Pilot transfer

[bootsam]

No. Its just some of us time poor need a hand occasionally. No-one is asking for free transport without penalties. No-one is asking for anything the game hasn't got in it right now. All we ask is to utilise it to EXPAND the game. To play the game MORE. Not less. Something needs to be done to help the casuals. Otherwise we stop playing altogether and ED suffers. As it is if I cant find the time to do what I need, I play BF1 for the hour or so I have spare. So no, I dont agree with you babs.

As Richard said, other people could effect me on route as a passenger. If that happens great. I think thats perfectly acceptable and reasonable. The ship Im in may get nutted by a cmdr. Thus now Im in an escape pod. I'd pay well to be rescued. So now we have a rescue mission.

Make it that CMDR passenger missions are always done in open and you have another avenue for gameplay.

Just saying no to everything retains the current status quo. Im not keen on space legs, but Im not dissing it. As who knows how it may turn out. The more stuff, the greater the variability and the gameplay gets richer. Thats all.

 

[Cmdr Ultra]

So you want to go as a passenger to Colonia?

42 million credits please - that seems like the going rate at my home port.

 

[the source 0179]

Again, a mechanic that actively discourages you to play the game is bad game design, there is no way around this. Come up with a solution for that and I'll agree with you, as long as you don't address the core issue it's a waste of time to argue for it.

One solution would be space legs. If we could walk around and do all sorts of stuff like playing mini games or even take a few missions while aboard it wouldn't discourage you to play the game. Problem is that a) space legs are a long way off, and b) such a level of interaction is very unlikely.

Well I haven't gone to the effort of addressing it because it doesn't encourage you not to play the game. Its an option. You dont have to use it. If someone wants to use it they pay the price. Which to them might be an acceptable price which is not playing the game for a period of time and then hop back in with a new drive.
I only suggested the time frame thing due to making it an instant transfer would be game breaking. And would make things invalid. How about you have a think of a way that could implement pilot transfer without it being instant and has both pros and cons about it. Without a major game update like space legs. Because anything that is too much work to update and implement would never happen.

So you want to go as a passenger to Colonia?

42 million credits please - that seems like the going rate at my home port.

Lol. Ok done. Lol if it was only that easy.

 

[the source 0179]

Ah I see, everyone who agrees with you is sensible and logical and everyone who posts valid counter arguments (that you fail to address) doesn't know what he is talking about... Makes sense

Lol. The problem is some people dont make valid arguments or even come up with a way to make it work. They simply say No or it would shrink the galaxy or other things like that. I like people who first of all read the thread properly and 2 if they see a problem with it instead of slamming the idea come up with ideas or ways to make it work. Or if they dont like it at all. Just say you know what i dont like this idea and i wouldn't use it.

Thank you

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Again, a mechanic that actively discourages you to play the game is bad game design, there is no way around this.

Fair point, so I asked myself this question:

If I only have 1 hour a week to play ED but would like to move to Colonia, which is the more discouraging of game play...

a) a pilot transfer feature that locks me out of the game for 24 hours* (in which case I can just change my 1 hour free time to another day - or even play something else that week and log in the next week)
or
b) knowing that I'd have to spend the next 12* weeks travelling to Colonia.

* 24 hours / 12 weeks is based on 22,000Ly with 33Ly range ship that would take around 12 hours to complete. The 24 hours is the transfer penalty so as to discourage abuse of the feature.

 

[Safepuppy]

I've been unlocking the last few engineers over the past week, using different ships.
One evening while waiting for a ship to turn up I started to think about how handy it would be to transfer my pilot! It would have made going back to my homebase so much easier, and I could have done a few missions for proper fun.

But then I realised that, for me, it would then be too easy. Find yourself out of your comfort zone because you're away from your ship base? Transfer back!
Want to visit Colonia, but don't want to do the jumps? Just pay and wait however long!
Nevermind that others have done it the hard way. Forget that paying will be a divide of new players and people who have billions.

I have a 3 yr old daughter, so I understand about time limits for playing, but I also understand why the game is how it is. Ship transfer saves some grind for changing and upgrading. It also gives flexibility for mission loading. So that makes sense to me.
In a game where we're pilots, and are making our own paths, with consequences.......well transferring ourselves and going for a cup of tea or whatever instead of flying just feels kinda cheap and against the spirit of the game.

But hey, good discussion. Maybe something will be said that makes me change my mind.

Peace out

 

[babelfisch]

Fair point, so I asked myself this question:

If I only have 1 hour a week to play ED but would like to move to Colonia, which is the more discouraging of game play...

a) a pilot transfer feature that locks me out of the game for 24 hours* (in which case I can just change my 1 hour free time to another day - or even play something else that week and log in the next week)
or
b) knowing that I'd have to spend the next 12* weeks travelling to Colonia.

* 24 hours / 12 weeks is based on 22,000Ly with 33Ly range ship that would take around 12 hours to complete. The 24 hours is the transfer penalty so as to discourage abuse of the feature.

Sorry, but you don't get the point. If Edward Lewis comes to David Braben and tells him that parts of the community want a feature that will lock them out of the game for one week without the ability to do anything and play it he will not say yes to it, because he knows that it would be bad game design. The question is not if you would be happy with it but if it makes sense from a developers point of view. It doesn't.

Well I haven't gone to the effort of addressing it because it doesn't encourage you not to play the game. Its an option. You dont have to use it. If someone wants to use it they pay the price. Which to them might be an acceptable price which is not playing the game for a period of time and then hop back in with a new drive.
I only suggested the time frame thing due to making it an instant transfer would be game breaking. And would make things invalid. How about you have a think of a way that could implement pilot transfer without it being instant and has both pros and cons about it. Without a major game update like space legs. Because anything that is too much work to update and implement would never happen.



Lol. Ok done. Lol if it was only that easy.

You didn't get the point, see above.

 

[bootsam]

Now if only the point remained where it is and people stopped moving it around to purposely obfuscate.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Sorry, but you don't get the point. If Edward Lewis comes to David Braben and tells him that parts of the community want a feature that will lock them out of the game for one week without the ability to do anything and play it he will not say yes to it, because he knows that it would be bad game design. The question is not if you would be happy with it but if it makes sense from a developers point of view. It doesn't.

I know it doesn't make sense, but as a developer I've learned to not presume to understand or know how a client thinks, works, operates or, in this case, plays the game and as a result simply dismiss their requests.

-

In the long run, the Pilot Feature would allow Cmdr's with very limited game time to access more of the content, thereby giving them more reason to play it... but on the other hand, by not doing it, you could actually be the discouragement of play.

So, as a developer, you need to ask yourself a question (well, one of many many many).. is a feature that locks players out of the game for a limited time yet retains that customer worse than losing that customer because you chose not to implement a feature just because it "didn't make sense" ?

 

[the source 0179]

I've been unlocking the last few engineers over the past week, using different ships.
One evening while waiting for a ship to turn up I started to think about how handy it would be to transfer my pilot! It would have made going back to my homebase so much easier, and I could have done a few missions for proper fun.

But then I realised that, for me, it would then be too easy. Find yourself out of your comfort zone because you're away from your ship base? Transfer back!
Want to visit Colonia, but don't want to do the jumps? Just pay and wait however long!
Nevermind that others have done it the hard way. Forget that paying will be a divide of new players and people who have billions.

I have a 3 yr old daughter, so I understand about time limits for playing, but I also understand why the game is how it is. Ship transfer saves some grind for changing and upgrading. It also gives flexibility for mission loading. So that makes sense to me.
In a game where we're pilots, and are making our own paths, with consequences.......well transferring ourselves and going for a cup of tea or whatever instead of flying just feels kinda cheap and against the spirit of the game.

But hey, good discussion. Maybe something will be said that makes me change my mind.

Peace out

Thank you for your input. And in a way I do see your point. But that doesn't sway my thoughts. Maybe someone in this discussion will come up with something that could work or sways people's minds either way. But thank you for being truthful and polite.

 

[ErikCraven]

I would not say that building a system that has your player not playing for some time period is bad game design, not if the alternative is not having the player feel they are able to play the game they want to play at all.

Now to be clear that isn't going to be a problem for me (nor would I use this system I don't need it). I've owned the game about 4 weeks now and I've already hit over 200 hours of playing. I have no problem with the idea of doing a few hundred jumps to Colonia (although I haven't gone yet, but I plan to in the next couple of weeks scanning as I go, currently I'm enjoying mining, hauling and passengers too much).

However I do remember what it was like when I didn't have as much time for gaming, when I would play games with less need for investment (2 hours max for a session whatever that would contain probably only a single session a week, sometimes two). In that case having the ability to get access to content that would otherwise be locked behind activities that would take me months was always appreciated. Colonia in that situation is basically something that is never going to be an option for a casual player at the moment because it is weeks/months worth of investment in time.

Exploration is something they can do, but only around areas they already are (down around Maia for example is something doable to them, and once at Colonia they would have no problem exploring around it, it's just the journey there that is the problem), particularly as once you commit to the path to Colonia aborting it partway isn't really easy to do, so they'd be looking at months where the only gameplay they'd have would be the same jumping (and potentially scanning). At least for me that would only be part of my week of gaming (a couple of days or so, if I were bored I'd be able to look forward to other gameplay in the near future).

All I want is for the people only capable of more casual playtime to be able to experience the full game, seeing the sites of the galaxy, experiencing the story, etc. I see pilot transfer as a way for them to manage to experience more of it then they otherwise would be able to.

 

[TheSisko]

Hmm. Let's see.

Firstly NPCs seem to have to pay a fortune for anybody to bother to transport them somewhere. It'll be too expensive.
Secondly, I enjoy blowing up these NPCs - passengers and all.
Thirdly, I'd rather do something else whilst my ship was being transferred, rather than wait in silence for hours wondering whether another player will blow up the NPC transporting me.

Surely all that is actually wanted is a "Send Ship" function, where you can send a ship in your current station to anywhere else for a fee.

But this will never happen. It just lessens the scale of the game even more.

Actually, I'm sure they mentioned this when talking about the pull ship functionality. Maybe they'll surprise us and put in 3.0?

 

[TheSisko]

So since there is ship transfer which is cool. Why can't there be pilot transfer? There are passenger ships and cruise ships in the game now. So why cant for instance that if you wanted to get to a station somewhere you pay an amount of money and a time frame to get delivered to the station or outpost you wanted to go. That way you could have a ship in colonia and the bubble. And just have to sacrifice playing time and money to be there.

Just a thought

Can we demand ridiculous items like NPC passengers?

"I'd like 1 ton of grain to make my trip more comfortable!"

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Can we demand ridiculous items like NPC passengers?

"I'd like 1 ton of grain to make my trip more comfortable!"

That would be fun.

Cmdr Passenger: I want a Lavian Brandy.
Cmdr Pilot: .. Seriously? We're 400ly from Colonia.
Cmdr Passenger: Do not care. Want it, or negative rating! >:[
Cmdr Pilot: Sigh. *ejects passenger cabin*

 

[Safepuppy]

Ok, being constructive and thinking of a compromise........multicrew.

That way you don't have to pay, won't be out of game. Just limited to dropping off at a station with a shipyard. Then you'd have a choice of either waiting for your ship or buying one to do missions, whatever, while you wait for your main ship or ships to arrive.

Maybe.

I'd love an easier way of seeing Colonia. I just can't face a haul that long, so I really do get the transfer point.

 

[Safepuppy]

Thanks for that, I'm glad you took the right way.
I guess it's about player option and balance.
Would Colonia and getting your dirty drives sorted be such a big deal if you could just hop there?
Saying that, when it's late and you've got work in the morning, hopping somewhere would be awesome.
So........I dunno what the answer is ☺.

 

[Drelthar]

Pay credits to not play the game for a while.

Sounds amazing.

 

[the source 0179]

Sorry, but you don't get the point. If Edward Lewis comes to David Braben and tells him that parts of the community want a feature that will lock them out of the game for one week without the ability to do anything and play it he will not say yes to it, because he knows that it would be bad game design. The question is not if you would be happy with it but if it makes sense from a developers point of view. It doesn't.


You didn't get the point, see above.

I do see the point your trying to make. But the angle I'm looking at it isn't the same as yours. And thats fine. Your point seems to be pointed towards the negative. I'm trying to see the positive as Nuttikrust does. That it is possibly a way to keep players coming back that might just leave and never come back. To keep elites universe going for as long as possible you need as many players returning regularly over time rather than just keep the hard core players there. Its always a difficult balance in games. Between keeping hard core players happy but also the other players. Because in the game industry its not enough these days to keep the hard core players happy. You have to try to balance all players happiness.
You see it in alot of games these days. Where by game developers do things to games to make more players happy rather than just the hardcore. To be honest it sux I've seen some of my most loved games watered down or changed because of this. Sometimes it's for the bad sometimes for the good. But hardcore players usually feel personally offended by this. I have to an extent. But its the business model of this day and age. Get as many people to buy the game and keep them playing the game for as long as possible and that may mean going against the company's business plan or code.

 

[bootsam]

Pay credits to not play the game for a while.

Sounds amazing.

Whoosh as point flies over. Nice straw man. Worzel would be proud. Oh how we laughed.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Whoosh as point flies over. Nice straw man. Worzel would be proud. Oh how we laughed.

Wrote it much more diplomatically than I would have.