Horizons An idea to create gameplay around Engineer Materials collection and their use

[psyantologist]

I notice that I like figuring out where to get a commodity and then taking the necessary trip half-way across the bubble to fetch one of it. Or four.

To transform this into more activitiy in the game, I picture Engineers trading Materials - they might screw over players slightly with a 2 for 1 exchange rate, yet allow transforming a rarity grade x material of one occupation (combat/mining/prospecting) to one of a different kind. Instead of always immediately granting the material the player aims to get, I picture a rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock kind of wheel; with a lil luck completed in one trip to one engineer, with slightly less luck requiring jumping from engineer to engineer a few times.

The luck value there is the initial RNG of the loot drop - the transformation wheel is fixed, maybe even memorable as certain tastes in the engineers start to show.

 

[gizmo6023]

There is too much "Game Play" now to attempt to find some items. Perhaps if the devs actually put the required stuff in the game so players could find it on a reasonably regular basis then your twist could add some variety to the game. I have spent over 15 hours of Game Play and still have no Modified Consumer Firmware and only 3 Heat Dispursion Plates to show for it. The stuff needs to be available before the engineer system can be used as advertised, or this is some warped dev's idea of a joke.

 

[Chris Simon]

I notice that I like figuring out where to get a commodity and then taking the necessary trip half-way across the bubble to fetch one of it. Or four.

To transform this into more activitiy in the game, I picture Engineers trading Materials - they might screw over players slightly with a 2 for 1 exchange rate, yet allow transforming a rarity grade x material of one occupation (combat/mining/prospecting) to one of a different kind. Instead of always immediately granting the material the player aims to get, I picture a rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock kind of wheel; with a lil luck completed in one trip to one engineer, with slightly less luck requiring jumping from engineer to engineer a few times.

The luck value there is the initial RNG of the loot drop - the transformation wheel is fixed, maybe even memorable as certain tastes in the engineers start to show.

Nice sentiment, but the next thing you do is complaining that it's not fun, you don't have anything to do with engineers, everyone has the best equipment and all you need to do is to have enough money. Meta game is created and soon there is no diversity in the game.
RNG mats were introduced solely to prevent just that.

 

[psyantologist]

Nice sentiment, but the next thing you do is complaining that it's not fun, you don't have anything to do with engineers, everyone has the best equipment and all you need to do is to have enough money. Meta game is created and soon there is no diversity in the game.
RNG mats were introduced solely to prevent just that.

You make the assumption that Elite is about grinding for the best gear - for many, it is not.

I would just like to have different things to do - and these are added gradually as we go along as the devs introduce new activities. Hence my recommendation.

Things are bound to change dramatically once the Thargoids arrive ^^ I noticed that there's a fresh patch of star systems, a band of stars through a nebula - searching for rob used to turn up Robigo and now it's a system in that area.

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There is too much "Game Play" now to attempt to find some items. Perhaps if the devs actually put the required stuff in the game so players could find it on a reasonably regular basis then your twist could add some variety to the game. I have spent over 15 hours of Game Play and still have no Modified Consumer Firmware and only 3 Heat Dispursion Plates to show for it. The stuff needs to be available before the engineer system can be used as advertised, or this is some warped dev's idea of a joke.

Kill Haulers for Heat Dispursion Plates.
That is an issue of complaint, - being forced to undertake certain activities, like killing Haulers, Type-Xs, for the purpose of getting Materials. I'd rather trade ;P

 

[Chris Simon]

You make the assumption that Elite is about grinding for the best gear - for many, it is not.

I would just like to have different things to do - and these are added gradually as we go along as the devs introduce new activities. Hence my recommendation.

Things are bound to change dramatically once the Thargoids arrive ^^ I noticed that there's a fresh patch of star systems, a band of stars through a nebula - searching for rob used to turn up Robigo and now it's a system in that area.

I am not making assumptions. It is a well-described, in-depth-studied fact, that if you give players the possibility to grind, they will grind. All of them. Even those who don't want to and hate it. There will be some exceptions, like you and I, but generally, playerbase is a herd of sheep and if you give them The one ultimate bestest thing, they will try and get it, totally ruining the game for themselves and many times for others.

You can try a little act with someone.
1: This game is boring. It's all grind.
2: Then go do something else. There are so many activities.
1: But then I will never get the corrosion MCs!
2: Screw them. If working towards them is ruining your game, it's not worth it.
1: But I need them.
2: Nevermind.

 

[goemon]

I am not making assumptions. It is a well-described, in-depth-studied fact, that if you give players the possibility to grind, they will grind. All of them. Even those who don't want to and hate it. There will be some exceptions, like you and I, but generally, playerbase is a herd of sheep and if you give them The one ultimate bestest thing, they will try and get it, totally ruining the game for themselves and many times for others.

You can try a little act with someone.
1: This game is boring. It's all grind.
2: Then go do something else. There are so many activities.
1: But then I will never get the corrosion MCs!
2: Screw them. If working towards them is ruining your game, it's not worth it.
1: But I need them.
2: Nevermind.

for one i'm not with you

i like @OPs attempt on "gameplay".

there are to many (very rare) materials totally disconnected from any gameplay. there is no reason in game to go for USS in outbreak systems - which is, besides missions, the only way to get pharmaceutical isolators. if you go for a salvage mission, you won't go into those USS - because they are not mission related. if you go BHing/ prating, you won't go into those USS, because they are neither convoys, nor weapon fire. etc. i like the idea of trading at/between engineers. or engineer missions. or almost everything, to get some of the very rare materials via playing the game, and not via waiting for random spawns.

min/maxing aside.

 

[Chris Simon]

for one i'm not with you

i like @OPs attempt on "gameplay".

there are to many (very rare) materials totally disconnected from any gameplay. there is no reason in game to go for USS in outbreak systems - which is, besides missions, the only way to get pharmaceutical isolators. if you go for a salvage mission, you won't go into those USS - because they are not mission related. if you go BHing/ prating, you won't go into those USS, because they are neither convoys, nor weapon fire. etc. i like the idea of trading at/between engineers. or engineer missions. or almost everything, to get some of the very rare materials via playing the game, and not via waiting for random spawns.

min/maxing aside.

Oh, don't get me wrong. Like I said at the very beginning, I'd very much liked something like that, too!

But I can also see too many downsides and how would it end badly and, naturally, I am over-acting it a little for a comedic effect.