Greetings,
TLDR: Fixing credits also requires fixing the BGS game play to acquire them and some Elite history. Go to the "OK, now to the thread." for the short version.
First, I'm VERY IMPRESSED that Frontier posted this thread about game balancing. This is very rare. Second, this was not a general "we know how you feel" post then offering accolades to players with no Frontier info regarding an issue. Instead the post discusses a starting direction and gets specific starting with mining. Finally Community Manager Bruce Garrido follows up replying to players questions and suggestions even challenging a few ideas that need more work.
I'm at a loss for words never seeing Frontier being so open but don't worry I'll come up with some. Many Frontier posts never told us anything. Given the highly competitive cut-throat nature of the gaming industry Frontier didn't want to let their competitors know what they were up to. At other times I wasn't sure that Frontier knew what they wanted to do as a mistake could put them out of business. It is all my opinion and perception.
The history of Frontier: First Encounters (c1995) almost did that but the fans started support sites with solutions and DOS 6.22 C+ re-programming to make the game work when the GameTek distributor went out of business. They released FFE too soon looking for a payoff when it wasn't ready. That was also Braben's fault pushing the limits of computer technology at the time because no one knew those answers and would take time to find them. Time is money in the gaming industry. Thus it took 19 years and players donating funds to get ED started.
Today the fan base for Elite Dangerous is 1000 times larger then the days of FFE with some of the best programmers on the planet willing to help if ever needed.
I think that this thread is a MAJOR turning point in the relationship between Frontier and the player community in a new positive direction rarely seen in the past. I hope that it works and Bruce Garrido has a staff to assist in the discussion possibilities that this thread has opened up. Otherwise he may be burned out in a few months.
Thus I call on every player who posts to this thread to take advantage of a rare opportunity to check your emotions about the game and think like a gaming programmer. Many yes many Forum posts are about a player who got burned not knowing everything about an ED play style learning what works and what doesn't. Once figured out they all actually work and are easy to do. Thus other posts wanting more. Many posts suggest other games that players figured out expecting Elite Dangerous to be something similar. It is not. The biggest issue in Elite Dangerous is that without carefully proceeding until a player gains the knowledge and experience they can lose everything starting back to a Sidewinder after hundreds of hours playing the game. Yes, that is very emotional thus many thousands of post on the Forum. Maybe this post will start a new direction for ED.
OK, now to the thread.
I think that trading, cargo and data missions, trading in rare commodities (give us more to transport with greater risk), passenger runs, getting allied with all factions in multiple systems to generate more profits is the baseline Frontier should start with. Don't change them as it works. We need more systems such as Robigo Mines dedicated to players AFTER they have figured out how to use them wisely and have the experience and ships to pull it off. I miss the days stacking illegal missions in an Asp Explorer, travelling 200LY, having NPCs trying to interdict while fuel scooping and if scanned we lose everything. They were very exciting, Add some more systems bringing game play back.
As for balancing the credits it is a great idea. But without getting the BGS to work it will fail. A miner goes to a hot spot only to find what they are looking for isn't there. A player looking to farm Datamined Wake Exceptions in a Famine system no longer works finding a Distribution Centre because they no longer exist. Finding rare commodities needed for Engineers only possible in missions often go away because of the BGS, All these balances of credits won't work until the BGS supports them finding what we need.
I know that the BGS was changed so a group of players could not shut down a system as was easily done in the past. But we need other player options. Balancing the credits is great. But having the opportunity to acquire them will need another Dev team to work some issues. I'm not sure that Frontier has a team on this. Good luck Bruce Garrido.
Still I love this game and one of my many pictures playing it...It's emotional.
Regards
TLDR: Fixing credits also requires fixing the BGS game play to acquire them and some Elite history. Go to the "OK, now to the thread." for the short version.
First, I'm VERY IMPRESSED that Frontier posted this thread about game balancing. This is very rare. Second, this was not a general "we know how you feel" post then offering accolades to players with no Frontier info regarding an issue. Instead the post discusses a starting direction and gets specific starting with mining. Finally Community Manager Bruce Garrido follows up replying to players questions and suggestions even challenging a few ideas that need more work.
I'm at a loss for words never seeing Frontier being so open but don't worry I'll come up with some. Many Frontier posts never told us anything. Given the highly competitive cut-throat nature of the gaming industry Frontier didn't want to let their competitors know what they were up to. At other times I wasn't sure that Frontier knew what they wanted to do as a mistake could put them out of business. It is all my opinion and perception.
The history of Frontier: First Encounters (c1995) almost did that but the fans started support sites with solutions and DOS 6.22 C+ re-programming to make the game work when the GameTek distributor went out of business. They released FFE too soon looking for a payoff when it wasn't ready. That was also Braben's fault pushing the limits of computer technology at the time because no one knew those answers and would take time to find them. Time is money in the gaming industry. Thus it took 19 years and players donating funds to get ED started.
Today the fan base for Elite Dangerous is 1000 times larger then the days of FFE with some of the best programmers on the planet willing to help if ever needed.
I think that this thread is a MAJOR turning point in the relationship between Frontier and the player community in a new positive direction rarely seen in the past. I hope that it works and Bruce Garrido has a staff to assist in the discussion possibilities that this thread has opened up. Otherwise he may be burned out in a few months.
Thus I call on every player who posts to this thread to take advantage of a rare opportunity to check your emotions about the game and think like a gaming programmer. Many yes many Forum posts are about a player who got burned not knowing everything about an ED play style learning what works and what doesn't. Once figured out they all actually work and are easy to do. Thus other posts wanting more. Many posts suggest other games that players figured out expecting Elite Dangerous to be something similar. It is not. The biggest issue in Elite Dangerous is that without carefully proceeding until a player gains the knowledge and experience they can lose everything starting back to a Sidewinder after hundreds of hours playing the game. Yes, that is very emotional thus many thousands of post on the Forum. Maybe this post will start a new direction for ED.
OK, now to the thread.
I think that trading, cargo and data missions, trading in rare commodities (give us more to transport with greater risk), passenger runs, getting allied with all factions in multiple systems to generate more profits is the baseline Frontier should start with. Don't change them as it works. We need more systems such as Robigo Mines dedicated to players AFTER they have figured out how to use them wisely and have the experience and ships to pull it off. I miss the days stacking illegal missions in an Asp Explorer, travelling 200LY, having NPCs trying to interdict while fuel scooping and if scanned we lose everything. They were very exciting, Add some more systems bringing game play back.
As for balancing the credits it is a great idea. But without getting the BGS to work it will fail. A miner goes to a hot spot only to find what they are looking for isn't there. A player looking to farm Datamined Wake Exceptions in a Famine system no longer works finding a Distribution Centre because they no longer exist. Finding rare commodities needed for Engineers only possible in missions often go away because of the BGS, All these balances of credits won't work until the BGS supports them finding what we need.
I know that the BGS was changed so a group of players could not shut down a system as was easily done in the past. But we need other player options. Balancing the credits is great. But having the opportunity to acquire them will need another Dev team to work some issues. I'm not sure that Frontier has a team on this. Good luck Bruce Garrido.
Still I love this game and one of my many pictures playing it...It's emotional.
Regards
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Seriously, it'd also address the issue of newbies having an Anaconda (which has been debated to be among the best, so...kinda putting that debate down for a dirt nap).
