How Elite Dangerous Could Reach Its True Potential
Recently, I had a bank holiday — three days off — and I spent almost all of that time playing the game. And I loved it. Truly. It feels like the game is heading in a really good direction.
To begin, I’d like to congratulate the development team on what they’ve accomplished so far. The current state of the game is fantastic. I'd also like to take this opportunity to share a few ideas that might help improve it even further.
1. Engineers and PvP Balance
I’m still not fully convinced about the purpose of engineers. Sure, I understand they allow for increased performance and customization, but I believe the game — especially the PvP aspect — would be much better balanced without engineering.
Right now, most PvP fights are won not by the better pilot, but by the player who has spent more time farming materials and upgrading modules. A highly skilled pilot without the right shield tuning or weapon upgrades stands no chance against someone with better engineered gear.
Removing or at least rethinking engineers could help level the playing field. I get that engineers have been in the game for a long time, so removing them outright would be difficult. But maybe there could be a transition phase or an alternative approach — for example, limiting engineering effects to PvE only. Other games like The Division 2 have separate stats for PvE and PvP, and something similar could work here. This would help ensure that PvP is based more on player skill than grinding.
2. The Black Market
The black market feels like a missed opportunity. Right now, we can only sell illegal goods there — but why not buy things too?
Imagine being able to purchase pre-engineered modules or engineering materials through the black market. That would give the system more depth and make it much more interesting. At the moment, it just feels underutilized.
3. Real Money Shop
I think the shop is a great idea — and I’d recommend taking it even further, similar to how Warframe handles it. Everything in the game should be obtainable either by playing or by purchasing with real money. That way, players have the choice, and no one feels cheated.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying real money for something like a Fleet Carrier or a Federal Corvette, especially since outfitting them with the right modules and engineering takes a huge amount of time. But again — balance is crucial. Players who don’t want to spend real money must still have access to all content via gameplay alone.
4. Travelling Within Systems
Lastly, I want to talk about travel inside star systems. Elite Dangerous prides itself on being a simulator — and I love that. But staring at the screen while watching numbers slowly change for tens of minutes isn’t immersive; it’s just boring.
Games like Star Citizen or even No Man’s Sky handle this better. I have no issue with travel taking a few minutes for immersion’s sake — but when I’m sitting there for half an hour doing essentially nothing, I’m more likely to just quit and launch a different game.
Yes, I understand the longer players stay online, the more likely they are to spend money on cosmetics, etc. But the game needs to be engaging — not a passive time sink.
In closing:
Big respect to the developers and management team. You're doing a great job — keep going strong!
Recently, I had a bank holiday — three days off — and I spent almost all of that time playing the game. And I loved it. Truly. It feels like the game is heading in a really good direction.
To begin, I’d like to congratulate the development team on what they’ve accomplished so far. The current state of the game is fantastic. I'd also like to take this opportunity to share a few ideas that might help improve it even further.
1. Engineers and PvP Balance
I’m still not fully convinced about the purpose of engineers. Sure, I understand they allow for increased performance and customization, but I believe the game — especially the PvP aspect — would be much better balanced without engineering.
Right now, most PvP fights are won not by the better pilot, but by the player who has spent more time farming materials and upgrading modules. A highly skilled pilot without the right shield tuning or weapon upgrades stands no chance against someone with better engineered gear.
Removing or at least rethinking engineers could help level the playing field. I get that engineers have been in the game for a long time, so removing them outright would be difficult. But maybe there could be a transition phase or an alternative approach — for example, limiting engineering effects to PvE only. Other games like The Division 2 have separate stats for PvE and PvP, and something similar could work here. This would help ensure that PvP is based more on player skill than grinding.
2. The Black Market
The black market feels like a missed opportunity. Right now, we can only sell illegal goods there — but why not buy things too?
Imagine being able to purchase pre-engineered modules or engineering materials through the black market. That would give the system more depth and make it much more interesting. At the moment, it just feels underutilized.
3. Real Money Shop
I think the shop is a great idea — and I’d recommend taking it even further, similar to how Warframe handles it. Everything in the game should be obtainable either by playing or by purchasing with real money. That way, players have the choice, and no one feels cheated.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying real money for something like a Fleet Carrier or a Federal Corvette, especially since outfitting them with the right modules and engineering takes a huge amount of time. But again — balance is crucial. Players who don’t want to spend real money must still have access to all content via gameplay alone.
4. Travelling Within Systems
Lastly, I want to talk about travel inside star systems. Elite Dangerous prides itself on being a simulator — and I love that. But staring at the screen while watching numbers slowly change for tens of minutes isn’t immersive; it’s just boring.
Games like Star Citizen or even No Man’s Sky handle this better. I have no issue with travel taking a few minutes for immersion’s sake — but when I’m sitting there for half an hour doing essentially nothing, I’m more likely to just quit and launch a different game.
Yes, I understand the longer players stay online, the more likely they are to spend money on cosmetics, etc. But the game needs to be engaging — not a passive time sink.
In closing:
Big respect to the developers and management team. You're doing a great job — keep going strong!
