Big Elite Streamers Giving Up On Streaming Elite?

[Lysette]

That's pretty much it. When Braben posted his last update, he promised to get EDO up to standard and add some new features. Of course he gave no details on any of this, which is why I personally concluded that what we were likely to see is stuff that was already planned for the future, at best rolled out ahead of schedule, such as the on-foot Thargoid combat and new SRV models that were data-mined a few months ago *. So far, all we've seen are very small 'quality of life' changes and other 'low hanging fruit' which is in keeping with this strategy of expending a minimum of resources on ED in general.

So he's delivering on the letter of his promises, which then the community reads into and imagines ship interiors and Panther Clippers, even though none of these have ever been promised. We're our own worst enemies, in that we keep on projecting our dreams based on, intentionally, vague language - the no VR "at launch" is the best example of this; it clearly implies that VR would be added some time after launch, but does not actually commit to it. So when they admitted they were no longer going to develop VR, they didn't technically break any promises, and then to add insult onto injury - seeing the negative reaction of this admission - they tried to pull the same trick again, with their "never say never" caveat. Problem is that at this stage, they've cried wolf one too many times, so only the most ardent member of the Church of Braben believes them.

It's pretty clear that EDO has received far more resources to deal with it's issues than it otherwise would have had the community remained silent. But, at least to me, it's also clear that beyond fixing bugs and performance only to a level that will keep the community quiet, we're unlikely to see any significant development in Odyssey until the next DLC, presuming there is one. So it is a 'good thing', but unfortunately Pyrrhic in nature. So I suspect that the next few years will see slow improvement in performance and stability, but very little new content added to the game. Question is whether, after years in effective maintenance mode, whether the game can survive more years like that?

Of course this too is speculation, but in fairness, there's no shortage of evidence to arrive at what is a pretty clear conclusion at this stage.

* There's no guarantee either of these will ever see the light of day. ED appears to have been built like a giant prototype, with lot's of half baked features that were added then abandoned. Both the on-foot Thargoid combat and new SRV models could easily be things that were partially added, after which the feature was dropped, without anyone bothering to clean up the assets that were added to the game.

that's about how I see it as well - very well put. I just go a little further and declared it terminally ill, I doubt that there will be any further significant development and the game has entered it's 4th state, decline for good. My reason for it is basically that it would take too much effort to get this game on a healthy track again - starting with a game engine actually able to power the original vision of Mr. Braben - the decision to develop and evolve an own proprietary engine is now biting back - it costs too much time and effort and in the end what's coming out is no longer competitive in this market segment. It might be good enough for the other products of FDev, but not enough for the space genre. Too many too strong competitors on the horizon as well. I guess the decision is made, to let Elite slide into it's final stage, decline for good. As much as this is bad for players, it might still be a wise decision by the management - never feed a dead dog. At some point in time this had to happen and this time is now as it seems.

But I think as well this wasn't clear in September last year, when Mr. Braben put a great deal on EDO in the financial report. My guess is, that it was overestimated what can be achieved with the current engine and that this slowly but constantly got to them, that they cannot go through with what they had in mind - not going to happen anytime soon. So a decision had to be made - well, my way to see it - might or might not be right, but I'm very rarely wrong.

And then there is Starfield - Skyrim in space - 11.11.2022 - everybody will talk about it, the Skyrim crowd will flock to this game and it will be the only game talked about for a long time to come when it comes to space games. The console crowd will flock to that game in regards to the space genre as well, and not to Elite. Because all their buddies do that as well. Why would they want to play a game, the others aren't playing? of course they flock to the game everyone is playing. Given, that Bethesda can deliver, but they have to put out a masterpiece to get their reputation repaired, so they will most likely try their very best - and then look at how long Skyrim has an active community - this can go on for a decade as well with Starfield. There is simply no room for Elite, it has run it's course.

 

[StanleyDunkan]

Yes! THIS! thank you both for watching first of all, and yeah we are just trying to have adventures and fun - like it's all new to us too so we spend a lot of time just marvelling at little details too but basically we just want to have fun with what we are playing



haha yes that was me

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cevmvHG8kME


And I have been very lucky to have some more experienced players to take me along and show me some of the sights - again, SC has limitations yes - and there are a TON of bugs (which i do not shy away from showing too) but it's something fresh and different and does not require grinding outside of maybe credits.

I'm not saying i'm done with ED for good, i may want to take up playing again in future absolutely - but right now, I'm just happy trying out SC. and NMS too actually, Kai Zen took me through the first couple of hours the other night to get me over the hurdle of not knowing what i'm doing and once the creative aspects of the game kicked in i was kinda hooked on that too

Play all the space games, or whatever ones you enjoy

If you were actually a resident living in the verse - and you took your 50$ ship - and worked your way up, on your own, to buy those fancy ships you are flying in your videos - and than said " SC is a fun game " - i would have believed you.

So far you haven't shown the real Star Citizen.

 

[RJ-KNUCKLES]

If you were actually a resident living in the verse - and you took your 50$ ship - and worked your way up, on your own, to buy those fancy ships you are flying in your videos - and than said " SC is a fun game " - i would have believed you.

So far you haven't shown the real Star Citizen.

Dont be hostel, theirs no need for that. We are trying to get them to simp to our lord and saver Chris Roberts, and not think we are all toxic.

 

[StanleyDunkan]

Dont be hostel, theirs no need for that. We are trying to get them to simp to our lord and saver Chris Roberts, and not think we are all toxic.

Show me the Grind!
Else it's just a P2W game with no actual long term gameplay....

 

[RJ-KNUCKLES]

Show me the Grind!
Else it's just a P2W game with no actual long term gameplay....

Um...you can buy any ship in game and the end game comes fast.....O your not a SC player. Ok continue with the toxicity then. I will get back to my popcorn.

 

[StanleyDunkan]

Um...you can buy any ship in game and the end game comes fast.....O your not a SC player. Ok continue with the toxicity then. I will get back to my popcorn.

That's what i am asking for, the Grind to buy those ships. Cause she didn't grind anything. She is just showing what happens if you P2W your way in to verse, or find a Suggar Daddy to pay for you.

 

[Lysette]

That's what i am asking for, the Grind to buy those ships. Cause she didn't grind anything. She is just showing what happens if you P2W your way in to verse, or find a Suggar Daddy to pay for you.

And what is wrong with that?- if you don't want to buy ships with real world money, then don't do it, but don't blame others, who spend money on their hobby. Let them do it, if they so please, it is not your money, is it?

 

[RJ-KNUCKLES]

There are plenty of ED content creaters that have videos on how to play SC if you are wanting to know how the grind is. hehehehehe

 

[Lysette]

there is just grind if you want stuff you can't afford or are to cheap to buy them. There is no grind at all, if you don't want stuff you can't afford or are willing to pay for it. in the end it is you who is creating the grind - with what you wish for whilst not be willing to pay for it.

 

[Lysette]

but with the same argument (and it's actually not wrong) there is zero grind in ED. No one keeps you from staying in your Sidey for ever. And this ship is free - even from ingame money. Not sure, if a content creator would be pleased with that approach for all too long.

i never needed a ship bigger than the dolphin in Elite - there was just no need for it - I had no grind at all. I bought bigger ships though, but didn't really use them often.

I have as well a few bigger ships in NMS, but I mainly use my starter ship - it's nimble, it can escape easily and it warps far enough for my taste - I find as well exploration on planets not grindy - I like to roam around and look at stuff and on my way I pick up a few things and excavate some metal and mineral resources and stuff - that is relaxing, not grinding.

 

[Lysette]

In 7 years of playing and 12000 hours I have collected quite a formidable fleet: 34 in total, e.g. 1 Cutter, 2 Vettes, 2 FDLs, 2 Pythons etc. many of them fully engineered. And I also never grinded, I've just played quite a lot. So I guess, this aspect would be no problem to me in SC. But paying for a ship with real money is an absolute no go to me.

that is ok as well, but that is your decision - others might decide, that they have too less time to play to invest it in harvesting and "grind", so they buy what they need with real world money. You had the time to play, they don't - they replace that with money to be able to enjoy their sparse gaming time.

12000 hours is a whole lot - about the time a student spends on studying in 6 years.

 

[StanleyDunkan]

And what is wrong with that?- if you don't want to buy ships with real world money, then don't do it, but don't blame others, who spend money on their hobby. Let them do it, if they so please, it is not your money, is it?

Buying ships with $ - that's no gameplay - i hope you understand that right?

She claims SC is fun, because she jumped in to a Limo and took few pictures. - That's no gamplay either. That's just a cover of a tourist brouchure.

When you spend time grinding that 1.4 million credits to buy Cutlass Black and say - this was a hello of a fun adventure grinding this credits - then i would believe that SC is fun.

 

[Lysette]

I'm fine with that. I just find some of the mentioned reasons to defect to SC a bit questionable, if not downright laughable. But beyond that I really don't mind what content creators do or not do.

you know, when I read sugar daddy, that is a bit laughable - think of it like that - someone gets that one of his favorite content creators is visiting "his" game and he might just say to this creator, "i want you to have this, that you can show what my game is all about" - donors are like that and why not, it's their money and the content creator can decide then to make use of it or not. But this is not the same as a sugar daddy.

 

[Lysette]

Buying ships with $ - that's no gameplay - i hope you understand that right?

She claims SC is fun, because she jumped in to a Limo and took few pictures. - That's no gamplay either. That's just a cover of a tourist brouchure.

When you spend time grinding that 1.4 million credits to buy Cutlass Black and say - this was a hello of a fun adventure grinding this credits - then i would believe that SC is fun.

well, if you read my posts, then you might get, that i find it really stupid to grind for stuff - that is no gameplay either, that is freaking work of the most tedious kind. Who wants to do that in their spare time? seeing that as gameplay is absurd.

Edit. it might be though, that my view comes from my quite limited time to play games - so I might value it more than you do.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

but with the same argument (and it's actually not wrong) there is zero grind in ED. No one keeps you from staying in your Sidey for ever. And this ship is free - even from ingame money. Not sure, if a content creator would be pleased with that approach for all too long.

You could not grind at all and be in a big ship within a month. The game throws credits at you these days.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

And what is wrong with that?- if you don't want to buy ships with real world money, then don't do it, but don't blame others, who spend money on their hobby. Let them do it, if they so please, it is not your money, is it?

People are welcome to throw money at their hobby. People are also welcome to laugh at those who throw hundreds or thousands of dollars at virtual spaceships when they could earn them in game (in theory, and in theory there will be more wipes to come).

Its not really any different to Shark Cards in GTA, which cops Rockstar a lot of flack and people who buy them get laughed at or derided for supporting shady business practices (and remember, GTA is a big grind, you have to grind according to some people).

On the up side, the sale of Shark Cards has enabled Rockstar to keep developing the game for years, pumping out free updates, while making a very tidy profit. On the downside, it is pure pay to win.

And of course, GTA is a released game that can be criticized (and often is). When you give Rockstar money, you know what you are getting and its there and working and final.

Can't say the same for SC.

 

[Lysette]

People are welcome to throw money at their hobby. People are also welcome to laugh at those who throw hundreds or thousands of dollars at virtual spaceships when they could earn them in game (in theory, and in theory there will be more wipes to come).

Its not really any different to Shark Cards in GTA, which cops Rockstar a lot of flack and people who buy them get laughed at or derided for supporting shady business practices (and remember, GTA is a big grind, you have to grind according to some people).

On the up side, the sale of Shark Cards has enabled Rockstar to keep developing the game for years, pumping out free updates, while making a very tidy profit. On the downside, it is pure pay to win.

And of course, GTA is a released game that can be criticized (and often is). When you give Rockstar money, you know what you are getting and its there and working and final.

Can't say the same for SC.

you know, I was for a long time of the opinion that SC will never come out, because it is earning them more in it's unreleased state than in a released one. But I had a change of mind lately, I think it is actually going somewhere - might still be a couple of years until then. Let's say, i'm 60:40 for that it will have a release at some point in time.

Doesn't really matter to me anyway - Elite turned out to not be my game and neither is SC, regardless how pretty it is, I rather play NMS - and I can play it now.

 

[StanleyDunkan]

well, if you read my posts, then you might get, that i find it really stupid to grind for stuff - that is no gameplay either, that is freaking work of the most tedious kind. Who wants to do that in their spare time? seeing that as gameplay is absurd.

Alright, lets go with your example. You P2W you way to the best ships. You no longer need credits. So what do you do in SC next?
Explore the gala.... nope can't do it, just one Star System.
Fight for a faction to raise their influence in the System?
Fight for a local Warlord to take over some Settlements or Bases on the groud? Perhapes a Space Station in Space?
Engage in a Massive PvP conflict zone for the Player Orgazations control over a piece of land or Space Structure?
Discover rare species on the planets?

What is the end game for you, after your ship grind is over via click of your credit card?

 

[Lysette]

Alright, lets go with your example. You P2W you way to the best ships. You no longer need credits. So what do you do in SC next?
Explore the gala.... nope can't do it, just one Star System.
Fight for a faction to raise their influence in the System?
Fight for a local Warlord to take over some Settlements or Bases on the groud? Perhapes a Space Station in Space?
Engage in a Massive PvP conflict zone for the Player Orgazations control over a piece of land or Space Structure?
Discover rare species on the planets?

What is the end game for you, after your ship grind is over via click of your credit card?

can' tell, SC is not my kind of game and neither is Elite, i just didn't know it before. "end game" is to me - uninstalling - i never try to reach end game in any game, because the game for me is anything before end game. I'm not a competitive player in my spare time, I play to have fun and relax, not to stress me out. And if it converts into a grind, well uninstalling and playing something more relaxing.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

you know, I was for a long time of the opinion that SC will never come out, because it is earning them more in it's unreleased state than in a released one. But I had a change of mind lately, I think it is actually going somewhere - might still be a couple of years until then. Let's say, i'm 60:40 for that it will have a release at some point in time.

Star Citizen will always release in current_year+2. That's been the state for the last 8 years.

As for release, i'm not so sure. I mean, you could call the current alpha a kind of release. And they could also go for early access type release. CR has been on record saying it is effectively released, from his interview with Gamestar in 2017 (i think it was) where he said in respond to a question about a 1.0 release "What do you mean 1.0? We've got 3.0 coming out soon!", to more recently "playable now narrative". But then he also says "It will be done when its done".

My guess is, as long as funding continues, it will be eternal alpha for years, then slowly moving to MVP/EA release, but never a hard release. To do a hard release would mean losing their shield of "ITS ALPHA" and also start raising questions from people as to where are all the promised stretch goals. They did sell people on 110 systems. It will also get people saying 500 million (or whatever the sum is by then, they are close to that now) for this????