FDs problem with the faceless NPCs...

[Tuzmaal]

That's really the key, and what's reasonable for a lot of people clearly isn't reasonable for you (And a lot of other people).

Free improvements will come, expansion packs will come.

It's up to you whether or not they turn up in a time frame that YOU deem reasonable, and neither FD nor the rest of this forum can do anything about your opinion.

Well, for me it would be within 12-18 month to get atleast faction behaviour and system influence fixed. I think that is above the average stamina of todays gamers as lots of people will be long gone by that time and never look back. I sticked with EVE for close to 8 years, WoT for 4 years and so on, I´m not buying a game for a short haul. What would reasonable for you ?

 

[RuleV]

Well, for me it would be within 12-18 month. What would reasonable for you ?

Dunno yet, I'm still in the honeymoon period

 

[Mufus]

Dunno yet, I'm still in the honeymoon period

FD are going to have to fix it quite quickly. There is only so much of "Flight Simulator in Space" or "Sand Box without Sand" that a game's reputation can take before it tanks completely and more and more leave bored. Yes, you can make your own fun and your own goals and aims, however the game was sold as a rich, immersive experience of which there is no evidence. There's a fantastic procedural galaxy simulation, really pretty visuals and pretty nifty flight simulation that integrates neatly with the ship models (fly your ship in the debug external view for the real truth of this) but currently there is no depth or immersion. A roadmap from FD would go some way to aleviate people's fears on this front...

 

[Cmdr Pli55ken]

if someone showing them some obvious flaws in the system and you instantly forget to give an honest awnser to the question that was actually asked because the OP doesnt loves your game as much as you do.

I like the game, true. the vision that FD has (and that the orignal Elite embodied) hits all the sweet spots with me. There are precious few games that do that and so I'm glad this oone doesn't try to be a 'me too' game like most other big titles out there.

I don't think that what you see as flaws are actually flaws - but deliberate decisions to go this other way. There's certainly some minor things in the mechanics that could be done another way. But nothing game-breaking as far as I'm concerned. The game is that what Braben always stated it would be. It'd procedurally generated and we all know that this has some advantages and some drawbacks.

If you can't motivate yourself to make your own story by picking a faction and making it your own...or going out exploring....or getting a community together to achieve something...or... ...then the game just isn#t structured enough for you (I wonder. do you need that structure in real life? Who tells someone that they are now achieved 4th level at bagging groceries or that they are x% along to the next payraise? You pick a profession and you set your own goals in life, too. How is that boring?)

So yeah. It sounds like you're trying to say:
"I give up on 2+2. Tell me the answer. But don't tell me it's 4"...Well, then math isn't for you.

 

[DefiledDragon]

Use your imagination to immerse yourself in your own story! ¬_¬

Seriously though, if you're not enjoying flying round space, blowing stuff up, trading, exploring or mining (such as it is) then you're just bored of the game and should probably play something else for a while. You'll most likely come back to it in a week or a month or whatever and remember why you blasted/traded/explored/mined your way up to a python in the first place.

 

[Tryst]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the OP on one point.

If you are a "respected ally" as they call you when you request docking, why are you not getting better prices for ships, equipment and even the market? Surely someone who has done them a favour a few times has earned a relatively small discount, even a 5% discount would go some way toward a reward for that grind. At most, all you get is access to another ship. So now you can buy a Fed Dropship, (as if anyone would really want to fly a well armed brick with all the agility of a snail on tranquillisers), is that really a decent reward for all your hard work?

 

[Rhywden]

You have no imagination

Seriously, when exactly will you guys stop using this ... less than intelligent argument?

I wonder. do you need that structure in real life? Who tells someone that they are now achieved 4th level at bagging groceries or that they are x% along to the next payraise? You pick a profession and you set your own goals in life, too. How is that boring?

Strange argument. Do you get paid for playing Elite?

 

[Tuzmaal]

I don't think that what you see as flaws are actually flaws - but deliberate decisions to go this other way. There's certainly some minor things in the mechanics that could be done another way. But nothing game-breaking as far as I'm concerned. The game is that what Braben always stated it would be. It'd procedurally generated and we all know that this has some advantages and some drawbacks..

Dont tell me that being able to be allied with all 3 faction and a highly decorated military champ for the 2 that hate each other most makes any sense at all ? I think FD is fully aware of that but they lack balls to make it right because it would "limit" people in their freedom, they fear that adding consequenses for your ingame actions would drive away people. I believe its the other way around, adding bumps, obsticles and consequenses for your ingame actions into the game keeps players playing because it adds flavour. What is more fun ? Driving a sports car across the alps or driving it on a straight highway in Nevada ?

If you can't motivate yourself to make your own story by picking a faction and making it your own...or going out exploring....or getting a community together to achieve something...or... ...then the game just isn#t structured enough for you (I wonder. do you need that structure in real life? Who tells someone that they are now achieved 4th level at bagging groceries or that they are x% along to the next payraise? You pick a profession and you set your own goals in life, too. How is that boring?)

.

As I stated, I played EVE for close to 8 years and CCP didnt need to tell me what I need to do to have fun or hold my hand... it was just that I ( and the friends I flew with ) could make an impact on the world around us... here I can only "imagine" I do matter. But paying 70 bucks for a sandbox game were the the main ability is to shovel sand from left to right isnt really a sandbox game. In a sandbox game you should be able to add water to the sand and create castles, stomp down castles, make sand cookies and sell them at a price you make and buy sand cookies if you like. Frontier sold this as a sandbox and that we "could make our own story", sadly this story happens only in my head. For this I dont need a 2014 game with pretty grafix and a nice flight model, I can just close my eyes as I did in the 80s.

 

[knowles2]

I can't say disagree with any of the OP points. I just hope this is what the power play update is all aim towards fixing.

I will say being allied to all three fractions, should be possible but it should be almost nearly impossible to keep allied to all three fractions at once for very long.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

-- Deleted --

 

[FlyByNight]

Had all I needed... A Class Python, a trading Conda and other smaller vessels. I´m Allied with all 3 factions and have reached the highest military ranks with Feds and Slavers

You must have put some serious hours in to achieve all this so you've probably now got your £40 worth.

 

[Tuzmaal]

You must have put some serious hours in to achieve all this so you've probably now got your £40 worth.

Yes, I was able to put in some serious hours in and its not about the money I spend for that game, hell I payed CCP 8 years 40€/month for my 3 accounts because I had 8 years fun and CCP deserved it for the sandbox they maintained so I could play in it the way I liked. I was there when the 1st player build Titan came out of production and was there when it got destroyed by our enemies... and had tons of fun. I could tell you tons of player created content I took part in this 8 years, some made it on youtube, some made it even on the CCP news side, some stuff even made it into the world press.... I really hope that I can say the same in 8 years about ED but currently I really having a hard time "imaging" this.

 

[FlyByNight]

I agree. It isn't about the money. I will also agree that ED isn't yet what I hoped it would be. However, I am still playing and still enjoying the game.
Perhaps when I have put in the hours to achieve what you have I may feel differently, even a little jaded. For now though I will keep faith with FD, and that each change they make will steadily improve the ED experience.

 

[Heracles]

Faceless NPC's? I just took part in two civil wars, in adjacent systems. I destroyed over 200 ships. The action was frantic and brutal. Both civil wars "ended" unceremoniously and rather bizarrely! The locations were still selectable to drop into, but all the warring ships had turned neutral and we're heading home, wherever that was? I guessed that the games "timer" had run out and it was time to go home for tea?

This occurred in my two main trading systems, to which I am a respected ally.

The "factions" are all still there. They still offer me the same missions. The "Enemy" factions appear unchanged. I am having trouble with my imagination, to infil a storyline, to complete the fiction. If only there had been a message of some sort, a reference, given back in the starport, that there had just been a viscous war and that faction x had been victorious over faction y. Instead of the abrupt, sudden cessation of hostilities. The shooting was real, the damage to my ship and cost was real, yet the war seems now to have been a dream. (Within a dream).

I am not asking for any medals, but merely some continuity to the wonderful graphical action going on.

Faction x "because you fought for faction y we will no longer provide you with any missions". Faction y "because you helped us in the war, we will provide you with some nice lucrative missions to help you with all the damage you suffered whilst fighting for our cause". Well I can dream!

 

[Spacey25]

Man this thread is really good. The OP has made his point and I too see where he's coming from. Though I still play every now and then I wish there was a little ore immersion in the game. I can also agree that this game plays nothing like a sandbox. However I haven't giving up on it yet. FD still adding small things and fixes which gives some of us hope. I just hope that ED keeps pushing forward and FD stays true to their word. OP you make great argument and I stand behind your opinion because this are the type of comments that FD should be looking into. Not the usual ass kissing "fanboi" saying everything is great when its really not. It has to be admitted that the game is nothing more than a grind fest right now.

 

[Mufus]

(snip)
I hope one day I'll jump into a System or a Station - and won't see a Script Init start spawning stuff from scratch just becaused I initialized that instance.
Instead, I want to see a fully developed state of that instance every single time with a completely random traffic situation presented. Just like any Instance that fully progressed over several minutes or even an hour at least.

Yeah, that's another of the ridiculous immersion killing parts of the USS gameplay crutch system... you arrive just to find a few wanteds flying around with system patrol ships aimlessly flying around as well, all waiting for you to do something. We should turn up to find the pirates nearly beaten or even beaten, the patrol ships running off having being pounded on and anything in between.

 

[Globusdiablo]

.....But paying 70 bucks for a sandbox game were the the main ability is to shovel sand from left to right isnt really a sandbox game....

...Frontier sold this as a sandbox and that we "could make our own story", sadly this story happens only in my head. For this I dont need a 2014 game with pretty grafix and a nice flight model, I can just close my eyes as I did in the 80s.

He he. Thanks Tuzmaal. I read this thread and totally agree with your argumentation. Your 2 statements above gave me a good chuckle. Thanks.

 

[Stein]

OP has my full sympathy. For my part, about the only reason I'm still playing is that the game looks and feels so darn good in an Oculus DK2 with a HOTAS. For every playsession though, I must utilize some "doublethink" (for those familiar with the novel 1984). Right now I'm grinding to afford better modules for my Python, and I'm looking forward to when I can afford them, watching my bank account grow. At the same time though, I must suppress the knowledge that once I get my ship kitted out for combat, there isn't really any meaningful I can do with it. (I know I can pop NPCs in Nav Points and RES, but I don't need a python for that...)
I keep on playing in the hope that sometime in the near future FD will release *content* that is worth playing, and when that happens I will have a big ship ready. But in truth I have very little hope that they will actually come up with such *content*, hence the doublethink.

 

[Moriarte]

Yes, they will flesh it out. I used to think I would be interested in the result, but gave up on the thought. The economy, the instancing system it is based on, the background simulation box - everything points to serious intentional resistance to influence from individual players. Not only that, but also things, which theoretically Can be influenc3d, yield such uninspiring outcomes I wonder who, beyond 3rd grade, would be interested in seeing such outcomes. I don't see a overhaul fixing it, outside of passing the game to new dev.

In the end, I see a need for speed type of game, where it's about you driving. Oh, and you can watch the themepark universe generate scripted events. Nice, right?

Well, you can't sell a 1984 "see what our imagination created but don't touch" to the crowd spoiled by titles like Skyrim and Eve. Some games live for decades though, fueled by a small fanatical community. Elite will repeat their destiny.

 

[Whiterose]

Tuzmaal: Go and get yourself an Asp and go exploring. Find 10 erath like planets and then return. By then the content you wish for may be in the game. Variety is the spice of life, I have a Clipper (in storage) and my Asp explorer. I will trade for a while, bounty hunt for a while and then go on an expedition for a couple of weeks. It keeps things fresh.