The Problem: A single play thread with limited switching.
ED is one of my favorite games, but it has one major drawback that I believe limits it’s appeal, especially to younger players: single-threaded game play that is gaited by the Frame Shift Drive. This makes it extremely difficult to context switch quickly for whatever reason, stay entertained and therefore continue playing.
I would love to visit Colonia, or join an expedition to Beagle Point, but those are huge investments of real time which eliminate any possibility of doing something else in the game. Want to do some conflict zone combat back in the bubble in one of my own ships? Too bad. Want to do some ground-based settlement missions with my friend? Sorry. Want to spend some time exploring some dark corner of the galaxy that I’ve spent a month flying a ship to? Not really, because I shut myself off from the dozens of other activities this game has to offer.
So, I limit my activities to shorter-term commitments that are easier to switch away from. I stay in the bubble, where the options to do different things and utilize the various ships in my personal fleet are easier to accommodate. In short: the “game” is too “real”.
Get a fleet carrier? Don’t be ridiculous.
The Solution: A Commander Transporter System
Every ship has a new core module called a commander transporter that can be “connected” back to single, pre-designated “home base” - a starport or planetary port with a large landing pad. This transporter module allows you - the commander - to transport, not the ship.
Want to fly a ship to Colonia? Go for it! When at some point along that very long journey you want to stop and transport back to the bubble to do some bounty hunting with your friend, just park your ship and transport back to your home base where you can then jump in your trusty combat ship or transport to it if it is elsewhere.
Want to incorporate it into the infamous ED grind? Fine, set up the transporter module exactly like the FSD module, only add a couple of zeros to its range. Put a cool down on it as a nod to the “simulation” element of the game. Tie improvements to range and/or cool down to engineering.
I believe there are numerous benefits to a system like this:
Today, if I choose to take that trip to Colonia, I must accept the consequence of leaving the bubble and all the things I can do there. A commander transporter system would remove that limitation and make it much easier to experience all that Elite Dangerous has to offer.
ED is one of my favorite games, but it has one major drawback that I believe limits it’s appeal, especially to younger players: single-threaded game play that is gaited by the Frame Shift Drive. This makes it extremely difficult to context switch quickly for whatever reason, stay entertained and therefore continue playing.
I would love to visit Colonia, or join an expedition to Beagle Point, but those are huge investments of real time which eliminate any possibility of doing something else in the game. Want to do some conflict zone combat back in the bubble in one of my own ships? Too bad. Want to do some ground-based settlement missions with my friend? Sorry. Want to spend some time exploring some dark corner of the galaxy that I’ve spent a month flying a ship to? Not really, because I shut myself off from the dozens of other activities this game has to offer.
So, I limit my activities to shorter-term commitments that are easier to switch away from. I stay in the bubble, where the options to do different things and utilize the various ships in my personal fleet are easier to accommodate. In short: the “game” is too “real”.
Get a fleet carrier? Don’t be ridiculous.
The Solution: A Commander Transporter System
Every ship has a new core module called a commander transporter that can be “connected” back to single, pre-designated “home base” - a starport or planetary port with a large landing pad. This transporter module allows you - the commander - to transport, not the ship.
Want to fly a ship to Colonia? Go for it! When at some point along that very long journey you want to stop and transport back to the bubble to do some bounty hunting with your friend, just park your ship and transport back to your home base where you can then jump in your trusty combat ship or transport to it if it is elsewhere.
Want to incorporate it into the infamous ED grind? Fine, set up the transporter module exactly like the FSD module, only add a couple of zeros to its range. Put a cool down on it as a nod to the “simulation” element of the game. Tie improvements to range and/or cool down to engineering.
I believe there are numerous benefits to a system like this:
- It would promote more exploration of the vast, yet still overwhelmingly unexplored galaxy that is unique to Elite Dangerous.
- It would encourage broader use of the existing fleet of available ships, since their use won’t be as gaited by their FSD limitations.
- It would allow rapid activity context switching in-game, which will keep players playing.
- It would be a compelling use case for ship, carrier, and station interiors, but certainly wouldn’t require them.
- This would help retain existing players and attract new players.
Today, if I choose to take that trip to Colonia, I must accept the consequence of leaving the bubble and all the things I can do there. A commander transporter system would remove that limitation and make it much easier to experience all that Elite Dangerous has to offer.
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