My Response to the Elite Community and Thoughts on "Colonia and the Thargoids" – Video by ObsidianAnt

[WR3ND]

Apologies, I genuinely thought the humorous nature of the way I first stated it perhaps led to its significance being ignored. I;ll check out the link in a bit, in the office right now. Cheers!

EDIT: OK, it was a short one, I read it. Yes, I can certainly agree that the direction of the game is toward making things easier, HOWEVER, it's a matter of perspective again. Some of what you might call dumbing down, I might call streamlining to allow me to enjoy and make progress in the game as well as have a relationship with my family. There's a balance to be struck, and as someone who left WoW during Cataclysm, I believe I know when that line is being crossed, and this project (and in fact Elite in general) is not in danger of going there yet.

Also, I hear hints every now and then that the devs would like to make it more difficult too, so I'm not worried about overall direction yet. I think a lot of QoL issues get labelled as 'making hte game too easy', such as the blue mission USSes (previously you had to just search for a target in random USSes, it was insane), some say this was a step too far and trivialised tracking down a mission target. It is in fact, far preferable to the alternative.

I see what you're saying and I can understand your perspective. I feel Colonia in particular though shouldn't be easy to travel too. Of course people will argue that jump honking is easy, just monotonous – regardless of the fact that people can do other things than just jump honking along the way – it also has to do weighing the pros and cons of the journey, investing the time, or finding you'd rather do something else; that's part of what makes it more challenging than say going to the Pleiades. Colonia being the furthest reaches of human civilization and half way across the galaxy, I think having this sort of challenge getting there is a good thing, leastwise better than a fast travel out there, certainly.

But yes, hopefully that isn't what's in store and I'm just misreading the winds of change.

 

[Factabulous]

Can't help thinking OA has this wrong - Blue Star line most likely RP colour for things seen in the beta

Spoiler

more Colonia <-> Bubble passenger and cargo / courier missions

Apologies if already mentioned - ploughed through the 1st 5 pages but y'all so wordy

 

[WR3ND]

You can be in Colonia within 2 hours.

Well, there's no putting that rabbit back in that hat, unfortunately, even if I don't have the wherewithal for that sort of thing.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Maybe you can! I always get distracted by shiny things!

I only use neutrons when I'm on the edge

looking for systems I otherwise can't reach.

My last trip to Colonia took 3 weeks.

Well, there's no putting that rabbit back in that hat, unfortunately, even if I don't have the wherewithal for that sort of thing.

I mean people are still complaining how far away it is and how it takes 5 days of 3 hour sessions to reach it. While it's just 2 hours , or 3 if you're leisurely.

 

[WR3ND]

...

I mean people are still complaining how far away it is and how it takes 5 days of 3 hour sessions to reach it. While it's just 2 hours , or 3 if you're leisurely.

You have to understand, going exploring in a fully combat loaded Vulture kind of makes this all rather out of my field of expertise. I thought for sure it must be at least 3 hours with a stripped down optimized, Engineered ship.

 

[Stealthie]

Can't help thinking OA has this wrong - Blue Star line most likely RP colour for things seen in the beta

Spoiler

more Colonia <-> Bubble passenger and cargo / courier missions

Apologies if already mentioned - ploughed through the 1st 5 pages but y'all so wordy

That was something I was wondering about.

Perhaps "Blue Star Line" is simply the brand-name intended to be given to these stations along the way to Colonia and the "passenger and cargo transit system" being referred to is just going to be FDev's attempt to create a proper "mass transit" mechanic for all the CMDRs with passenger ships?
You rock up at the "Blue Star Line" station in the bubble, in your previously unused Beluga, are able to load up with passengers and cargo and haul them to Colonia for big bucks.

At the other extreme, maybe it's a transit system FOR CMDRs?
You arrive at the bubble station, hitch a ride to Colonia, log out for an hour, and when you get back you're ready to start your new life in a Thargoid-free environment.
If that's the case, it would suggest BIG changes are afoot in the bubble, if FDev think players might want the ability to "fast-travel" to Colonia.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

You have to understand, going exploring in a fully combat loaded Vulture kind of makes this all rather out of my field of expertise.

Exploring in a fully combat loaded Vulture does take it outside my field of expertise as well.

I might be called Insane ...

I thought for sure it must be at least 3 hours with a stripped down optimized, Engineered ship.

The record is 1: 40 something if I remember correctly. Making use of some sheet which lists which Neutrons to jump to for the fastest route.

 

[WR3ND]

Well, I'm off to cry in a corner and ponder my outlook on life, a.k.a., have a puff on the pipe – bit of a nasty habit, that tobacco.

I'll be back shorty though, assuming I make it.

 

[Stealthie]

The record is 1: 40 something if I remember correctly. Making use of some sheet which lists which Neutrons to jump to for the fastest route.

A bit OT but what does that do for the integrity of your ship?

I'm always wary of using Neutron Stars 'cos of the damage it incurs.
Or is it a case of jumping and then repairing?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yeah, every few jumps you need to repair. Keeping your modules above 80% so they won't fail.

Because if they do, you need to take a shot of your favourite drink, this may be alcohol based, as long as you do this in moderation.

 

[ITZC0ATL]

All this thread is doing is make me want to set off into the black again .... but I also don't want to be too far from the Thargoid action .... FDev have made this decision VERY hard indeed, I'd like to complain!

 

[GraXXoR]

Elite Dangerous seems to go only one way, from challenging to trivial.

Yep... Nearly three months in a Sidewinder to get it fully A-specced... Scrimping credits 1000 at a time... The original Sidey had one less Class 2 slot than the current one... LOL .. That's when I got my hauler. It was a revelation. Decent jump range and a huge, 16T payload instead of the 4T at a time with the Sidewinder... Payday. I could sometimes make 10,000 credits on a single trade run.

 

[Aashenfox]

You have to understand, going exploring in a fully combat loaded Vulture kind of makes this all rather out of my field of expertise. I thought for sure it must be at least 3 hours with a stripped down optimized, Engineered ship.

Swings and roundabouts. The world record for solving rubiks cube is less than 5 seconds now, but that doesn't mean anyone can do it. You have to be as dedicated to 'doing it fast' as the most diehard explorer is at doing it slow. No middle ground, only extremes. Scan EVERYTHING (it will take you a year), scan NOTHING and it will take a couple of 2 hour play sessions. 99.9% of us are somewhere in the middle of that, and therefore, it still is a hell of a trek for any normal player, again, nothing to worry about. Personally, I couldn't do it the fast way, I would lament all that missed exploration data and getting my name on stuff, so doing it in 2 hours for me is totally and utterly out of the question. for what it's worth, I'v e got no plans to go out there any time soon, stations or not, it's too far to go just to sightsee, so I'd say it's perceived distance, difficulty and time taken, is still working at putting casual (explorers) like me off, as it should.

 

[WR3ND]

All this thread is doing is make me want to set off into the black again .... but I also don't want to be too far from the Thargoid action .... FDev have made this decision VERY hard indeed, I'd like to complain!

Maybe you can explore the Thargoids. Is that a thing? Is the Loop still sectioned off?

 

[Aashenfox]

Yep... Nearly three months in a Sidewinder to get it fully A-specced... Scrimping credits 1000 at a time... The original Sidey had one less Class 2 slot than the current one... LOL .. That's when I got my hauler. It was a revelation. Decent jump range and a huge, 16T payload instead of the 4T at a time with the Sidewinder... Payday. I could sometimes make 10,000 credits on a single trade run.

It;s distressing to me to see this being said so often. Yes, it's much easier to gain credits these days, but that's pretty much it. Reputations are still difficult (even with exploits), 25k ly trips are still numbingly boring, especially if rushed, a lot of people are mistaking QoL improvements as 'making things easier'. Combat is actually harder than ever (except that short period where NPCs had engineering), it's just that engineering has made our ships more powerful than ever. It;s all about perception, and I see no evidence that there is some overriding desire to make the game easier, though I see a lot of small instances which can be manipulated to support that argument. Look at the bigger picture, Elite is still a massively difficult and time consuming game to get into. We've been at it too long, that's why it seems so easy to us. Ask a 15 year old new PS4 recruit if he thinks the game is too easy.

 

[WR3ND]

Swings and roundabouts. The world record for solving rubiks cube is less than 5 seconds now, but that doesn't mean anyone can do it. You have to be as dedicated to 'doing it fast' as the most diehard explorer is at doing it slow. No middle ground, only extremes. Scan EVERYTHING (it will take you a year), scan NOTHING and it will take a couple of 2 hour play sessions. 99.9% of us are somewhere in the middle of that, and therefore, it still is a hell of a trek for any normal player, again, nothing to worry about. Personally, I couldn't do it the fast way, I would lament all that missed exploration data and getting my name on stuff, so doing it in 2 hours for me is totally and utterly out of the question. for what it's worth, I'v e got no plans to go out there any time soon, stations or not, it's too far to go just to sightsee, so I'd say it's perceived distance, difficulty and time taken, is still working at putting casual (explorers) like me off, as it should.

Well, what I was getting at, or at least trying to, wasn't about putting people off, but rather preferring people had the opportunity of feeling like they were achieving something by going out there.

 

[Alec Turner]

The world record for solving rubiks cube is less than 5 seconds now

Did everyone else just google that too? WOW! I had no idea.

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;vh0W8E4cNkQ]https://youtu.be/vh0W8E4cNkQ[/video]

Sorry ... as you were.

 

[WR3ND]

It depends how the sides lie, so I suppose in that regard it's a somewhat apt analogy, Frontier changing the cube they hand to players.

 

[steampvnc1880]

I went to Colonia without knowing about the pit stop stations on the way. In fact I'm still there. The trip wasn't challenging OP. It was tedious. Challenging is like trying to find a route to the Crab Pulsar with a low range FSD. If they make a fast route to and from Colonia I will be happy because I don't anticipate Colonia getting A rated outfitting or engineers any time soon and I left before I experimented with light weight everything.

 

[Vacendak]

Just because the shortcut exists doesn't mean you are forced to take it. Its existence merely means that you now have a choice. Example being the long range passenger missions. These made making Explorer Elite a lot faster. I chose to not run them intentionally because I wanted the challenge. Same with the Neutron Highway. Been to Colonia eight times, Sag*A, and on my way back from Beagle now all without a single Neutron Star boost because that's what I chose to do. On the other hand I board flip for missions like a its nobody's business when trying to rank up with factions or powers and did Sothis/Ceos long range hauling missions when I needed to generate cash because I that's again, what I chose to do.

Choice is a good thing.