Some things you really can't appreciate, nor understand, until you've done it. For me, this has been Engineers.
I'm not on beta but read many, many threads on the time required to acquire a mod. Words such as "grind" and "RNG" used in every other post, it seemed. And apparently fish were a key factor.
But nonetheless, I finally bought Horizons on 2.1 launch day and decided "You know what? I'm going give this a shot. Perhaps some detractors are just a bit too jaded to enjoy it." $35 isn't that much money, after all.
So on Saturday afternoon, I began my first Quest: an upgrade to my missles.
Step One was to reconfigure half my FAS to be able to reach the target system... add a scanner, add a fuel scoop, upgrade the FSD. The journey was around 200 LY for me, and took longer than I'd like. But finally, here I am in the system. Step Two: the engineer requires an introduction from the Mafia. The Mafia requires a Cordial rating with them. A Cordial rating requires several missions.
Half of the missions were simple: deliver some legal stuff to the system next door. Opps - time to reconfigure the ship again. So let's drop another module I really like having (hull buff), and add a cargo hold. Great, now I can haul stuff. Mission completed, and I'm 1 pixel closer to Cordial.
The other half of the missions consisted of "blow up something at an Outpost." One in particular was nearly impossible; too many turrets and skimmers firing on my SRV. Gravity so low I felt like I was running around inside a bounceyball. After 4 attempts, I finally abandoned the mission. Opps: my rep just dropped with the Mafia. Now I'll have to do another extra mission or 2 to get back the rep I just lost.
Hour 7-8 of this Quest ... Finally, I'm Cordial! Engineer sends an Invite! Ok, what do I need to start working with her... 200 landminds. Wait, what? 200 landminds? $700,000 worth of landmines?
Sigh. Ok, I'll drop $700K on your bribe. Wait... opps... well, crap. My ship can't hold 200 landmines. In fact, I can't hold more than 7T of anything, because I've got 9T of "Mod Material" in my cargo hold. Damnit. Ok, sell another Hull Buff, add some more cargo room. Still not even close to 200T... this will take several trips to haul 200 landmines.
Now it's starting to feel a bit less "Questy" and a bit more "Seriously...?"
At this point, I finally did something I normally avoid - I used the forum/youtube/internet for research. I don't like using info outside-the-game for things like trade routes, etc... I prefer to learn things in the game. But I needed to see how much more of this gameplay I was in for. So I found a video made by GluttonyFang on Liz Ryder, and Eng Mods list on http://inara.cz/. Took a look at the blueprints for Missle upgrades.
Wait a second - I've got 150+ materials, and 9T of Mod cargo - but I don't even have HALF of the items I'm going to need. Nickel, Osmium, Vanadium, etc... I've never even SEEN those floating around as loot. And wait - there are ~50 different materials in the Universe? I've only seen around 10-12. You mean I may not ever even NEED most of this 150 stuff I'm carrying? But I will apparently need stuff I've never seen? Which stuff should I start dumping? What if I DID need it?
Ok, double-check inara.cz. Oh. So I can mine for them. Opps - here we go again, my ship isn't configured for mining. I suppose my best alternative is to store my FAS, buy a T6 (or whatever), configure for mining and hope when I start shooting space rocks, some Nickel will fly out of it. I suspect this will take another 2-4 hours. Perhaps longer, because I've never done mining before and have no clue how to do it efficiently.
And once I have 2T of Nickel and some other material (that ironically, I don't have among the 150 things I already have) - I get to spin the upgrade wheel.
Once.
You. Are. Fraking. Kidding. Me.
I can see where this Quest is heading, and it appears to require 50-70 hours of my life, minimum. And depending on the Wheel of Unfortunate, I may not even get what I was questing for in the first place.
So. Erm... No. Screw this. I'm heading back to my home system, and going back to interdicting random CMDRs for some uninvited PvP.
Finally - at the risk of having my post moderated, I'll add: Frontier unquestionably needs to take a hard look at the decisions being made by the Game Designer(s). Features and Gameplay such as Engineers didn't just "happen" - they were coding decisions that were imagined, debated, decided upon and implemented. Some of these decisions are frankly unbelievable, if the goal was "quality, enjoyable gaming."
This is not an issue, such as the overpowered weapons bug we faced in the first 4 days - that was a BUG, not ever intended, and quickly corrected. This... system... of Engineers is not a bug. It is MEANT to be this way. Which in itself speaks volumes about the judgment of the Game Designer(s) that created Engineers.
Get it together, Frontier.
I'm not on beta but read many, many threads on the time required to acquire a mod. Words such as "grind" and "RNG" used in every other post, it seemed. And apparently fish were a key factor.
But nonetheless, I finally bought Horizons on 2.1 launch day and decided "You know what? I'm going give this a shot. Perhaps some detractors are just a bit too jaded to enjoy it." $35 isn't that much money, after all.So on Saturday afternoon, I began my first Quest: an upgrade to my missles.
Step One was to reconfigure half my FAS to be able to reach the target system... add a scanner, add a fuel scoop, upgrade the FSD. The journey was around 200 LY for me, and took longer than I'd like. But finally, here I am in the system. Step Two: the engineer requires an introduction from the Mafia. The Mafia requires a Cordial rating with them. A Cordial rating requires several missions.
Half of the missions were simple: deliver some legal stuff to the system next door. Opps - time to reconfigure the ship again. So let's drop another module I really like having (hull buff), and add a cargo hold. Great, now I can haul stuff. Mission completed, and I'm 1 pixel closer to Cordial.
The other half of the missions consisted of "blow up something at an Outpost." One in particular was nearly impossible; too many turrets and skimmers firing on my SRV. Gravity so low I felt like I was running around inside a bounceyball. After 4 attempts, I finally abandoned the mission. Opps: my rep just dropped with the Mafia. Now I'll have to do another extra mission or 2 to get back the rep I just lost.
Hour 7-8 of this Quest ... Finally, I'm Cordial! Engineer sends an Invite! Ok, what do I need to start working with her... 200 landminds. Wait, what? 200 landminds? $700,000 worth of landmines?
Sigh. Ok, I'll drop $700K on your bribe. Wait... opps... well, crap. My ship can't hold 200 landmines. In fact, I can't hold more than 7T of anything, because I've got 9T of "Mod Material" in my cargo hold. Damnit. Ok, sell another Hull Buff, add some more cargo room. Still not even close to 200T... this will take several trips to haul 200 landmines.
Now it's starting to feel a bit less "Questy" and a bit more "Seriously...?"
At this point, I finally did something I normally avoid - I used the forum/youtube/internet for research. I don't like using info outside-the-game for things like trade routes, etc... I prefer to learn things in the game. But I needed to see how much more of this gameplay I was in for. So I found a video made by GluttonyFang on Liz Ryder, and Eng Mods list on http://inara.cz/. Took a look at the blueprints for Missle upgrades.
Wait a second - I've got 150+ materials, and 9T of Mod cargo - but I don't even have HALF of the items I'm going to need. Nickel, Osmium, Vanadium, etc... I've never even SEEN those floating around as loot. And wait - there are ~50 different materials in the Universe? I've only seen around 10-12. You mean I may not ever even NEED most of this 150 stuff I'm carrying? But I will apparently need stuff I've never seen? Which stuff should I start dumping? What if I DID need it?
Ok, double-check inara.cz. Oh. So I can mine for them. Opps - here we go again, my ship isn't configured for mining. I suppose my best alternative is to store my FAS, buy a T6 (or whatever), configure for mining and hope when I start shooting space rocks, some Nickel will fly out of it. I suspect this will take another 2-4 hours. Perhaps longer, because I've never done mining before and have no clue how to do it efficiently.
And once I have 2T of Nickel and some other material (that ironically, I don't have among the 150 things I already have) - I get to spin the upgrade wheel.
Once.
You. Are. Fraking. Kidding. Me.
I can see where this Quest is heading, and it appears to require 50-70 hours of my life, minimum. And depending on the Wheel of Unfortunate, I may not even get what I was questing for in the first place.
So. Erm... No. Screw this. I'm heading back to my home system, and going back to interdicting random CMDRs for some uninvited PvP.
Finally - at the risk of having my post moderated, I'll add: Frontier unquestionably needs to take a hard look at the decisions being made by the Game Designer(s). Features and Gameplay such as Engineers didn't just "happen" - they were coding decisions that were imagined, debated, decided upon and implemented. Some of these decisions are frankly unbelievable, if the goal was "quality, enjoyable gaming."
This is not an issue, such as the overpowered weapons bug we faced in the first 4 days - that was a BUG, not ever intended, and quickly corrected. This... system... of Engineers is not a bug. It is MEANT to be this way. Which in itself speaks volumes about the judgment of the Game Designer(s) that created Engineers.
Get it together, Frontier.
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