Elite Dangerous is the Largest Empty Sandbox Ever Made

[Genar-Hofoen]

ED is a game where you have to go looking for the sand, and once you find it, then you have to be inventive in how you use it.

I went through a period of disillusionment after having gotten burnt out with the game - but that was completely my fault for trying to force the game to "gimmie gimmie gimmie!" - Gimmie my Engineer rep fast! Gimmie my Empire rank fast! Gimmie my credits to afford that Cutter fast! Gimmie gimmie gimmie!

In other words, I grinded everything so much that I got sick of it all and went into a slump.

The revelation came a few months ago - quit "Gimmie-ing!" and start exploring what's available - that's when the game came alive for me.

The thought occurred to me that E: D is like a mirror, reflecting the player back to them. If the game seems empty and devoid of content, well...

Now, I'm enjoying the game. I've moved to the Pleiades. I'm doing Fed rank-up missions as and when I feel like it. I'm taking breaks. I'm being hyperdicted by Thargoids - not every jump, but frequently enough for it to be enjoyable, and that's starting to bring back that old-skool Elite feeling, and it's fantastic! I'm swapping between my Dropship, Anaconda, Imperial Clipper, and the superfast Imperial Eagle when my fancy takes it or when I feel like a change in pace.

I've tried to solo Thargoids - had my Dropship blown up by one, enjoyed the experience. Tried the Anaconda, left with tail between legs and grinning like a maniac when I realised I wasn't doing very well. Been sent on planetary scan missions to planets nearby black holes in the Pleiades and the view was spectacular. Another hyperdiction on the way back from a mission and my iEagle is spinning out of control with no power due to an EMP!

And many more escapades and adventures.

I repeat - E: D is like a mirror, reflecting the player back to them. If the game seems empty and devoid of content, well...

 

[Wasp0]

Used to enjoy Obsidian's channel, don't bother with it anymore, the comments section puts the Steam forums to shame, the amount of rubbish spouted is truly shocking, no community there.

Totally agree, but still watch his Videos as they are very informative. I just ignore the utter Canine Biowaste written below the Video! Not sure if this can be done as i don't upload vids to YT, but can he not remove the Canine Biowaste? or would that fall into the subjective editing category??

 

[darkwolf79]

Elite Dangerous is the Largest Empty Sandbox Ever Made

And just like with any other sandbox out there you have kids arguing in it. *sigh*
Peoples requirements and expectations vary, don't they?
Player A might want things that player B does not. Luckily neither player A nor player B ever get to make a decision on that.

Personally, and I highlight that I am speaking for myself, I am very happy with the state of the game.
It feels like the Elite of old, I can do what I want, where I want, when I want.

You want more gung ho combat with linear story telling? Perhaps play everspace?
You want more multi player? Maybe play eve online?
I want Elite. Now luckily Elite is still true to it's original source material and I do hope it always will be.

Ah well, back to the black. Still got many more LY to go...

 

[verminstar]

Heres another really POPULAR OPINION for why powerplay is not used very much.

https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDange...play_imperials_and_grom_fight_with_no_honour/

But hey its these forums that matter? And the same lines of text from the same 7 people. All were missing in the 3 other guys. One of them has a wall of text he likes to post.

It sure was nice not seeing those people and having a great and meaningful discussion where people got along and agreed with each other over this certain topic.

But hey you guys go ahead. Talk it up. Nit pick and try to shut down all the comments.

This ride is about to come to a full and complete stop. If it doesnt. The same problems exist as they are now. And you will just have people coming and going once they see its the same redundant thing you were doing when you started this game.

I love this game, and im not about to let the same people hold it back because they would rather abuse multiplayer features in solo and private. Modes that scream, I dont want to play with anyone else.

Absurd. And shameful to boot.

Reddit is the cesspool where all the pvprs went because they cant get traction on their salt farming threads on this forum...might surprise ye just how few take anything said on reddit seriously...their reputation preceeds them Im afraid as the biggest single whine fest thats loosely affiliated with this game.

How exactly does one abuse multiplayer features when the game doesnt have any specific multiplayer activity? PP is not pvp content and it was designed to work in all modes, so playing in those modes is not abusing anything, regardless what salt ye throw at it...all the salt in the world doesnt make ye right. The reason its not that popular is because its boring and too demanding...ye play powerplay and the rest of the game goes out the window...thats why nobody can be bothered with it.

Sorry to burst yer bubble but from a pvp perspective...pvp is a small subset of another subset of players. In terms of numbers, their number is literally dwarfed by the number of non pvp players who only tolerate the salt because we ddnt have any choice unless we just mute ye all...tempting notion at times but takes too long tbh. I got nothing against pvp players and deep down would love to see pvp made a lot more meaningful than it currently is...but this is not the way to do it and all this is doing is causing more friction.

This is more a part of the bigger problem as opposed to a solution...same as this whole thread tbh which doesnt appear to have a specific point. As critical as I can be of FD, this thread is still just meh seen it all before different day same old tripe mix.

Always wondered how games run on steam...does it not mess with the internals? I laugh when I see people using those stats actually considering just about all the gamers I know personally, only one of them even uses steam at all and I know fer a fact I dont...not even sure how to use it if truth be told. On the plus side, this at least means yer not talking on my behalf which can also be a point of contention in online debates.

Yes I play in solo...and open sometimes...I dont abuse any system, I simply use the modes to enhance my game experience by avoiding the games others want to play at my expense. If I wanna play PP then Ill do it in solo only because it enhances my game...thats not abuse of anything, that legitimate gameplay and working as intended and theres not a single salty argument that changes that.

As to the rest...aye whatever seen it all before bla bla bla...

 

[babelfisch]

Pretty much sums up why powerplay died and a lot of folk like myself turned our backs on it. Why you'd put a PvP interaction element into the game, then allow someone to bypass the risk of PvP to achieve a goal using that element boggles my mind.

Probably because it isn't a direct PvP element and therefore can't be bypassed? The reason powerplay sucks is because it's a stupid boring cardboard game, not because people aren't forced to PvP.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

The active player base is what truly counts and what's what I was referring to. The far majority of players have quit playing ED.

Eve Online puts ED to shame as far as the active player population is concerned. Eve also prob has a lot more player accounts than 3 million.



PVP is a lot more interesting when large groups of players can organize battles and conquer things. The Fleet Carrier and Squadron mechanics should add that. That increases player agency and make it more player-driven thus deepen the sandbox. They should also add PVE sandbox features.



Here's some stats for you:

CCP Financial Statements for 2016 - a review

Revenues are up 31% to a new record high of $86m, pre tax earnings are up 30% to a new record high of $24.6m, post tax earnings are up 4% to a new record high of $21m (the lower % post tax earnings rise than revenues rise is because CCP is back to paying tax again). Balance sheet is strong: $46m of Cash less $21m of Borrowings; and the Development Costs look prudent. CCP is generating cash and using it to pay down the debt.

http://marketsforisk.blogspot.com/2017/05/ccp-financial-statements-for-2016-review.html

The bigger active player base of Eve translates to $86 million in revenue ($21 million post-tax earnings) for 2016. Eve has paid subscription and Free-to-play options. Most people who bought ED don't want to pay a monthly fee, because the game just isn't engaging, deep enough. Elite Dangerous doesn't come close to that at all.

And? You're trying to equate popularity (or profit) with how good a game is. I'm trying to show you that its silly to try and do so. How good a game is is subjective, and yes, there are plenty of things that in ED could be improved, but i still enjoy it, even if (as you put it), the sandbox is empty.

Basically you are trying to present your opinion as fact and trying to use any means to prove it. Using player stats is not helping your position.

You have your opinion, that is fine, and some will agree with you, and some will disagree with you. People have heard you, FD have heard you. That is all there is to it.

 

[Darkfyre99]

Speaking from the experience of someone who did powerplay quite extensively, I think you're wrong there old chap.

A lot of the PvP/Open-centric groups that sprang up around Powerplays inception got tired of it because of the reason detailed in that Reddit post.

And I know a lot of players who quit Powerplay because they didn't enjoy ABA cargo runs or endless combat farming. No variety means dull game play. Not to mention the interdictions got old really quick. Dull game play means fewer people playing the game.

I'd happily repledge to my Power if I could earn merits via the mission board. Whether its fortifying by running missions, or undermining via missions, anything would be better than ABA cargo runs or combat farming. For now, I participate in Powerplay by supporting factions that favor my Power's ethos, to lower fortification costs. I keep track of a dozen or so systems, to ensure they are properly Imperial. Since I play primarily in Open, that would mean one more Open Powerplayer as well.

Not that I see anybody while playing the game. Open's pretty much a desert these days.

 

[GunnerBill]

Totally agree, but still watch his Videos as they are very informative. I just ignore the utter Canine Biowaste written below the Video! Not sure if this can be done as i don't upload vids to YT, but can he not remove the Canine Biowaste? or would that fall into the subjective editing category??

Can't comments be disabled?

 

[verminstar]

And I know a lot of players who quit Powerplay because they didn't enjoy ABA cargo runs or endless combat farming. No variety means dull game play. Not to mention the interdictions got old really quick. Dull game play means fewer people playing the game.

I'd happily repledge to my Power if I could earn merits via the mission board. Whether its fortifying by running missions, or undermining via missions, anything would be better than ABA cargo runs or combat farming. For now, I participate in Powerplay by supporting factions that favor my Power's ethos, to lower fortification costs. I keep track of a dozen or so systems, to ensure they are properly Imperial. Since I play primarily in Open, that would mean one more Open Powerplayer as well.

Not that I see anybody while playing the game. Open's pretty much a desert these days.

Ah yeah I almost forgot the constant interdictions...without doubt one the single most annoying and vexing consequences of pp. Cant rep ye until I sleep around a bit more and spread the love, so have some virtual instead ^

 

[Aashenfox]

Totally agree, but still watch his Videos as they are very informative. I just ignore the utter Canine Biowaste written below the Video! Not sure if this can be done as i don't upload vids to YT, but can he not remove the Canine Biowaste? or would that fall into the subjective editing category??

I'm sure that new to middling experience players get a lot from his vids, but since I learned about Elite and formed my own views, I find Ant obvious and without particular insight (but by no means worthless, he articulates well for those who perhaps struggle to put their thoughts into words, so folks identify with that, plus he has an epic accent and a calm voice). I would do the same if I were he. Yamiks on the other hand is more interesting, but I've fallen out with his channel as well now, as I find he just appeals to the mob (and again that's what works for his channel) without reading between the lines. Every youtuber has to hedge in order to remain popular. If you start opinionating on the really interesting topics, people will polarise with you and you'll end up either with a community of yes-men, or the opposite.

Can't comments be disabled?

They can, but to do so is to imply that your arguments (if any were made) were so weak as to not stand up to scrutiny (and commentary) by others.

 

[Rubbernuke]

Like it says. If you play the game yet find no fun, whats the point of carrying on? When I find no more enjoyment in ED I'll simply move on to the next game.

If enough people did that and simply stopped, bought no more expansions or paintjobs and the player numbers tanked that might actually change minds.

 

[GunnerBill]

There is nothing optional here.

Wheres your home system, Ill attack it. You will either lose it. Or you will have to stop everything you're doing to defend it.

Tell me where its optional? Tell me where direct PVP means anything? Tell me where you dont have the advantage staying in private and solo to take objectives or systems.

Defending your 'home' system is entirely optional. It matters not which faction is in charge. My home system flips regularly, my ships and modules are still there.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Defending your 'home' system is entirely optional. It matters not which faction is in charge. My home system flips regularly, my ships and modules are still there.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm never going to 'lose' my system unless you find a way of making the stations, outposts and ground installations vanish.

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

It's a concrete box. If it were sand we could do a lot stuff with it. But what cna you actually do 10.000 ls outside the not plot related pubble? Well look at the concrete.

Apart where you're right tihs is wrong on so many levels i can't tell where to start from.

Such threads remind me of bored king that sits on his throne all day and with mortally bored voice demands: "entertain me". Jugglers came in, fire eaters came in, sexy belly dancers came in... All are met with same reaction. Booooriiiing. So boring.

Nonsense, what happened is that FD glued us to that throne.

Why can I not build a station 30.000 ls in some direction by the demand of hoorendous large amounts of material I need to bring there? Why is that sand hard as concrete allowing me not to build a castle, a road or even a marble run? If we can't do anything with the sand in huge the Box, they don't need to wonder when we stare at it and say "boooooring". We have Billions of stars, if people could make own stations and had to keep them up the game would never overcrowd due to the size of the galaxy we have.

http://www.whenthefunstops.co.uk/static/images/logo_static_2.svg

Like it says. If you play the game yet find no fun, whats the point of carrying on? When I find no more enjoyment in ED I'll simply move on to the next game.

If enough people did that and simply stopped, bought no more expansions or paintjobs and the player numbers tanked that might actually change minds.

Thats what many did and do, but thiswill ultimately kill the game should the remaining ones not bring in enough money to keep development and servers running.

The game has a massive potential if it aborbs the elements that made the X series great. Give people abilities to build stuff create factions INGAME and not via Mail and join any faction. Then some proper economy and enjoyable Mining and you hav a load of busy people doing their very own thing of creating a home in ED.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

ED is a game where you have to go looking for the sand, and once you find it, then you have to be inventive in how you use it.

I went through a period of disillusionment after having gotten burnt out with the game - but that was completely my fault for trying to force the game to "gimmie gimmie gimmie!" - Gimmie my Engineer rep fast! Gimmie my Empire rank fast! Gimmie my credits to afford that Cutter fast! Gimmie gimmie gimmie!

In other words, I grinded everything so much that I got sick of it all and went into a slump.

The revelation came a few months ago - quit "Gimmie-ing!" and start exploring what's available - that's when the game came alive for me.

The thought occurred to me that E: D is like a mirror, reflecting the player back to them. If the game seems empty and devoid of content, well...

Now, I'm enjoying the game. I've moved to the Pleiades. I'm doing Fed rank-up missions as and when I feel like it. I'm taking breaks. I'm being hyperdicted by Thargoids - not every jump, but frequently enough for it to be enjoyable, and that's starting to bring back that old-skool Elite feeling, and it's fantastic! I'm swapping between my Dropship, Anaconda, Imperial Clipper, and the superfast Imperial Eagle when my fancy takes it or when I feel like a change in pace.

I've tried to solo Thargoids - had my Dropship blown up by one, enjoyed the experience. Tried the Anaconda, left with tail between legs and grinning like a maniac when I realised I wasn't doing very well. Been sent on planetary scan missions to planets nearby black holes in the Pleiades and the view was spectacular. Another hyperdiction on the way back from a mission and my iEagle is spinning out of control with no power due to an EMP!

And many more escapades and adventures.

I repeat - E: D is like a mirror, reflecting the player back to them. If the game seems empty and devoid of content, well...

You have pretty much described how I have been playing from the very beginning and still having a great time.

 

[Obsidian Ant]

Totally agree, but still watch his Videos as they are very informative. I just ignore the utter Canine Biowaste written below the Video! Not sure if this can be done as i don't upload vids to YT, but can he not remove the Canine Biowaste? or would that fall into the subjective editing category??

The type of comments in the video sections vary from video to video, and month to month (just as you see on these forums, some months there are a lot more negative threads than other months). Sometimes people are extremely critical of the game, and express that in very harsh tones. But as with places like the Elite Dangerous Subreddit, my moderation policy for comments is far more relaxed than the policy on this forum. People can write their opinion, and so long as they don't get personal or abusive, the comment will usually stay in place. That said, the moderation tools for YouTube are very weak; ban / delete are the only options along with a very basic word filter. So that means from time-to-time some very unpleasant comments get underneath the videos and upvoted - as happened fairly recently. However on the whole the comments that you see on the videos are generally pretty mild compared to the comments that YouTube blocks.

Not all videos are full of negative comments though, the video with the time-lapse has nearly 100% positive comments for example.

 

[Cosmos]

Well, obviously. There is not enough sand in the world to fill the whole galaxy.

True, but the 'community' has produced enough salt to fill all the galaxies of the multiverse several times over.

 

[Wasp0]

I'm sure that new to middling experience players get a lot from his vids, but since I learned about Elite and formed my own views, I find Ant obvious and without particular insight (but by no means worthless, he articulates well for those who perhaps struggle to put their thoughts into words, so folks identify with that, plus he has an epic accent and a calm voice). I would do the same if I were he. Yamiks on the other hand is more interesting, but I've fallen out with his channel as well now, as I find he just appeals to the mob (and again that's what works for his channel) without reading between the lines. Every youtuber has to hedge in order to remain popular. If you start opinionating on the really interesting topics, people will polarise with you and you'll end up either with a community of yes-men, or the opposite.



They can, but to do so is to imply that your arguments (if any were made) were so weak as to not stand up to scrutiny (and commentary) by others.

Some good points sir!

 

[maboleth]

OP - quit playing shallow games and play something else.

If there's anything I hate the most in the gaming world are those moaners that stick to the game/forums like a gum and won't fall out, but keep on saying 'I will leave for good'.

 

[Wasp0]

The type of comments in the video sections vary from video to video, and month to month (just as you see on these forums, some months there are a lot more negative threads than other months). Sometimes people are extremely critical of the game, and express that in very harsh tones. But as with places like the Elite Dangerous Subreddit, my moderation policy for comments is far more relaxed than the policy on this forum. People can write their opinion, and so long as they don't get personal or abusive, the comment will usually stay in place. That said, the moderation tools for YouTube are very weak; ban / delete are the only options along with a very basic word filter. So that means from time-to-time some very unpleasant comments get underneath the videos and upvoted - as happened fairly recently. However on the whole the comments that you see on the videos are generally pretty mild compared to the comments that YouTube blocks.

Not all videos are full of negative comments though, the video with the time-lapse has nearly 100% positive comments for example.

Totally agree with you Mr Ant, it's just that i don't read the vid comments anymore, i just watch your vids (Long may they continue).