Colonisation should be more expensive

[Cosmo]

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.

Price is not a problem, there are plenty (too many) star systems in the galaxy. Most will never be colonized if everyone participated daily for thousands of years.

We need alternative activities to get facilities built. Because hauling for weeks is frankly very boring.

 

[Flimley]

With the added flavour that any BGS gardeners can expand into 'your' systems and retreat out the founding faction, leaving only the architect's name in the Local News section.

Yes this is quite disappointing. One poor guy built a startport near my home system and my pmf instantly moved in and now controls it.
That said, i have no idea if that cmdr was aligned with a pmf of his own. But still, how demoralising if so.
Additional... any way this is "feature complete" as stated by fdev. so yep.

Flimley

 

[Rat Catcher]

Because hauling for weeks is frankly very boring.

That is the great thing, you don't have to participate if you don't wish.

I've completed my Coriolis and am taking my sweet time over padding out the facilities I consider suits an undesireable Anarchy system, because I don't want to spend all of my game time hauling either, not when there are ships to blow up and cargo to steal!

It would be a little senseless to decide to take on a massive hauling exercise when one doesn't want to be a space trucker for a while, what do you want, to be able to hire NPCs to do it for you, while you play the game you want, while 'claiming' a system or 100?

 

[Rat Catcher]

Yes this is quite disappointing. One poor guy built a startport near my home system and my pmf instantly moved in and now controls it.
That said, i have no idea if that cmdr was aligned with a pmf of his own. But still, how demoralising if so.
Additional... any way this is "feature complete" as stated by fdev. so yep.

Flimley

It was obvious from the moment it was mentioned that the initial incarnation was just another BGS / PP2 feature, so would be tied to expansion rules etc. for those features.

We are developing a nice Anarchy system, I'm sure that the local lawfuls will want it removed...

 

[Starshot_Jigawatts]

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.

A single commander colonized 150 systems. Which was mathematically impossible. Colonization seemed crazy because of an exploit.

 

[Pville_Piper]

Want it to cost more? Don't want haul all that stuff? Park your fleet carrier in the system and pay triple the cost, problem solved

 

[Astrometer]

25 million is fine for your first colony. It should double for each undeveloped system you have.

 

[Reggit]

...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.

Meanwhile - on the Steam forums...

 

[Pville_Piper]

Meanwhile - on the Steam forums...
View attachment 420434

It's too hot! It's too cold! Said the three bears...

 

[Armchair]

Most players aren't multi-billionaires. This forum just contains a disproportionately high percentage of those who are.

 

[Pville_Piper]

And not everyone has a cutter or fleet carrier... I've been playing for almost 10 years and never felt the need for either, until now.

 

[Rat Catcher]

25 million is fine for your first colony. It should double for each undeveloped system you have.

No thanks, it is fine as it is.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

25 million is fine for your first colony. It should double for each undeveloped system you have.

Why though? I have 6 billion spare in my carrier so the only people you're affecting with that are new players. Why is it necessary to gatekeep?

 

[Rat Catcher]

Why is it necessary to gatekeep?

So that only the favoured few get to play, whoever they might be!

A few suggestions to exclude other players for whatever reason have been brought up, apparently from players who don't want other players playing their game, their way, instead wishing others played they way those folk considered correct.

There are only 400 Billion systems, after all, they'll all be gone if everyone can have a system... /s

 

[Dillon Fallon]

So that only the favoured few get to play, whoever they might be!

A few suggestions to exclude other players for whatever reason have been brought up, apparently from players who don't want other players playing their game, their way, instead wishing others played they way those folk considered correct.

There are only 400 Billion systems, after all, they'll all be gone if everyone can have a system... /s

I also think that for some reason, some people want a credit sink put in the game. Until FDev put a credit sink in the game of course, then that idea was wrong and we need a different credit sink, apparently.

 

[Armchair]

I also think that for some reason, some people want a credit sink put in the game. Until FDev put a credit sink in the game of course, then that idea was wrong and we need a different credit sink, apparently.

Colonization is NOT a credit sink by any definition. The 25 mil upfront cost is paltry, and after that your actions are all technically generating profit. An ABYSMAL profit compared to anything else that you could do with your time, but a profit. You make a profit over galactic average offloading supplies at construction sites and you get a weekly check from the colony after that. The colonization mechanic is pretty blatantly a credit faucet, just a clogged one with poor water pressure.

What it IS is a massive TIME SINK with the herculean amount of cargo that you need to build a single T3 structure much less fill out a star system. People keep claiming that it's supposed to be a team effort but every facet of the colonization mechanic revolves around a singular player except that third parties are permitted to donate to the cause at no benefit other than the paltry profit that construction sites offer above market average.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Colonization is NOT a credit sink by any definition. The 25 mil upfront cost is paltry, and after that your actions are all technically generating profit. An ABYSMAL profit compared to anything else that you could do with your time, but a profit. You make a profit over galactic average offloading supplies at construction sites and you get a weekly check from the colony after that. The colonization mechanic is pretty blatantly a credit faucet, just a clogged one with poor water pressure.

What it IS is a massive TIME SINK with the herculean amount of cargo that you need to build a single T3 structure much less fill out a star system. People keep claiming that it's supposed to be a team effort but every facet of the colonization mechanic revolves around a singular player except that third parties are permitted to donate to the cause at no benefit other than the paltry profit that construction sites offer above market average.

So the point of this thread is....?

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

So the point of this thread is....?

pointless.

 

[Greasetrap42]

What it IS is a massive TIME SINK with the herculean amount of cargo that you need to build a single T3 structure much less fill out a star system.

Yep, keeping in mind it is a very optional feature of the game that grants a solo player next to nothing. So after the initial playing around, learning what its about and the general mechanics I imagine most cmdrs will move on to the next new feature. Or return to their regular gameplay.

Remember PP 2.0? After reaching whatever desired rank why both continuing? For a solo player there is no logical reason at all. Unless the player just likes puttering around which is absolutely fine.

 

[Armchair]

So the point of this thread is....?

My opinion on the matter is that the current system is akin to predatory mortgages and that the small upfront claim cost undersells the amount time and effort that is needed to transport tens to hundreds of thousands of tons of material to a star system. A new player who can't even afford a type 8 yet can easily fall victim to biting off more than they can chew with a colonization claim. Especially if they don't have enough experience with the game to understand the gravity of just how big of an effort moving that cargo can be.

It's going to be a bloodbath in a few weeks when the initial wave of colonization claims start expiring. There are already players begging for assistance with construction of their initial station and those cries will only increase in number and desperation as the threat of falling short and their work evaporating before their eyes draws closer.