Legitimate question about player encounters once full game is released.

[Griever_XIV]

I get a feeling that once the game goes live, everyone will gradually start drifting away from the starting area, and the longer the game is live, the less likely you will be to run into another person. Within a few months, the very few amount of players playing this game will be scattered sooooo far away from each other... This leaves me wondering, whats the point of this game being online to begin with? The only player encounters I can imagine in the long run is gimped out pirates who go back to the starting area to pirate beginners, but the majority of the player base will be spread so thin that actual player encounters simply wont happen anymore.
Is there a way to avoid this, is there a plan that I don't know about, such as certain hotspots that would be generally known to players? I'm just starting to think that leaving the starting systems will basically be saying goodbye to player encounters.

 

[Retrac100]

I'm thinking that multiple ship ownership and also multiple character slots means that most people will still have a presence around the starting area, so you can go far out with 1 character but keep another at Eranin to fight the war for example.

 

[Jaeger]

It would be nice if lower ranked players were invulnerable to higher.

But that's too reasonable an idea for it to catch on, someone may actually decide a proper pvp flag was a good idea.

 

[metatheurgist]

There's still a point to online play. I can get all my friends together and play in the same space. MP isn't just about meeting strangers.

 

[Jarek Storm]

FD have been talking about dynamic events quite a bit, especially later after release. I could definitely see these as the "player hot spots" you mentioned.

Also, the vast majority of the galaxy will be undeveloped, so no stations, nav points, missions, combat zones, etc. this should keep folks coming back into the main hub at least occasionally.

Still, this is a massive, reality sized galaxy, so encountering others may be fairly rare out in deep space.

 

[Griever_XIV]

There's still a point to online play. I can get all my friends together and play in the same space. MP isn't just about meeting strangers.

Its not, but I just feel like the game will quickly become a single player game... I dont actually have a friend to play this game with and I feel like once I set out, Ill just never see anyone again simply because of how vast the game is and how small the player base will be.

If people started off at different spots, and if there were specific routes that were used between these spots, at least id feel like there would be some kind of chance of a player encounter. Think of it like a space highway between important systems, regardless of how far apart they are.

 

[Toxic_Waster]

Those who travel often come back. Just picture coming back in the baddest ship full of alien technology when everyone is still on propeller engines...

Another scenario is when I fly that far and suddenly where I did not expect the living soul I meet somebody... may be a friend may be a foe. I'll never find out until I knock...

Multiplayer option adds much depth in the game while the lack of imagination takes it away.

 

[VladtheImpaler]

I am worried about the same thing. If this does happen, I will stay close to the starting area unless some other system becomes hot.

 

[cmdr awesome]

It would be nice if lower ranked players were invulnerable to higher.

But that's too reasonable an idea for it to catch on, someone may actually decide a proper pvp flag was a good idea.

Hmm. Nice sentiment, but likely to be bad. A griefer can grab a free disposable ship and attack your pride and joy while invulnerable? I think FD have a better solution with the bounty system. For most people, by the time you've earned a powerful ship, you've learned responsibility. There will still be the occasional psychopath, but they will be outnumbered by police and bounty hunters.

 

[Muldeh]

Imo being ganked and killed by a higher ranked player or group of players shouldn't demoralise anyone, but instead motivate them to improve their skills and upgrade their ship so that one day they can say no, I'm not going to be bullied, you're the one who is going to have your ship blown into a million pieces, pewpew!

 

[AndersonDG]

It would be nice if lower ranked players were invulnerable to higher.

But that's too reasonable an idea for it to catch on, someone may actually decide a proper pvp flag was a good idea.

An idea like that won't catch on because it goes counter to the core ideals of the game, freedom and the idea that like in the real world anything can happen at any time. Space is a very large and dangerous place.

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Events!

You are correct OP that some of the player base will spread out to find a part of the galaxy to claim as their own and play in.

The rest will congregate around the starting area (within 100LY or so) whilst they work on some particular aspect of the game.

Periodically FD will add "events" - watch the news page in stations for notifications of them. This will draw people together naturally

 

[Joe Spivey]

I get a feeling that once the game goes live, everyone will gradually start drifting away from the starting area, and the longer the game is live, the less likely you will be to run into another person. Within a few months, the very few amount of players playing this game will be scattered sooooo far away from each other... This leaves me wondering, whats the point of this game being online to begin with? The only player encounters I can imagine in the long run is gimped out pirates who go back to the starting area to pirate beginners, but the majority of the player base will be spread so thin that actual player encounters simply wont happen anymore.
Is there a way to avoid this, is there a plan that I don't know about, such as certain hotspots that would be generally known to players? I'm just starting to think that leaving the starting systems will basically be saying goodbye to player encounters.

Just so we are clear here. Can I ask the OP what he defines as a player 'encounter'. All too often this argument is used by those who just want to gank new players to get their kill score up. That aside I don't see there being much of a problem. Players who want to play solo will play solo. Coop PvE players will form huge friend lists so they can play together. PvP players will also form huge friends lists of players who like to shoot each other. Open play will cater for those players who want the added spice of possible PvP encounters. Hmmmm, the only ones I can see who won't be happy with things as they are now are the baby seal hunters.

 

[cptzipzap]

not everyone will be an explorer.. somepeople want trade. need populated systems. some people want pirate need populated systems some people want bounty hunt need populated systems to maximize efficiency.
some people dont maximize effiency.

and multiplayer doesnt mean you have to be in group with healer and damage dealer all the time. forget wow and the like.

I think to meet a player once a week is much more fscinating then city hubs in WOW

and there indirect multiplayer aspects: trading - scanned explored systems maps to buy...

 

[Demonic Squid]

It would be nice if lower ranked players were invulnerable to higher.

But that's too reasonable an idea for it to catch on, someone may actually decide a proper pvp flag was a good idea.

So reasonable in-fact that they implemented a Solo-play mode just so you can't get griefed!

 

[Hexen]

I was involved in trading earlier and travelled rather far but now I spend my time in Eranin conflict zones. I see no point to go any further because all PvP and PvE I want is already there.

 

[Jorlin]

If i meet people: OK
If they interact with me (in whichever way): Fine.
If i don't see anyone: Fine too. I don't need others to play the game.

 

[MikeGreg]

There's still a point to online play. I can get all my friends together and play in the same space. MP isn't just about meeting strangers.

Are you sure
so far i have only ever seen one live player and that was just for a few moments before he hyperdrove out
i have joined a group, and as yet never seen anyone
for me Group and MP is the same thing ie: open MP or Private MP and both dont work

 

[Jorlin]

Are you sure
so far i have only ever seen one live player and that was just for a few moments before he hyperdrove out
i have joined a group, and as yet never seen anyone
for me Group and MP is the same thing ie: open MP or Private MP and both dont work

I have met more "three player groups" at LP98-132 navpoint in the last days than i could survive

 

[Dodger Long]

And a few of us are looking forward to deep deep space along with my son Who unlike his DAD is good at fighting, and has agreed to fly as my wing man while we explore the universe, checking out the planets we will eventually land on, and the Fear of knowing we !!Could !! meet some one who wants to test his metal against us, is for us the ultimate Co-op we Can use in ED, and like one of the guys said, keep a ship for local work, whether that's PVP, or local trading. If my memory is correct in the very 1st ELITE, I as a young teenager ask mum when can i go to work with DAD, soon she'd say then one day while waiting to Hyper Jump with DAD, a mysterious ship moved in, and I was forced into escape pod seconds before my father was blown up, In a hospital bed a Holo-gram from my uncle reveled to me my Father was NO ordinary Trader. But was In fact ELITE. who had reportedly found the Utopia Planet RAXXLA. and thats why he was Killed. (for the benefit of newbies to ED) I spent 18mth playing the original, and I kept reading the book that came with Elite to see if there was a clue to Raxxlar, I ended up (I think) some 480LYs away from Lave, never found it(it probably never existed) lol, but it kept me playing. ED for me will have every thing I want in a Space game.
Enjoy guys , see you in deep space.