In one form or another, the question, "What are you going to do between now and New Era?" has cropped up in multiple threads as well as my own head. I think I finally have my answer. For the most part, I've approached this game as "active duty", in that I'm constantly looking for something to do - some new mission, new goal, new experience, etc. I've pretty much done all the procgen stuff that I'm interested in, be it trading, mining, exploring, running missions, etc. I've tried various community-created activities like squadrons, BGS, and expeditions, and I found some enjoyment in those for a season until these too became repetitive and ultimately boring for me personally. I've even done "out of the box" stuff like PvP piracy, which is enjoyable but not a full-time career, especially as Borann nears its end.
In other words, I have finished the game.
And yet, I haven't! This isn't the first time I've felt this way, only to return later when Frontier offers some compelling new content like the Interstellar Initiatives. So giving it some thought, I know that I will never quit this game as long as Frontier is supporting it. I have plenty of hard drive space, so no need to uninstall it. But what I think I will be doing is transitioning from "Active Duty" to "Reserves". This means changing my approach to how I play the game and how I build my fleet. Instead of looking for things to keep me playing, desperately trying to invent new content where there is none, I'll make sure I have the ships I need for the gameplay I enjoy (fighters, explorers, personnel transports, haulers, and support) and then basically leave the game until the next big "event" takes place. For me that event might be a community goal, an unexpected Thargoid Invasion, or some really compelling player initiative. I'll be "called up" as a member of the Reserves to help in whatever this event might be, to then return to standby until the next event. Of course New Era will likely result in me returning to active duty, but that's a long time from now.
This may sound all like "Duh, bro, that's just common sense!" to some of you, but for those of us who have made ED our primary game and a part of our lives, this is actually a pretty big "pivot" in mindset. Well, at least it is for me. But before you go all whitey knighty on me, understand this is a much better solution than rage-quitting and deleting Elite and burning an effigy of David Braben, as some are want to do around here. And it's not just as simple as putting down the game now and picking it up later, it's a change in relationship with the game, so much that it will in some ways feel like a different game than the one I am used to, kinda like New Game+ that many titles now offer. Most importantly, this will allow me to maintain a positive relationship with the game even during these tough times of content drought.
Anywho, just sharing these thoughts since the topic comes up over and over lately. Now I'll have a thread to point to! And I'm sure what I'm thinking will be further refined in any discussion that takes place.
In other words, I have finished the game.
And yet, I haven't! This isn't the first time I've felt this way, only to return later when Frontier offers some compelling new content like the Interstellar Initiatives. So giving it some thought, I know that I will never quit this game as long as Frontier is supporting it. I have plenty of hard drive space, so no need to uninstall it. But what I think I will be doing is transitioning from "Active Duty" to "Reserves". This means changing my approach to how I play the game and how I build my fleet. Instead of looking for things to keep me playing, desperately trying to invent new content where there is none, I'll make sure I have the ships I need for the gameplay I enjoy (fighters, explorers, personnel transports, haulers, and support) and then basically leave the game until the next big "event" takes place. For me that event might be a community goal, an unexpected Thargoid Invasion, or some really compelling player initiative. I'll be "called up" as a member of the Reserves to help in whatever this event might be, to then return to standby until the next event. Of course New Era will likely result in me returning to active duty, but that's a long time from now.
This may sound all like "Duh, bro, that's just common sense!" to some of you, but for those of us who have made ED our primary game and a part of our lives, this is actually a pretty big "pivot" in mindset. Well, at least it is for me. But before you go all whitey knighty on me, understand this is a much better solution than rage-quitting and deleting Elite and burning an effigy of David Braben, as some are want to do around here. And it's not just as simple as putting down the game now and picking it up later, it's a change in relationship with the game, so much that it will in some ways feel like a different game than the one I am used to, kinda like New Game+ that many titles now offer. Most importantly, this will allow me to maintain a positive relationship with the game even during these tough times of content drought.
Anywho, just sharing these thoughts since the topic comes up over and over lately. Now I'll have a thread to point to! And I'm sure what I'm thinking will be further refined in any discussion that takes place.
