ED game mechanics that are now pointless :(

[SentineI]

Some of you guys are focussing WAY too much on the cost aspect of a few of my suggestions, and there also seems doubt about whether docking fees ever existed in ED, so I've removed that entirely from my OP, and shoved "Fuel costs" to the bottom (I didn't think it was important anyway - it was just part of my list of nerfed mechanics).

So at is stands, now only 1 in 3 of my nerfed mechanics (fuel) are now primarily about costs. While a 2nd one (repairs) merely suggests increased costs as one possible solution.

The glaring problem in the game right now is the mission system

Yup, and FDev have confirmed that they are addressing this.

Frankly, the idea that the whole game needs to be re-calibrated because you want to pay more for fuel and repairs is arrogant and poorly thought-out, and ignores the fact that these changes were made over time for actual reasons.

Calm down! ANY change to the game can potentially cause the whole game to need rebalancing. That includes adding features like "Multi-crew" & "Engineers". My suggestions are rather less likely to cause big problems, since the mechanics already exist in the game in a basic form.

 

[ChiefRedCloud]

The elephants in the room are obviously credits, naval ranks and engineers.
Since Frontier is incapable to deal with board flipping cheaters who even post their cheats right here on Frontier's own site, earning credits, naval ranks or collecting materials for engineers is pointless. Just cheat.
Why not just add a slider and button on the start screen where players can pick the level of cheat they want to skip to in one board flip? Would save them even more time, wouldn't it?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_exploits

In video games, an exploit is the use of a bug or glitches, game system, rates, hit boxes, or speed, etc. by a player to their advantage in a manner not intended by the game's designers.[1] Exploits have been classified as a form of cheating; however, the precise determination of what is or is not considered an exploit can be controversial. This debate stems from a number of factors but typically involves the argument that the issues are part of the game and require no changes or external programs to take advantage of them.[2]

Chief

 

[Meeklo Braca]

I just want to point out that silent running is accompanied by an immediate sound, kind of like a weird suction noise, and also a gradual build-up of ambient noises that end up getting VERY loud as you reach 100% heat. It's weird that anyone here says otherwise.

There are decent examples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZfE4XGPQO8

 

[yodajedifishmaster]

Personally, it feels like Frontier is a new gamemaster in the "Monty Haul" phase of their development: giving away everything for free to their players so they'll think they are doing a good job. An actual good GM rewards clever strategies, good role playing, effective cooperation, and outside the box thinking.

The flip side of that is that a good GM also isn't afraid to apply the consequences of idiotic strategies, repeatedly out of character behavior, inner-party conflict, and lazy thinking.

er, on the forums people call those things EXPLOITS. we wouldnt want to try and disguise the exploits right? it will only attract rage posting.

 

[Teh Smoo]

Personally, it feels like Frontier is a new gamemaster in the "Monty Haul" phase of their development: giving away everything for free to their players so they'll think they are doing a good job. An actual good GM rewards clever strategies, good role playing, effective cooperation, and outside the box thinking.

The flip side of that is that a good GM also isn't afraid to apply the consequences of idiotic strategies, repeatedly out of character behavior, inner-party conflict, and lazy thinking.

And a GM has to deal with only a handful of people.

FD has to deal with an AVERAGE of (very very roughly) 5,000 people online at any given time... (Source)

If they had 1000 GMs, then yes, this would be feasible.

 

[Han Zulu]

Heat sink is NOT "Silent Running" mode

Lol. I'm an idiot. Don't know why I was thinking about heat sinks when I read it. (except for the use of it while being in silent)

 

[Marklar_]

Calm down!

Yeah, OK, I guess I shouldn't get worked up about it. But I guess what's really bothering me is that I don't want this to become a game tailored to old-timers instead of being inviting to newer players. That's how this game could die. Gamer expectations have changed since Frontier, I want this game to be challenging and rewarding but I think some people have forgotten how intimidating it can be for newbies. I know people who got frustrated after a couple of weeks and just quit. I'm expecting (and hoping) for some nerfing of the ease in which players can get credits now, and I think it's probably best to see how that shakes out before adjusting things like fuel and repair costs.

If you really want to do something interesting with docking and whatnot, that's probably best done once we have space legs and can actually enter stations. The way things are right now you aren't really docking, you're just landing.

 

[VerticalBlank]

Personally, it feels like Frontier is a new gamemaster in the "Monty Haul" phase of their development: giving away everything for free to their players so they'll think they are doing a good job. An actual good GM rewards clever strategies, good role playing, effective cooperation, and outside the box thinking.

The flip side of that is that a good GM also isn't afraid to apply the consequences of idiotic strategies, repeatedly out of character behavior, inner-party conflict, and lazy thinking.

*Applause*

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

but I think some people have forgotten how intimidating it can be for newbies. I know people who got frustrated after a couple of weeks and just quit. .

I agree with you here, but the answer then is not to cut complexity from the game but for much better (ingame) tutorials. they ARE getting better, i love the new section of tutorials with that woman who gives you missions etc. the downside is it builds you up for something which does not exist in the main game.

 

[StiTch]

Most of this irrelevant - fuel costs will never become relevant again; FD already buckled and took away any aspect of financial challenge away...and decreasing effectiveness of the "repair all" button? Just why?

Stealth/heat mechanics though...yeah, please let's visit them, though nothing to do with ousting SR. Particular attention required to the relevance of stealth/heat mechanics to NPCs, and relevance outside combat.

 

[Alec Turner]

Ship wear/tear (paint job) and ship integrity do not automatically get done with "Repair All". Repair all only repairs the modules and such, but after a month or so out in exploring, your ships paint is down to zero and if you want it repainted, you have to go into the repair screen and request it specifically, same for the integrity.

Just wanted to second this, Repair All does not repair the paintwork. You can only repair your "wear and tear" by going into advanced maintenance and doing so explicitly (or by having your ship destroyed of course). That's another one the OP probably needs to strike out.

 

[rennarda]

PowerPlay - well, I mean it probably does something for someone, but AFAIK it just makes some bubbles change colour in the galaxy map. Does not at all have the feeling of galactic conflict.

 

[iSteel]

Pinning the engineer blueprint - Why do I need to pin one blueprint to see whether I have the materials while I am flying around? Why cannot it just show all of them after opening the engineer. I think there is more room for yellow stickers in my cockpit to pin them. Now I need to use external tools like Inara to something that should be there on year 3033.

 

[Andovar]

"Realism" and "immersion" are killing this game.

I love sims. I play racing sims and flight sims. I love realism. But the sims I play also have challenge.

If managing fuel costs and docking fee were a challenging aspect of the game in terms of a survival game then great. But usually, you have so much money these fees are totally meaningless.

I don't think everyone is asking for more realism or immersion in this respect.
To the OP's point, these mechanics have become meaningless. So either add some meaningful mechanics behind them (and no, simply increasing costs does not make them meaningful), or remove them.

 

[Crank Larson]

Pinning the engineer blueprint - Why do I need to pin one blueprint to see whether I have the materials while I am flying around? Why cannot it just show all of them after opening the engineer. I think there is more room for yellow stickers in my cockpit to pin them. Now I need to use external tools like Inara to something that should be there on year 3033.

I wholeheartedly agree. I shouldn't have to use Inara to find out what materials I need for a blueprint from an engineer I am already at top level with.

 

[Andovar]

I wholeheartedly agree. I shouldn't have to use Inara to find out what materials I need for a blueprint from an engineer I am already at top level with.

This used to be one of my pet peeves.
At one point it finally got answered by someone at FD (think it was a stream with Sandro), that there were some technical hurdles that were keeping them from doing this, and it's not as simple a change as it seems on the surface.
I've just accepted it now and rely on the 3rd party sites.

 

[Henri]

how about ships get older and the older you get the less effective repairs become?
so then you either fly and old ship with the occasional malfunction or it may develop quirks adding to it's uniqueness or you buy a new one.

 

[Crank Larson]

I've just accepted it now and rely on the 3rd party sites.

Likewise. I'm still playing the game despite all its flaws. Fundamentally, it's got a lot right... There are just a lot of little n_i_g_gles (and to be fair, some bigger ones ).

WHY CAN I NOT USE THAT WORD?!?!?!

 

[Grisnir]

how about ships get older and the older you get the less effective repairs become?
so then you either fly and old ship with the occasional malfunction or it may develop quirks adding to it's uniqueness or you buy a new one.

would be somehow cool, but doesn't work because various reason like, repair by self destruct
and it probably increase the "Grind", something that Elite have already enough of it [big grin]

I don't think FDev could put it back to how it used to be, because that was way too harsh for most players (and would make it impossible to watch YouTube while SuperCruising, lol)... but I do think they could make it a LITTLE MORE tricky.

Super Cruise times are very controversial, but one way to avoid a player backlash would be to make it so that the *typical* times in Super Cruise are unchanged, but careful piloting could reduce the times from what they currently are. Surely no one could complain about that?


It would certainly be nice to see slightly more volatility. They really ought make these tweaks at every point release, and so they can see if it starts to cause problems for players. Incremental adjustments, rather than big all-or-nothing changes.

the rule of the Elite Forum is, someone will be against it, just look into the Planet Marker thread [big grin]

 

[Darkfyre99]

er, on the forums people call those things EXPLOITS. we wouldnt want to try and disguise the exploits right? it will only attract rage posting.

There's a difference between exploits and outside the box thinking.

Exploit: Using an intereface glitch to get grade 5 modifications using grade 1 materials.

Outside the box thinking: being willing to take minor heat damage to charge your jump drive while scooping fuel, allowing you to jump in 40 seconds rather that the standard two minutes it takes to scoop, cool off, and THEN jump.

Exploit: using a glitch in the mission system get paid twenty times for a single scan.

Outside the box thinking: Using your knowledge of Supercruise mechanics to arrive at your destination in seven seconds, instead of the three minutes the "70% at 7" method takes.