Colonisation should be more expensive

[dj_wylie]

This may be a controversial or unpopular opinion, but I really think the barrier to entry for Colonisation has been set far too low. 25 really is pocket change to claim a system. And we make a profit hauling the commodities required. Personally I think taking on a full system should be a substantial commitment and the claim price should be more like 500 mill.

Apologies to the newer commanders that this would effect, but I'm not sure it makes sense for commanders just out of flight school to be a able to take on managing a system and building stations. It should be a goal you should want to work towards as you build your rep and wealth in the galaxy.

The current expansion has been crazy. Within a week commanders colonised 8000 systems and built 15,000 stations. A check on Elite wiki tells us that before now the full bubble was 20,000 systems and 66,000 stations. That means that within about a month we will have doubled it's size. The current bubble took like 1000 years to build! The current pace is both game breaking and lore breaking and just doesn't make sense.

Having system claims actually cost a substantial amount of credits will also give us something to spend our fortunes on. Most commanders are billionaires with nothing but an FC to really use them for after you reach a certain point in the game.

I think currently it's just too easy to claim systems and build stations. It really should be an expensive endeavour that requires thought on where to lay the claims. Not just have commanders claim everything in sight because they can.

 

[Pville_Piper]

Think of it like the great land rushes in the US in the late 1800s...Land Rush

 

[Darrack]

The current expansion has been crazy. Within a week commanders colonised 8000 systems and built 15,000 stations. A check on Elite wiki tells us that before now the full bubble was 20,000 systems and 66,000 stations. That means that within about a month we will have doubled it's size. The current bubble took like 1000 years to build!

Colonisation is the reason for this, not the price.

O7

 

[Makaan]

Hard disagree. The 25 million is just for the claim, the hard work comes after that and no new player fresh out of flight school is going to be taking that on with ease. It already is something they can work towards over time. I think it's great that new players can see that claiming a system is within reach and not gated away for the super rich to spend their fortunes on.

I don't see how it's lore or game breaking either when this is explained in-game as a new endeavor for humanity to spread out? At the current rate of 8000 systems per week, assuming that remains as such, in 1000 real years the bubble will have grown to 416 million systems. Just 0.1% of the galaxy.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

I don't agree that:

A) The rate of colonisation has been excessive. There's been a big spike as loads of players get stuck in, but I do not think this rate of growth will be sustained. Some people will find that the colonisation mechanics don't hold their interest. Others will focus on further developing the systems they've already colonised so far. Still others will focus their efforts on bridging projects like the one that's currently heading its way towards the Lagoon Nebula. The amount of players will not grow much compared to the amount of space that they have to colonise.

Nor do I agree that:

B) Increasing the cost of claims would have made much of a difference. Many players will have been around long enough to amass a significant sum of credits. If claims had been priced at a billion credits each, then I certainly would have been able to afford it, and I've only been playing since 2022.

 

[Sirius Sion]

Pretty sure the slow expansion was more a result of Hyperdrive tech not being what it is now in the game.
I mean the Frame Shift drive wasnt built until 3100s and it wasnt commerically available until 3200s.

I think 25 million is fine given the station requirements on top even for an outpost. This Lets those who are new join in on a new feature rather then often being locked out which drives retention in the game and provides the potential for increased cash flow for FDEV which can only be good for the games Longevity.

It is also in a beta so things may change but I would prefer them to put things in that slow down stations development a little rather then stopping claims.

 

[Flimley]

Complete boredom of singular gameplay will slow progress.

Flimley

 

[Armchair]

I think that perhaps the cost to stake a claim should go up but the amount of soul crushing grind to cart materials into the system should be reduced by an order of magnitude or so. A LOT of claimed systems are going to be lost in a few weeks because players bit off way more than they could chew with their initial construct.

Also, do not forget that a chunk of those claimed systems and structures built are from that band of exploiters that were leveraging that exploit that was letting them instantly complete stations in a system for free.

 

[Greasetrap42]

Having system claims actually cost a substantial amount of credits will also give us something to spend our fortunes on. Most commanders are billionaires with nothing but an FC to really use them for after you reach a certain point in the game.

I think currently it's just too easy to claim systems and build stations. It really should be an expensive endeavour that requires thought on where to lay the claims. Not just have commanders claim everything in sight because they can.

How much should a claim cost? As you pointed out, 25 Mil is pocket change.

I don't believe the number of systems claimed would have been much different if it cost 1 Billion per system. Credits are meaningless and as you pointed out, players don't have much else to spend them on.

Complete boredom of singular gameplay will slow progress.

100% agree. The large amount of commodities and time to transport is the real cost.

 

[Chrystoph]

This may be a controversial or unpopular opinion, but I really think the barrier to entry for Colonisation has been set far too low.

Whereas  NPCs have created prisons, asylums, etc without having to go through the folderol being foisted on players.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

The current pace is both game breaking

What particular types of gameplay do you think break from the bubble being 40,000 systems (or even 100,000 systems) which wasn't already broken last month by it being 20,000 systems?

(I can think of plenty that would work a lot better at 1,000 systems or maybe even smaller than that, but once it's got to 20,000 they don't really get any worse for it being even bigger)

100% agree. The large amount of commodities and time to transport is the real cost.

Exactly. Building a starter outpost takes time that an established player could have used to earn over a billion credits, if they'd wanted lots of credits.

 

[Rat Catcher]

This may be a controversial or unpopular opinion, but I really think the barrier to entry for Colonisation has been set far too low. 25 really is pocket change to claim a system. And we make a profit hauling the commodities required. Personally I think taking on a full system should be a substantial commitment and the claim price should be more like 500 mill.

So, you really think the content should be gated?

Apologies to the newer commanders that this would effect, but I'm not sure it makes sense for commanders just out of flight school to be a able to take on managing a system and building stations

Do you genuinely believe that a new player is going to be less able than a veteran in hauling quantities of commodities, and deciding what they would like to build?

Having system claims actually cost a substantial amount of credits will also give us something to spend our fortunes on. Most commanders are billionaires with nothing but an FC to really use them for after you reach a certain point in the game.

But what if one doesn't have a fortune? Gate them out of it?
I don't have billions of loose change tucked down the side of the sofa, and I'm in my 8th year of play! (I have billions in ships & FC etc. assets )

I think currently it's just too easy to claim systems and build stations. It really should be an expensive endeavour that requires thought on where to lay the claims. Not just have commanders claim everything in sight because they can.

It should be an endeavour that any player can engage with, if they choose.


ETA: May as well suggest that Colonisation should be gated to only CMDRs with Elite V in Combat...

 

[Pville_Piper]

Hard disagree. The 25 million is just for the claim, the hard work comes after that and no new player fresh out of flight school is going to be taking that on with ease. It already is something they can work towards over time. I think it's great that new players can see that claiming a system is within reach and not gated away for the super rich to spend their fortunes on.

I don't see how it's lore or game breaking either when this is explained in-game as a new endeavor for humanity to spread out? At the current rate of 8000 systems per week, assuming that remains as such, in 1000 real years the bubble will have grown to 416 million systems. Just 0.1% of the galaxy.

May be in reach but could you see doing this in a sidey?

I see a new iron man challenge here dwarfing the achievements of those who traveled to Sag A in a sidewinder, build an orbis in one!

 

[Armchair]

IMO the claim cost should be more than any starship, so in excess of the Cutter's 200 mil cost. Credits aren't that hard to earn, but the dirt cheap claim cost is almost like a predatory mortgage that conceals the magnitude of the task of colonizing a system from new players that do not have the capital and fleet power to move material at that scale.

People complaining about the explosive rate of player colonization are premature. In a few weeks we will have wailing and gnashing of teeth from players who lost out on their initial claim. Especially among anyone who got suckered into a T3 initial station.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

This may be a controversial or unpopular opinion

Yes, you might be right about that.

Personally, I think its in a very good place. Challenging for a solo player, not that bad for a decent sized group.

 

[Makaan]

May be in reach but could you see doing this in a sidey?

I see a new iron man challenge here dwarfing the achievements of those who traveled to Sag A in a sidewinder, build an orbis in one!

You're looking at 13,000 trips for that challenge at a max of 16t in a Sidewinder. Good luck to anyone who attempts it

 

[Pville_Piper]

IMO the claim cost should be more than any starship, so in excess of the Cutter's 200 mil cost. Credits aren't that hard to earn, but the dirt cheap claim cost is almost like a predatory mortgage that conceals the magnitude of the task of colonizing a system from new players that do not have the capital and fleet power to move material at that scale.

People complaining about the explosive rate of player colonization are premature. In a few weeks we will have wailing and gnashing of teeth from players who lost out on their initial claim. Especially among anyone who got suckered into a T3 initial station.

I disagree. As far as capital, the cost of fully loaded T-9 with the most expensive items needed is well within reach of the vast majority of players. After all, it's not like they are requiring platinum from non, mined sources.

As far as fleet capabilities, I have built my system using 2 easily acquired ships, the T-9 and the T-8. Neither are anything that can't be aquried by a very early player.

As far as a fleet carrier, the only real help they would be is the storage of the harder to aquire items that you have to travel afar. The other exception would be if your building site is more than a couple of jumps from your source of steel, titanium and liquid oxygen.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Especially among anyone who got suckered into a T3 initial station.

Get suckered?
The construction list details the required commodities, so the decision to build it is directly in the player's control.

I looked at all the options, then chose a T2 station, as a realistic choice if I didn't get any help doing it. (as it worked out, 3 of the squadron jumped in at around 60% complete and trucked a heap of stuff to finish it!)

 

[Nosrik]

IMO the claim cost should be more than any starship, so in excess of the Cutter's 200 mil cost. Credits aren't that hard to earn, but the dirt cheap claim cost is almost like a predatory mortgage that conceals the magnitude of the task of colonizing a system from new players that do not have the capital and fleet power to move material at that scale.

People complaining about the explosive rate of player colonization are premature. In a few weeks we will have wailing and gnashing of teeth from players who lost out on their initial claim. Especially among anyone who got suckered into a T3 initial station.

I disagree, because there is a big amount of commodities needed to haul to colonise a system. So the players would need to have first a big cargo ship like a Cutter or Type-9 in order to reduce the number of shipment travels to a reasonable amount.

Players already need to have a big cargo starship to be able to complete a system revendication in the 4-weeks timeframe without having to burn all their free time doing the same task repeatedly. What's the point of asking more credits from them ?

 

[Greasetrap42]

IMO the claim cost should be more than any starship

IMO it shouldn't be referred to as a claim cost.

Instead it should be called the greasy bribe for the contract to supply the materials for the entire system being developed. Because that's all the cmdr really gets.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and my father would say "Hey little buddy! Wanna be in charge of making dinner tonight? You can chop up all the onions and carrots, then peal the potatoes." At dinner time to make me feel good my father would say "Little buddy made dinner tonight!".