Blockades - AKA How to kill the game

[geoffrey.hdt]

EDIT: First of all, to make it clear:
- My problem is not being blockaded.
- My problem is seeing players switching to solo / group because of blockades.
- I am not talking about real pirates here. By blockades, I mean people who tell traders not to come back, or simply kill them on sight.
- I like to be interdicted by psychos/blockaders since the ships I fly allow me to slip, fight back, or jump away if outnumbered. I am not whining here. Unfortunately not everybody is like me.

I, as well as some other people, have already mentioned that many times. We do understand you have fun doing blockades, but simply, don't.

Don't get me wrong, I love both ways of piracy: when I pirate traders, and when I am being pirated. It's all fun/challenge to me! Now, the point of a blockade? Telling traders not to come back or being killed on sight? AKA switching to solo*? Cm'on, solo is what kills E : D!!!


I do understand that blockaders are looking for PvP interaction...but then they should do real piracy instead:
- Either your preys comply and drop cargo (feel free to collect it or leave it there)
- Or they attempt to flee and you can shoot them down (you are already doing that)
- Or they open fire at you straight and here you have the fight you wanted (you are already doing that)


Why would you do a blockade rather than piracy then??? One more time, blockades brings nothing more than driving people to solo, and the open mode is already in a pretty bad shape!

*: Don't play fool, you know that they are here to score at the CG and reap the reward, and if they cannot do it in open, they will do it in solo.

 

[Bomba Luigi]

you could go to groups, no need to play alone if you don't want to.

Why do people always forgett about groups?

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

but, but, "emergent gameplay" …

I wonder how long it will take until this gets merged?

 

[Arry]

Isn't this just a figure of speech? By this I mean; a macho threat. "If I see you again, I'll kill you". Not really the intention of said pirate. No humans own systems in this game, yes they can make them very uncomfortable places to be, but they don't hold a areas. I agree with what you say. Telling a commander not to come back under threat of death, is foolish for a pirate. It drops their potential profits for a start. But when it is said, do they really mean it, or is it just acting the part?

 

[Cadoc]

I don't see the issue. Without piracy and blockades trade CGs are just the same as normal trading. Try to evade the blockade, fly with an escort, come back at a different time - there's loads of things you can do.

 

[geoffrey.hdt]

you could go to groups, no need to play alone if you don't want to.
Why do people always forgett about groups?

People that want to avoid any PvP risks can go to Mobius, I know. that was not my point.

A lot of other people are fine facing pirates in open. They actually play open for the risk/challenge. If they happen to lose the interdiction, they comply, drop cargo, go on their way and will be luckier (or not) next time.

But telling them that if they dare coming back, they are dead, means that the game is over for them.
To me, the game is over when i see less and less people playing in open.
I have read plenty of very positive comments talking about their last good experience being pirated. I read plenty of negative comments about being murdered for no reason, and being forced to open.

Anyway, I'd agree to disagree on this one. However I'd be very interested to know why one would find a blockade more interesting/relevant than doing real piracy (i.e.: stealing cargo, letting your prey live if comply, then steal cargo from this prey again later).
It's not like you gain anything for getting a CG to fail...and driving players to solo make it even easier (but boring) to participate in the CG.

 

[Carro]

I don't see the issue. Without piracy and blockades trade CGs are just the same as normal trading. Try to evade the blockade, fly with an escort, come back at a different time - there's loads of things you can do.

Except that CGs carry a bonus. That is, when they are not totally borked as the current ones are.

Anyway, why bother having to come across the riff-raff? Stick to Mobius or similar...

 

[Negative Entropy]

People that want to avoid any PvP risks can go to Mobius, I know. that was not my point.

A lot of other people are fine facing pirates in open. They actually play open for the risk/challenge. If they happen to lose the interdiction, they comply, drop cargo, go on their way and will be luckier (or not) next time.

But telling them that if they dare coming back, they are dead, means that the game is over for them.
To me, the game is over when i see less and less people playing in open.
I have read plenty of very positive comments talking about their last good experience being pirated. I read plenty of negative comments about being murdered for no reason, and being forced to open.

Anyway, I'd agree to disagree ion this one. however I'd be very interested to know why one find a blockade more interesting/relevant than doing real piracy (i.e.: stealing cargo, letting your prey live if comply, then steal cargo from this prey again later).
It's not like you gain anything for getting a CG to fail...and driving players to solo make it even easier (but boring) to participate in the CG.

If you are ok being pirated what is the problem being blockaded?
just the the threat of KOS?

 

[geoffrey.hdt]

I don't see the issue. Without piracy and blockades trade CGs are just the same as normal trading. Try to evade the blockade, fly with an escort, come back at a different time - there's loads of things you can do.

Yes, I am the kind of guy who never flies in a harmless/defenseless tinbox. I have tried it, just as an experience, and would hate to feel like canned food among sharks.

I actually have fun being blockaded since I either fly an uncatchable 60T cargo Cobra (have never been taken down so far, and am yet to be interdicted by a lightweight Cobra equipped with railguns), or a battle Python that can escape anytime if outnumbered.

My post is not about personal whining. I just wanted to point out that there are some people who like to fly in a harmless/defenseless tinbox. But I, personally, hate to see them switching to solo. We need them to have a CG feel alive and profitable for real pirates. We need as many players as possible to make open play enjoyable.

My point is that real pirates do not necessarily drive players to solo. Blockades do.

- - - Updated - - -

If you are ok being pirated what is the problem being blockaded?
just the the threat of KOS?

My problem is not being blockaded.
My problem is seeing players switching to solo / group because of blockades.

 

[kurush]

My problem is seeing players switching to solo.

I am glad to hear you have a problem with it. May be it will finally kill the game for (the likes of) you and others will be left to enjoy it without your whining.

 

[AndiBcool]

Actually i think open kills ED, because of ppl that want push ppl to PvP or just grief em.
I see ED as a solo game for me, if i want to play with ppl i will do a group with friends.
Afters years of playing MMO RPGs i have no wish to play open to encounter that PvP ppl again.

On a side note PvP is also the main reason for botting, real money trades and cheating.
A PvE player would just enjoy the grind and progress he makes, while a PvP Player needs the best stuff fast to be on the top.
After the PvP player has all stuff he wanted he gets bored and start grief ppl to get PvP.

I dont say play vs other players is bad but in Elite Dangerous its only a loss game. If you play Command and Conquer or Starcraft for example thouse games are made for player vs player.

I agree pvp is part of ED, but that makes the whole game not a pvp only game.

But i can also see open mode for PvP while solo and group is for PvE. If thats the intension Frontier had with thouse modes and open is suffering that bad, you can tell that a lot ppl dont want to PvP in this game.

 

[geoffrey.hdt]

I am glad to hear you have a problem with it. May be it will finally kill the game for (the likes of) you and others will be left to enjoy it without your whining.

So, you are the kind who likes to cleanse open play from the weak?
And I guess you are also enjoying to see only the strong participating in Power Play in open, while the weak do that in solo.
(Oh Gosh, here is another topic, please do not answer about PowerPlay )

 

[Midian27]

Piracy drives just as many players to solo. Getting shot to pieces in my hauler when i first got the game over 6 tons of cobalt sure put me in solo for a long time.

 

[Arry]

Then, if the 'blockades' are real, then teams have to be put in place to deal with them. A bit like the fuel rats, just a lot meaner?

 

[znôrt]

Telling traders not to come back or being killed on sight? AKA switching to solo*? Cm'on, solo is what kills E : D!!!

so players have to change in order for the game to survive? that's a very unrealistic plan.

i'd recommend fixing the game instead.

this is a known issue. one of many, actually, caused by forcing solo and open into coexistence. several viable alternatives have been brought up by the community, but frontier indeed seems to be betting on social change. pick a chair.

 

[Chann3l]

Blockaders aren't pirates that's why they don't ask for cargo. They are doing it for the "lulz" of destroying defenseless ships while streaming to their idiot fan base that also gets a kick out of it. And no I'm not in one of those defenseless ships I just don't think blowing up traders should be considered PvP as it's really not a fight and blockading a CG achieves nothing.

Edit : just an added note, if a game mechanic were to be introduced to actually oppose a CG and there were reward tiers for opposition I would understand doing it. Maybe in the case of the goals this thread pertains too you could bring infected slaves to the station to make the infection worse or something like that, but the way it works right now, the only reason people blockade is to troll or grief or whatever you want to call it.

 

[KaizoMK]

Then, if the 'blockades' are real, then teams have to be put in place to deal with them. A bit like the fuel rats, just a lot meaner?

Instancing kills this plan pretty thoroughly, we tried yesterday but couldn't actually find the guys, meanwhile they'd been blockading in another instance....

 

[Cadoc]

Except that CGs carry a bonus. That is, when they are not totally borked as the current ones are.

Anyway, why bother having to come across the riff-raff? Stick to Mobius or similar...

Even with bonuses, trade CGs pretty much always pay at best the same as doing regular trading, and most commonly they're actually a good deal worse. The only appeal is player interaction and danger, and blockades play into that nicely. Personally I don't much point in doing trade CGs in solo or Mobius, seems to me pretty much the same as just picking any old trade route.

 

[leetd00d]

I only once faced a commander telling me the system is blocked. I just lol´d at him, went to group/solo, and never played open again. End of story. I think all "blockers" are just kids that don´t get the game mechanics.

 

[bigtaff]

Sounds like this thread need to enter the black hole which is the Solo Vs Open thread!