Don't forget lot sof people me included play solo not in fear of PvP but because in solo, game doesn't crash, game doesn't freeze for 20 seconds when exiting hyperspace, etc.
Incentivizing Starting in Multiplayer
- Thread starter Matthiby
- Start date
Viajero
Volunteer Moderator
As I said, if you are really concerned about a "potential" problem you need to try to eliminate any personal bias by acknowledging that one serious possibility is that there may very well be no issue at all in the first place.
Having said that, in order to confirm if there is an issue or not you first need to decide how you are going to try and measure it. That alone could easily take several threads of discussion in this forum!
But I reckon that kind of discussion may be much more meaningful and interesting for Developers if you want them to take notice. Even though you may have a good proposal to measure the issue, you will probably never be able to actually do the measurement yourself. Most likely only Devs can.
Last edited:
Hey Andro
I'm certainly not advocating any division in the playerbase, or any penalizing of those that choose to play Solo Online.
I think I'm going to back out of the thread slowly anyway. A lot of people don't feel this is anything of an issue, and I don't want to get people's hackles up. My concern stems from a genuine love of the game and a belief that this may be an issue somewhere down the line that I hadn't seen discussed before. Like I said, I'll be playing and enjoying ED come what may,so I hope to see you guys in game
One great way would be to have missions that can be group based, or perhaps even solely group based. At their simplest they could be similar to missions were likely to get in the future but with tougher objectives that would mean extra players would be needed. These missions would indicate that a group would be needed but for the suicidal could be attempted solely if you wish.
There's several ways FD can incentivise people to play in MP over SP to stop people grinding up in SP and then going MP because it's easier to earn credits in SP.
An increase in the amount of credits you can earn in MP over SP (e.g. increased insurance/fuel costs in SP, lower rewards for bounties/missions, less profit to be made from trading).
They could increase SP AI so that it's actually slightly harder in SP against AI than AI in MP.
They could go the prestige route and have some kind of in game thing (such as a decal) that can only be used by players than only play MP.
End of the day playing in SP and then moving to MP is seen by many people to be a kind of exploit. I know FD want to allow people to play how they want to but they also don't want things like this to be used against the spirit of the game (see the DDA about ignore lists for an example).
People will choose the path of least resistance most of the time and the SP to MP after grinding up will happen, it's silly to make out that it won't. I personally won't and I know that quite a few people won't either but I'm willing to bet a large number of people will.
An increase in the amount of credits you can earn in MP over SP (e.g. increased insurance/fuel costs in SP, lower rewards for bounties/missions, less profit to be made from trading).
They could increase SP AI so that it's actually slightly harder in SP against AI than AI in MP.
They could go the prestige route and have some kind of in game thing (such as a decal) that can only be used by players than only play MP.
End of the day playing in SP and then moving to MP is seen by many people to be a kind of exploit. I know FD want to allow people to play how they want to but they also don't want things like this to be used against the spirit of the game (see the DDA about ignore lists for an example).
People will choose the path of least resistance most of the time and the SP to MP after grinding up will happen, it's silly to make out that it won't. I personally won't and I know that quite a few people won't either but I'm willing to bet a large number of people will.
Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
Indeed they will - and that choice applies to all players. The opinion expressed by some that only progress earned in the All Group is meaningful is one for the more competitive amongst us - for others, it matters not a jot where other players play the game.
Hi Matthiby.
Okay, you kind of evaded my last question, so here's a straight one for you:
Are you actually playing Elite: Dangerous?
Okay, you kind of evaded my last question, so here's a straight one for you:
Are you actually playing Elite: Dangerous?
If MP is more difficult than SP then MP players will acquire more skills than SP players. Therefore MP players will defeat SP players with their superior skills.
This is a skill based game, not a statistics based game.
Viajero
Volunteer Moderator
Well, I honestly dont know.
You say you wont, you say other people you know wont. I know I wont.
See a trend here?
Seriously now, there are a few aspects to this potential problem that you seem to be assuming as facts:
1- The assumption that "people" will take the path of less resistance.
I know you and I wont, as a start. How many people will it take for you to confirm it is indeed a problem?
2- The assumption that all of those people will be switching back and forth between Solo/Private and All modes as they see fit.
How many of the players playing Solo/Private online will need to be switching back and forth to be an issue for pure ALL players?
3- And the big one: Last but not least you seem to assume that somehow Solo/Private online mode actually gives an advantage in development over All mode. We simply do not know yet that is really the case. I can understand you may be of the opinion that the added PVP risk will impose a difference in development between the play modes. But we simply do not know yet if that will be the case. Or even if it is we still do not know know if that difference in development will be meaningfull enough to become an issue for the ALL players.
In other words, even if assumptions 1 and 2 above became facts and people decide to go to Solo/Private "en masse" and then switch back, it may still very well be the case that there is no significant in-game development advantage in terms of, say, Cr. earned per in-game hour and per ship type in those different game modes.
You still need to get a clear measure of your potential concern before you can conclude there is an issue at all.
Last edited:
I agreed with that to a degree.
Skill + Ship + weapons makes a difference though.
A good pilot in the best ship with the best weapons will IMO kill a great pilot in a sidey with base weapons 9 times out of 10.
The problem is that MP is easier than SP .. people can team up and work together, and everyone knows that a group of people is more than the sum of its parts.
Not everyone is as noble as us though.
I also know people that will do the SP grind then jump on MP when kitted up.
My argument is that people will do this and it is against the spirit of the game really as it's a kind of a cheat. I'm not saying we must lock down MP and SP so that never the twain shall meet but that FD should look at ways to stop people doing stuff against the spirit of the game in none intrusive ways (e.g. slight incentives to pick MP and stay MP).
Small incentives means that people who want to flip between SP and MP for legit reasons are allowed to but people doing it to gain an advantage are dissuaded.
Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
An oft forgotten aspect of the All Group (although it equally applies to private groups).
I just wanted to point out that the reason some people want to play Solo, or offline is not only about PvP/Pirating etc.
I plan to play Solo, I have done since day one of backing ED.
1) Elite was always a single player experience, I still feel this is the way I will enjoy it most, I have played single player games for years and enjoyed them immensely.
2) I see, talk and interact with people all day, my time in the game is my own time to get away from all of that into a world of my own.
3) people can be annoying, whether its childish behaviour, inane chat, cheesy activities - I find all of this highly immersion breaking.
I plan to play Solo, I have done since day one of backing ED.
1) Elite was always a single player experience, I still feel this is the way I will enjoy it most, I have played single player games for years and enjoyed them immensely.
2) I see, talk and interact with people all day, my time in the game is my own time to get away from all of that into a world of my own.
3) people can be annoying, whether its childish behaviour, inane chat, cheesy activities - I find all of this highly immersion breaking.
Indeed - but that realisation isn't useful for their agenda.
Really?
Is this your concept of the "spirit of the game" or the concept of the people creating it?
Viajero
Volunteer Moderator
You seemed to have ignored the rest of my post?
You also seem to assume that playing Solo/Private will offer an in-game development advantage of some kind to those players over All mode players.
I can understand that you may fear that can be the case due to the added PVP risk in the All mode, but the truth is we do not know yet if that is the case at all.
It may very well be that there is no in-game development advantage at all for Solo/Private, or that if there is that the difference in development terms is not meaningful enough to represent any real impact to the game.
You just need to measure the effect first to be sure. Furthermore, not only to be sure but also to be able to propose appropriate solutions and measures commensurate to the scale of the problem (if any).
Measure first, discuss later?
Last edited:
Why is this of concern, unless you just want to use them as easytargets?
I think the instancing is broken at the moment - I'm pretty sure I wasnt the only player at federal distress signal on sunday evening but I think there was only one player in my instance the whole evening.
Right now open play for me is essentially the same as solo with the addition of a few square boxes on my scanner during supercruise, but I dont believe that is because people are staying away from open play, but rather instance matching is broken somehow.
Right now open play for me is essentially the same as solo with the addition of a few square boxes on my scanner during supercruise, but I dont believe that is because people are staying away from open play, but rather instance matching is broken somehow.