Does having a roadmap keep you engaged with Elite?
- Thread starter CMDR Karrde Sun
- Start date
The thought has crossed my mind a few times over the last month, but with the announcement that the next step in elite is over a year and a half away its worth a post.
Since beyond has finished, ive started to apply that same state to the perception of elite in general. This hasn't yet effected how i play it, but its interesting to have that subconscious impression of disengagement now that there's nothing in the future to aspire to. Is this just me or is anyone else feeling the same? Maybe there was something of value in always having something to look forward to as new content.
The extreme distance in time to the next update, well is something we can't do anything about, but it simply is not encouraging (in the literal sense). If you like elite, over the time you spend you develop a huge amount of goodwill towards the game and frontier, and it kinda seems like a waste to drop it cold like that.
I do accept that frontier is frontier, and there's nothing we're going to be able to communicate to change anything they do, as always, so as parting closure to this era, heading into the void, there's just 2 parting points i want to raise:
On goodwill and cosmetics
I've spent my fair share multiplied a few times over 3 accounts, and this news pretty much shuts it down. Goodwill unfortunately for me at least, is a huge component in my decision to actually purchase them. A real component of wanting to 'support' frontier... very specifically in return for regular updates to the game. Without this the goodwill there is gone. Sadly its needed, because the cosmetics have real issues that frontiers naive ignorance simply does not cover after the first few purchases. They are stupidly expensive for what you get, and there's anti consumer practice of no sharing over multiple accounts, and zero options in game to earn them. Behaviour like this in reality would get torn to shreds by the mainstream gaming community if elite was mainstream, and it really was the goodwill of frontiers support to the game that allowed these practices to pass. It was mutual respect i guess, and with no support their offering is gone.. implying the same in turn.
Lament for the Thargoids
One era is closed, and we're waiting for the next. What a shame about the thargoids. Admittedly i've been keeping some door open for that to actually go somewhere, but now we're moving on.. what a massive shame. I remember the community and myself electric with excitement when the first hyperdictions, barnacles and trailers came out. For something real and very interesting to come into elite, so much potential. The fact that they've settled on basically sandbox colouring, 2 dlc like missions + upgrades and pve combat content is such a deflation. Another case of frontier really having us, im sure everyone would have been lining up to buy thargoid balloons and showbags, but.. that's it? Fizzled? I like what's there, but what an immense waste at the same time. My "personal narrative" ends in this post
Anyways. I've still got a bunch of sandbox goals to get into so wont be leaving just yet, but its lukewarm now. A forum post full of legalese language with disclaimers to turn off expectations is.. not that inspiring.
ps. As an inverse to the above, a bit of cooling off may be just the right thing.. forgetting about the game and community and just focusing on being in your ship again is another alternative. There's nothing to care or talk about, okay, lets just get back in the spaceship!
EDIT: Also frontier just put Obsidian Ant and all those content creators (except the rp guys) out of business.
Extreme distance in time?!?!
Some of us - many of us - waited twenty years for this game. Twenty years. Have a little patience. And, moreover, be glad that there's a commitment to keep the game going rather than dumping it.
And anyway, my engagement with the game comes from playing it. That seems to be the usual way of engaging with a game.
You could reduce every game ever made to such basic descriptions. I mean, if you don't like Elite, fine, there's no game that's right for everyone. But I'm not sure why you're getting all snarky about the fact that a game exists which you evidently don't enjoy. You could play something else instead. There are other games.
Well, no, not every game. Many, sure. For many of those, though, the disconnect between hype and reality is less severe, so the reduction isn't as fun to make.
I do play other games. I also enjoy forums.
What you call hype, a large number of other people call 'a game they really enjoy playing'. Funny that. It's almost as if your taste isn't universal.
Never claimed it was. I'm more than happy for you to do you.
You've summed up that you may not be the 'type of gamer' that can play ED for long. Maybe you ought to take a break.
Probably being snarky to me in particular, besides pretty narrow views of playing the game. True that every game has defined "game loops" which can often be disguised by the window dressing. ED has it's own type of particular dressings as well.
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Except you're obviously not, because you think people having a good time doing something you don't enjoy is 'hype'. Sounds like you're a bit jealous, chum.
Oh, I am. I'm about two months into my 51-week yearly stretch of not playing a really expensive game I once bought which turned out to be impossibly, fascinatingly dull.
No, no. I think hype is hype. That's why I called it "hype".
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Aw, bless! You come to a forum just to look at people having a good time doing something you can't enjoy, and then try and convince yourself that somehow you're right about, oh, whatever it is you're grumbling about. Poor dear!
Living proof that misery loves company.
That's right, this very forum where it's considered a breach of rules to diss other people directly, rather than discuss the topic.
But do carry on with your attempt at a character assassination of someone you disagree with, it's really painting you in the most marvellous light.
Bless your little cotton socks! You're trying so hard. I very much hope you can find something that you enjoy, so you don't have to spend your day getting worked up about people who gain great pleasure from a game.
I'm about as worked up as the cloud of fuzz that passes for "roadmaps" around here, sweetie. But likesay, you do you, with my blessing.
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Of course you are. That's why you had that long rant earlier about how you don't enjoy the game. Of all the things you could be doing with your time, you chose to have a rant about how everyone else is wrong to be having fun, and then start throwing things like 'character assassination' around as soon as anyone notices the oddness of that, it's because you're not at all worked up. Your calmness, and complete lack of envy for all these people having a good time, and wholesome absence of hyperbole, and devotion to absolutely not spending your free time focusing on people who enjoy a game you don't, those are a model for us all.
Calm down, dear.
Please, teach us of calmness. Teach us how to find nirvana in ranting about other people's enjoyment. That is true tranquility!
I'm glad there is a lot more planned for Elite, but the roadmap has no impact on me - I'd be playing with or without one.