player game before this. Some just want to continue that experience.
What am I saying? You're right. They just need to be taught to git gud.
This is one of the reasons I stopped paying attention to signal sources in supercruise.
When you first hear about the game, its: Explore the galaxy! Investigate signal sources to find derelict ships, small skirmishes, weddings, alien artifacts, etc.
When you first enter a signal source: *Crickets*
Occasionally..you find some floating bio-waste or something similar. Ooh goody.
If only it was luggage, and had an address on it. Then I could give 2 pence to scoop it up and try to find its owner. Would make for an actual interesting story.
1 billion stars to explore...and each one is as inviting as paint on the wall. You can't do anything with it...you just look at it for as long as it fits your fancy.
Sandbox: The Video game. "You get what you put in!" - Ad 9.5/10
I'm not sure if anything has gone "wrong", so much as our perception is that it has gone wrong.
I think FD are still on a path, and have a vision, and are delivering it as fast as they can, though ED has always been a person and their ship. But it is often human nature to do things in groups, there are always lone wolves, but it seems ED wasn't originally designed for the "groups of players" thing, hence why 32 players in an instance may have seemed reasonable. Now, of course, it's incredibly limiting...
However, I do think that at the moment, ED is like a bunch of sub-games in a single box, the core game, then horizons, then PP, CQC... They all seem to be disjointed bits thrown together, though the way I see it, it is like foundations of a building, and the slab has yet to be laid to connect them, the slab that they support.
I think a lot of these things that people may feel were "thrown in", were actually planned from the start.
As my evidence for this, I would suggest you look at Elite:Reclamation, by Drew Wagar. It was written to be part of Elite Lore, published in 2014, prior to the games proper release (though in beta by that stage, from memory).... So if you read the book, a few things that appear to be "mistakes" are obvious, such as the Imperial Courier being named, but obviously, it should be an Imperial Clipper. FA on/off is mentioned heavily, and basically, it is kind of clear that the book was doing a good job of trying to describe the game, and it's ships, prior to a lot of the game being ready, and thus, for example, the Imperial Clipper was actually named a Courier in the book.
It also mentions the Anaconda being being handled by several people, meaning multi-crew may have been on the drawing board already, too.
But I point to a part of the book where a pirate character is having a discussion with another character. Said character questions the pirate's authority in the region, because it is "Fed space", the pirate hits back with "You fool, I am the power in this region". This, to me, clearly shows that "Power Play" was on the cards well before we had any hints of it. Remember, the book was released in 2014, but it takes a long time to write a book well, so Drew would have had to have been informed about the powers thing as early as 2013...
I still have hope that CQC is something that will actually become conflict zones. No power ups and the such, obviously, but it makes sense that battles take place around the station or structure being fought for. I have hope that in future, conflict zones will be fought around stations with asteroid fields, defense structures, platforms etc that can be used to hide, dodge, duck, weave etc - far more interesting than open space pew pew jousting.
This would also allow for trade ships to deliver goods to stations in conflict zones for higher profits, at the risk of being hit by crossfire, but at least having cover, and a fair chance of making it through, not just being sitting ducks.
Basically, I have an idea of what I hope FD are planning, and I do like it, and I have faith that they have a plan. I may be wrong, but with over 1000 game play hours, even if I am wrong, I have gotten good value for my money.
I'm not trying to "white knight", there are plenty of issues with ED, but I also think a lot of people are slamming the game with a very short sighted view, and not opening themselves up to seeing what the game is leading to.
The pricing structure, on the other hand... Probably should have been much better thought out. Also, whomever writes the in-game stories for ED needs to be fired, and sent back to coding stuff, and a proper writer brought in.
Z...
I think FD are still on a path, and have a vision, and are delivering it as fast as they can, though ED has always been a person and their ship. But it is often human nature to do things in groups, there are always lone wolves, but it seems ED wasn't originally designed for the "groups of players" thing, hence why 32 players in an instance may have seemed reasonable. Now, of course, it's incredibly limiting...
However, I do think that at the moment, ED is like a bunch of sub-games in a single box, the core game, then horizons, then PP, CQC... They all seem to be disjointed bits thrown together, though the way I see it, it is like foundations of a building, and the slab has yet to be laid to connect them, the slab that they support.
I think a lot of these things that people may feel were "thrown in", were actually planned from the start.
As my evidence for this, I would suggest you look at Elite:Reclamation, by Drew Wagar. It was written to be part of Elite Lore, published in 2014, prior to the games proper release (though in beta by that stage, from memory).... So if you read the book, a few things that appear to be "mistakes" are obvious, such as the Imperial Courier being named, but obviously, it should be an Imperial Clipper. FA on/off is mentioned heavily, and basically, it is kind of clear that the book was doing a good job of trying to describe the game, and it's ships, prior to a lot of the game being ready, and thus, for example, the Imperial Clipper was actually named a Courier in the book.
It also mentions the Anaconda being being handled by several people, meaning multi-crew may have been on the drawing board already, too.
But I point to a part of the book where a pirate character is having a discussion with another character. Said character questions the pirate's authority in the region, because it is "Fed space", the pirate hits back with "You fool, I am the power in this region". This, to me, clearly shows that "Power Play" was on the cards well before we had any hints of it. Remember, the book was released in 2014, but it takes a long time to write a book well, so Drew would have had to have been informed about the powers thing as early as 2013...
I still have hope that CQC is something that will actually become conflict zones. No power ups and the such, obviously, but it makes sense that battles take place around the station or structure being fought for. I have hope that in future, conflict zones will be fought around stations with asteroid fields, defense structures, platforms etc that can be used to hide, dodge, duck, weave etc - far more interesting than open space pew pew jousting.
This would also allow for trade ships to deliver goods to stations in conflict zones for higher profits, at the risk of being hit by crossfire, but at least having cover, and a fair chance of making it through, not just being sitting ducks.
Basically, I have an idea of what I hope FD are planning, and I do like it, and I have faith that they have a plan. I may be wrong, but with over 1000 game play hours, even if I am wrong, I have gotten good value for my money.
I'm not trying to "white knight", there are plenty of issues with ED, but I also think a lot of people are slamming the game with a very short sighted view, and not opening themselves up to seeing what the game is leading to.
The pricing structure, on the other hand... Probably should have been much better thought out. Also, whomever writes the in-game stories for ED needs to be fired, and sent back to coding stuff, and a proper writer brought in.
Z...
"Look at me still talking when there's Science to do..."
Seriously... Elite is not for everyone. If you want a game spoon-fed to you, Elite is not for you. If you want missions, Elite sort of has them, but it's not what makes it run. The people who find Elite to be a good game to play generally find their own goals to meet, and their own missions to accomplish. Sometimes it's in large groups, such as Distant Worlds; sometimes it's working on your own and meeting your own goals and accomplishments (my next goal: 1,000,000 light-years in 12 months).
I normally don't play video games. What most people call 'exciting' video games I find dreadfully boring. I want games where I make my own way; it is a rare game where I accept someone else's narrative and follow it. Elite is the ultimate 'sandbox' game, with billions of grains of sand to play with; this is what drew me to the game, and what keeps me playing.
No, it just means that if it evolves in a direction or directions other than those they'd have personally chosen (or indeed if it never evolves at all), pre-launch backers or those who were following early development can't really argue that it was a bait-and-switch.
How about freedom of speech if it was not directly directed at.. nm..
Funny how you refer to a law we are unable to print on this forum, btw
..but you are of course right: civil discussion is the only true discussion.
oh noes! this post ended on page 7..
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
dang!
I'm going to bed...
Last edited:
Sole Hunter
Banned
good point
I agree but I wonder how 2.2 and 2.3 is going to fly with solo players cuz those are definitely focused on teamwork.
I think 1.2 million boxes sold caught the devs off guard...and all that passion and opinion that would entail from the community. One of the more problematic is the idea that the game would somehow have direct PvP that was 'rare AND meaningful'. Granted, it is rare, and the meaning it has for most players if you lose a PvP fight, you lose a number of hours of gameplay to get back to where you were, while the PVP winner loses nothing...so it is something best avoided. As the game sheds the hardcore PvP crowd over the next few months, the population will drop back to where the devs expect it.
As far as the game 'evolving', it will. However, there is evolution within the games design...and then there is hoping that the devs will break their design/game to make people happy.
Ownership, the blocking out of players from areas, could happen...but I am doubtful of that occurring. The game just isn't built for that type of gameplay. We already have guilds/fleets, whatever you want to call them. The groups that make this up have the ability to control the influence within a system to hold the top spot. There are apparently some incoming perks for people aligned to minor factions in any system, and there is an ongoing conversation with group leaders and the devs on what would be nice to have for better guild/fleet/social tools. But the timescale for these types of improvements are in years of development, not months or weeks.
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
The game is structured already for multiplayer and teamwork. Solo players have a hard time trying deal with wings, PP interruptions, etc. Most of the new content, however, should not hurt them as much as wings, since the ships will still handle the same way...they just will have more to do IF people want to fly together on a ship.
Sole Hunter
Banned
I agree with you but PVP isn't rare in populated areas of pp or like eravate and the CG's. I never have any problems engaging or finding players. That's a different story outside of the bubble but if the areas are interesting enough to visit players will go there and interact with each others whether it's pve or pvp. I think guilds/clan with defined activities would give us more incentive to group up.
Last edited:
Groups are already within the game and self directed activities are ongoing for all of them. If you have a group that you want to interact with another group get in touch with them and see if they are interested. Most group leadership agrees there needs to be some level of social tools within the game...and the devs are lookgin at building them Someday™.
aresn 1883 points
Despite its sandbox moniker, the devs strangely refuse to put more control into the players hands. The economy, building/crafting etc all are very static and decided upon by the devs/game.
Development also has been somewhat slow, with the developers demanding money up front for content they have yet to create for you to get access to it piecemeal-style.
Those are the reasons why I stopped playing Elite.
usrevenge
i think this is a huge one.
i wonder how many people would play it if you and your friends could build a space station, put shops and stuff in it, and have other players use it.
meanwhile you have to defend it too, keep it fueled and supplied, but you can charge taxes on goods sold and stuff.
Nailed it.
Despite its sandbox moniker, the devs strangely refuse to put more control into the players hands. The economy, building/crafting etc all are very static and decided upon by the devs/game.
Development also has been somewhat slow, with the developers demanding money up front for content they have yet to create for you to get access to it piecemeal-style.
Those are the reasons why I stopped playing Elite.
usrevenge
i think this is a huge one.
i wonder how many people would play it if you and your friends could build a space station, put shops and stuff in it, and have other players use it.
meanwhile you have to defend it too, keep it fueled and supplied, but you can charge taxes on goods sold and stuff.
Nailed it.
Last edited:
Well, best way to detail what led to me eventually no longer playing might be to share my total experiences with said game, i.e. the journey I had from the moment I picked it up. Obviously, this post is going to be long, and is just detailing my experiences on it, so no need to read if you don't like long posts. ;P
(Keep in mind, when it comes to 'Just try coming back a year or two later,' that's precisely what I'm doing, but even though the game itself has currently lost my interest, I still actually really like the forums, and the community, so I've been reading through the board more and more as of late. x3 )
So, starting off in the Sidewinder, there was a definite feeling of solid progression; learning the mechanics, performing small bounty and trading missions to earn that first upgrade to my jump drive. When I first started, I was all but trapped in a handful of relatively closely-positioned systems with my limited jump range, the vast galaxy map almost mocking me because of how little of it was accessible. But with each upgrade to my drive, the universe opened up to me, freeing me from that cluster of systems, and bringing the wider galaxy into my reach. And I had a great time, in those first few days; checking out the Empire, continuing to do missions as I passed through each system to accumulate money, happy to wander and see what I could find.
Eventually, though, something began to dawn on me. The more I traveled through civilized space, the more I was left with the feeling that regardless of where I went, I was more or less in the same place. Though moving to, say, Imperial space brought some changes- the colors of the stations, communication details, less or more Federation/Empire specific ships flying around- ultimately the core experience, the sights, actions, and narrative context remained identical. I was dozens, then hundreds, of light years from what I had considered 'home,' my starting region, yet in many ways it felt like I had never really left.
So that wandering urge subsided, and I decided to use the money I had accumulated to get a Viper and take a crack at earning credits through 'pew pew.' I hit Resource Fields, gravity wells, etc. Whether it was due to matchmaking, or just where I had ended up (Can't even remember the name, was one of those random letter/number deals,) I didn't really spot many other players, but it didn't bother me; I hadn't bought the game looking for a multiplayer experience. Fly in, shoot ships, claim bounty, upgrade Viper components, rinse and repeat, and the combat was ultimately satisfying enough to keep me occupied for a few days... but again, eventually I wanted to change the pace up a bit.
I moved on to mining, then. Bought and outfitted a ship, flew to a resource field... then twenty minutes later decided 'Oh HELL no,' flew back to the station and sold it all. The scooping. THE SCOOPING. T_T I did not last long as a miner.
At this point, I had scraped together enough money through bounty hunting and other assorted missions to afford a Type 6, and so I picked up what would prove to be the profession I'd spend the bulk of my time on; trading. I actually took to it quite well, but for a different reason than I had the fighting; it was incredibly relaxing, and (for the most part) not particularly demanding when it came to my attention. Once I found a route, and outfitted a docking computer because manually docking every six minutes was driving me CRAZY, I spent many an hour listening to podcasts or comedy routines while quietly running my back-and-forth route. Whenever I got the urge to wander, I'd switch to a Sidewinder and travel around, looking for better routes, 'following the money,' as it were. In a way, the game fit a perfect niche for me, as it gave me something to occupy my hands, occasionally my eyes, but in no way demanded the bulk of my attention, letting me enjoy other things as well. When Friends came on Netflix, I binged through three seasons of that while running my trade route. x3
Anyway, as I said, trading occupied the majority of my time spent playing, and in that time, plenty of interesting developments happened. The luxury run at Tenche, the infamous collision bug, the little pilgrimage to Planet Vulcan, etc. I worked my way up to an Anaconda, then spent a lot of time mixing up trading with combat and just minor socializing. I'd pick a highly populated system, park myself in the Nav Beacon instance, and just engage players in friendly chats when they flew closer to get a look at me. I tried to develop projects to hold my attention; once buying a Type 6, outfitting it with light gear, then literally seeking out the most player-pirate infested region I could find JUST to try and get a survey on how many would demand cargo, how many would just blow me up, etc. (As it turns out, I spent hours in a sodding system full of players, only to be pirated a single, solitary time. =P So that plan fell flat.)
Eventually, like before, I felt the luster fading. So I decided to try the last major activity; exploring past the boundaries of civilized space. I outfitted an Asp, then went forth. Initially decided to take a crack at thoroughly exploring the systems I passed through- scanning all planets and stars, etc- but eventually I decided to just make a jaunt towards the center of the galaxy. It floated my boat for a bit. But after awhile, being that far out, it felt like there was no... potential for an exciting twist of fate. The odds of running into another player that far out were so astronomically small as to be laughable, I stopped even seeing NPcs after awhile, (assuming this was due to how far I was.) Soon, the only thing I really had to keep an eye on was not being careless enough to run out of fuel in a system with no scoopable star. No chance my quiet day would be intruded on by a hungry pirate looking to steal my shinies, (chances were admittedly tiny even in civilized space.) Quiet and monotonous.
Keep in mind, trading was quiet and monotonous in its own way... but I think the two reasons exploring didn't resonate with me was 1) I didn't feel like I was finding enough interesting things to really justify the time spent, and 2) at least trading made me embaressingly large sums of money. And heck, even with my quick, efficient route, there was at least a small chance a pirate would surprise me. =P
So I returned to civilized space, my journey unfinished. Did a bit more trading, eventually decided the game, as it was currently designed, just wasn't for me. So I stopped. xP And when it comes to expansions, etc, I've decided to wait until the game has become, in its entirety, something I want to experience before putting any more money down.
--------
So there it is. I actually spent many hours playing the game, but in retrospect the bulk of that time was spent only because trading was so easy, I didn't actually have to give the game much of my attention. =P If the mechanics behind navigation or docking were more complex, and I hadn't been able to wile away the hours on podcasts and Netflix, I probably would have lost interest in trading, and by extent the game, a great deal sooner.
Ultimately I could list specifics elements that irked or discouraged me. Unidentified Signal Sources- both in and of themselves, and especially how they tie into many missions- were always something I thought to be a mistake, at least in how they were implemented.
But as has been said before in the forums, ten year plan, etc. Maybe I just need to give it another few years before the problems I had with it are corrected, or at the very least enough tempting content is offered to open my wallet again.
(Keep in mind, when it comes to 'Just try coming back a year or two later,' that's precisely what I'm doing, but even though the game itself has currently lost my interest, I still actually really like the forums, and the community, so I've been reading through the board more and more as of late. x3 )
So, starting off in the Sidewinder, there was a definite feeling of solid progression; learning the mechanics, performing small bounty and trading missions to earn that first upgrade to my jump drive. When I first started, I was all but trapped in a handful of relatively closely-positioned systems with my limited jump range, the vast galaxy map almost mocking me because of how little of it was accessible. But with each upgrade to my drive, the universe opened up to me, freeing me from that cluster of systems, and bringing the wider galaxy into my reach. And I had a great time, in those first few days; checking out the Empire, continuing to do missions as I passed through each system to accumulate money, happy to wander and see what I could find.
Eventually, though, something began to dawn on me. The more I traveled through civilized space, the more I was left with the feeling that regardless of where I went, I was more or less in the same place. Though moving to, say, Imperial space brought some changes- the colors of the stations, communication details, less or more Federation/Empire specific ships flying around- ultimately the core experience, the sights, actions, and narrative context remained identical. I was dozens, then hundreds, of light years from what I had considered 'home,' my starting region, yet in many ways it felt like I had never really left.
So that wandering urge subsided, and I decided to use the money I had accumulated to get a Viper and take a crack at earning credits through 'pew pew.' I hit Resource Fields, gravity wells, etc. Whether it was due to matchmaking, or just where I had ended up (Can't even remember the name, was one of those random letter/number deals,) I didn't really spot many other players, but it didn't bother me; I hadn't bought the game looking for a multiplayer experience. Fly in, shoot ships, claim bounty, upgrade Viper components, rinse and repeat, and the combat was ultimately satisfying enough to keep me occupied for a few days... but again, eventually I wanted to change the pace up a bit.
I moved on to mining, then. Bought and outfitted a ship, flew to a resource field... then twenty minutes later decided 'Oh HELL no,' flew back to the station and sold it all. The scooping. THE SCOOPING. T_T I did not last long as a miner.
At this point, I had scraped together enough money through bounty hunting and other assorted missions to afford a Type 6, and so I picked up what would prove to be the profession I'd spend the bulk of my time on; trading. I actually took to it quite well, but for a different reason than I had the fighting; it was incredibly relaxing, and (for the most part) not particularly demanding when it came to my attention. Once I found a route, and outfitted a docking computer because manually docking every six minutes was driving me CRAZY, I spent many an hour listening to podcasts or comedy routines while quietly running my back-and-forth route. Whenever I got the urge to wander, I'd switch to a Sidewinder and travel around, looking for better routes, 'following the money,' as it were. In a way, the game fit a perfect niche for me, as it gave me something to occupy my hands, occasionally my eyes, but in no way demanded the bulk of my attention, letting me enjoy other things as well. When Friends came on Netflix, I binged through three seasons of that while running my trade route. x3
Anyway, as I said, trading occupied the majority of my time spent playing, and in that time, plenty of interesting developments happened. The luxury run at Tenche, the infamous collision bug, the little pilgrimage to Planet Vulcan, etc. I worked my way up to an Anaconda, then spent a lot of time mixing up trading with combat and just minor socializing. I'd pick a highly populated system, park myself in the Nav Beacon instance, and just engage players in friendly chats when they flew closer to get a look at me. I tried to develop projects to hold my attention; once buying a Type 6, outfitting it with light gear, then literally seeking out the most player-pirate infested region I could find JUST to try and get a survey on how many would demand cargo, how many would just blow me up, etc. (As it turns out, I spent hours in a sodding system full of players, only to be pirated a single, solitary time. =P So that plan fell flat.)
Eventually, like before, I felt the luster fading. So I decided to try the last major activity; exploring past the boundaries of civilized space. I outfitted an Asp, then went forth. Initially decided to take a crack at thoroughly exploring the systems I passed through- scanning all planets and stars, etc- but eventually I decided to just make a jaunt towards the center of the galaxy. It floated my boat for a bit. But after awhile, being that far out, it felt like there was no... potential for an exciting twist of fate. The odds of running into another player that far out were so astronomically small as to be laughable, I stopped even seeing NPcs after awhile, (assuming this was due to how far I was.) Soon, the only thing I really had to keep an eye on was not being careless enough to run out of fuel in a system with no scoopable star. No chance my quiet day would be intruded on by a hungry pirate looking to steal my shinies, (chances were admittedly tiny even in civilized space.) Quiet and monotonous.
Keep in mind, trading was quiet and monotonous in its own way... but I think the two reasons exploring didn't resonate with me was 1) I didn't feel like I was finding enough interesting things to really justify the time spent, and 2) at least trading made me embaressingly large sums of money. And heck, even with my quick, efficient route, there was at least a small chance a pirate would surprise me. =P
So I returned to civilized space, my journey unfinished. Did a bit more trading, eventually decided the game, as it was currently designed, just wasn't for me. So I stopped. xP And when it comes to expansions, etc, I've decided to wait until the game has become, in its entirety, something I want to experience before putting any more money down.
--------
So there it is. I actually spent many hours playing the game, but in retrospect the bulk of that time was spent only because trading was so easy, I didn't actually have to give the game much of my attention. =P If the mechanics behind navigation or docking were more complex, and I hadn't been able to wile away the hours on podcasts and Netflix, I probably would have lost interest in trading, and by extent the game, a great deal sooner.
Ultimately I could list specifics elements that irked or discouraged me. Unidentified Signal Sources- both in and of themselves, and especially how they tie into many missions- were always something I thought to be a mistake, at least in how they were implemented.
But as has been said before in the forums, ten year plan, etc. Maybe I just need to give it another few years before the problems I had with it are corrected, or at the very least enough tempting content is offered to open my wallet again.
Dude, seems like you could use some help with your emotions. Find yourself a friend to talk about it.
But your way of saying things clearly tells me that you lack all the skills needed for a normal conversation. You tend to get aggressive when you try to defend your point, which is usaually a indicator for a weak argument. And your arguments are weak indeed. Your view is just one of many. You try to give it a "true for all"-painting, calling everyone not sharing your views a carebear or a noob unable to "play the game properly". That´s not the way to have a constructive discussion.
Add more respect and maybe I will stop ignoring everything you say.
For a start your wrong in saying that something has gone wrong. For me the game works fine. For those who expected otherwise that is their expectations that has locked them in.
This is just another pointless whinger thread.
- Status