The recent uproar for the difficulty of this game has gotten me thinking.
Roughly and coldly merging groups, it seems like the community is 50/50 on whether game should be unforgiving or welcoming.
Most of the people who want it hard, have failed to express themselves as other than "THIS GAME MUST BE HARD, MAKE IT HARD NOW!" which I believe isn't the real agenda of these people.
Every small change is welcomed with new people thinking it's great and veterans thinking it's the end of the world and the new people are to blame.
I find myself in between these "2" groups. I am new to the game, I so like the easy start.
But, I like to challenge myself. Even better if I there is something I can aim for and set a goal there.
So, here starts my proposal for this "problem"
The following list is not complete or absolute. If something obvious is missing, it's probably just my mistake.
Let's call this "System Combat Rank" SCR
Combat ranks would change according to the political status of the system and the stability of the powers.
Harmless
- Systems where players start.
- Low in count
- Easy to find combat, hard to be forced into combat.
- Interdictions only if you carry valuables or by the police.
- Low paying, easy missions (Tutorial style go there do this?)
- Low paying, easy bounties. Includes the current "10 second rule" for npc bounties.
- Easy access, cheap asteroid belts to practice mining on. Low paying.
- (Doesn't spawn pirates with Cobras or higher?)
- USS' serve mostly as single ship combat tutorials.
Possibly more?
Mostly Harmless
- Around systems that players start in.
- Low in count
- easy combat, low bounties but bit more than before. (10 second rule changed to 5 second rule?)
- bit more interdictions, specially if you carry valuables.
- Pretty much identical the Mostly Harmless, but with less hand holding.
- (Harmless and Mostly Harmless systems fixed and unable to change?)
- (rarely spawns pirates in cobras or higher?)
- USS' serve as multiship combat tutorials (you + police vs 2 pirates?)
^ "Tutorial" systems stay with fixed difficulties just in Solo play? If the player wants to return to the "tutorial" systems they must either switch to solo play, or accept the political or SCR changes the system has experienced?
Novice
- First real systems.
- Bit more common system.
- systems controlled by and close to a faction start as Novice.
- Provides challenge close to what we have now in normal systems.
- Interdictions as common as it is now.
- No 10 second rule at all.
- Spawns all ships just like it is now. (concentrated in novice/competent pirates?)
Competent
- Systems around Novice systems contain a lot of these.
- provides slightly challenging experience than what we have now.
- Spawns pirates in all ships, just like now, starting from Competent.
- Some pirates are out there just for blood?
- Interdictions happen slightly more than before.
- Pirates equip their ships (shields banks etc)
- Pirate wings consisting of multiple ships.
- Pythons start to appear
- Rare Anacondas
Expert
- Common around competent systems
- Quite identical to Competent, but harder everything.
- Spawns pirates concentrating around vipers and cobras in size.
- Common to see ASPs etc.
- Rarely USS contains a ASP+ and wingmen.
- Rare Pythons
- Rare Anacondas
Master
- Common around Expert systems
- Spawns pirates concentrating on vipers and bigger. With better AI.
- ASPs become more common.
- Python become common.
- Anacondas become
- Rare USS Anaconda + wingmen.
- Occasional capital ship appearances?
Dangerous
- pockets of master systems contain pockets of these.
- Really good AI
- AI knows how to fit a ship properly.
- AI moves mostly in wings
- Smaller ships are always there to company ASP+ sized ships.
- Occasional capital ship appearances?
Deadly
- Like Dangerous systems, but further from the core systems.
- Really unforgiving combat.
Elite
- THE spot for challenge.
- Every pirate has a well kitted ship.
- Majority of pirates move in wings in company of Python or equivalent.
- Anarchy.
- A total warzone between major factions, with multi-capital ship combat.
- A group zone, or a place for the, well, Elite.
- Highest paying bounties, the place to make money with combat, with a big risk.
Of course it would be only logical to let the enemy ship spawn rules bleed slightly around itself, so systems with high chance of bad baddies would cause the systems next to them have a small chance of these.
PS. No game mechanics would change by the space you are in, only what you face change.
PSS. I am no trader so I cannot think how trading would change depending on the Combat Rank, probably with harder and more common pirates, with the increased need of escort on the higher ranks?
TL;DR
Starting systems would be low in count, difficulty and pay, to pick up the ropes. The further you are from the safe zones, the rougher place the space becomes, without forgetting to add challenge near everyone.
These are just some suggestions for the systems.
I'm not too familiar with the Elite series, so I don't even try to claim to be even mostly on the right tracks here.
Then the notorious question, What do you think?
Roughly and coldly merging groups, it seems like the community is 50/50 on whether game should be unforgiving or welcoming.
Most of the people who want it hard, have failed to express themselves as other than "THIS GAME MUST BE HARD, MAKE IT HARD NOW!" which I believe isn't the real agenda of these people.
Every small change is welcomed with new people thinking it's great and veterans thinking it's the end of the world and the new people are to blame.
I find myself in between these "2" groups. I am new to the game, I so like the easy start.
But, I like to challenge myself. Even better if I there is something I can aim for and set a goal there.
So, here starts my proposal for this "problem"
The following list is not complete or absolute. If something obvious is missing, it's probably just my mistake.
Let's call this "System Combat Rank" SCR
Combat ranks would change according to the political status of the system and the stability of the powers.
Harmless
- Systems where players start.
- Low in count
- Easy to find combat, hard to be forced into combat.
- Interdictions only if you carry valuables or by the police.
- Low paying, easy missions (Tutorial style go there do this?)
- Low paying, easy bounties. Includes the current "10 second rule" for npc bounties.
- Easy access, cheap asteroid belts to practice mining on. Low paying.
- (Doesn't spawn pirates with Cobras or higher?)
- USS' serve mostly as single ship combat tutorials.
Possibly more?
Mostly Harmless
- Around systems that players start in.
- Low in count
- easy combat, low bounties but bit more than before. (10 second rule changed to 5 second rule?)
- bit more interdictions, specially if you carry valuables.
- Pretty much identical the Mostly Harmless, but with less hand holding.
- (Harmless and Mostly Harmless systems fixed and unable to change?)
- (rarely spawns pirates in cobras or higher?)
- USS' serve as multiship combat tutorials (you + police vs 2 pirates?)
^ "Tutorial" systems stay with fixed difficulties just in Solo play? If the player wants to return to the "tutorial" systems they must either switch to solo play, or accept the political or SCR changes the system has experienced?
Novice
- First real systems.
- Bit more common system.
- systems controlled by and close to a faction start as Novice.
- Provides challenge close to what we have now in normal systems.
- Interdictions as common as it is now.
- No 10 second rule at all.
- Spawns all ships just like it is now. (concentrated in novice/competent pirates?)
Competent
- Systems around Novice systems contain a lot of these.
- provides slightly challenging experience than what we have now.
- Spawns pirates in all ships, just like now, starting from Competent.
- Some pirates are out there just for blood?
- Interdictions happen slightly more than before.
- Pirates equip their ships (shields banks etc)
- Pirate wings consisting of multiple ships.
- Pythons start to appear
- Rare Anacondas
Expert
- Common around competent systems
- Quite identical to Competent, but harder everything.
- Spawns pirates concentrating around vipers and cobras in size.
- Common to see ASPs etc.
- Rarely USS contains a ASP+ and wingmen.
- Rare Pythons
- Rare Anacondas
Master
- Common around Expert systems
- Spawns pirates concentrating on vipers and bigger. With better AI.
- ASPs become more common.
- Python become common.
- Anacondas become
- Rare USS Anaconda + wingmen.
- Occasional capital ship appearances?
Dangerous
- pockets of master systems contain pockets of these.
- Really good AI
- AI knows how to fit a ship properly.
- AI moves mostly in wings
- Smaller ships are always there to company ASP+ sized ships.
- Occasional capital ship appearances?
Deadly
- Like Dangerous systems, but further from the core systems.
- Really unforgiving combat.
Elite
- THE spot for challenge.
- Every pirate has a well kitted ship.
- Majority of pirates move in wings in company of Python or equivalent.
- Anarchy.
- A total warzone between major factions, with multi-capital ship combat.
- A group zone, or a place for the, well, Elite.
- Highest paying bounties, the place to make money with combat, with a big risk.
Of course it would be only logical to let the enemy ship spawn rules bleed slightly around itself, so systems with high chance of bad baddies would cause the systems next to them have a small chance of these.
PS. No game mechanics would change by the space you are in, only what you face change.
PSS. I am no trader so I cannot think how trading would change depending on the Combat Rank, probably with harder and more common pirates, with the increased need of escort on the higher ranks?
TL;DR
Starting systems would be low in count, difficulty and pay, to pick up the ropes. The further you are from the safe zones, the rougher place the space becomes, without forgetting to add challenge near everyone.
These are just some suggestions for the systems.
I'm not too familiar with the Elite series, so I don't even try to claim to be even mostly on the right tracks here.
Then the notorious question, What do you think?
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