I am your typical ganker. Wear the badge with dignity. Yep. Pirate, racketeer, killer of men, scum of the Earth. Also, I was defending people from pirates (got under influence of some righteous types), fought for independence, explored and traded, but that wasn't as eventful, less honourable and more time consuming, so I quit these for good. Wanted in 33 systems and just as ugly as my less notorious colleague from Star Wars IV movie. Even pirates wish to kill me, but not one succeeded yet. I like flying a Viper. I played ED from the very beginning until I realised the flaws of the game, despite it's many, many, many bright sides, don't make it an actual game, but something more akin to MS Flight Simulator 2010, which I love as much, by the way. Played the originals too, just as you did, I'll venture a guess. I do play still but very rarely, mostly to impress some people that I know with the technological masterpiece, which Elite is, on a huge monitor with X52, amplified beyond sanity with gigantic speakers.
Now, it is my observation that developers create facilities for players to interact with each other and the "soulless" world around them. The philosophy, which lies at the foundation, defines the game's cross section of buyers, reinforced with advertising and ongoing discussion. Lets have a look at the name, shall we: "Elite
Dangerous, blaze your trail through a
cutthroat galaxy". More or less accurate, wouldn't you say? Developers, in their eternal wisdom, created safe havens, called solo & private groups. Now, the real villain here (villain according to you) is FD, who
invited the crowd of people, like me, to buy the game, which was supposed to be made for people like me, you and us, according to advertising and past experiences.
Alright, we are getting to the culmination. While they made a Mobius game (for you) very re-playable, they postponed creation of a game for me and us indefinitely. Well, I don't blame them. The graphical fidelity alone and the scope of the whole thing is so mind-boggling, I am really surprised FD made it that far without imploding. It is astonishing what a conspiracy between a couple hundred programmers can create in a couple of years of hard work.
The game will be an ever-living classic, no doubt about it, with a few thousand fanatic followers, small, perhaps, but it will live forever. That's cool. But what would revitalise the game, make it bigger, what would make it a game for us to play as sheep, wolves, shepherds, heroes, villains, ordinary haulers..
together, attract a constant flow of people and not hide in our corners? (Unless we really want to once in a while) My thought process and that of some other people echoing this idea around forum is that the game needs something to live and die for. I like to call it economy. Tangible resources. Where there is economy, politics is conjured up, to influence said economy and be influenced by it in return. These concepts sound difficult, perhaps, but they aren't. Ownership gives motivation. Fighting for the common cause with resources in the background, perhaps, gives motivation. But there have to be pigeons to count in in the first place in order for motivation to persist and evolve. Otherwise it's a flight simulator with one-off bells and whistles which wears off pretty fast, except for people like me, the SCI-FI fans. Gathering of resources, building colonies, wars, trade wars, alliances, politics and Cpt. Reynolds, being part of the same economy, giving them all the finger. Even in a simple form this can be created, perhaps the community will rise to the challenge and help FD accomplish that FOR FREE, who knows? They only have to ask. Suddenly, reasons may appear for sheep to cooperate with wolves and protect them from other packs for the common good. Before that happens the mere and mindless pew-pew will remain, as a mark of game's infancy. Yes, the task may be hard, even impossible. But so is creating a g 1:1 copy of the Milky-Way. The latter, in fact, sounds simpler.
That's what I'd like to see, but will likely not, still I am content they let me hunt people. The most enthralling endeavour of them all, according to some wise guy I forgot who exactly. People doing what they do, do it for fun and 'cause there's nothing better to do. And who are you to judge other's fun? A wise reptile from Nibiru? Probably another random guy with a keyboard and opinion. People can be anyone they want in Elite'verse, within obvious limits described in the manual, so take you anti-ganker-preaching to a kindergarten session, brother. The sandbox has been drawn, the world lives despite your wants and needs, too late to fight the consequences of FD game design. And futile. It's better to start coming up with future ideology or shut up and enjoy what's there.
P.S. I am glad they named the thread this. Very wise, OP.
