How do you play ED?

[M00ka]

One of the main reasons I enjoy ED so much is (IMO at least) there is no right or wrong way to play it. You as the Commander, are solely responsible for your actions, how you play, what you do in game. This got me thinking, just how do others play the game? I know it won't be the same as my way and suspect everyone plays the game a little differently from everyone else. So do you/have you:

• Found that one activity you enjoy and focus on that and that alone?
• Role play your Commander, you have defined a set of rules and follow them, even it is detrimental to your safety?
• Set yourself a series of goals, and totally focus your efforts on achieving those goals (i.e. decide to reach a certain rank and all you do is related to getting that rank)?
• You never really have a plan or a goal, you just do whatever grabs your interest at that given time?
• You read about some Commander doing 'something' in the game and decide then and there that you will try that as well, even if you have never thought of doing that task before?
• Want to try, or at least, attempt to try everything in the game, no matter how inane, silly or grindy that thing is?

 

[Hell Razor5543]

I tend to do one of a few things, and then switch when I find that is getting boring. I have (to help another Player with his game storyline) on a couple of occasions done a bit of Role Play, but I don't NEED to do that for my gameplay.

I will, on occasion, head into Starter Space to try and help new Players get a better start and understanding of the Game.

 

[Aashenfox]

Since forming a squadron, there is no time for anything, either bgs wars, bug hunts, pvp practice, or grinding materials for all of the above, very rarely have to think about what I want to do, there's always something on. It's great.

 

[Guest193293]

I role play, mostly as a scavenger and explorer, I don't rush and don't grind, I like to take it slowly and play realistically, I like to be actually part of the game and not be reminded constantly that I'm playing a game. Drifting wherever I feel like too, like yesterday all I did was appreciating some beautiful atmospheric planets and the crazy scale by flying near it and taking a few pictures.

I just love the freedom to go where I want and do what I want, nobody is telling me anything and nobody is holding my hand.

 

[Shiro Akai]

Theoretically.

I have it installed, keep it updated, haven't logged in for weeks. Well, few days ago I came, made literally 5 jumps and logged off.

But when I play I tend to roleplay. My primary roles are trader, off time explorer. Currently trying to get from Colonia to Sag A as a kind of "vacation" from every day Bubble flying. I usually have plans for what I want to do and achieve. And I play according to plan - if I decide I want to unlock something I focus solely on that. Sadly, I have many goals and suffer from paradox. So many things to choose from so I avoid playing at all.

Generally I play as a trader who wants to earn some money to keep afloat. I don't discriminate what you need to haul, as long as it's legal. Politics, reasons are of no concern to me. You have cargo to be moved, I have ship that can do that. Offer fair price and you have a deal. Free roaming soul, not attached to any superpower, faction or station.

 

[Jakester13]

I am kind of a

You never really have a plan or a goal, you just do whatever grabs your interest at that given time

CMDR, but I do have what I call "loose long term aims". These include a fair bit of engineering, ship acquisition (I would like to own a Corvette one day, for example, but I really really don't like the Federation, so that's always in the back of my mind...), visiting notable places in the galaxy and also to Git GudTM
But on a day to day basis, I simply do whatever takes my fancy for that evening, and if it progresses any of the above goals, great!

 

[Guest193293]

Also, don't care about politics.
I was thinking about lore hunter too, would like that for sure, once I will buy a better ship.

 

[Arioch]

So do you/have you:

• Found that one activity you enjoy and focus on that and that alone?
• Role play your Commander, you have defined a set of rules and follow them, even it is detrimental to your safety?
• Set yourself a series of goals, and totally focus your efforts on achieving those goals (i.e. decide to reach a certain rank and all you do is related to getting that rank)?
• You never really have a plan or a goal, you just do whatever grabs your interest at that given time?
• You read about some Commander doing 'something' in the game and decide then and there that you will try that as well, even if you have never thought of doing that task before?
• Want to try, or at least, attempt to try everything in the game, no matter how inane, silly or grindy that thing is?

Yes, them ones.

 

[Arkadi]

Waiting for powerplay overhaul...

else, nothing much nowadays.
I always go for the new stuff that grabs my attention. In the past this was powerplay, exploring the pleiades and unknown mysteries, trying everything in the game until I get bored with it. Latest thing was guradian ruins and AX-Combat. New mining, new exploring. Done it all. Now I am waiting for ... see first sentence.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Like a retired old man aimlessly walking around the rooms of his old house surrounded by memories and sadness.

or i blow stuff up.

 

[Riverside]

I've owned the game since just after launch & played for 6,000+ hours so I've done most things, quite often to completion or excess, figuring out stuff as I go along. I don't follow how-to guides, I don't use any external tools (not even a pen & paper), I don't abuse bugs or failings in the game design to short-cut my rate of progress or avoid the consequences of my in-game decisions.

I started out with a goal to get to Elite within a year (to "re-earn" my Acornsoft badge from 1984) and ended up getting triple Elite with a week to spare. Quite a lot of that time was spent min/maxing, optimising my techniques.

Once that was all done I considered myself to have completed basic training (ranking up), I had a pot of cash big enough to buy any ship and had at least tried most activities. Some held no further interest (mining for me), some I continued to do (exploration mostly). I was reasonably well established in what turned out to be a relatively quiet neighbourhood of the bubble & I continue to tend a few local NPC factions, negotiating peace treaties and occasionally going to war with other factions. When I tire of the BGS rat race I go exploring, sometimes for a few days, on one occasion for 18 months

I do virtually all of it in Open and alone. I try to play the whole game, and I try to make wherever I am based a little better (in my view) for my presence. I now have several home bases dotted around the bubble, partly as a contingency against stuff like the Thargoid attacks, mostly so I have somewhere to fall back to if I am ever driven out of an area by other players. Currently I'm helping to repair damaged stations, pausing only to fight off wars to maintain the status quo.

 

[M00ka]

Thanks for all the responses, I guess my statement that everyone plays the game differently is quite true - which I think is an excellent aspect of the game.

For me, I am very eclectic in my playing style. I might have grandiose plans to do 'X' before logging on, release I have to swap ships and as I am scrolling through my ships linger on one and think "Damn I haven't taken this out for a while' and end up doing something totally opposite of what I planned. I will admit to reading of some Commander's tales of daring do and think to myself "I should try that". In fact I keep a list of things to do that the primary source is this very forum, just for those times when I want something different. I know there are so many things I haven't done in this game, probably far more than the number of things I have done.

Having said that, sometimes I just take off in either my iCourier or Imp Eagle and fly flat chat through an asteroid belt or zoom over a planet's surface. Even been known to take a ship down to the surface, get in the SRV and just drive around, no plan, no goal to collect mats, just revel in the artistic beauty of the visuals.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I am kind of a

CMDR, but I do have what I call "loose long term aims". These include a fair bit of engineering, ship acquisition (I would like to own a Corvette one day, for example, but I really really don't like the Federation, so that's always in the back of my mind...), visiting notable places in the galaxy and also to Git GudTM
But on a day to day basis, I simply do whatever takes my fancy for that evening, and if it progresses any of the above goals, great!

Become a spy, grind through the ranks, obtain the Corvette (best/-looking large ship IMO), plaster Alliance/Empire stickers all over it, and let it rip in Sol


Me, I'm setting myself random goals but still prefer varying gameplay, so wouldn't 100% stick with one activity until I reached said goal as I find that too soul destroying. So joining DW2 is something I'd find interesting but couldn't participate in as I'd get space madness within a couple of weeks and probably just self destruct.

Having said that I decided last night to travel to Colonia, leaving most of my fleet behind in the bubble and start a separate fleet from scratch with the limitations that Colonia itself brings (less choice essentially). Will see how long I can hold out there before I start longing for the bubble again.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

For me, I am very eclectic in my playing style. I might have grandiose plans to do 'X' before logging on, release I have to swap ships and as I am scrolling through my ships linger on one and think "Damn I haven't taken this out for a while' and end up doing something totally opposite of what I planned. I will admit to reading of some Commander's tales of daring do and think to myself "I should try that".

Having said that, sometimes I just take off in either my iCourier or Imp Eagle and fly flat chat through an asteroid belt or zoom over a planet's surface. Even been known to take a ship down to the surface, get in the SRV and just drive around, no plan, no goal to collect mats, just revel in the artistic beauty of the visuals.

Yep, I do that A LOT.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

Yep, I do that A LOT.

As Rhianna said in her song; "Shut up and drive, drive, drive". Sometimes I feel like doing that in the Game (although, for me, it would be "Shut up and fly, fly, fly.").

 

[Deleted member 182079]

As Rhianna said in her song; "Shut up and drive, drive, drive". Sometimes I feel like doing that in the Game (although, for me, it would be "Shut up and fly, fly, fly.").

At times I think "boy I should really do something more productive with my in-game time in Elite" and then I remember it's a game and not a job.

 

[M00ka]

At times I think "boy I should really do something more productive with my in-game time in Elite" and then I remember it's a game and not a job.

I think that might be the crux of the matter, some Commanders do approach the game as a job or at least a task that must be completed. They forget to stop and smell the roses occassionally.

I remember doing what is now a short exploration journey but back then (pre 3.3) to me at least it was a chore. I had decided to go and visit some nebula or something, it was about 2,500ly away so achievable in the time I had available. But after a hundred or so jumps, the jump/honk/scoop mechanics just started getting to me. I decided one more jump and instead of immediately scooping, decided to have a look at the system. Noticed a couple of landable bodies, SC'd to one and had a ball driving the SRV in some pretty impressive canyons. Didn't bother looking for mats, ignored any manmade items, just drove for about an hour or so. Eventually recalled the ship and reinvigorated, easily completed the journey. What I suspect now is too many would have just continued with the journey then come here to about it, which is a pity.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I think that might be the crux of the matter, some Commanders do approach the game as a job or at least a task that must be completed. They forget to stop and smell the roses occassionally.

I remember doing what is now a short exploration journey but back then (pre 3.3) to me at least it was a chore. I had decided to go and visit some nebula or something, it was about 2,500ly away so achievable in the time I had available. But after a hundred or so jumps, the jump/honk/scoop mechanics just started getting to me. I decided one more jump and instead of immediately scooping, decided to have a look at the system. Noticed a couple of landable bodies, SC'd to one and had a ball driving the SRV in some pretty impressive canyons. Didn't bother looking for mats, ignored any manmade items, just drove for about an hour or so. Eventually recalled the ship and reinvigorated, easily completed the journey. What I suspect now is too many would have just continued with the journey then come here to * about it, which is a pity.

Very true. I have to say though my above mindset wasn't always like that, particularly in the beginning (playing since release date, with a year's gap or so shortly after Horizons launched - the grind really got to me). I was determined to grind for the bigger/more expensive ships, and since obtaining them I've actually found myself starting going back to the smaller ones (including buying cosmetics for them) as I find them more fun to fly (although the Corvette can be fun if outfitted accordingly).

The new exploration system also helped a lot as I found the honk/scoop/jump mechanic tedious as heck (and I did manage to do a Colonia>Sag A* trip with a 30ly DBX pre engineers, burnt out though shortly after), but now I spend a lot more time in a system actually exploring.

 

[M00ka]

Very true. I have to say though my above mindset wasn't always like that, particularly in the beginning (playing since release date, with a year's gap or so shortly after Horizons launched - the grind really got to me). I was determined to grind for the bigger/more expensive ships, and since obtaining them I've actually found myself starting going back to the smaller ones (including buying cosmetics for them) as I find them more fun to fly (although the Corvette can be fun if outfitted accordingly).

The new exploration system also helped a lot as I found the honk/scoop/jump mechanic tedious as heck (and I did manage to do a Colonia>Sag A* trip with a 30ly DBX pre engineers, burnt out though shortly after), but now I spend a lot more time in a system actually exploring.

To my thinking, the mindset you described comes with experience in the game. I was like you early in the game, always striving for that next credit goal, that next rank, that ship I really didn't need. And yes it got boring, nay I say it, grindy, but I ploughed on regardless. It wasn't until I did burn out and take a break that I realised I was probably missing out on so much of the game because I wasn't taking the time to enjoy the game.

As for the big ships, just not me, luckily as it turns out. I did 'buy' a Cutter during the 3.3 Beta, flew it for a couple of hours then sold it back, just didn't enjoy the experience. Now that means that I have no urge to force myself to grind for Fed or Imp rank to get a Cutter or Corvette - which I think is a bonus for me

 

[viper666]

I play in various ways. Typical session is taking stacked massacre missions, which makes me about 200 million in just over an hour (power play bounty bonus for each kill.)
Then I will run a power play mission to haul garrison supplies to the more remote locations, as it is just sad to see so many systems over fortified by people who want the merits for as little effort as possible.

Then I will jump into my Asp X and do some SRV material collection, for mats to synth ammo. Probably do some exploration into the bargain.