Hi. I'm curious about why Elite: Dangerous can't be MMO? I'm thinking about something like Eve Online where the players rule the world in game, give missions to other players, be the pirates and attack other players in open world. Is there any possibility that Elite: Dangerous would be like that?
^^ your defintion of MMO as a reference.
ED is a game, set in an instanced massive multiplayer sandbox single persistent universe

eek

, with the added option for people to play solo.
Players that don't like EVE (as you reference it), quit the game. In ED they can cater to themselves and go solo (ignoring parts of the universe can be done, but only conditionally).
You can give "missions" or "contract" other people (delivery guys, bounty hunters, escorts, ...) in ED.
You can attack other players in open world PvP.
You can...
You can...
You can...
All these actions (and others) entail consequences, risks and benefits, all dependent on the way you as a player tackle these challenges.
eg. flying with complete strangers might result in friendly fire or might yield you a new "friend", attack someone in a secure system can be done will get the cops and bounty hunters on your tail and impact reputation, a trader taking shortcut through anarchy gains time but increases his risk, ...
If the mechanics aren't explictely in ED, they are there implicitely. So for me the possibilities are much more endless than in many MMO's out there.
You cannot "plant your flag" on a planet though. After all, you're just an insignificant commander amongst the stars, even if you're "Elite"

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