For all we know, the end game of the design is to have humanity all over the galaxy in various forms. This is why I hate speculation, we're complaining about the game being 'dumbed down' without anything being concretely announced or confirmed. It's not like it takes any real work to get anywhere as it is. Should it anyway? Reality is you spend the majority of your time traveling in some way as it is, should it be work or the means to an end? It's not as if adding stations on the way is opening a wormhole to get to Colonia instantly, you'd still have to spend the time doing the monotonous journey. Even if it becomes easier, well, that happens to multiplayer games over time as they evolve and we have no idea what's happening in the future. Perhaps some mechanics become so complex and engaging that this whole idea that travel is somehow challenging will go away. There are so many directions this could go, but for some reason we seem to be stuck on "oh but it's going to diminish the challenge." Congratulations, you have the iron will that it takes to do 20 hours of straight jumping to get somewhere, can we get back to letting the game evolve in various ways?
My Response to the Elite Community and Thoughts on "Colonia and the Thargoids" – Video by ObsidianAnt
- Thread starter WR3ND
- Start date
I've achieved a number of things in elite "the hard way"... I was one of the earlier pilots to make it to Sag A* and at the same time, one of the last to do so in the days of 100ly plots. I made elite explorer after the amount needed to do so was significantly increased, and a long time before all the bonuses and buffs that many players now enjoy. I'm still working towards trade and combat elite, having done my best to avoid using exploit mechanics or farming systems to stack dozens of missions.
I'm a casual player, and I've played it the hard way. Not iron man hard, but right up there, making my way in a manner that feels right to me. I'd rather scan a few hundred potato planets than grind my way though a neutron farming session.
That's my way of playing, though, its where I set the challenge for myself, and how I've chosen to set my targets. There's been easier options here and there, sure, and I chose those I'm comfortable using and disregard the rest. The yardstick by which I measure my achievements is my own, and m not remotely interested in seeing how they measure up to anyone else's. In my eyes if you're trying to compete with strangers for the sake of validating your achievements, you've already lost the game.
In my honest opinion, FDev need to keep adding options to the game. Give us alternatives, give us distraction. Give us the freedom to chose how we play first and let us play by whatever arrangement of rules best suits our own individual needs. Let us hop between service stations on an interstellar highway between bubbles, or impose upon ourselves the task of re-enacting those early voyages, with no synthesis, no engineers, no 100ly+ plotting and waiting 5 mins to plot a single jump in dense areas, IF we want to, because choices like that are what enable more and more people to keep things interesting for themselves, and surely, ultimately that's why we are all here, to do something interesting, to have fun and be entertained.
I'm a casual player, and I've played it the hard way. Not iron man hard, but right up there, making my way in a manner that feels right to me. I'd rather scan a few hundred potato planets than grind my way though a neutron farming session.
That's my way of playing, though, its where I set the challenge for myself, and how I've chosen to set my targets. There's been easier options here and there, sure, and I chose those I'm comfortable using and disregard the rest. The yardstick by which I measure my achievements is my own, and m not remotely interested in seeing how they measure up to anyone else's. In my eyes if you're trying to compete with strangers for the sake of validating your achievements, you've already lost the game.
In my honest opinion, FDev need to keep adding options to the game. Give us alternatives, give us distraction. Give us the freedom to chose how we play first and let us play by whatever arrangement of rules best suits our own individual needs. Let us hop between service stations on an interstellar highway between bubbles, or impose upon ourselves the task of re-enacting those early voyages, with no synthesis, no engineers, no 100ly+ plotting and waiting 5 mins to plot a single jump in dense areas, IF we want to, because choices like that are what enable more and more people to keep things interesting for themselves, and surely, ultimately that's why we are all here, to do something interesting, to have fun and be entertained.
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Psss, as if going to Colonia makes you a hardcore explorer.
This is more a call for challenge than realism.
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Indeed exploring isn't challenging, it is an endurance test of patience. Either way there are places where you DO need skill to get there.
I want them to move Palin out there just for the lulz. Think about it, at least nobody would be moaning about having to travel 5k from the starting system to unlock him...
Who did you even talk to?
I wasn't talking about the current Thargoid situation. But for what it's worth I completely agree with you, and I have said a number of times before how I feel about that. I extremely dislike the RNG nature of those "encounters". Frontier also need to up their game in communicating that "story", because as you rightly point out there are no doubt many people in the game that most likely have no clue all of that Thargoid stuff even exists. I would be interested to know about many people are unaware of the Thargoid Structures for example, I suspect that number is pretty high! As for 2.4 though, I somehow doubt it will follow this same pattern.
Regarding Jaques Station, even if he never moves again - there are now potentially an unlimited number of megaships and they can easily serve the same purpose. Sure, maybe Frontier have limited time on their hands, and maybe I want too much from the game (exploration is in a dire place right now), but I can certainly wish for the best.I also don't think exploration mechanics will remain static, Frontier have already spoken about improving core mechanics - so that one might be on the cards.
If it wasn't RNG then it would be even worse, that'd kill the surprise factor and make it repetitive/predictable.
I'll quote what I once read in the forums, "When everybody is Elite, nobody is Elite." Do you see the reference?
Please don't.
I always drink in Moderation. It's what I named my beluga after fitting the class 8 bar
What? I'd argue there is more variety in exploration nowadays than before.
If I remember well, exploration was the rank that took the most to achieve to the first commander who got triple elite status.
Add a bit of jumponium and voila.
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.
Though solving a rubiks cube that quickly is a challenge, not a time sink.
Sorry, just wanted to go off tangent and mention an idea that came to mind whilst rewatching the vid.
The name "The Blue Star Line" in relation to transporting passengers and cargo between an ancestral home and some new, distant land rang a few alarm bells for me this time...
Fdev have had fun planting clues to the seeds of events in game ahead of time before, after all so I'm kind of wondering now..
Historically, we've already had a "White Star Line" that dealt with shipping people and goods across great distances to a new home, and I'm sure most of you remember how that turned out for their flagship, the Titanic.
Suddenly I'm not feeling quite so happy about my plan to head over to Colonia for 2.4....
The name "The Blue Star Line" in relation to transporting passengers and cargo between an ancestral home and some new, distant land rang a few alarm bells for me this time...
Fdev have had fun planting clues to the seeds of events in game ahead of time before, after all so I'm kind of wondering now..
Historically, we've already had a "White Star Line" that dealt with shipping people and goods across great distances to a new home, and I'm sure most of you remember how that turned out for their flagship, the Titanic.
Suddenly I'm not feeling quite so happy about my plan to head over to Colonia for 2.4....
Well, it is why I put it in quotes, after all, to the person I was responding to. I was just saying that getting to Colonia can be a challenge worth overcoming to some people.
Stachel
Banned
So is there something that indicates those five exceed the number of players who have quit in the same period, also not using Steam?
Because if not, then your anecdote is just that, and does nothing to support the claim "more and more people playing".
You're saying you might be a "noob," and you're putting around in a Federal Corvette?
The big deal of Colonia, well, it's nearly half way across the galaxy, and the furthest reaches of human civilization on the frontier, leastwise as far as I know.
That, along with helping Jaques and fixing his station when it ran into a bit of a tough patch of space turf, are what set it apart from other places to me.
If you click on the link on my image in my signature, you can read up on the story of Jaques and how he came to have the exploring space station.
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I think it's safe to say that numbers have increased from Xbox and PS4 players, my comment regarding the 5 players was to let you know not everyone uses that pile of turd called steam.
Though there was also a historic Blue Star Line. It did the usual shipping company things for most of a century, contributed to a few wars, before being bought out in the late 20th century.
That really depends on your perspective.
- there are minor differences for most PvE professions
- there's a much brighter skybox
- there are no engineers, powerplay, or superpowers and the connection to the alien plot appears minimal
- because of the lack of engineers it doesn't have many PvPers, though occasionally some visit
- for about 40 player groups, it's where their home system is
- the whole region is small enough that you can know every system in it
Which of those are advantages or disadvantages is a matter of opinion.