Skimmed through this thread and read a few key sections. A few points I want to comment on.
First, I fully support and only play in Solo mode. I play Elite to relax and for me multi-player games are not relaxing, particularly if they involve some form of combat. I enjoy trading and exploring and building up my ships and Solo lets me do that without any hassle or complication. For me Elite is similar to Euro Truck simulator in a space setting with much nicer graphics. The day that Solo mode is removed or crippled is the day I go play something else. Happily this seems unlikely but I just want to add my voice to support Solo mode.
Second, the game truly is great. I don’t sink hundreds of hours into games that are no good and this game has held my attention for a long time already. Of course it isn’t perfect, but it is clear that FD is invested in the game and is reaching out to the community for constructive feedback. People need to be patient. A lot of folks really underestimate how difficult it is to do software development and put unrealistic pressure on developers. We all want to see parts of the game get better, but this will always take time. I hope FD realizes that many of us do appreciate their work and efforts even if at times they aren’t getting everything right.
Ironically enough, I think one of the best ways to help make Elite better is to focus on gameplay threads on this forum. Ask questions about stuff you can’t find in game, talk about challenges that you are having in game. Share stuff you have learned, stuff you enjoy or things that aren’t working. How are you making money? What’s a good role for a Beluga or a Type-9? How was your experience ranking up to get that Corvette? I bet the developers could learn a lot more about how Elite is played and could be improved from gameplay based discussions than from threads complaining about a lack of sand. I for one try to focus on starting threads that are related to gameplay, even if tangentially it may have an implicit criticism of a part of the game I feel isn’t as great as it could be.
First, I fully support and only play in Solo mode. I play Elite to relax and for me multi-player games are not relaxing, particularly if they involve some form of combat. I enjoy trading and exploring and building up my ships and Solo lets me do that without any hassle or complication. For me Elite is similar to Euro Truck simulator in a space setting with much nicer graphics. The day that Solo mode is removed or crippled is the day I go play something else. Happily this seems unlikely but I just want to add my voice to support Solo mode.
Second, the game truly is great. I don’t sink hundreds of hours into games that are no good and this game has held my attention for a long time already. Of course it isn’t perfect, but it is clear that FD is invested in the game and is reaching out to the community for constructive feedback. People need to be patient. A lot of folks really underestimate how difficult it is to do software development and put unrealistic pressure on developers. We all want to see parts of the game get better, but this will always take time. I hope FD realizes that many of us do appreciate their work and efforts even if at times they aren’t getting everything right.
Ironically enough, I think one of the best ways to help make Elite better is to focus on gameplay threads on this forum. Ask questions about stuff you can’t find in game, talk about challenges that you are having in game. Share stuff you have learned, stuff you enjoy or things that aren’t working. How are you making money? What’s a good role for a Beluga or a Type-9? How was your experience ranking up to get that Corvette? I bet the developers could learn a lot more about how Elite is played and could be improved from gameplay based discussions than from threads complaining about a lack of sand. I for one try to focus on starting threads that are related to gameplay, even if tangentially it may have an implicit criticism of a part of the game I feel isn’t as great as it could be.
