How to make material gathering fun?

[CMDR Redcrest]

As the title asks: what suggestions do we have to take the RNG of material gathering and make it fun?
Personally I'd love to see the RNG taken out of engineering all together.
For instance if you go to the Guardian sites you know if you do the job you get the materials you're after.
Flitting about trying to find HGE requires very little skill and a LOT of luck.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I am waiting to see what they say about the Q4 update first.

 

[CMDR Redcrest]

I am waiting to see what they say about the Q4 update first.

I can't wait that long! Lol!
The manufacturered stuff that you can only get from signal sources is a damn chore and can't trade up without being robbed blind.
(Yeah yeah I know someone wise person is gona say always trade down, not easy when the G5 stuff is like rocking horse poop to find)

 

[Hellakitty]

While ever the RNG is so broken and the mechanics are so utterly tedious, just let us buy it with credits until they come with a better implementation.

Same goes with any aspect of engineering.

 

[Drunkenmonk]

As the title asks: what suggestions do we have to take the RNG of material gathering and make it fun?

Couple of bottles of wine works for me

 

[zombieapocalypse]

I find if you combine it with YouTube, Netflix, or reading the forums, it's really not so bad...

Couple of bottles of wine works for me

That works too...

 

[CMDR Redcrest]

Couple of bottles of wine works for me

I prefer a good ale or single malt myself.
Could we not have a panel that we can set to scan for stuff? Spit balling here.
But the slow flying back and forth between the main star yada yada yada... It's like doing a really boring job where you can see the clock at all times...

I find if you combine it with YouTube, Netflix, or reading the forums, it's really not so bad...

That works too...

Started writing this thread while looking for HGE'S. I have now switched of the game out of boredom and am gona be heading to the off licence with the Mrs. Joys of shift work!

So the suggestions we have so far are: booze and distract yourself.
What could Fdev do to make material gathering more fun? (Stop boozing and pay attention!? )

 

[fsdraconis]

In my personal opinion, they shot themselves in the foot with "not wanting to sell mats" when they literally set a value of 500,000 credits per grade 5 mat earned through the mission system versus the credit option.

They should sell the grade 5's. Or reduce the trade costs going up. Or remove the value deduction from missions. Or actually change the mission system so we do not get 'single' mats to 3 per like we expect else where. Not to mention that data right now (last I saw) is broken and sources are only providing single pieces of data.

I have suggested a TON of times that they need just implement a search function for HGE's just like looking for planetary scan missions. Even if it was a utility module. It would just start a "go to point A, then to point B, etc etc" until you find the HGE at the end of the journey. We already just fly mindlessly waiting for RNG to happen. Remove the RNG and turn it into work that will get us to the HGE and player satisfaction will go up.

 

[CMDR Redcrest]

In my personal opinion, they shot themselves in the foot with "not wanting to sell mats" when they literally set a value of 500,000 credits per grade 5 mat earned through the mission system versus the credit option.

They should sell the grade 5's. Or reduce the trade costs going up. Or remove the value deduction from missions. Or actually change the mission system so we do not get 'single' mats to 3 per like we expect else where. Not to mention that data right now (last I saw) is broken and sources are only providing single pieces of data.

I have suggested a TON of times that they need just implement a search function for HGE's just like looking for planetary scan missions. Even if it was a utility module. It would just start a "go to point A, then to point B, etc etc" until you find the HGE at the end of the journey. We already just fly mindlessly waiting for RNG to happen. Remove the RNG and turn it into work that will get us to the HGE and player satisfaction will go up.

I like it!

 

[WR3ND]

Couple of bottles of wine works for me

Heh.

I find I lose interest too quickly farming materials and the like if I've had more than a few drinks. Exploration on the other hand, such as it is, I can polish off a 12 pack, if the music I'm listening to is good enough, though I am prone to being distracted and just letting my ship go for a while heading away from things in supercruise.

 

[WR3ND]

...

Selling/buying materials would negate the "grind" which is inherently and intentional a gameplay progression path above making credits implemented by Frontier toward that end.

I agree though that trading up should be more equitable. I get too much lower end stuff and run out of room before I can make much use of it really even, so it is often wasted and mostly serves to get in my way while collecting other things.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

I'd say keep everything as it is - but allow Players to pay the hired NPC Crews to execute such boring and tedious/grindy tasks.

They work for us after all and fill their pockets while sitting docked all the time anyway. So why not put them to good use.

Player issues a "Mission Target" (System or Body inside a System and what specifically to look for) and provides the NPC a Ship.
NPC then takes pay per hour + Premium for found stuff.
Both NPC and the Ship will be unavailable for the duration, success of those NPC Crew Missions is factored by sending it to the right location, correct Faction States (if applicable), NPC Rank (experience) and duration of Mission.
Multiple NPC Crews hired (and currently utterly useless) can multiply in effectiveness - at the price of increased costs and having no access to them and the provided Ships until they return.

(NPCs don't actually instance, they're just gone for ease of purpose and easiest possible implementation)

All problems solved and NPC Crews now execute an actual Task.

Rationale : everyone is basically a Multi-Millionaire, we are privileged and wealthy Trade tycoons. NPCs work for us already.
So no point in manually having to perform these boring tasks ourselves. We're not poor worker bees - we're wealthy employers with all the needed assets. So let's put those to good use and in a completely lore-friendly way.

 

[Ian Skippy]

As a general rule: use randomness to introduce variety in moderation, not to replace skill itself.waiting for the right uss is crap.

 

[dutchy2000]

Why not take missions that reward the grade 5 materials. I personally like the kill pirate lord/terrorist missions, the missions usually reward G5 materials, and the exploding ship frequently drops them as well. double win and its fun.

 

[Dbrn47]

I don't think it is something that can be made fun. It's a menial task that is beneath pretty much everyone. It would have to probably be something like: consolidate most of the materials so that there are much less and then attach all the materials to all the careers that way everyone can earn all the materials while they are doing what they like. Something like that is very unlikely, so all that can be done is RNG workarounds.

 

[pnellesen]

I very seldom just go out and farm mats, I almost always pick up a mission or have some other objective to do, and I do material gathering as a part of it. If I need stuff from a planet, I'll pick up a surface salvage mission and shoot rocks while I'm gathering canisters. If I want stuff from USSs, I'll do "orbital" salvage or assassinations and stop at any USS that pops up. I'll also throw a couple collection limpets in my hold and let it loose while I'm bounty hunting at a resource site as well. It's still tedious, but not quite as mind-numbingly boring as straight-up farming.

 

[CMDR Redcrest]

I'd say keep everything as it is - but allow Players to pay the hired NPC Crews to execute such boring and tedious/grindy tasks.

They work for us after all and fill their pockets while sitting docked all the time anyway. So why not put them to good use.

Player issues a "Mission Target" (System or Body inside a System and what specifically to look for) and provides the NPC a Ship.
NPC then takes pay per hour + Premium for found stuff.
Both NPC and the Ship will be unavailable for the duration, success of those NPC Crew Missions is factored by sending it to the right location, correct Faction States (if applicable), NPC Rank (experience) and duration of Mission.
Multiple NPC Crews hired (and currently utterly useless) can multiply in effectiveness - at the price of increased costs and having no access to them and the provided Ships until they return.

All problems solved and NPC Crews now execute an actual Task.

Rationale : everyone is basically a Multi-Millionaire, we are privileged and wealthy Trade tycoons. NPCs work for us already.
So no point in manually having to perform these boring tasks ourselves. We're not poor worker bees - we're wealthy employers with all the needed assets. So let's put those to good use and in a completely lore-friendly way.

This is also a good idea!
I can get on with other things like enjoying the game.

 

[Hellakitty]

I'd say keep everything as it is - but allow Players to pay the hired NPC Crews to execute such boring and tedious/grindy tasks.

They work for us after all and fill their pockets while sitting docked all the time anyway. So why not put them to good use.

Player issues a "Mission Target" (System or Body inside a System and what specifically to look for) and provides the NPC a Ship.
NPC then takes pay per hour + Premium for found stuff.
Both NPC and the Ship will be unavailable for the duration, success of those NPC Crew Missions is factored by sending it to the right location, correct Faction States (if applicable), NPC Rank (experience) and duration of Mission.
Multiple NPC Crews hired (and currently utterly useless) can multiply in effectiveness - at the price of increased costs and having no access to them and the provided Ships until they return.

(NPCs don't actually instance, they're just gone for ease of purpose and easiest possible implementation)

All problems solved and NPC Crews now execute an actual Task.

Rationale : everyone is basically a Multi-Millionaire, we are privileged and wealthy Trade tycoons. NPCs work for us already.
So no point in manually having to perform these boring tasks ourselves. We're not poor worker bees - we're wealthy employers with all the needed assets. So let's put those to good use and in a completely lore-friendly way.

Give this person a cookie.

In fact, a whole warehouse full of cookies.

Great idea.

I can get on with other things like enjoying the game.

Yup, exactly.

 

[Vardaugas]

Since you can find them around planets and on shipping lanes, I just pick them up whenever I find them on my travels. Stop by Sol. It's not just great to pick up data deliveries, you also get Core Dynamics composites and chemical manipulators from USS's around there.

 

[WR3ND]

As a general rule: use randomness to introduce variety in moderation, not to replace skill itself.waiting for the right uss is crap.

Pretty much this as well. I understand Frontier want a progression path toward Engineering our ships, but being at the mercy of being unsure how well things will spawn and drop for you is rather tedious in its own way. Working toward things at a reasonable rate (YMMV) is fine; being unsure of your efforts coming to fruition, not so much.

In general, this is why I'm as pleased as I am with the changes to the Engineers overall compared to what we had. Still some room for improvements here and there though.

I think if the traders were more equitable, this would help solve some as this as well, since we would still be rewarded for our efforts, even if we didn't happen to get lucky finding what we're specifically after.