Colonia kind of sucks.

[Stealthie]

An issue that I became especially aware of yesterday...

Firstly, there's the lack of ships & modules.
I get that there's no fed/imp/alliance factions and that limits ship choice but it does mean ship choice is limited.
There's also a lack of A-rated modules which, I guess, reflects the backwater nature of the region but does, inevitably, also mean that somebody who's operating out of Colonia full-time is always going to be at a disadvantage to somebody who's transferred a fully-A-rated ship or modules from the bubble.

Secondly, there's the lack of different BGS states.
This means players out in Colonia have a more limited range of state-specific USSs and have more limited opportunities to take advantage of the gameplay that different system-states offer.
By way of example of this, there are currently NO systems near Colonia which are paying top-prices for mining. Mining in Colonia pays only half what the same effort would yield in the bubble.
Equally, with no Anarchies in the region, there's nowhere that it's possible to destroy NPC ships with impunity, for the mat's.

Thirdly, there's a lack of special POIs comparable to, say, Dav's Hope or the crashed Annie's.
Coupled to the limited variety of BGS states, this creates something of a "double-whammy" when it comes to locating engineering mat's.

Fourthly, the mission-generator still seems to fixate on the bubble without, apparently, considering a player's location.
In the bubble, for example, I can take short-hop passenger missions which pay in rare G5 mat's.
In Colonia, the vast majority of "similar" missions still require that I ferry tourists around the bubble.


I do get that Colonia is supposed to be a bit of a backwater but it'd be nice if FDev could take a bit of a look at it and see if they can't find a way provide some of the same advantages that being in the bubble has.

 

[viper666]

I totally agree, I would add that transferring your fleet there, is kind of expensive, in fact very expensive.

 

[Schmack]

I never viewed Colonia as a "better alternative" to the bubble. I viewed it as an outpost civilization. Going there to "make it" amounts to accepting less than the mega-mall bubble systems offer, however like the wilderness IRL, offers beauty, peace and unmolested natural resources (however given the tick of the virtual clock that resets everything, I don't know if there's a real difference to be seen).

I think Colonians, Colonites, Colons... whatever.. they are saturated with the bubble experience and want to spend more time on the other side of the galaxy.

 

[Tarman]

"Dear FD,

I left the city to live in the deep country backwoods, but for some reason I now cannot find a good coffee shop selling double mocha mint latte. Please bring more of the city to the country so that it is less like it is and more like what I left to get away from.

Signed,
Urban Frontiersman"

I do agree about the mission focusing, but most of the rest of that is just asking for sameness.

 

[Lestat]

An issue that I became especially aware of yesterday...

Firstly, there's the lack of ships & modules.
I get that there's no fed/imp/alliance factions and that limits ship choice but it does mean ship choice is limited.
There's also a lack of A-rated modules which, I guess, reflects the backwater nature of the region but does, inevitably, also mean that somebody who's operating out of Colonia full-time is always going to be at a disadvantage to somebody who's transferred a fully-A-rated ship or modules from the bubble.

Well that kinda reminds me of a small town. No major Stores. No place to buy New cars.

Secondly, there's the lack of different BGS states.
This means players out in Colonia have a more limited range of state-specific USSs and have more limited opportunities to take advantage of the gameplay that different system-states offer.
By way of example of this, there are currently NO systems near Colonia which are paying top-prices for mining. Mining in Colonia pays only half what the same effort would yield in the bubble.
Equally, with no Anarchies in the region, there's nowhere that it's possible to destroy NPC ships with impunity, for the mat's.

There a small station outside of Colonia. That sells Void Opals for 1,650,000,000. I could be wrong. Because it when I first started mining Void Opals so the price could be different by now.

Thirdly, there's a lack of special POIs comparable to, say, Dav's Hope or the crashed Annie's.
Coupled to the limited variety of BGS states, this creates something of a "double-whammy" when it comes to locating engineering mat's.

You have to love the Small town feel. Got to love small towns

Fourthly, the mission-generator still seems to fixate on the bubble without, apparently, considering a player's location.
In the bubble, for example, I can take short-hop passenger missions which pay in rare G5 mat's.
In Colonia, the vast majority of "similar" missions still require that I ferry tourists around the bubble.

what can you earn in a passenger mission?

I do get that Colonia is supposed to be a bit of a backwater but it'd be nice if FDev could take a bit of a look at it and see if they can't find a way provide some of the same advantages that being in the bubble has.

So you are asking Colonia to become a large city? See you took some risk going that far expecting it to be the same as a Large station and now you are complaining that It has some disadvantages because of the distance.

"Dear FD,

I left the city to live in the deep country backwoods, but for some reason I now cannot find a good coffee shop selling double mocha mint latte. Please bring more of the city to the country so that it is less like it is and more like what I left to get away from.

Yes I did forgot about Large cities. They have Starbucks at every corner of every street. But we don't in a small town.

Signed,
Urban Frontiersman"

I do agree about the mission focusing, but most of the rest of that is just asking for sameness.

I have to agree with you Tarman about this part.

 

[Stealthie]

I do agree about the mission focusing, but most of the rest of that is just asking for sameness.

Just to use a real-world example, I seem to recall that people headed out to the "wild west" in order to make their fortunes.

It might be nice if there was similar potential in ED - some kind of enhanced reward as a result of putting up with various other disadvantages Colonia has.

Maybe they could remove all the Void Opals from the bubble and make them a Colonia thing?

 

[Speedcuffs]

Just to use a real-world example, I seem to recall that people headed out to the "wild west" in order to make their fortunes.

It might be nice if there was similar potential in ED - some kind of enhanced reward as a result of putting up with various other disadvantages Colonia has.

Maybe they could remove all the Void Opals from the bubble and make them a Colonia thing?

Yes, I'll give you that.
Only reasons I'm seeing for Colonia is 'frontier spirit' etc.
Maybe it's the 'new' bubble.
I go, I don't stay.

 

[Tarman]

Just to use a real-world example, I seem to recall that people headed out to the "wild west" in order to make their fortunes.

It might be nice if there was similar potential in ED - some kind of enhanced reward as a result of putting up with various other disadvantages Colonia has.

Maybe they could remove all the Void Opals from the bubble and make them a Colonia thing?

I wouldn't mind a more diverse experience out there based on a frontier lifestyle; many people moved out to Colonia to get away from the same old bubbiliciousness, not so much though to go strike it rich. I think Elite player colonists are more like emigrants than goldrushers, and they left the bubble to find a new way to live.

As long as the gameplay concepts don't just make Bubble: Colonia Edition then have at it. Creating a smaller-yet-functionally-identical baby bubble is a waste of the frontier aspects of the region, that could be better served by enhancing the roughness of living out there rather than smoothing out the edges.

 

[Vedmo]

Void Opal mining (or selling for 1.6 million) out there is hit or miss, and definitely not on demand like in the bubble. I would just check prices before logging in, and if anyone was selling at 1.6 I'd do a run or two, if not I'd do something else.

The lack of A rated doesn't bother me much, but I usually don't stay out there for more than two or three weeks before heading out for some exploration that usually brings me back to the bubble for another few weeks until I head out to explore with a final destination of Colonia to start the whole process over, so I've transferred out all the A modules I've wanted, or just flew out a different ship on a return trip. Engineering out there (assuming you have the proper things pinned from the bubble) is way better than engineering a ship in the bubble. Only 4 stops to make to apply experimentals and all within a jump or two.

I also use a few ships out there that were entirely bought and engineered out there, G5 B modules all around, and I can't say I really notice a hindrance when using them. I get many of your points, and am totally on board with the mission stuff you brought up, but I do think there is a charm and simplicity to life out there that is as close as one can get to the experience of starting the game new, and that is well worth keeping.

 

[Stealthie]

I wouldn't mind a more diverse experience out there based on a frontier lifestyle; many people moved out to Colonia to get away from the same old bubbiliciousness, not so much though to go strike it rich. I think Elite player colonists are more like emigrants than goldrushers, and they left the bubble to find a new way to live.

As long as the gameplay concepts don't just make Bubble: Colonia Edition then have at it. Creating a smaller-yet-functionally-identical baby bubble is a waste of the frontier aspects of the region, that could be better served by enhancing the roughness of living out there rather than smoothing out the edges.

That's the issue I'm referring to.
Currently Colonia has a bunch of disadvantages to the bubble but there's nothing which really offsets that or makes it worthwhile.
You can, basically, achieve the "Colonia Experience" simply by avoiding A-rated core modules, ignoring half the mat's you find and burning half the credits you earn in the bubble.

 

[Lightspeed]

This is where we lack Legs. With Legs, you could walk outside and appreciate the multi-colored skies you find out there, then walk back indoors and feel better going about your business. It's a basic human need to walk outside under a pleasant sky, and Commander Stealthie is feeling that lack of environmental contact.

Hopefully, that will be corrected in 2020. If not, space madness .............

 

[The_Lorenzo_12]

If only I could load my Type-9 with a bunch of A-rated modules and ferry them myself. Then mark them up and rake in the dough! I'd even bring some engineered ones, but those are REALLY gonna set you back...

 

[WorldsGreatestForumDad]

Thats a whole different playing ground out there.

Its supposed to be secluded. Its not to supposed to have everything. However, if you have unlocked the pre-requisite engineers in the bubble. You can end up getting some grade 5 engineering stuff that didnt exist before.

Also, if you notice with the way the whole colonia area is built, it has invisible walls where you cant expand with it indefinitely. Its made for BGS wars between player factions that exist out there.

Everyone fighting for space and control. Its pretty neat.

In my opinion you have the wrong view of what colonia was supposed to be.

Its a Volatile hotbed of war and death. Even better looking than what powerplay could have been.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Colonia is simpler to understand, and you can ignore most of the railroaded plotlines.

 

[Tarman]

That's the issue I'm referring to.
Currently Colonia has a bunch of disadvantages to the bubble but there's nothing which really offsets that or makes it worthwhile.
You can, basically, achieve the "Colonia Experience" simply by avoiding A-rated core modules, ignoring half the mat's you find and burning half the credits you earn in the bubble.

You can't reduce Colonia even in its current state to "I just self-restricted my goodie intake". There's waaay moar to it than that.

 

[Stealthie]

You can't reduce Colonia even in its current state to "I just self-restricted my goodie intake". There's waaay moar to it than that.

Such as?

 

[Schmack]

This is why I a money motivated in the game. Having billions reduces the pressure to avoid places like Colonia because of losing options for entertainment. I can pay to send all my stuff there. Sure, credits aren't everything but when the prices go up and you have no recourse but to fly substandard ships or pay through the nose for your G5 rated cutter, you need to have fat stacks.

 

[Schmack]

That's the issue I'm referring to.
Currently Colonia has a bunch of disadvantages to the bubble but there's nothing which really offsets that or makes it worthwhile.
You can, basically, achieve the "Colonia Experience" simply by avoiding A-rated core modules, ignoring half the mat's you find and burning half the credits you earn in the bubble.

Entering Colonia after a long journey felt satisfying, like finding an outpost in the middle of nowhere or an island in the middle of the ocean you've been on for weeks or months.

The disappointment was that the station I entered first was locked down but there were other things. It soon became a novelty item and I went back to the bubble because there was nothing going on, and I was missing opportunities with gold rushes.

Colonia, to me, is like a Maia that's just a lot more jumps away.

 

[VR SenseiMatty]

"Dear FD,

I left the city to live in the deep country backwoods, but for some reason I now cannot find a good coffee shop selling double mocha mint latte. Please bring more of the city to the country so that it is less like it is and more like what I left to get away from.

Signed,
Urban Frontiersman"

I do agree about the mission focusing, but most of the rest of that is just asking for sameness.

In the country the quality of life is better, less stress, clean air, animals, you can take a walk in the forests... In Colonia there are ony downsides, it's just a rated bubble.

 

[Bigmaec]

I really like Colonia, so much that I now have a fleet of 8 ships there.
It's all really small, you very quickly get a feeling where is what, what you can do to achieve your goals,
and now that the engineers are there, it's really complete for me. Sure, I don't get a reactive for my Challenger,
but that's not the big problem now that you can reach the bubble in 4 hours.
Only thing is it's lonely. I seldom see more then another CMDR at Jacques, it seems most people fly not in open there,
for whatever reasons as there aren't many gankers around.