Community Goals as content delivery and story progression tools

[nosscar]

Osidianants new video does a good job explaining Communty goals fatigue here, i agree with most points, although i do feel he is being too kind and diplomatic here, and the CG's are just not wanted by most any more.
I feel it is not just the narrative of the CG's at fault, but the basic mechanic of the CG being just a grind in different wrappings and not a good way to deliver big content updates or storylines.

[video=youtube;IDF_iAvD_hQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDF_iAvD_hQ[/video]

ObsidianAnt

 

[Muetdhiver]

Osidianants new video does a good job explaining Communty goals fatigue here, i agree with most points, although i do feel he is being too kind and diplomatic here, and the CG's are just not wanted by most any more.
I feel it is not just the narrative of the CG's at fault, but the basic mechanic of the CG being just a grind in different wrappings and not a good way to deliver big content updates or storylines...

Well Obsidian Ant never gets anrgy or y or negative. He's the embodiment of diplomacy and niceness

Such a video would translate to a screaming/drooling rant video on any other YT channel XD

 

[rootsrat]

Yeah, I watched that last night and thought we share the same thoughts really. He's been able to put them in a much more constructive and in depth way

 

[Naskoni]

Osidianants new video does a good job explaining Communty goals fatigue here, i agree with most points, although i do feel he is being too kind and diplomatic here, and the CG's are just not wanted by most any more.
I feel it is not just the narrative of the CG's at fault, but the basic mechanic of the CG being just a grind in different wrappings and not a good way to deliver big content updates or storylines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDF_iAvD_hQ

ObsidianAnt

I'd argue that the ONLY narrative in 2.4 so far has been the rather poor flavor dressing that is the text window describing the Aegis CGs. In that way the CGs themselves are irrelevant in that the tiers are pointless past tier 1 (thus why even bother) and second the only reason to do them at all is practically to get to the next text window dressing that will drip-feed another crumble of the story and some, arguably, haven't even done that little. Actually doing them at all is realistically not required in any way as to "progress" that "narrative", thus why most don't even bother anymore. The reason I don't in any case.

FD could have simply skipped the whole CG façade and went with a weekly article in Galnet, enabled all AX class 2 (why only class 2?!) weapons at military planetary bases anyway and that would have had almost the exact same end effect.

And yes, Ant is as polite and diplomatic as humanly possible - even Canadians pale in comparison.

 

[rootsrat]

I have now updated the OP with more details and a little more in depth comments.

 

[Leo Sagan]

There are two root issues on architecture level in that game:
1. Three game modes. It cannot work, it cant be balanced, it is the worst implementation of possible. I cant even imagine how someone could invent it. I do not want to discuss now how it should be done, there is a lot of good suggestion in Hotel California
2. Relogging exploits. Lowest efforth actions are most profitable and optimal ones. Its a shoot in own foot.

Couldn't agree more, have some rep.
But I doubt FD will ever work on that.

 

[jasonbarron]

Osidianants new video does a good job explaining Communty goals fatigue here, i agree with most points, although i do feel he is being too kind and diplomatic here, and the CG's are just not wanted by most any more.
I feel it is not just the narrative of the CG's at fault, but the basic mechanic of the CG being just a grind in different wrappings and not a good way to deliver big content updates or storylines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDF_iAvD_hQ

ObsidianAnt

I totally agree with your sentiment, nosscar, but I really do think OA's uber diplomatic approach is the only way it's going to work. Not that he's ever going to publicly admit it I'm sure OA feels very similar to you, but he knows he's going to catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that.

 

[sensai25]

A thanks to the OP, this is quite an interesting subject.

Indeed CG are a good way to deliver content in a multiplier game and that could gather people and give the feeling to participate actively within the game.

There were some great ones in the past :
Colonia salvation, mission from Ram Tah to do some Gardian research, and so on.

Even some combat, trading CG could be fun and give some objectives.

But sometimes, it could be disappointing as the CG is either bugged, either lacking in the tier calculation.

Moreover, the 2.4 narrative content is quite cheap to my eye as it does not bring any new stuff or mechanism. It is too repetitive in a short range of time to be acceptable, considering that there is nothing else to do toward the actual thargoid story arc.

I sincerely hope that FD will realize that and manage to find a better way to deliver content and fun to the player. We need more inspired content and various proposal.

 

[Kyokushin]

Because there is no connection.

If you don't see something, it does not mean it does not exists.
It does mean you don't see a something. There may be a lot of reasons why.

 

[rootsrat]

I totally agree with your sentiment, nosscar, but I really do think OA's uber diplomatic approach is the only way it's going to work. Not that he's ever going to publicly admit it I'm sure OA feels very similar to you, but he knows he's going to catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that.

I actually think that polite criticism is much better than angry rant or just being demanding/entitled/arrogant. And it's a thin line

A thanks to the OP, this is quite an interesting subject.

Indeed CG are a good way to deliver content in a multiplier game and that could gather people and give the feeling to participate actively within the game.

There were some great ones in the past :
Colonia salvation, mission from Ram Tah to do some Gardian research, and so on.

Even some combat, trading CG could be fun and give some objectives.

But sometimes, it could be disappointing as the CG is either bugged, either lacking in the tier calculation.

Moreover, the 2.4 narrative content is quite cheap to my eye as it does not bring any new stuff or mechanism. It is too repetitive in a short range of time to be acceptable, considering that there is nothing else to do toward the actual thargoid story arc.

I sincerely hope that FD will realize that and manage to find a better way to deliver content and fun to the player. We need more inspired content and various proposal.

Thanks.

I personally think that CG's are a good way of delivering narrative - but the content that they get us to engage with has to be varied and interesting. The narrative presentation itself needs improving too.

A wall of text is not a very good way to present an engaging and dramatic story of Thargoids return. It'd have to be very well written piece of text to engage people and - honestly no offence to the people that do write the CG flavour text - it's not. It's just that - a flavour text. Not bad in it's own right, but not enough to provide a meaningful narrative.

If they combine interesting content and better narrative presentation, the community will get involved. We've proven many times that we as community can band and act together to achieve a common goal - but we need to have a reason. Bit of flavour text and a bigger missile launcher ain't that unfortunately.

 

[tomalus]

community goals were a nice placeholder 2years ago,now they are just funny.

 

[DYoda]

In my opinion Frontier Developments has been less and less interested in Elite Dangerous for last months. I fear that spark of excitement we could see in their eyes just not so long ago is somehow dying from day to day now. I would say even the last London Expo promises (regarding ED) were a bit... forced. No wonder such a lack of interesting results in pretty lousy ideas like the CG you speak of. Bearing that in mind I'm afraid those Expo promises for the next year will not be fulfilled as we could expect.

I hope not... They promised us something... i still waiting... i still belive.
Maybe i'm naive, but i think it's so quiet because they work hard on something big.

 

[Andovar]

There are SO MANY new and shiny things in the game. Guardian bases, Thargoid bases, all the CQC-like structures with satellites to scan, Mega Ships, Generation Ships, listening posts, planetary outposts that do nothing where you can't even dock, planetary mining sites, Thargoid battle sites, crashed ships, crashed pods, crashed nav beacons... Why not utilise them in Community Goals? Make CG's varied, make them interesting, use all the amazing stuff that at this point seems to be in game just for the sake of being in game.

So much this.
I'd take it s step further and say that they should also have the mission system make use of these assets.

 

[Sashenka]

I hope not... They promised us something... i still waiting... i still belive.
Maybe i'm naive, but i think it's so quiet because they work hard on something big.

Yeah they do, it's called Jurassic Park.

 

[Leo Sagan]

I hope not... They promised us something... i still waiting... i still belive.
Maybe i'm naive, but i think it's so quiet because they work hard on something big.

My thoughts exactly ... one year ago. And even then I had my doubts.
So right now, my expectations are fairly low. I hope that maybe 20% of Beyond will improve non combat gameplay.

 

[SciTrekker]

FD need to move on and come up with better ways to move the storylines along.

CGs should be rolled into the BGS and have a chance of being auto-generated based on the system state.

Lockdown > Bounty Hunting CG
Boom > Trade CG to build infrastructure / expand services in system
Expansion > Trade CG to build infrastructure in the new system
War > Combat Bond CG
etc.

Tiers and durations should vary a lot more so that there are slow burners, urgent ones, and a significant chance of outright failure.

I like the idea in general, but I think the ability to manipulate the BGS would create a forest of CG bookmarks in the GalMap. There would have to be limits to auto-generated CGs - which would probably lead to some BGS manipulators upset that all their BGS manipulation efforts didn't trigger a CG.

I like several other ideas mentioned also. I think CGs have been infected with the Mission Board syndrome.

 

[MUSKETEER]

Last Community Goal was pretty good (new thing to do, quite fun until novelty wears off I suppose) .. Current one on the other hand.. meh

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

One of this week's CGs is a good example of one where the gameplay hasn't been thought through very well.

CG Goods:

• Meta-alloys
• Platinum
• Building Fabricators

So that's two things that are hard to get - in fairly small quantities, and one that is very easy to buy in bulk. Guess which commodity 99% of CG participants will go for.

This CG would be far better if the building fabricators weren't one of the commodities. Platinum and meta-alloys are both involve very different gameplay to get, so would each appeal to different players. I suspect platinum would be much easier to get than the meta-alloys, so painite might be more balanced. If they wanted to add a trade good as well, then a very distant rare good would be better - so allowing a third type of gameplay.

There is also a concurrent bountyhunting CG, that I bet will complete in two days.

I don't want to knock the player who submitted these too much. It takes a fair bit of effort to put a CG together, so it's easy to overlook the gameplay side of things. This should be part of FD's role in approving CGs anyway.

 

[Achibot]

One of this week's CGs is a good example of one where the gameplay hasn't been thought through very well.
...
So that's two things that are hard to get - in fairly small quantities, and one that is very easy to buy in bulk. Guess which commodity 99% of CG participants will go for.

This CG would be far better if the building fabricators weren't one of the commodities. Platinum and meta-alloys are both involve very different gameplay to get, so would each appeal to different players. I suspect platinum would be much easier to get than the meta-alloys, so painite might be more balanced. If they wanted to add a trade good as well, then a very distant rare good would be better - so allowing a third type of gameplay.

There is also a concurrent bountyhunting CG, that I bet will complete in two days.

I don't want to knock the player who submitted these too much. It takes a fair bit of effort to put a CG together, so it's easy to overlook the gameplay side of things. This should be part of FD's role in approving CGs anyway.

It's worse that that. Since there are no global rewards the CG (to upgrade the station) is already complete, since it reached Tier 1. It's just, well, pointless to continue. I'm still doing some runs because they're quick and there are a lot of pirates interdicting, which I enjoy. But in terms of being a "Goal" it's over. Goal complete. Congrats everyone.....

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

One of this week's CGs is a good example of one where the gameplay hasn't been thought through very well.
…

It looks like it's a reward CG for a player group.