Should Elite Dangerous move towards a free to play model?

Killnine

K
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead said:
I once suggested ED should have it's current version, and a pure PvE co-op/solo version, that's balanced entirely for fun, not PvP.
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What a horrible idea.

Yes, I admit that Elite as a PvP game is broken: it does not encourage consensual and/or meaningful PvP, while not discouraging anti-social and non-consensual PvP enough, either. End result: most PvP is gankers ganging up on non-combatants, or PvP players arranging outside of the game to meet and fight.

But to have two completely separated player communities would not work, either. The Galaxy is huge, and outside of the few player hot spots you barely ever meet someone - especially if you further splinter the player base. I would hope for the opposite: cross-play between platforms.

There are lots of ways to fix the "PvP problem", and good solutions can be found right on these forums. Why FD chooses to sit on their hands wrt. PvP, I simply can't understand. But I still hope they'll eventually understand that the PvP game mechanics, risks and rewards need a complete overhaul.
 

Troopi

Troopi
Vasco Sapien said:
Free Client... Use Hack tools, Get banned.
Free Client... Use Hack tools, Get banned.
Free Client... Use Hack tools, Get banned.
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This. A game with cryptocurrency earnable in-game and free-to-play, is an open invitation for millions of hackers to jump in and crush it to oblivion.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Troopi said:
This. A game with cryptocurrency earnable in-game and free-to-play, is an open invitation for millions of hackers to jump in and crush it to oblivion.
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What "cryptocurrency"?

.... unless you mean the tokens gained by playing the game?
 

Troopi

Troopi
Yes, I speak of the ARX coin.
In September a new virtual currency called Arx will be released across all platforms, replacing Frontier Points on console and direct payments on PC. This is so parity is achieved across all platforms when it comes to prices. Arx will only be used to purchase cosmetic items with. Arx will be earnable through the game and will not replace Credits. Mission rewards will also not be changed because of the introduction of Arx. All Game Extras, which includes paint jobs and skins, will be purchasable with Arx individually instead of having to buy packs. Cosmetic items will also be earnable through playing the game too.
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And thus the lure for Hackers thickens.
 

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Killnine said:
What a horrible idea.

Yes, I admit that Elite as a PvP game is broken: it does not encourage consensual and/or meaningful PvP, while not discouraging anti-social and non-consensual PvP enough, either. End result: most PvP is gankers ganging up on non-combatants, or PvP players arranging outside of the game to meet and fight.

But to have two completely separated player communities would not work, either. The Galaxy is huge, and outside of the few player hot spots you barely ever meet someone - especially if you further splinter the player base. I would hope for the opposite: cross-play between platforms.

There are lots of ways to fix the "PvP problem", and good solutions can be found right on these forums. Why FD chooses to sit on their hands wrt. PvP, I simply can't understand. But I still hope they'll eventually understand that the PvP game mechanics, risks and rewards need a complete overhaul.
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I never said it was a good idea. :p

I only suggested it so I could have super weapons. Lol
Can't have those in a PvP environment, or they just become the meta.

That said, I do PvP now, so I don't really care. Lol
 

Troopi

Troopi
If you hack the game and multiply ARX awarded in game events, you are technically multiplying the value of real money, since you can pay to get ARX also. So, the next thing for a hacker to do is sell this account to a gamer for real money.
Also, someone inside the company can convert any shady cryptocurrency to paypal and buy ARX into specific accounts and then sell them in the black market as premium accounts - it's money laundry.
You should ask Interpol about the multitude of schemes that cryptocurrency and videogame currencies have.
South Korea's Police has their hands full with these schemes in their MMOs.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Troopi said:
If you hack the game and multiply ARX awarded in game events, you are technically multiplying the value of real money, since you can pay to get ARX also. So, the next thing for a hacker to do is sell this account to a gamer for real money.
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.... and anyone who has read the EULA knows that the game licence is not transferable - and is likely to be banned if sduch a transfer is detected.
 

Vasco Sapien

Vasco Sapien
Troopi said:
If you hack the game and multiply ARX awarded in game events, you are technically multiplying the value of real money, since you can pay to get ARX also. So, the next thing for a hacker to do is sell this account to a gamer for real money.
Also, someone inside the company can convert any shady cryptocurrency to paypal and buy ARX into specific accounts and then sell them in the black market as premium accounts - it's money laundry.
You should ask Interpol about the multitude of schemes that cryptocurrency and videogame currencies have.
South Korea's Police has their hands full with these schemes in their MMOs.
Click to expand...

We dont yet know how ARX are awarded or how much, Hacking or no hacking i suspect it wont change how ARX work.
If ship performance is linked to some degree with in game performance, then by virtue of having an engineered ship would allow some to earn ARX faster than others.

I'd bet ARX just drip in on a timer. Its a carrot on a stick to get people to keep playing while content remains a little stagnant until 2020.

--


But back to my original post... a free to play client would be a great and easy way to just log in, cause some hack engine chaos for laughs and there be nothing to care about, accounts are growing on tree's. A newbie sidewinder with unlimited shields, jump range and weapon power ruining the game for everyone.

Frontier would invite all this chaos and get nothing in return. The hackers have all the fun and we the long term paying customers get a shafted.
 

Rustnsawdust

R
Troopi said:
If you hack the game and multiply ARX awarded in game events, you are technically multiplying the value of real money, since you can pay to get ARX also. So, the next thing for a hacker to do is sell this account to a gamer for real money.
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Which is an awful lot of effort to get a free paintjob and a bobblehead.
 

[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
Commander Royle said:
These are my thoughts. I strongly believe that elite dangerous should follow in the footsteps of Eve online by going free to play. I seriously think it would be the most sensible marketing decision based on current player numbers, the paintpack store rework and the new DLC package due for release in 2020.
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Nope....... totally not...... please god never. There are some F2P games i like very much so, (WarFrame, & WarThunder being the 2 main ones) but i would rather FD charge for expansions myself and include the things usually put behind paywalls in F2P games earnable in game.
(personally i would rather FD sold credits for cash in their store and had all cosmetics earnable by ingame game play and in game credits but that is another issue i guess)

if it did it would be interesting to see how FD deal with those who bought a totally unrealised LTP however.
 
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