*Currently editing this thread*
Hello, and merry Christmas!
I'm finally writing reviews about Elite's features. Hopefully, this will be read, and discussed.
My total gameplay is about 1100 hours of trading, combat, exploring, Powerplay, while playing solo or with my corporation: AEDC.
Here I will be discussing pros and cons of the game.
▲ Elite - Forums
Let's start with the darkest point: Forums. One category: General Discussion. The other categories are used by a minority of elite players.
This dilute the feedback from the community and doesn't serve nor the community, nor the teams at Frontier. We also need a proper team of moderators who can quickly take actions.
Read my full Elite forums thread. Brett confirmed that we will be provided with a new layout, and structure. Wait and see.
Thanksfully, the dev team is active; they like to provide us with answers and more details about our questions, which make the forums ok-ish to use.
5/10
▲ Elite - Social medias
Very active to present Elite's news, Frontier is also helping a lot of players here, especially on Twitter. Hat off to the support team.
We are also getting great links with Ed, Adam, Eddie, David, Michael, and others which bring us closer to the dev team atmosphere. Awesome.
I think Frontier is using very well their social medias platforms, and uploading videos on YouTube very quickly.
One thing now: new languages, which means a lot of expenses for the community and support teams.
9/10
▲ Visual
The game is astonishing. Maybe less that what I used to see during the betas: we have less effects, less life in space. We indeed have explosions, and modules going mad: I would like these modules to be really crushed. For example if the right drive is off, I expect some smoke and fire, added to a loss of thrust on this side, changing how the ship's handle. I know, no oxygen in the atmosphere: however we have oxygen in our ships, which means we could have a quick fire around the module, some smoke as well. I would like model damage for all of our ships, to be clear, I expected this for the update 1.5.
This apart, Elite: Dangerous is a piece of art and I feel immersed in the universe. Now to see how the texture goes when we will be able to take a closer look, like with our avatar.
8/10
▲ Sound
A blast. Congrats audio team
Maybe a little more effects in space, to feel like we are piloting a ship in a dangerous universe.
Also, just popped in my mind for the surface: Lower SRV volume, increased scanner volume?
9/10
▲ Background simulation
Working well, not working well.
It is a very important point for a number of corporation, including the AEDC I'm part of.
It would be great to get a proper system that ensures 100% reliability... I know it's difficult, but still.
Secured systems don't have enough security; stop making our allies interdicting us, more meaning into NPC's actions...... persistent universe and non P2P?
6/10
▲ Community driven story / Community Goals
Not enough player driven. More impact into the game, thanks to these events. For example the Diamondback event brought a lot: traders, which means pirates, which means fighters to protect from the latter, economies impacted, something is really created: two new ships. I would like more of this, maybe not new ships because it is a lot of work... but something that impacts the game.
The rewards are really good, compared to missions it is too much. I would like a balance between these twos. More rewards for the missions, and less for the community goals... or only more rewards for the missions? Be careful with the smuggling missions, it's too much rewards here.
As a veteran, I often feel that new players can buy an Anaconda within weeks; that took me months, and months. I know Elite is about grinding, and new players don't like grinding, but still (again).
7/10
▲ Wings
Interesting, however not developed enough.
I would like to share missions, I would like bigger targets to take on, I would like wings' missions, I would like this feature to have a better meaning than killing a player 3vs1.
4/10
▲ Powerplay
Great for money if you have time to kill, kill, and kill again. The undermining is the only way to make money, everyone want to make money, because that's how the game is built.
Controls, preparation aren't interesting but for hardcore corporations that want to make their power stronger.
Alliance is ruling because there is a few Elite that prepares actions to take each weeks, then the plebs follow or not. We are doing this because we want the Alliance to be recognized (like, really).
Season 1 seemed to be in favor of the Empire, the season 2 is apparently about the Federation.... I so hope that the Alliance will not be in season 3, it's too far away.
Also, the modes are killing Powerplay: Solo players can do whatever they want while Open Play players feel alone and useless. We need Powerplay players to be brought in ONE game mode.
There is no Power decals.
The Powerplay weapons are mainly useless compared to other weapons. I do not want something overpowered, I want something useful and balanced among other weapons.
6/10
▲ CQC
I play CQC when I'm bored of the universe. CQC should not be outside of the universe.
It could grant us with unique small bonuses that we would be able to use in the live server.
Though, this mode is really, really fun. I love the perks, the ships, the visual, the sound, it feels like an arena... with no meaning.
I personally love the Condor.
7.5/10
▲ Ships
Where. are. the. Alliance. ships. We should have manufacturers, great ships, bigger traders.
I chose to use only independent manufacturers, Leesti ones for example: playing a Python, an Anaconda, a Diamondback, ...
The ships are great indeed, though I would like them to be more alive, more moving parts, stances, damage model.
I am not into fantasy ships, I prefer those like Elite, that are the most common to be used in a possible real future.
I would like the bigger ships to get more jump range. It feels weird that a Federal Corvette can't even jump well. I mean, it's a Corvette! Imagine the power.
7/10
▲ Horizons
Empty at the moment, I have all the materials, the missions are not interesting because I already have plenty of money.
At the moment I am looking for the Thargoids or possible other races, exploring the space.
I don't understand the POI that pops Gold canisters... from our faction. If I steal it, I got a bounty... well, dude it's tempting. The Data intel packages are also a bit random. I want Alliance intel, not Empire ones.
The surface feel really great, even if the handle of the SRV is sometimes frustrating on low gravity worlds. I feel like the stars aren't moving at all though, like the time is frozen; It should be moving around me.
New things to buy and sell? Awesome! I need a new Trader bible
6.5/10 at the moment of the 2.0
▲ Loot and Crafting
I expect it to be exactly how they said it would be: creating the weapons and equipment made for me. As a farmer, I'll do everything to get it right for my ships.
Be careful with the balancing! Levels with button that go up, and down could be great to configure our equipments.
▲ Multicrew
No AI? I understand we can already do the weapons, navigation, repairs alone... but i would feel awesome to get AI NPC next to us. Maybe one could be named Astra, while the other is Mars? Get it?
I hope this will not bring a huge advantage to multicrew players... really.
I hope that we will be able to put more strength onto rear shields, or sides, to use turrets for good, to prepare jumps while another one is repairing a module, ... like a real spaceship would.
▲ Ship-launched fighters
3/4 fighters, like the team said. 4 looks overpowered. 3 looks good. 2 looks ok-ish. 1 looks awful.
I hope that this will not be overpowered. As for everything: balancing.
Do you imagine, launching 4 of your awesome fighters friends?
▲ Commanders avatars
Like the 1.5, non sense update to gain time?
I'd like hairs on my head. And a beard.
Maybe we will be able to walk in our ships? Because I really feel multicrew will allow us to switch positions, but not walking for real.
