NecoMachina
N
CG's have become a crutch because there is currently no better way to deliver the "narrative".
CGs are being far to over-used, and are not special or fun anymore
- Thread starter Eruptor218
- Start date
Is it just overuse? Or that they can't fail?
Or is it that they seem to be the only tool in the toolbox for pushing a multiplayer narrative?
I think that's the big issue. CG's are fine and can be fun and that the game always has one or two running adds a continual string of activities where CMDRs can make a little money, meet up with other players, try a new activity or two, all on their own initiative and time.
The problem is that Frontier needs some kind of mechanic, in game, that can support solo/PG/open play, work for individual pilots and groups, disseminate activity and move a plot along, and the only tool they've utilized so far is the Community Goal. But realistically, what else do they have? Unless FDev snuck in some brand spanking new mechanisms under the hood (kept secretwithout testing in Beta, a big, big nono for obvious reasons) what other part of the game engine can engage a large number of players and be flexible enough to involve all of them?
Otherwise, it's leaving needles for a lucky few to find in haystacks, to be then reported in the forums and on youtube which I think most people agree is not a good way to spread a story.
But the game does have other tools, like the Background Simulation for instance.
What would all of you think if the Thargoid encounter turned out something like this old add for Mass Effect?
...if the Thargoids were inserted into the BGS as another faction with no expansion limit. If they had their own state, along with war, famine, outbreak, etc. Present them as a hostile subfaction and create a new state called "Invasion" which would spawn conflict zones and non human signal sources. It would cause the markets to go to war footing, driving up prices for food, medicine, weapons and thargoid tech. The passenger board would be filled with refugees and rich people paying for passage out. If enough CMDRs responded, killing enough thargoids, the invasion state could be reversed and the thargoids would go into retreat. Or, if they weren't beat back, the thargoid faction would gain a base just like other factions do. Except this base would be destroyed, leaving behind a wrecked hulk in a cloud of green gas - with more salvage missions generating from neighboring systems to retreive items left behind in the devastation - or, finally put that Search and rescue screen into use with missions to bring back missing pilots and lost family members.
Have it start in Maia just to give CMDRs a taste and set the tone. Then turn the thargoids loose in the bubble and have them creep into Alliance, Federation and Empire space. See which faction comes to the aid of their endangered systems the most, let players decide to help each other or watch their enemies die and hope they can hold their own.
That's an example of what could be done to tell a story that everybody could enjoy. Each CMDR could decide for themselves to unite in the fight to save humanity, fight just to protect "their" chosen faction/system/power, or selfishly just try to survive and profit from the invasion, or hide in the systems far from the front lines or in Colonia and go about normal life. Player choice would be preserved. And as far as consequence goes, once a station is destroyed and a system cleared of the bugs - it's gone. Just wreckage left behind. We might be able to push them back, but what is lost stays lost. That would give the Thargoids some teeth.
And if the Thargoids aren't all bad? If there are rival thargoid factions open to some "enemy of my enemy" action, especially if a particular human power shows them a little love? The narrative just gets that more interesting.
But for now, all we have seen is Community Goals. Maybe, hopefully, Frontier went into this 2.4 update with something deeper in mind.
Guess we'll see.
Or is it that they seem to be the only tool in the toolbox for pushing a multiplayer narrative?
I think that's the big issue. CG's are fine and can be fun and that the game always has one or two running adds a continual string of activities where CMDRs can make a little money, meet up with other players, try a new activity or two, all on their own initiative and time.
The problem is that Frontier needs some kind of mechanic, in game, that can support solo/PG/open play, work for individual pilots and groups, disseminate activity and move a plot along, and the only tool they've utilized so far is the Community Goal. But realistically, what else do they have? Unless FDev snuck in some brand spanking new mechanisms under the hood (kept secretwithout testing in Beta, a big, big nono for obvious reasons) what other part of the game engine can engage a large number of players and be flexible enough to involve all of them?
Otherwise, it's leaving needles for a lucky few to find in haystacks, to be then reported in the forums and on youtube which I think most people agree is not a good way to spread a story.
But the game does have other tools, like the Background Simulation for instance.
What would all of you think if the Thargoid encounter turned out something like this old add for Mass Effect?
...if the Thargoids were inserted into the BGS as another faction with no expansion limit. If they had their own state, along with war, famine, outbreak, etc. Present them as a hostile subfaction and create a new state called "Invasion" which would spawn conflict zones and non human signal sources. It would cause the markets to go to war footing, driving up prices for food, medicine, weapons and thargoid tech. The passenger board would be filled with refugees and rich people paying for passage out. If enough CMDRs responded, killing enough thargoids, the invasion state could be reversed and the thargoids would go into retreat. Or, if they weren't beat back, the thargoid faction would gain a base just like other factions do. Except this base would be destroyed, leaving behind a wrecked hulk in a cloud of green gas - with more salvage missions generating from neighboring systems to retreive items left behind in the devastation - or, finally put that Search and rescue screen into use with missions to bring back missing pilots and lost family members.
Have it start in Maia just to give CMDRs a taste and set the tone. Then turn the thargoids loose in the bubble and have them creep into Alliance, Federation and Empire space. See which faction comes to the aid of their endangered systems the most, let players decide to help each other or watch their enemies die and hope they can hold their own.
That's an example of what could be done to tell a story that everybody could enjoy. Each CMDR could decide for themselves to unite in the fight to save humanity, fight just to protect "their" chosen faction/system/power, or selfishly just try to survive and profit from the invasion, or hide in the systems far from the front lines or in Colonia and go about normal life. Player choice would be preserved. And as far as consequence goes, once a station is destroyed and a system cleared of the bugs - it's gone. Just wreckage left behind. We might be able to push them back, but what is lost stays lost. That would give the Thargoids some teeth.
And if the Thargoids aren't all bad? If there are rival thargoid factions open to some "enemy of my enemy" action, especially if a particular human power shows them a little love? The narrative just gets that more interesting.
But for now, all we have seen is Community Goals. Maybe, hopefully, Frontier went into this 2.4 update with something deeper in mind.
Guess we'll see.
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Some never participate. Some try to do all of 'em. I occassionally do them. Its just another option in the game, dont feel forced or pressured into doing anything you dont feel is fun.
Pythonlady
Banned
They still good to play with players ehm yes 
Yep when things are an inch deep this is what happens. There really isn’t much else available that pulls players together for a cause.
The CGs in themselves I find rather boring, too. However, I sometimes visit CG systems for their danger potential. Sadly there's no danger at all coming from npcs once you have a half decent ship and some basic experience while CG systems are usually brimming with dedicated PVPers who are generally superior as I utterly lack pvp experience (although I build my ships with pvp in mind, ignoring the downsides this has for pve). I welcome the chance of being attacked, engage if not clearly outnumbered and try not to get killed...
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I don't mind community goals, if you don't want to grind more than you already do playing the game, just don't participate.
The problem is when you release an update, have the courage to say it will contain a """""story arc"""""" and use that dull mechanic ad nauseam every week to force a few lines of insipid watered down story bits down our throat.
Let community goals be a mean for the community to goof around together and use proper means to narrate a story, such as missions, voiced stuff, big system battles with limited rebuy price or something.
The problem is when you release an update, have the courage to say it will contain a """""story arc"""""" and use that dull mechanic ad nauseam every week to force a few lines of insipid watered down story bits down our throat.
Let community goals be a mean for the community to goof around together and use proper means to narrate a story, such as missions, voiced stuff, big system battles with limited rebuy price or something.
I'm ambivalent for the most part - I didn't do a CG for two years, now I do them once in a while.
I'm just desperately hoping FDev aren't using the metrics of these CGs to gauge players' interest in the narrative.
The one being soul-crushingly boring gameplay has nothing to do with interest in the other.
I'm just desperately hoping FDev aren't using the metrics of these CGs to gauge players' interest in the narrative.
The one being soul-crushingly boring gameplay has nothing to do with interest in the other.
I'm pretty burned out on CGs now that I do not really need the cash anymore (thanks Rhea ). Same old boring trade loops are boring.
What I think they need to do is better incentives in the form of improved rewards (not just credits) or some form of recognition.
Maybe with the new player codex they can add a section on CGs and something like "... has helped Professor Palin in a research effort for Thargoid sensors". It could be fun to collect these entries.
Or maybe with a series of CGs we could get an Aegis decal or badge if we have participated at a certain level.
Heck, maybe even introduce a new 'Community Elite' rank to strive for.
And maybe make it a habit to publish the top 10 CMDRs on GalNet so the high level contributors get some game-wide recognition ("fame").
On a whole and broader scale, thinking longer term, it would be great if CGs were revamped to really make them fun cooperative, collaborative player efforts. Right now it's more like the opposite. It's competition and people like to keep their best routes to themselves or in some cases even post non-ideal locations/routes to the CG threads in an effort to deviate traffic away from their precious sources.
). Same old boring trade loops are boring.What I think they need to do is better incentives in the form of improved rewards (not just credits) or some form of recognition.
Maybe with the new player codex they can add a section on CGs and something like "... has helped Professor Palin in a research effort for Thargoid sensors". It could be fun to collect these entries.
Or maybe with a series of CGs we could get an Aegis decal or badge if we have participated at a certain level.
Heck, maybe even introduce a new 'Community Elite' rank to strive for.
And maybe make it a habit to publish the top 10 CMDRs on GalNet so the high level contributors get some game-wide recognition ("fame").
On a whole and broader scale, thinking longer term, it would be great if CGs were revamped to really make them fun cooperative, collaborative player efforts. Right now it's more like the opposite. It's competition and people like to keep their best routes to themselves or in some cases even post non-ideal locations/routes to the CG threads in an effort to deviate traffic away from their precious sources.