Dangers of overplaying ED

[DrugaRunda]

Uhhh, if you want an example that fits inside the narrowest brackets you could possibly throw up then sure, I would go with anything in the Grand Theft Auto series since Vice City. Or saint's row, or far cry, or X3, or kerbal space program, or literally any other game that isn't a "traditional" MMO like ED is apparently trying to be now.
ED always felt like the space equivalent of GTA Online for me, a large sandbox you can flute around in for your own amusement or to co-operate/compete with other people having their own little mad adventures. It's been straying from that since launch for me and I no longer feel like I'm supporting the same game I was 6 months ago. New features (most notably powerplay) have only added to the grind and repetitiveness instead of replacing the grind with meaningful enjoyable interactions. I respect that you don't see it this way, but don't try to brush the problem under the rug just because you don't think it personally affects you.
I was of that mindset until it started affecting me. As soon as your personal goals in the game become anything that requires grinding just to achieve, support or maintain ("I want an anaconda!" "I want to do warzone PVP!" "I want to take up piracy!") the flaws in this game will slap you square in the face.

Quite a poor comparison, you chose games which on Steam have median play time of 15 to 17hrs, same as ED, and some of them have been out for years, with max playtime of about 80 (for discernible number of players). This applies to KSP, Far Cry, Saints Row games and even GTA series, except GTA V which has the median of 37 hrs, and up to 150 max . You can check it out on SteamGauge.

Guess what, even ED, which has been out for a couple of months, already has median of 17hrs, and max of over 150hrs, which excludes most of the players who started before March, so ED is doing at least as well or better then most of those games that you noted for "longevity".

Sum total, as on most forums - there is an issue of perception, players would want more than they got, and there will be an unhappy, but vocal segment of the community. So be it, but in principle, short of pure multiplayer games, there is nothing out there which offers the same longevity play-time wise, as ED.

 

[Kirk-Fu]

Why specialise? Why not haul, high end low tonnage goods, in a triangle route long distance, honking on the first pass, detail scanning on the second .. and if someone attacks you, shoot back!

.. and missons


.. for a power

?

Well yeah, I've done all that, and it still gets repetitive even if you try mix it up. The foundations are laid but we just need more content on the micro scale to flesh all the daily activities out.

- - - Updated - - -

Quite a poor comparison, you chose games which on Steam have median play time of 15 to 17hrs, same as ED, and some of them have been out for years, with max playtime of about 80 (for discernible number of players). This applies to KSP, Far Cry, Saints Row games and even GTA series, except GTA V which has the median of 37 hrs, and up to 150 max . You can check it out on SteamGauge.

Guess what, even ED, which has been out for a couple of months, already has median of 17hrs, and max of over 150hrs, which excludes most of the players who started before March, so ED is doing at least as well or better then most of those games that you noted for "longevity".

Sum total, as on most forums - there is an issue of perception, players would want more than they got, and there will be an unhappy, but vocal segment of the community. So be it, but in principle, short of pure multiplayer games, there is nothing out there which offers the same longevity play-time wise, as ED.

He asked me to list games I've put a lot of hours into that fall into his specific stated constraints. Each of the ones I've listed are ones I've personally put over 100 hours into.

 

[DjordjeDtW]

OP, you have very good point.
Best thread ever.

 

[Tradesman]

Last time I checked I played this game a lot. No, I don't understand boredom and frustration because I haven't set goal to try all ships in the game. Because it's not my goal. My goal is having fun. And there's tons of fun to be had with Cobra.

Have some rep.

 

[Brusilov]

+1 For OP : )

 

[Katkon]

It's not really any easier if I am honest. You just get MORE of the bloody things trying to kill you.

I've owned a FDL and Clipper. Definitely easier than combat in a Sidewinder.

 

[Jim Steinman]

Another danger of overplaying ED, letting your XBOX/PS games pile up. I have something like 15 I haven't even touched.

 

[Toumal]

ED is a wonderful game because guess what, you can just stop playing it for a few months, then come back, and get a whole bunch of new ships, gameplay mechanics and content.

 

[Hurricane Moon]

i went through a stage where i played this game 7 nights a week....from 7pm till midnight ish..lol.......went as far as to make a homemade cockpit.
i have all the toys you can imagine for this game.......played the original back in mid 80`s as a young kid.

its always been a life eater...and im a married man with kids!,luckily the wife doesnt mind too much,and the kids are console junkies anyway(once they reach mans age i will get rid of thier potato boxes and get them a real gaming machine/pc).

elite very easilly sucks a player into "keeping up with the jones`s".........


now i have reached my goals in game,i have the Annie..and all the other ships all scattered around,billions in the bank......
at first it was fun again to carefree ride around doing trade missions and other boring activities like mining(tried mining twice now,each time fell into a coma)

but now i switch on and just have no desire to do any of the missions on the BB for any factions.....i dont like any of them.


even the online crew that iplayed with all seem distant now.....lonely and boring....

i could buy a space staion in theory,but there is no option for that lol.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

…
Everytime any sensible ideas about having consequences of choosing config setups for ships or having reasonable tear and wear costs people treat it like a penalty. But penalty for what? Choosing outfit should have come with consequences. Why people are so afraid of them? …

Expensive repair, wear and tear costs and a reduced re-sell price for modules would add a money sink into the game. It would become more about getting the money to be able to do something that's fun.

For example: if replacing the A6 fuel scoop of my Asp with a cargo rack would cost me 2.7 Mcr. I would have to earn that money before I can think about exchanging the cargo rack for that fuel scoop again to go out exploring.
If repair costs and wear and tear costs are to high I will have to think about what I do with that ship instead of having fun flying around with it. Paying 175,000 cr. for 99% wear and tear repairs every now and then only works if I'm heavily trade grinding and earning enough money doing so. If I wouldn't like the occasional trade grind I wouldn't fly my Anaconda if the running costs are to hight (like they have been recently) - but flying an Anaconda is fun.

With the current prices I can decide to change my Asp from trader to explorer and back. I can try 4 rails on my Scout and then see if 4 MCs are better or more fun, test if using it as a silent running ship is doable. I can cruise around with my Anaconda. I can earn money to buy an other ship that might be fun to fly around.

In short, without having to think about money I can have a lot of fun in ED doing things I like to do, when I want to do them (and not having to earn the money before being able to do it).

BTW: currently I'm having fun trying to dogfight in a Diamondback Explorer and trying to push a minor faction in a remote system - I'm earning almost no money, but I'm not facing big repair bills.

 

[emacinnes]

Disclaimer: I am not discussing 'missing stuff'. It's about how people play ED at this stage, their play styles, etc.

It feels for me that there's certain tendency for group of players to overplay ED.

I play it once a week 3 - 4 hours, and enjoy every bit of the game, varying stuff I do. Sure, I want FD to add more, but current game, with current NPC AI fixes, etc. It feels good. It's something I can enjoy, and when more will come, I will enjoy it even more.

However it muffles me that people play 800 hours and then say game is boring - because games tend to be like that if you play them for 800 hours for first few months. And no, I find 'no other AAA space sim' isn't really an excuse, you can vary ED gameplay with other games to not so feel bored so much. Still people get obsessed over it.

Is it because current generation has been trained on completing games and moving on? Otherwise industry would have gone bankrupt, wouldn't it?

Ok, that's a bit of humor and overgeneralization, but really...why?

Everytime any sensible ideas about having consequences of choosing config setups for ships or having reasonable tear and wear costs people treat it like a penalty. But penalty for what? Choosing outfit should have come with consequences. Why people are so afraid of them? Why credits per hour matter so much? I think consequences make game more interesting. I am not interested in a game where I am safe and can't loose all my money. What's point in that? You will achieve...what?

It feels almost that hose players tend to play games for other reasons - mostly getting something unlocked, beating game, proving they're the best, that they have stamina to get to the Cobra...And I have come to conclusion that no matter what FD will do, they mostly will get bored in the end.

In my opinion, it's hard to play ED with mindset like that. If you don't enjoy event-to-event gameplay, if you have hard time to buy in, if you think everything needs to be Hollywood-ish style treatment, and certainly God forbid game resembling anything real life (in matter of customs)...even when FD fixes bugs and adds NPC dialogs I found hard to believe people will be able to not to treat it less like pinjata and more like ocean to swim into.

At it's core, the game advertises itself as "blaze your own trail", so expect people to go in 1000 different directions.

People complete games even less nowadays, that's why they're making them ever shorter and insta-win, insta-rank up. Down to 6-8 hours for a typical shooter these days, way down from 40, as marketing showed that only 1% were getting to the end. As such, it's setting expectations for other games released in terms of "progression" and ability to "win", with clear goals, yet constricting games ever further from being a "game", with choice.

It's the Roman problem. The days are gone when one old lion running around the amphitheater chasing a single well-fed christian was acceptable entertainment. Everything is escalating over time, and the next lion needs to be bigger and fiercer than the previous one, while the Christians need to be less well fed, and eventually pre-injured, just in case the lion got hurt.

 

[torc]

you know what? I read a lot of posts here and i am really amazed:

Braben says to play the game as we want, and we do that:
I have a fully kitted Vulture parked on Columbus station around Jupiter and i switch back to my good old Viper....i play always in Open,and i didn't found any bad griefer on my way....sometimes i play just for SuperCruise around planets and make little explorations around my local systems near Sol...sometimes i make some assasination missions or BH in RES.
If i have time i go in some system with a Community Goal and i give my contribution, or just i can make some escort in a wing for some trader with some good and mature player.

I have 30 million CR and more or less 20 millions ships here and there,and after all my upgrades, i found that my little Viper is all i want ATM for my amusement.

If i loose....who cares? i have moneys to cover my insurance(very cheap) and in half an hour in a HiRES i gain all my lost moneys.
For your info, i had a lot of PvP versus vultures,cobras and other ships bigger than me, and i've almost never lost, since i know very well my ship and THIS is what i call FUN.

Do you have the problem to show who have the longest ''ship'' ? you're welcome to gain billions of Credits and spend all your moneys on anacondas and upgrades...and so?

IMO Anaconda is the less appealing ship in that game,and i prefere sometimes my 1Million Eagle just for FUN.

Everyone here have his way to play the game...i'm Scout and peddler, but i am Dangerous on Combat...almost did it just in a Viper, and i'm proud of it.
I'm here since Premium Beta and i play around 8 hrs at week when i'm lucky,and i really enjoy the experience.

So, who the hell you are to judge how people enjoy the game? we have rules and conditions imposed from Fdevs, and since we stay on that conditions we can enjoy the game As AS We Want.

I'm so sorry for frustraded people that wants MOAR and MOAR....just a little suggestion from an 34 year old man:
Go outside, have a beer, stay with friends and some girls, and when you want to make something different, Play ED. I think a lot of people do exactly the opposite here...no offense and forgive my bad english.

EDIT...I'm around Sol in a White Viper...if some anaconda owners want to PvP, i'll be glad to enjoy the fight....i will loose for shure, but i'll thank him for the great experience

 

[Hurricane Moon]

even though i have the Annie if im real honest....my most piloted ship is stilll my trusted onionhead Cobra.......followed by the python......i only get Annie out if i need to take on some bad People lol.

the only thing i want them to add now is planet landings and walking around various eviroments like the hangers and ships for a start...like SC....then flying down to a planet and getting out and walking off to a derelict old probe thats been emitting a sos.....all that cool and crazy stuff.....a bit like mass effect but with 32 crew mates and you get to fly the ships as we do now.

for me that would be the ultimate.


edit...heres a thought...imagine doing a load of bounty hunting in a res site...you fly back to the sation to claim your bountys.....
instead of a boring use your imagination text menu from the 90`s,why cant we get out the ship,and walk on down to the bountys office...where we have a small interaction with a npc and get our money....then perhaps go off to the local cantina for a flagon of wamprat urine?

 

[Crash1099]

even though i have the Annie if im real honest....my most piloted ship is stilll my trusted onionhead Cobra.......followed by the python......i only get Annie out if i need to take on some bad People lol.

the only thing i want them to add now is planet landings and walking around various eviroments like the hangers and ships for a start...like SC....then flying down to a planet and getting out and walking off to a derelict old probe thats been emitting a sos.....all that cool and crazy stuff.....a bit like mass effect but with 32 crew mates and you get to fly the ships as we do now.

for me that would be the ultimate.


edit...heres a thought...imagine doing a load of bounty hunting in a res site...you fly back to the sation to claim your bountys.....
instead of a boring use your imagination text menu from the 90`s,why cant we get out the ship,and walk on down to the bountys office...where we have a small interaction with a npc and get our money....then perhaps go off to the local cantina for a flagon of wamprat urine?

I want the Annie so bad and i own a python. I can see me getting bored of the Annie fast.

 

[Ozmodion]

hmm what to do when you get the best and then there is nothing else left to achieve.....

 

[Hurricane Moon]

I want the Annie so bad and i own a python. I can see me getting bored of the Annie fast.

Annie is good n all but the novely quickly wears off........its a bit too easy....especially if you have spent 800 mill in upgrades on her aswell lol

stick with upgrading your python.

 

[emacinnes]

hmm what to do when you get the best and then there is nothing else left to achieve.....

Delete your save and start again, this time in "iron man mode" where you delete your save every time you die

 

[Hurricane Moon]

hmm what to do when you get the best and then there is nothing else left to achieve.....

dude are you one of the noble "fule rats" yourself?........i think they are the most decent crew in this game...a reallistic and great service they provide.

- - - Updated - - -

Delete your save and start again, this time in "iron man mode" where you delete your save every time you die

now that is just askin for a stress induced heart attack

 

[nats]

I find there is nothing in the present release of ED that makes me feel like I must play it. I havent played it for a few months now actually. I am waiting for substantial content to broaden the wow factor, and that probably wont come until the planet landings are introduced. So no I have no problems overplaying the game.

Its just too souless and unabsorbing for me to spend more than a few hours in the game every few months at the moment. I still have absolutely no idea what Powerplay is about but I have no nagging requirement to find out. That stuff doesnt interest me at all. I want to play an exciting sim game where I can live an exciting life as a pirate or a bounty hunter. I dont have any wish to play a mediocre strategy game.

They are heading in the wrong direction for me.

Once all the ships are in the game, the stations are more varied, I can land on planets and moons, I can trace bounties across the galaxy with some skill required, I can intelligently trade via a complex info-rich trading system, I can explore a galaxy full of wonders incl comets, asteroids, a Thargoid menace and hidden secrets - then and only then will I really feel like I am playing a true successor to Frontier and First Encounters.

 

[Forlorn]

Been playing this game nearly constantly for the past few months (just ask my wife), and have accrued a lot of credits... but haven't done any grinding and am nowhere close to burning out. Still lots of stuff I want to do.

I get that this game isn't for everyone, but it sure is for me.