You're under an incorrect assumption, ED isn't primarily a game, it's primarily a space sim, with a game added on. If you play it as just a game, you're gonna be bored out of your mind, to the point where you're gonna turn stupid, or quit. If you play it with the mindset of it being a sim, your perspective changes, you see the vast galaxy in a very different light, and your mind opens to possibilities. Where trading is no longer a grind, but a means to an end. Where small accomplishments are more personal, even when the larger audience doesn't notice you, but when you post about it, your imagination fills in the gaps, and you write a story of your adventure, and it grows into something far more than pew pew "gotcha".
If pew pew "gotcha" is what you're looking for, there's a time and a place for it, but in the end result, there's no leader board in ED to show you've done it, except the boring post you make saying "Went to such and such system, killed some pirates, the end". Or you can open your mind, your imagination and that becomes "Went out in search of glory on behalf of the Federation, went to such and such system, there I found it overrun by pirates and brigands(sp), my mouth watered at the thought of taking them down for the Federation, freeing those under their boot heals. I found a few of them, and took them out, then they came at me in droves...."
That's the stuff of legend, where you write the story, and tell it at bar, and embellish the deeds. The sim/game becomes more exciting to you, knowing that, although it was small, and you're really insignificant, you can write a story about it, and make it grander than it truly is.
Think of your normal life, humdrum, work-a-day, nothing big, but you might mean something to someone who's life you touched while doing it. Now write a story about it, embellish that story with grander deeds, make yourself the hero of the day, out of a boring job. That's life, and that's ED.
If you don't enjoy that, there's always Eve to go play
What a load of tosh. If I wanted to play imagination games I could sit in a room with star field on the ceiling.
Games have content to interact with. Trying selling a game on the basis of imagination. ED will churn out content to keep themselves in business, if you want to kid yourself along while they do, power to you.
Oh and there is a score board Frontier implemented one. It is called the bounty.
...and for everyone I wouldn't slate EVE, it is very successful and was a pretty hard core game. We had some awesome times in EVE and it has led to friendships of +10 years. ED is promising and different but it is no EVE yet. Would be nice if ED came even close to what that games has achieved.
