When can we actually expect some real gameplay content?

[ShimEnki]

I think that living universe that you need to stimulate that reward cascade high re "danger" can be easily obtained without hand holding from the devs. They have already granted you the option
to

1) wade through the toxic swamps of unrestricted pvp in open and

2) build a weak vulnerable ship to resonate with that weak vulnerable mentality that you enjoy so much and present yourself in well known strategic areas in the open "dannnngerous" dark swamps and call down to you those wolves to chase you about

Fly weak cmdr

 

[Leper Messiah]

"Elite Dangerous, should be a hardcore game"

And you lost me at that point. NO games should be hardcore, but ALL games should have difficulty settings to suit the VAST spread of skill in the gaming world. I'm fed up of the upper echelons g things up for everyone else. I'm no "casual" but I'm not an "uber gamer" either I'm in the middle and sometimes I'll play a game harder for a challange then reduce difficulty when I want to kick buttocks . CHOICE is key.

 

[DefiledDragon]

You have to click the blue rectangular button at the bottom left, which says, "Play". And you have to have one of the choices to the right selected. I know it's kinda complex.

Except that nothing in ED is even remotely complex. Time consuming, yes. Complex? No. That's part of the problem. Nothing you do in the game challenges you, at all. It's very much a game for people who don't like to be challenged. Casual is the term, I believe.

 

[Tarman]

Except that nothing in ED is even remotely complex. Time consuming, yes. Complex? No. That's part of the problem. Nothing you do in the game challenges you, at all. It's very much a game for people who don't like to be challenged. Casual is the term, I believe.

Doesn't it get old continually playing a game you don't care much for? This mystifies me.

 

[DefiledDragon]

Doesn't it get old continually playing a game you don't care much for? This mystifies me.

I don't, I just visit the forums to see if anything has changed and fire the game up occasionally after a major update to see what's new. Consider yourself demystified.

 

[Tarman]

I don't, I just visit the forums to see if anything has changed and fire the game up occasionally after a major update to see what's new. Consider yourself demystified.

You can't take away all my mystique!

*disappears in a cloud of smoke, only to be seen dashing out the door >___>

 

[NW3]

...everyone I intruduce to the game, leaves after a week. [...]

Elite Dangerous, should be a hardcore game, when even the slightest NPC can be really dangerous [...]

More interesting missions [...]

Solve combat logging issue, make sure players are still in the game even if they logged out [...]

Multi jumping feature to relax at the "loading screen", able to check stuff in the game, and communicate while in a jump, looking markets and mission board at galnet and so on. [...]

...players can trade and buying and selling between each other, that will also make the game more alive. [...]

Also allow people to build stations in space and settlements on planets, [...]

Also connecting some kind of mobile service, so you can check progress of your base, and also chatting with people in game, so where ever you go, you have it in your pocket, mobile would only allow simple stuff, checking auctions and making changes to your base or what ever, also outfitting.

Auction houses should be in the game, which we can call Trade hubs, [...]

Make sure Elite dangerous have everything you need, you don't want to minize the game to check homepages to check where you can find stuff. There should be more detailed Engineering screen that shows what you need and what you can do at the moment with the materials you have.

There is sooooooooooooooooo much more fun stuff that you can do to improve the game. I can't be the only one here thinking about how much more this game could have been.

If everyone you introduce leaves in a week, making the game more "hardcore" sounds like the wrong approach.

When you aren't in-game, you aren't part of the game world. Simulating logged-out players is a huge modification to the game mechanics. Changing this would be very difficult for FD. They can't even simulate persistent NPCs. Personally, while I never combat log, I don't think it's a big issue.

Yes, I'd like to see improvements to jumping and it would be great to have player-built bases.

I'm not sure I want to see in-game trading between players or auction houses. I worry that that will encourage FD to add even more grinding and allow resource farming (for real cash).

A mobile service sounds interesting, but when you're not in the game, nothing happens to you. As I said, that's a huge change to the game. You can read Galnet on you phone, that's enough for now, imo.

Yes, it sure would be nice if all the info you need is in-game, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. There are so many other things I'd like to see implemented first, like mission improvements and temporal antialiasing.

I agree there's a lot of fun stuff that could be added to the game, but your list of stuff greatly differs from mine.

 

[Gravity Drive]

Not every game can or should be all things to all people. Nor should one game try to cater to everyone.

If you don't like how Elite plays, then don't play it? Why is that so difficult? Instead of expecting it to cater to your personal desires, go play something else. I don't go play a game that doesn't suit me and then whine on their forums and demand it change to suit my specifications, that's asinine.

Different people like different things (shocker). Just because you think Elite is boring doesn't mean everyone does. Accept that and move on. No, as much as you think you are, you're not being objective - it's still just your opinion.

 

[mojonaut]

It's very much a game for people who don't like to be challenged. Casual is the term, I believe.

Sometimes it feels like its an interactive ASMR program (but without the tingles), a great relaxation experience.

 

[Winterwalker]

If actual content has been designed out, then it is just a bad game.

I'll stick up for the game. Basically what we have is a supercharged version of Elite / Frontier Elite 2, single player games where you were given the tools to 'live the life' of a jobbing pilot. (A dead uncle left you a Sidewinder + 100 credits. End of introduction). This you can continue with now, in ED with the obvious career types, trader, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler, scavenger, gun for hire etc. and this is a core reworking of what was and remains a popular game, with multi-player / CG's adding more interactive ways to do the same things, but adding in collaborative (or confrontational) styles too.

Where Elite games 1,2 and 3 stopped, was being able to leave your seat, and the base networking for doing that looks like being 2.3 where your avatar starts to become the character (at the moment your ship is the character more or less). Adding the obvious possibility to leave the ship into stations later, to do the same activites above but on foot, my understanding (since kickstarter) is this is the general direction of the game going forward.

Now story. With the exception of PG generated multi-part missions, the 'provided' story elements are injected. You can follow a series of CG's (help to build, equip, defend a new station) there's the Colonia initiatve or whatever is going on in Maia with the alien ruins etc. but it's also possible to plonk yourself near any old faction and promote an expansion (assist in a lockdown, find food for famine victims, medecines against an outbreak etc) which is content even though you kind of provide it yourself, by bouncing off the BGS, to achieve whatever it is you decide to achieve. While there a few things that happen on a galactic level though (injected events) most content in ED will always be local, and BGS related, even though that BGS can expand. It stays up to you how you interact with it but this is by design because you can't have a 'save the proncess mission' unless there are 100,000 princesses (so everyone gets to save the princess) which is DBOBE's example.

Best approach for understanding the general 'content' of ED in my view is to imagine yourself as a jobbing pilot who, in order to be ready for anything, should aim to be an expert in everything (trader, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler, scavenger, gun for hire etc.). As such the 'content' of ED is, I think, better described as the 'mechanics' of what you can do. Every time a new mechanic is added you get a new way to interact with the BGS (or other players) and this how 'content' emerges. Through having more and more combinations of activites (even variety in AI interaction), the chances of having to do the same thing twice, shrink and the number of different ways to do the same thing increase. Eventually that's sure to reach a critical mass, though the game isn't developed long enough yet for that true.

TLDR: Though sounds odd, YOU'RE the content in ED. Given starter ship, it's up to you what to do with it.

 

[SkipRat]

The game elements you mention are in thousands of MMO's all over the interweb. I can see no reason for FD to create what you can already find elsewhere. Let Elite grow with it's unique outlook.

This is the problem, it is not, because the original gritty universe that "they said" they want the galaxy to be is nowhere to be seen.

For example;

Fuel scoops - Potentially could have scooped dirty fuel from the Suns, cleaner fuel from gas giants and finally clean fuel from stations, thus the dirtier the fuel the quicker the engine wear and tear. This could have given explorer ships unique modules (like the luxury modules for the passenger liners) that made them more efficient for scooping and enabled to travel deeper into the galaxy. Of course eventually they would have to go back to the core to get real repairs or blow up losing everything.

This could tie in the likes of the Hutton Truckers, who would haul equipment along supply lines to to help the explorers go even further into the unknown, seeing as we have fuel and collector limpets, why not basic repair limpets that partially repair engines and the ship integrity. What about if war breaks out between an alien civilisation... the same mechanic, reloading and repairing ships, fuel lines need to be maintains, explorers become scouts... It adds mechanics to the game that enable players to play together to achieve a goal etc... OR if they want to solo, fine, you can do it, but don't expect to do it better than a group working together, like exploring.

This means and explorer could put himself in serious trouble if he gets to greedy, and the best explorers can it take as close to the limit as possible and know when to return.

Trade - One of the original ideas for trade was that the best trade routes would be between the rim and core systems. Slaves, machines, tools etc would transported to the rim systems resource extraction sites, whilst the raw materials and precious metals would be transported to the core systems.

This however would be dangerous, as the rim system would also be pirate territory as the core systems would have high security and be far far safer for the trader. Giving the player a choice between smaller profits, but far safer trade routes or richer more profitable trade runs that are far more dangerous.

Alliances - Alliances should mean something and have pro's and con's, you are not in a million years ever be able to rank to King and Rear Admiral at the same time. It would never happen. If anything, if you are a king of the empire, you would be highly unliked by the Federation/Alliance and maybe some independent systems.

This also means it would have a direct impact on engineers as Imperial engineers would never give high ranking Fed/Alliance/Some independent players the best module mods if any at all... This bringing real consequence to the game and the choices the players make.

Pirates - Pirates should be forced to make more use of the pirate bases through out the galaxy, in some cases, secret bases that are only known to high ranking pirates (yes pirates should have ranks too). Obviously, if you are a well known Pirate and depending on where you operate, you maybe been banned from docking at or all Fed/Alliance/Imperial stations, because you have a reputation. This would make it harder for you to get ships and upgrades, sitting in with the notion that pirates are bottom feeders, feeding off the riches of the trade routes etc.

It also means proper C&P and missions specifically for pirates given out at earned locations (I.e. hidden pirate bases)...

Even bounty hunters could be catered for.

Ranking - Ranking needs to be proper structured military careers, with some rewards being access to specific engineers, whilst actually earning your rank and really taking part in military missions and wars.

It may even be the case that it will involve piracy in enemy faction territory, so privateers, just like the old Royal Navy privateers that hampered French boats hundreds of years ago. Fed pilots doing pirating in Alliance systems to undermine them, for example.


It just goes without saying so much can be added to the game, but they refuse to do it, because of this philosophy that a player should be able to do what ever he wants when he wants with no consequences, that ultimately leaving game feeling shallow and baron of perceived game play, because of this wishy washy mentality they have that has left game feeling so incoherent, unbalanced and broken.

It is really sad to see the decisions the game designers have taken, from what was originally sold to the player that got the game started to what we have now. They are just very lucky that they have no real competition at the moment and that business men pushed for an early release of no mans sky, when it was clear that the game was clearly not finished.

 

[JosiahD]

I'll stick up for the game. Basically what we have is a supercharged version of Elite / Frontier Elite 2, single player games where you were given the tools to 'live the life' of a jobbing pilot. (A dead uncle left you a Sidewinder + 100 credits. End of introduction). This you can continue with now, in ED with the obvious career types, trader, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler, scavenger, gun for hire etc. and this is a core reworking of what was and remains a popular game, with multi-player / CG's adding more interactive ways to do the same things, but adding in collaborative (or confrontational) styles too.

Where Elite games 1,2 and 3 stopped, was being able to leave your seat, and the base networking for doing that looks like being 2.3 where your avatar starts to become the character (at the moment your ship is the character more or less). Adding the obvious possibility to leave the ship into stations later, to do the same activites above but on foot, my understanding (since kickstarter) is this is the general direction of the game going forward.

Now story. With the exception of PG generated multi-part missions, the 'provided' story elements are injected. You can follow a series of CG's (help to build, equip, defend a new station) there's the Colonia initiatve or whatever is going on in Maia with the alien ruins etc. but it's also possible to plonk yourself near any old faction and promote an expansion (assist in a lockdown, find food for famine victims, medecines against an outbreak etc) which is content even though you kind of provide it yourself, by bouncing off the BGS, to achieve whatever it is you decide to achieve. While there a few things that happen on a galactic level though (injected events) most content in ED will always be local, and BGS related, even though that BGS can expand. It stays up to you how you interact with it but this is by design because you can't have a 'save the proncess mission' unless there are 100,000 princesses (so everyone gets to save the princess) which is DBOBE's example.

Best approach for understanding the general 'content' of ED in my view is to imagine yourself as a jobbing pilot who, in order to be ready for anything, should aim to be an expert in everything (trader, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler, scavenger, gun for hire etc.). As such the 'content' of ED is, I think, better described as the 'mechanics' of what you can do. Every time a new mechanic is added you get a new way to interact with the BGS (or other players) and this how 'content' emerges. Through having more and more combinations of activites (even variety in AI interaction), the chances of having to do the same thing twice, shrink and the number of different ways to do the same thing increase. Eventually that's sure to reach a critical mass, though the game isn't developed long enough yet for that true.

TLDR: Though sounds odd, YOU'RE the content in ED. Given starter ship, it's up to you what to do with it.

Pretty much sums it up in my opinion. I think some people need to realise that the 'content' is your own CMDR's story, which is unique to each. Frontier merely give us the tools, rather than 'content', with which to tell our CMDR's story.....tools that are expanding with each major update. There's some background stories to be sure, providing linkages with the lore for example, but the 'content' is our story weaved in and out of those backstories and lore as we choose ourselves, rather than as some developer decides for us through some quest arcs and such.

 

[SkipRat]

Pretty much sums it up in my opinion. I think some people need to realise that the 'content' is your own CMDR's story, which is unique to each. Frontier merely give us the tools, rather than 'content', with which to tell our CMDR's story.....tools that are expanding with each major update. There's some background stories to be sure, providing linkages with the lore for example, but the 'content' is our story weaved in and out of those backstories and lore as we choose ourselves, rather than as some developer decides for us through some quest arcs and such.

There is nothing wrong with creating your own story, but FD can at least give us a game that makes sense and allows us to feel the consequences to the choices we make so, we can feel those effects upon our story. I was a dirty pirate, rejected from the rest of galaxy apart from the dark underworld, it took me a long time to come back to the light and now, now I am the greatest bounty hunter there is... But we can't have none of that with what FD has given us, this pathetic no consequence fluff. That being honest, takes more away from the game than it actually adds.

I.e, like what I have posted above, that is not real content, that is real tools and mechanic to help us make our commanders really tell a story.

 

[JosiahD]

There is nothing wrong with creating your own story, but FD can at least give us a game that makes sense and allows us to feel the consequences to the choices we make so, we can feel those effects upon our story. I was a dirty pirate, rejected from the rest of galaxy apart from the dark underworld, it took me a long time to come back to the light and now, now I am the greatest bounty hunter there is... But we can't have none of that with what FD has given us, this pathetic no consequence fluff. That being honest, takes more away from the game than it actually adds.

I.e, like what I have posted above, that is not real content, that is real tools and mechanic to help us make our commanders really tell a story.

Which is why I noted those tools expand with each major update. The game is not complete.....and sometimes it seems people either aren't aware of that, forget that, or ignore that. While I don't have much faith in the effectiveness of the punishment mechanics and supposed karma system reputed to be 'coming', they'll add to the tools that will make piracy riskier (I hope....) for example.

 

[sqzbox1]

You know what bothers me about scripted events in a game like this? Once done, that's it. It's over. Then you just hang out until the next one arrives. Personally I don't have all day 7 days a week to invest in playing the game and I am not the greatest problem-solver in the universe. Neither do I read all the stories and lore that exists on the sidelines - coz of the aforementioned time issue. I vaguely recall some story about some gal who was a princess or something and she moved around a bit and discovered some stuff and now appears to be missing - or something. I have no idea about that and neither do I really care what she is up to. (Just an example).

So anyway, when something happens what do I do? And probably most of the other people playing the game also. We find a thread or a vid from somebody who has done it already, follow the instructions and then in 5 minutes - job done! What is the point of that? I got the 100 mil, or the ship, or the item, or whatever, and now what? Not very satisfying, rather pointless, and all that has happened is that the devs have introduced a new rod for their own back because they have to keep delivering these things. And it really doesn't introduce all that much fun content into the game - just a series of scripted events that take a few minutes each time.

There was a little bit of that in FFE. I followed the instructions and ended up with a Thargoid warship that defeated everything - a God ship so to speak. It was nice and all, but after that what did I do? I just went back to doing what I was doing before - playing the role of a pilot and trading and mining and doing missions and so on. TBH the adventure was a minuscule part of the time I spent playing the game.

In summary, I play the game for the experience. Not to run around following a trail of scripted events like following a recipe because to me, that is not interesting or fun. So I'm sorry OP - I disagree entirely with your point of view.

 

[Quineloe]

Elite Dangerous, should be a hardcore game, when even the slightest NPC can be really dangerous and not behave so stupid.

I'd rather want the opposite. I'm pretty tired of the game constantly spawning Elite ships to attack me just because my combat rating is Elite. It's as if Elite pilots are super common.

Poor design. No thought behind it.

 

[Cmdr Hobgoblin]

Which is why I noted those tools expand with each major update. The game is not complete.....and sometimes it seems people either aren't aware of that, forget that, or ignore that. While I don't have much faith in the effectiveness of the punishment mechanics and supposed karma system reputed to be 'coming', they'll add to the tools that will make piracy riskier (I hope....) for example.

The game is officially released. And as such, it can be critiqued as it is. So please stop using it as an excuse.
The base game of Elite is rather dull and boring. I fought many wars by now, won some too for the faction I was flying for. Did I feel anything of the changes? Nothing. I mean, yay, more money. But nothing ever changes that is important to me. If I lose a War in Eve with my Brothers in Arms, then one of our Systems is gone and we have to plot a new War to get it back or run off with our tail between our legs and lick our wounded Ego.

Nothing of that exists in Elite, because people apparently rather play Jobsimulator 2017 than an actual game where stuff you do matters.
if they don't want anything to matter, fine. But then at least provide some entertainment instead of a list of chores.

I said it in the past, I say it again: X3:TC has way more grind than Elite. Hub Plot anyone? But, for that I have to build multiple complexes and that is actually interesting. And the reward is awesome. Same goes for the Player HQ. And, on top of that, I have another 6 Plot Arcs that can be played independently. That is a load of content. All that was without Season Pass or Addons.
Albion is the only addon that came out and is a game on it's own with it's own executable, because it is a completely new game basically. Egosoft never stooped down to the level of FD to sell Power with their DLC. And if they can do that and support their games for over 10 years with their sales, why can't FD do the same? And no, Elite is not more niche than X.

 

[Red Anders]

Agreed.

That people got all excited over an in game event that interrupted your game play, took AWAY your input and made you sit and WATCH...Blew my mind.

And the godawful puzzle thing that came after...Well, the good news: besting that ought to be like winning the pole vault at a Limbo competition.

It's almost like not everybody likes the same kind of thing in games and FDev are trying to pitch this game at an audience that like the kind of things that are in this game.

 

[Peter Thompson]

Threads like these make a good drinking game. Off to see if I can find another like this one, a poll, or PVE vs PVP thread to continue playing!

 

[etien]

Somehow I agree with the op and the list seems reasonable to me
But also I don't really mind the grind and doing my own stuff, so for more stuff to see like comets and accretion disks would add a lot to me even tough it isn't adding gameplay as such