Should I be able to play Elite Dangerous without nine spreadsheets?

[Cmdr Travers]

I had a friend and fellow Elite Dangerous player visiting me this week, and showed him the nine spreadsheets I use to keep track of the game. These cover everything from my fleet, and how they're equipped and engineered, to what upgrades I can get, and what materials I'll need for them, what I've got in storage, what engineers I've still to unlock and what I'll need to get them all to grade 5, what permits I can get and how I can do it, and more besides.

He pointed out, quite correctly, that if I need nine spreadsheets to just keep track of the game, and so I can remember what's going on at any one time, that the game is too complicated. Some of this at least, could be brought into the game after all with things like an in-game Wiki or better ship and storage information at any time.

I'm just wondering what you all think?

P.S. To anybody who's going to ask for a copy, this is an extremely complex spreadsheet with a lot of cross-linking and hard coding. You'd really need to know what you're doing in Excel to get to grips with it.

Mike

 

[Andy_Pipkin]

I don't know, man....been playing since august '14, and the only thing I write down (on a small piece of paper I keep losing again), is an occasional cmdr name.

 

[Nerwan]

I don't use any spreadsheets... and I have about 18 maxed out engineered ships.. Of course I did originally make a huge list of engineering materials and what they do (which I shared on here of course) when the engineers came out, but that's now obsolete and I find that INARA and Coriolis is all I need. Although it'll be cool when it's fully up to date since it's fallen behind a little and doesn't have all blueprints..

 

[Roland2]

Yes, you CAN play Elite Dangerous without nine spread sheets. The fact that you choose to use them doesn't make the game too complicated. To me, it shows the depth of the game since it gives you enough info to put on 9 spread sheets.

I use zero spread sheets, and enjoy the game just fine.

TLR Don't blame the game for what you choose to do.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

Yes, you CAN play Elite Dangerous without nine spread sheets. The fact that you choose to use them doesn't make the game too complicated. To me, it shows the depth of the game since it gives you enough info to put on 9 spread sheets.

I use zero spread sheets, and enjoy the game just fine.

TLR Don't blame the game for what you choose to do.

I can't really argue with that. I do love my spreadsheets after all (I'm very sad)

 

[Anoobics]

I applaud your work and dedication to make those spreadsheets. I can't imagine how long that took you to get them set up and plug all your info into them. I'm with Nerwan on this one though, I just INARA and Coriolis for everything and it seams to work fine. I am going to give you rep just for the amount of work you put in to the spreadsheets.

 

[Ouberos]

I use a mark 1 Cortex and find it often returns a negative search for things I require.

With all that data providing answers do you ever find you have forgotten what the question was?

 

[Codger]

Most of us are not as organized as you, I'd say.

I jot down the occasional note, and ED Engineer keeps track of my mats and data automatically (and all the blueprints are current). Coriolis is great for experimenting with loadouts. That's about it for me.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Never used a spreadsheet or a piece of paper or anything like that at all. Not entirely sure why you do to be honest.

 

[danowat]

I think that using 9 spreadsheets to play Elite says more about you as a person than it does about the game!!!.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

I think that using 9 spreadsheets to play Elite says more about you as a person than it does about the game!!!.

Probably

 

[Wyaston Hypatia]

You must like spreadsheets!
Never touched one whilst playing ED.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

I had a friend and fellow Elite Dangerous player visiting me this week, and showed him the nine spreadsheets I use to keep track of the game. …

P.S. To anybody who's going to ask for a copy, this is an extremely complex spreadsheet with a lot of cross-linking and hard coding. You'd really need to know what you're doing in Excel to get to grips with it.
…

I think you just revealed your obsession with spreadsheets. Nothing wrong with that, everybody has some strange hobby.

I'm quite confident that nobody needs spreadsheets to play the game. They might make it easier for some players who enjoy using spreadsheets (and probably have spreadsheets for almost everything in their lives).

Disclaimer:
I occasionally use a extremely simple spreadsheet to monitor the influence of factions in systems (no calculations involved).
I occasionally write down things I want to remember on tiny bits of paper.

 

[SP45M]

If you're into spreadsheets maybe EvE online would be more up your alley. I have a pilot I can sell you with many iskies.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

Don't know much about EvE online, but feel free to PM me

 

[gary.brain]

Sounds like you are addicted to spreadsheets or an a wannabe accountant

Played since alpha and never written anything down.

 

[Yaffle]

I'm an accountant, so obviously love a good spreadsheet and can use far more than the =SUM function, and I have zero spreadsheets for the game. It's a game being the main reason.

 

[The Lawful]

Hm. For most of the engineering info, isn't Inara.cz just the place to go?. And for keeping a live track of all the mats/data requirements, I just use the EDEngineer tool. It even has a shopping list. That would reduce the number of spreadsheets a lot, I guess.

YMMV,
[noob]

 

[DocPossible]

Nice use of colours Most of the ones I get at work seem to have been done by someone on acid that's only got an 8 bit palette.

 

[Jukelo]

I wish I had to use spreadsheets to play the game.