is there enough hook to keep veteran players after 2.4, Sandro?

Angus

Angus
What I mean is that a lot of us have been playing the game for many, many hours (months), and have risen through the ranks in both Elite and military status..... now, if a lot of the work on the core gameplay update is going to be about making that journey generally more interesting, my worry is that advanced players are going to miss out, having already trodden that path.

For instance, for a new player its going to be cool gradually increasing your Exploration rank by experiencing the more interesting and skill based exploring that has been discussed. It will still be cool for veterans but somewhat less so, if your work isn't building any reputation or status for you.

I appreciate that much of the time your rank is just a word on your status page, but nevertheless in a game that doesn't offer a second save slot, I am not inclined to ditch my Commander and start from scratch. I'm too invested in it to just dump it, and certain parts of the game, I don't particularly wish to play through again.

My hope is that FD can update the core gameplay in such a way that even the triple Elite Admiral/Princes among us can fully enjoy the more involving gameplay.

Maybe, for a start, extending the Elite rank with Oak leaf Cluster and Stars - or whatever

Maybe making the current military rank a "Staff rank" and that actual "Field rank" needs to be earned from scratch, doing the more interesting missions.

Maybe.......... I don't know, what do you think?
 

Johnny Cyclops

Johnny Cyclops
I'm clearly behind the curve. Having played since launch (and the Premium Beta, pre launch) I'm still not Elite on any ranks (up to level 7 on combat and trading, level 6 on exploration) nor on the major faction alignment.

I did do a 'soft' restart in late 2015, not wanting to kill my original CMDR, by putting all spare cash bar 33,000cr into docked ships/modules, and then with that final 33,000cr bought a basic Sidewinder in Lave and had 1,000cr left to start over. True, I wouldn't be moving up rankings if I'd already reached Elite, but it did allow me to jet off to a new corner of the bubble and 'start over'.
 

[VR] Frank_G

[VR] Frank_G
I reached Elite Explorer last monday, after playing for 30 months. I have played Elite in the 80s, the 90s and i enjoy 2k14+s Elite more than any other title of the series. With new things being added to the game over the coming years, Elite will definitely have enough hook to keep my at the helm.
 

Valan

V
People who grind for rank always burn out. They won't quit the character but will happily quit the game. So the solution is more rank which they'll meta game to grind to again.

Which brings me to the term grind. If you see it is a grind then why are you playing? Ah yes, the rank, the best ship etc.

There is enjoying the game and then there is collecting trophies. No one cares about your trophies but you so if you don't enjoy getting them you have wasted hours of your life.

So the question has been answered. - It will still be cool for veterans. - If not why do it?

Play the game enjoy the game. I took a break due to time constraints. What am I looking forward to, kitting out a nice little Keelback to do some prospecting.
 

777Driver

777Driver
Played the game since early Beta, Been all across the galaxy, can fight my way out of any situation in PvP FA-OFF.. Am neither Elite Rank in Exploration or Combat. Never grinded and never will... Have a list of things to do in-game that is as long as my arm, none if it involves chasing Rank or Credits and Farming NPC's.
 

lysan

lysan
777Driver said:
Played the game since early Beta, Been all across the galaxy, can fight my way out of any situation in PvP FA-OFF.. Am neither Elite Rank in Exploration or Combat. Never grinded and never will... Have a list of things to do in-game that is as long as my arm, none if it involves chasing Rank or Credits and Farming NPC's.
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I'm with you, but I wished we could get a better AP or helms pilot (NPC) in our ships, I just.can't.press jump.800.times to get around in the galaxy.

It burned me out a wee bit.
 

Synthetic Frost

Synthetic Frost
I don't see why the game needs a "hook". You make it sound like those cheap tactics F2P games use to keep players logging in when the game itself has no meat to it.

I've been playing regularly since the game's Kickstarter days in the original alpha, and I still haven't come close to doing everything. I'm only just now on the cusp of getting the Elite rank in trading. Let alone combat or exploration. Heck, I'm still finding new things in what was the tiny Alpha bubble. I still have ships left to outfit, 400 billion stars to visit, and many, many more pirates to bounty hunt.

Seriously though. Why do people need systems like Powerplay to keep them invested in the game? You're in a game where you get to FLY AROUND IN SPACE. That alone is good enough for me. I played the original Elite, Wing Commander, Descent, and FreeSpace looong after those games were old because I got to FLY AROUND IN SPACE!

This game has that, plus real literal 400 billion stars and solar systems. A good chunk of which is based on real world stellar cartography charts. This is the closest I will likely ever get to space in my lifetime, and I can see all of the stars I studied about as a kid up close. How is that not enough for most people?
 

jasonbarron

jasonbarron
777Driver said:
Played the game since early Beta, Been all across the galaxy, can fight my way out of any situation in PvP FA-OFF.. Am neither Elite Rank in Exploration or Combat. Never grinded and never will... Have a list of things to do in-game that is as long as my arm, none if it involves chasing Rank or Credits and Farming NPC's.
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I am CMDR Jason Barron and I approve of this message.
 

Cucco-Master

Cucco-Master
Synthetic Frost said:
How is that not enough for most people?
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The answer is simple for me: Exploration gameplay is shallow.
When I bought the game, I had a very similar attitude to yours now, yet I haven't got further out of the bubble than a few hundred ly. If I scan more than a few systems in a row I get bored to the point that I either return and do something else or stop playing the game to play something more ... interesting.
 

777Driver

777Driver
Lysander lysan said:
I'm with you, but I wished we could get a better AP or helms pilot (NPC) in our ships, I just.can't.press jump.800.times to get around in the galaxy.

It burned me out a wee bit.
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Agreed, although I tend to just load up a huge amount of music when doing long sequences. The Beatles and Radiohead Anthology got me to Colonia. I find my BKGamer helps the situation a lot, feeling the rumble of the ship keeps me a lot more connected to the game, it feels very empty and lifeless without it, combined with voice attack and VR, my tolerance for long range trips is quite high. I've also programmed Astra to auto jump for me.
 
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Morbad

Morbad
I agree almost completely with Synthetic Frost, though I'd add that being able to shoot people that give me trouble is another one of the prime reason I play, in addition to the whole fly around in space thing.

I don't really need the game to acknowledge my achievements, give me more arbitrary paths of advancement, or dramatically increase the rate at which new 'content' is delivered. Making sure what we already have is working as best as can be would be my top priority.
 

Synthetic Frost

Synthetic Frost
Cucco-Master said:
The answer is simple for me: Exploration gameplay is shallow.
When I bought the game, I had a very similar attitude to yours now, yet I haven't got further out of the bubble than a few hundred ly. If I scan more than a few systems in a row I get bored to the point that I either return and do something else or stop playing the game to play something more ... interesting.
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Who said anything about scanning? I'm talking about *experiencing* it. Haven't you just taken off in a direction on a whim just to see what was out there?

Just visiting VY Canis Majoris was one of the most memorable moments in my gaming life (and I've played a LOT of video games) simply for the sheer sense of scale. And I didn't even have a VR headset yet when I did that. I've revisited it 3 or 4 times in the past year, and I fully plan on going back when my Rift gets here.
 

Drelthar

Drelthar
Synthetic Frost said:
Who said anything about scanning? I'm talking about *experiencing* it. Haven't you just taken off in a direction on a whim just to see what was out there?

Just visiting VY Canis Majoris was one of the most memorable moments in my gaming life (and I've played a LOT of video games) simply for the sheer sense of scale. And I didn't even have a VR headset yet when I did that. I've revisited it 3 or 4 times in the past year, and I fully plan on going back when my Rift gets here.
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I envy you. Exploring for me holds zero interest, and I really want it to. I just get really bored of looking at the (seemingly) same spheres over and over again, and not actually doing.... anything, at all. It's like watching an advanced screen saver for hours, to me.
 

verminstar

Banned
verminstar
Playing and enjoying the game has absolutely naff all to do with ranks or silly titles...I'm still harmless after 18 months so I haven't even tried the combat...not seriously anyway as that's not why I play the game...never was and possibly never will be. Even were I elite in the other two, I play mostly alone as an explorer or in solo when I'm in the main bubble. So who would see my rank in the first place?

That being said, if there's no fixes fer beigeification which was broken almost a year ago, then the only thing that would keep me here is a lot more information on when it will be fixed, otherwise...no. The more time that passes here will see other space faring alternatives and ones patience is not infinite. As good as this game used to be, the game itself has become nothing more than a placeholder until they either get their proverbial finger out, or someone else catches up.
 

-VR- Max Factor

-VR- Max Factor
Valan said:
People who grind for rank always burn out. They won't quit the character but will happily quit the game. So the solution is more rank which they'll meta game to grind to again.

Which brings me to the term grind. If you see it is a grind then why are you playing? Ah yes, the rank, the best ship etc.

There is enjoying the game and then there is collecting trophies. No one cares about your trophies but you so if you don't enjoy getting them you have wasted hours of your life.

So the question has been answered. - It will still be cool for veterans. - If not why do it?

Play the game enjoy the game. I took a break due to time constraints. What am I looking forward to, kitting out a nice little Keelback to do some prospecting.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this.
 
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