Do "purple-haired heroes" scare everyone into Solo?

[Vetinari]

Those activities are not dedicated to a peaceful system. You can do that everywhere. What is there to peacefully interact in PvE?

Right, but it is a core pillar of this game.

Is it?

Can you achieve Elite Trader without killing anything? Yes
Can you achieve Elite Explorer without killing anything? Yes
Can you achieve Elite Combat without killing anything? No, so this rank is geared towards combat and requires a lot of kills to achieve.

Can you achieve the other ranks and avoid combat altogether? Yes, although it is hard at first it is possible to escape every NPC interdiction in the first place or learn to submit and high wake to avoid combat. Some evasion techniques may be necessary depending on where you trade. Not so much for exploration, just maybe when jumping in to sell data.

So 2 out of 3 ranks can be achieved without firing a shot if you don't want to. So how is it a core pillar of the game. What you mean is its easy to do combat if you want, yes it is, as it is easy not to if you don't want. Why is this so hard to grasp?

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

That’s a lotta tasty cargo there, bud, that’s real tasty pal, no doubt about it!

You can’t haul cargo, or mine in certain areas without jerk around NPCs bugging you with violence.

Thargoids will attack you, and there are large player factions dedicated solely to combatting them.

There are missions that are combat focused.

You don’t have to take a combat path, not at all, but to say that combat isn’t a big aspect of Elite is just silly.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Those activities are not dedicated to a peaceful system. You can do that everywhere. What is there to peacefully interact in PvE?

Just as combat is not limited to hostile systems. You can do that everywhere.

As I said, trading, mining, surface prospecting - to which I'd add exploration.

Right, but it is a core pillar of this game.

One of the three core pillars, certainly - and one that one need never engage in if one so chooses.

 

[Robert Maynard]

That’s a lotta tasty cargo there, bud, that’s real tasty pal, no doubt about it!

You can’t haul cargo, or mine in certain areas without jerk around NPCs bugging you with violence.

The key phrase there being "in certain areas".

Thargoids will attack you, and there are large player factions dedicated solely to combatting them.

In certain areas.

There are missions that are combat focused.

That are entirely optional - just as trade missions or passenger missions are entirely optional.

You don’t have to take a combat path, not at all, but to say that combat isn’t a big aspect of Elite is just silly.

It's an aspect of the game - how big an aspect varies from player to player.

 

[Stigbob]

I have a question, and I don't think it warrants a separate thread, so here we go. How does blocking work on PC?

For example, if I were to block just of couple of the more persistent purple-haired heroes who frequent the CG, that will cause me to go into a different instance than ALL of the gankers in their shared instance, yes? This would also increase the likelihood of me being instanced with other traders who have also blocked one or more ganker, correct? But if I go to a different system, then any of the non-blocked gankers can still instance with me.

My thinking is to use the block as a temporary, strategic tool to ensure I'm not being dumped into "ganker hell" at the CG while still playing the game in Open, which also allows the vast majority of gankers to instance with me outside the CG, just not all at the same time.

Thoughts?

Block stops you instancing with someone you've blocked completely now apparently. So it would prevent you meeting anyone you've blocked and anyone they are currently instanced with.

Its more for removing a specific irritant player you want rid of than altering anything beyond that individual. Just use it to bin out the ones you don't want and you'll get the same effect.

You could theoretically remove an entire wing by blocking one member who habitually flies with the others, but if you want to do that why not block them all.

 

[Old Duck]

UPDATE

I just ran my first haul of cargo to the CG in OPEN in my very fragile, unengineered Type-9!

Why?

Because I was lucky enough to visit the CG while there were more good guys than bad guys for a change. The system finally has dedicated people on guard, protecting traders and punishing pirates and purples. I found one of them willing to wing up with me and watch my back, and I "pulled the trigger" and flew my cargo in Open.

I quite enjoyed it! There is something to the extra "Oh my goodness, I might actually die!" aspect that adds a bit of thrill to the game. This is radically different than the "For Pete's sake, there's no way I'm going to survive!" odds that were stacked against traders yesterday. So, today, at least this morning (EST), my OP is somewhat on the money, in that if "good guy" PvPers come to the CG and run protection patrols, trading in Open can actually be enjoyable! And remember, I'm in a weak T9 with only a couple of rebuys worth of credits (unlike many of you who could buy a new T9 every minute from now 'til Christmas).

CGs are like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're going to get.

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

The key phrase there being "in certain areas".

In certain areas.

That are entirely optional - just as trade missions or passenger missions are entirely optional.

It's an aspect of the game - how big an aspect varies from player to player.

I never argued that combat wasn’t optional.

The person I quoted was really brushing off combat as if it wasn’t one of the three ways to become Elite, which is still absurd, considering how much gameplay is centered around it.

That’s like saying “You don’t even have to explore to get elite, what’s the point? I can get combat Elite without ever leaving the bubble.”

In the most basic sense, I suppose the travel that is necessary to trade/get to combat zones could be considered ‘exploration’.

Not really, but kinda. Either way, that doesn’t make trade and combat paths meaningless because you’re pretty much required to ‘explore’(Travel)to get anywhere in the game.

 

[Old Duck]

You could theoretically remove an entire wing by blocking one member who habitually flies with the others, but if you want to do that why not block them all.

I don't want to individually block the dozens of gankers found at the CG, especially since I don't mind running into them on occasion outside of CG (and some of these folks are actually pretty nice). I figure if I block a few of the more obnoxious, persistent ones, then this will force me into a separate, safer instance, but still give me all the other benefits of Open. Even then, it would be a temporary block (I only permanently block station rammers), so less is easier than more.

 

[Hanerib]

Can't get that combat Elite without doing combat. It used to be all about combat in the past you know. Of course back then it wasn't multiplayer yet.

- "On Sundays I gank spaceships in Elite on NES platform."

 

[Stigbob]

I don't want to individually block the dozens of gankers found at the CG, especially since I don't mind running into them on occasion outside of CG (and some of these folks are actually pretty nice). I figure if I block a few of the more obnoxious, persistent ones, then this will force me into a separate, safer instance, but still give me all the other benefits of Open. Even then, it would be a temporary block (I only permanently block station rammers), so less is easier than more.

Give it a bash and see how it pans out, if you prefer it then leave it as is.

I think temp block is too much of a pain to remember to reinstate them so for me its a one way process, the chances of some station rammer suddenly becoming fun to play video games with are so low I'm not wasting time on it.

 

[jasonbarron]

Just when the feeling of coming back start to kindle in me I see yet more reasons why it just isn't worth the bother. It really pains me to say this because I used to genuinely love this game to the point where I played it to the exclusion of all other games, but this attitude that permeates it regarding blocking and the various modes is about as attractive as the flu. Coupled with phoned in back of the stove development it just isn't worth the time investment.

I wonder if Frontier's "next big thing" will address some of this mess?

 

[Hanerib]

Will you become one of the Elite, the space combateers? (Then it goes on about pulse lasers and using profits to buy more weapons. Lot's of pewpew. Notice how cuboctahedron that is Lave Station still looks the same.)

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

You know, while we're on the topic of elite ranks...

I have four days logged on a second account, and have already reached trade Elite. The ranks all the way up to Entrepreneur were cheesed through smeaton orbital passenger runs some time ago.

Since coming back to this account last week for the first time since then, it took roughly three mining trips, over the course of two gaming sessions to get through Tycoon, to Elite lol.

An Anaconda with 300 tons of painite, sold at the best price should net you around 245 million, give or take. Nearly one billion credits in less than a day's worth of play lol.

Where was this money three years ago? And if it's this easy to become a billionaire... how the hell much are these fleet carriers really gonna cost? I don't know if I should stop grinding or not, and it's stressing me out just a little bit.

 

[B1rdy]

I wonder if Frontier's "next big thing" will address some of this mess?

One thing is for sure, whatever they do, it will certainly be a platform to sell new stuff.

 

[Stigbob]

Just when the feeling of coming back start to kindle in me I see yet more reasons why it just isn't worth the bother. It really pains me to say this because I used to genuinely love this game to the point where I played it to the exclusion of all other games, but this attitude that permeates it regarding blocking and the various modes is about as attractive as the flu. Coupled with phoned in back of the stove development it just isn't worth the time investment.

I wonder if Frontier's "next big thing" will address some of this mess?

Shouldn't think so the modes and block were decided on pre-release and offer choice to players which is always preferable to one size fits all.

The question you should ask yourself is are you bothered that you can't play the video game with someone who blocks you, given you don't like that sort of person anyway. You could view it as them doing you a favour cleaning up the player pool from your perspective.

Personally I use it on station rammers and cheats only since they offer nothing I want.

Blocking cloggers would be an obvious solution to that perceived problem as well.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Just when the feeling of coming back start to kindle in me I see yet more reasons why it just isn't worth the bother. It really pains me to say this because I used to genuinely love this game to the point where I played it to the exclusion of all other games, but this attitude that permeates it regarding blocking and the various modes is about as attractive as the flu. Coupled with phoned in back of the stove development it just isn't worth the time investment.

I wonder if Frontier's "next big thing" will address some of this mess?

I would agree the game has issues. However my issues are very different to yours and what you see as issues I see as features. I guess that is part of the problem FD face.

I dream of persistent NPC's, having actual crew on my ships , wear and tear, docking fees and an economy that makes sense, piracy being a legitimate career where you can make sensible money of more than just 2 items..... But the entire multiplayer side I can happily ignore so long as I can wing up with a few mates

 

[jasonbarron]

I would agree the game has issues. However my issues are very different to yours and what you see as issues I see as features. I guess that is part of the problem FD face.

I dream of persistent NPC's, having actual crew on my ships , wear an economy that makes sense, piracy being a legitimate career where you can make sensible money of more than just 2 items..... But the entire multiplayer side Incan happily ignore so long as I can wing up with a few mates

The problem is that the PvE is so underbaked (as you yourself are pointing out with a couple examples) that the only aspect that makes it compelling IS the multiplayer component, which is why features such as block that gimp the multiplayer as badly as they do it's a real concern.

 

[Old Duck]

Just when the feeling of coming back start to kindle in me I see yet more reasons why it just isn't worth the bother.

Don't worry, instances are still being maxed out to their technical limits regardless if people like me are sometimes switching to Solo or attempting to use block to "even the odds". If anything, I'm doing the gankers a favor by making more room in their instances for people with better bandwidth than I have.

On another note, some of these traders cause just as much grief as the purples. Blasting through the mailslot in your T9 with no warning at all, despite my own polite "T9 Arriving" transmission beforehand, well let's just say the next T9 that "rams" me rudely will be calling me a griefer when I jump into my Vulture and fry his slot-hogging elephant butt!

Either that or I'll just block him

 

[Old Duck]

If I keep agreeing with Stigbob, somebody's going to accuse me of colluding with the Russians!

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

Quick off topic wish list item that will never happen:

Used ships and modules.

Buy an Anaconda early for 25% off, but it has issues. Maybe the integrity is capped at 75%, until you pay a repair fee to restore it to its proper state. Maybe the cargo hatch flops open at random times. Maybe it overheats, or the plant malfunctions once every few hours. Might have a smell, so NPC crew won’t join you.

Pre-engineered modules that are equally sketchy, but available immediately for a discount.

Give me hilarious malfunctions at the worst time, Fdev.

Not like, the usual crashes and issues on your end, though. You know what I mean.