How to get back into the game when playing casual only?

[Thoemse]

I own ED since it was released. I played it in VR only. At first with a DK2 then with a vive. In the meantime I got my Pimax 5K+ that I backed and had a quick look again and it looks fantastic.
I used to play quite a bit and I do have a python that is quite well decked out. I then stopped playing because other hobbies and especially my two kids took most of my attention. I check back in every now and then because I simply miss that fantastic feeling of flying a ship in ED VR. Usually I log out one hour later without having achived much.

I'd apreciate getting some hints on what to do ingame when all you have is an hour or two max every few days. I don't need to have a federal corvette with the best equipment or anything. Just achivable fun stuff. Last time I logged in I thought I'd do some trading but after doing 40 jumps I logged out and was bored.

 

[Morbad]

Don't set any particular goal, just log in, take off, and go. See what you find.

I've got well over 6k hours in game and I can still find new things that pique my curriosity. Yesterday, I was wandering around taking things one jump at a time, just looking for a place I could test my custom shadow settings, when I stumbled upon a unique surface settlement I had never seen before. I'm sure I wasn't the first person there, and it wasn't a terribly deep experience, but it was worth my time...I was able to get the tests done I wanted, and my CMDR collected some materials and data in the process. A lot of neat stuff to see and do, if you pay attention.

If you discover you're lacking the tool for something that catches your interest, you can make the acquisition the goal of that session, without making it a grind, and come back to what caught your attention later.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

You won't get far. Unless you read up on some guides to maximise cheesing. And keep on top of it when the next patch jumbles it all up again.

 

[askavir]

What Morbad said.

 

[Brrokk]

I own ED since it was released. I played it in VR only. At first with a DK2 then with a vive. In the meantime I got my Pimax 5K+ that I backed and had a quick look again and it looks fantastic.
I used to play quite a bit and I do have a python that is quite well decked out. I then stopped playing because other hobbies and especially my two kids took most of my attention. I check back in every now and then because I simply miss that fantastic feeling of flying a ship in ED VR. Usually I log out one hour later without having achived much.

I'd apreciate getting some hints on what to do ingame when all you have is an hour or two max every few days. I don't need to have a federal corvette with the best equipment or anything. Just achivable fun stuff. Last time I logged in I thought I'd do some trading but after doing 40 jumps I logged out and was bored.

I'd suggest
(1) Pick a home system and do missions to get allied with the factions there (maybe apart from the last, criminal one).
or
(2) Head off to the centre of the galaxy and explore slowly.
or
(3) Use Youtube and external web sites to find out about cool things like Thargoid bases, wrecked ships, Guardian ruins, brain trees etc. and go purposefully sightseeing.

 

[Morbad]

You won't get far. Unless you read up on some guides to maximise cheesing.

You can experience the overwhelming bulk of what the game has to offer with a stock Sidewinder and a fuel scoop. Better tools just let one grind NPCs to paste faster and blow up annoying CMDRs, or race from point A to B in less time.

 

[purplemarauder]

Honestly - sightseeing and set pieces would be my recommendation. There's loads of cool stuff to see and things to do. i.e.

• Guardian sites & beacons - the first times interacting with these is brilliant and atmospheric
• Mega ships & Inra sites : often voice acted and always spooky
• Thargoid base : stuff to collect then incredible once you get inside and manage to activate the 'map'
• Interstellar phenomena : cool & alien

etc etc

In short, see all the things don't grind.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

You can experience the overwhelming bulk of what the game has to offer with a stock Sidewinder and a fuel scoop. Better tools just let one grind NPCs to paste faster and blow up annoying CMDRs, or race from point A to B in less time.

That's nonsense. Utter. Technically you can, but it's not fun most of the time. And fun is why I play games.

 

[Morbad]

That's nonsense. Utter. Technically you can, but it's not fun most of the time. And fun is why I play games.

I can have a lot of fun in an unengineered, or even stock, Sidewinder.

Of course, my CMDR is usually in something with considerably more performance, as I'm pitting him against others in BGS contributions and direct combat, but I'm at a loss as to what you think makes the Sidewinder less fun to fly or less able to engage in most basic activities.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I can have a lot of fun in an unengineered, or even stock, Sidewinder.

Of course, my CMDR is usually in something with considerably more performance, as I'm pitting him against others in BGS contributions and direct combat, but I'm at a loss as to what you think makes the Sidewinder less fun to fly or less able to engage in most basic activities.

Does it matter? This isn't about me, it's about this guy who plays casually asking to get to see the content. Do you think suggesting getting gud with a Sidewinder will help? Do you think flashing that elitist attitude will convince a casual player to tryhard it with a starter ship? I don't think so.

 

[Morbad]

Does it matter? This isn't about me, it's about this guy who plays casually asking to get to see the content. Do you think suggesting getting gud with a Sidewinder will help? Do you think flashing that elitist attitude will convince a casual player to tryhard it with a starter ship? I don't think so.

You are clearly misinterpreting my statements. I recognize nothing of what I said in your rephrasing of them.

No where did I suggest the OP get good with the Sidewinder or present any attitude I considered Elitist. Going over my statements again, I cannot imagine how you came to this conclusion, so that misinterpretation is on you.

There is no activity in the game that cannot be accomplished to a basic degree with the Sidewinder. The FSS is built in, and if you have Horizons it even comes with an SRV hangar. All you need is a fuel scoop and you can get a taste of anything. That's what I sad, that's what I meant.

If you don't find the Sidewinder fun, I believe you, but this isn't about you, its about the OP and there is damn little content that cannot be seen in a Sidewinder.

 

[WR3ND]

The meta game-play progression is often rather annoying to me at times, but with that being said...

Spoiler

...I certainly still enjoy other aspects of the game despite itself.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

You are clearly misinterpreting my statements. I recognize nothing of what I said in your rephrasing of them.

No where did I suggest the OP get good with the Sidewinder or present any attitude I considered Elitist. Going over my statements again, I cannot imagine how you came to this conclusion, so that misinterpretation is on you.

There is no activity in the game that cannot be accomplished to a basic degree with the Sidewinder. The FSS is built in, and if you have Horizons it even comes with an SRV hangar. All you need is a fuel scoop and you can get a taste of anything. That's what I sad, that's what I meant.

If you don't find the Sidewinder fun, I believe you, but this isn't about you, its about the OP and there is damn little content that cannot be seen in a Sidewinder.

I have no idea why anyone would recommend that ship for combat.

 

[Bigmaec]

I won't agree with having fun in a Sidey, but a Cobra MkIII costs less then one void opal - propably even past incoming nerf - and a completely A-rated one costs roughly 6.5 million, so 4 void opals. And I'd say that's a ship you can do most things in game with.

 

[Ashnak]

I'd apreciate getting some hints on what to do ingame when all you have is an hour or two max every few days. I don't need to have a federal corvette with the best equipment or anything. Just achivable fun stuff. Last time I logged in I thought I'd do some trading but after doing 40 jumps I logged out and was bored.

What do you like to do? What do you want to achieve?
Currently, I don't even get those 1-2 hours per day - twice a week, maybe. And I have two CMDRs. When I log in, my choice is between one reasonably well set up CMDR in Colonia, and another on a Dolphin somewhat halfway between the eastern fringe and Beagle Point.

My Colonia CMDR does missions - usually attempting to bring up the influence of every faction except The Nameless in Carcosa by stacking passengers to Jaques, and equally usually being shot down by one or another player while attempting to do that, thereby reducing my rep. So I have to rep up again, and occasionally go on a mining trip to fill up my coffers again. 5% of a Type-10 still is a lot of money.
Of course, being allied to everyone (except The Nameless) in Carcosa means having allied factions in almost every station in the Colonia area, so catching lucrative missions in other places is nearly always possible. And with the size of the Colonia bubble, I don't even need to carry a scoop on most of my ships (the Viper has one, in exchange for the smaller fuel tank).

The explorer is currently sitting in a nice system with crystal shards for both Polonium and Yttrium. Polonium storage is now full, next stage would be plundering those Yttrium shards - if it weren't for the slight problem that I still get VR sickness from driving the SRV, and equally still haven't set up the laptop for flat ED. So 30 minutes of collecting Yttrium the next time - maybe.

 

[Ashnak]

I have no idea why anyone would recommend that ship for combat.

To have fun. Wasn't that the original question?
And if you have neither the skill not the Engineering of Archon Fury, then there are still agreed duels (or multiple-s). Sideys are cheap, so it's no big deal to lose one (or five, or ten), even if you're short on money.

 

[Stigbob]

I have no idea why anyone would recommend that ship for combat.

Because its fun. You need to have gitted gud to do it though.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Because its fun. You need to have gitted gud to do it though.

I'm a casual player. I never gitted gud.

 

[Bigmaec]

What do you like to do? What do you want to achieve?
Currently, I don't even get those 1-2 hours per day - twice a week, maybe. And I have two CMDRs. When I log in, my choice is between one reasonably well set up CMDR in Colonia, and another on a Dolphin somewhat halfway between the eastern fringe and Beagle Point.

My Colonia CMDR does missions - usually attempting to bring up the influence of every faction except The Nameless in Carcosa by stacking passengers to Jaques, and equally usually being shot down by one or another player while attempting to do that, thereby reducing my rep. So I have to rep up again, and occasionally go on a mining trip to fill up my coffers again. 5% of a Type-10 still is a lot of money.
Of course, being allied to everyone (except The Nameless) in Carcosa means having allied factions in almost every station in the Colonia area, so catching lucrative missions in other places is nearly always possible. And with the size of the Colonia bubble, I don't even need to carry a scoop on most of my ships (the Viper has one, in exchange for the smaller fuel tank).

The explorer is currently sitting in a nice system with crystal shards for both Polonium and Yttrium. Polonium storage is now full, next stage would be plundering those Yttrium shards - if it weren't for the slight problem that I still get VR sickness from driving the SRV, and equally still haven't set up the laptop for flat ED. So 30 minutes of collecting Yttrium the next time - maybe.

Are you hanging around in open? Asking for a nameless friend

 

[SavvyVonDC]

Whats with the sidey discussion? OP already said he has a kitted Python. That alone tells he has THE most flexible ship in ED (personal oppinion). With that in mind, I'd kit it out as a REAL multipurpose, with a bit of everything; SRV, cargo, scoop, collector limpet, good guns and shield (and preferably at least some mid range engineering). Then set off, doing whatever takes the interest of the night.
Suggestion if you haven't done thus far: Visit the Guardian site, and get a FSD booster. Will give the ol' Python just that li'l extra push, so explo is also viable. And is quite an interesting experience the first time.