Newcomer / Intro How's the game? (no old Elite timers please)

[Frumpy Momoi]

Hello everyone,

Not trying to be rude at all - I'd like to get a sense of the game from new comers to Elite. I see a lot of comments filled with nostalgia around the first 2 Elites games which I haven't played. I know about the no hand holding approach, emergent gameplay, etc. but I'm also concerned about the lack of content and repetitive nature of the experience. So, how do you find it?

About me: I've played for 20+ years, own 300+ games from AAA to obscure indie titles but somehow have never gotten into Elite.

Thank you!
Momoi

 

[Argus Leadhead]

Personally, I love this game. It's got a solid foundation and will only get better as more features are added. I see myself playing for years to come to be honest. It's not for everyone because it breaks away from AAA titles in the sense that there's no "press button, receive cookie" mechanics which is a huge plus for me. I had never even heard of any Elite games until I saw a video of Scott Manley playing premium beta and I thought, "I MUST HAVE THIS!!!"

Started in standard beta and have barely touched any other games since. Sure, something's need tweaking to be perfect but as it stands now, Elite: Damgerous seems pretty solid to me.

 

[draktok]

I just got the game on the 16th.. I think it's s lot of fun personally it's difficult, I've lost quite a bit of money by blowing up, but it's fun to just fly to a random destination, kill some people at a nav beacon and fly to a station ....

Earlier I took a huge beating and had my window blown off, I escaped with 15percent hp, and had to navigate to the nearby station hearing my character breathe through his oxygen tank and no screen In front of me on account of the front being nearly blown off. That's a crazy experience I've never had with another game. Did I mention I had 5 minutes before I ran out of oxygen? The experience was crazier with great surround sound headphones and my computer telling me "low cabin pressure". It got my heart beating fast. Love it!

 

[RobinsonUK]

Personally, I love this game. It's got a solid foundation and will only get better as more features are added. I see myself playing for years to come to be honest. It's not for everyone because it breaks away from AAA titles in the sense that there's no "press button, receive cookie" mechanics which is a huge plus for me. I had never even heard of any Elite games until I saw a video of Scott Manley playing premium beta and I thought, "I MUST HAVE THIS!!!"

Started in standard beta and have barely touched any other games since. Sure, something's need tweaking to be perfect but as it stands now, Elite: Damgerous seems pretty solid to me.

Are you still playing Eve Argus? My accounts are mothballed.

 

[Muthax]

I read someone saying that if you don't like flight simulators, either at a controls level or 'mentality' level, you might not enjoy ED.
Most of content will be player created or influenced, a group of people tried to start a civil war and secession from the empire but it didn't work for a bug, now fixed
i suggest watching a lot of youtube videos to get a better idea, but it's basically a galaxy simulator

 

[AdmiralS]

Elite newbie here. At first the game looked shiny and boring. It seemed there was nothing to do. I have no interest in playing a space trucker. Kill some pirates they said, sure thing should be easy for my brand new Eagle. Few hours later I've yet to find any pirates and I have no means to intercept any if I do find a pirate. I had to resort to youtube tutorials for dummies to figure it out. I suppose I could have done it on my own but seriously I'd have quit the game by then. Anyway, few hours later I've killed dozens of bad guys and one Anaconda all by myself... mostly. I'm ready to buy a Viper. Game is getting more interesting.

 

[Vampyre111]

This type of game is what got me into PC gaming in the first place. I like games that make you think and are challenging. Sci-Fi has always been my genre of choice. I'm a veteran of almost every good sci-fi game that's come out for the PC since the 80s. I've not enjoyed a game this much since the MechWarrior games.

There is a lot of game here and virtually no manual that I've found. That makes it even more fun. Thank goodness for these forums, veteran testers and you tube.

LOve this game.

 

[Hethwill_Khan]

Think of Han Solo... he didn't want to become a rebel...

... but somehow along the way he got some "jobs" that led him there, made him an outlaw and eventually got him fighting alongside the Orange people.

 

[CMDR Moortz]

I read someone saying that if you don't like flight simulators, either at a controls level or 'mentality' level, you might not enjoy ED.
Most of content will be player created or influenced, a group of people tried to start a civil war and secession from the empire but it didn't work for a bug, now fixed
i suggest watching a lot of youtube videos to get a better idea, but it's basically a galaxy simulator

this is probably the best synopsis I've read so far for a non-elite player.

 

[MajorOCD]

I really like the game, I was pretty skeptical at first with the scale of the game but it feels right when I start flying around. I've went down the exploratory route and it's satisfying finding planets and stars againt the backdrop of the milky way. I'm using a flight stick and the controls seem really tight. I can see me continuing to play this game for quite a while.

 

[brandonjclark]

Well, so far I am loving it. It took some getting used to and trying to figure out where to go and what to do wasn't exactly apparent at first. I think the game could benefit GREATLY from a proper tutorial at times but then I think otherwise. I mean, there is so much to explain that if you just play it you start to figure it out.

Anyways, I'm all in on this game now. I won't stop playing for a long time.

 

[Muthax]

Well, so far I am loving it. It took some getting used to and trying to figure out where to go and what to do wasn't exactly apparent at first. I think the game could benefit GREATLY from a proper tutorial at times but then I think otherwise. I mean, there is so much to explain that if you just play it you start to figure it out.

Anyways, I'm all in on this game now. I won't stop playing for a long time.

Part of it is unintentional, the manual isn't ready yet and I suppose that it will contain a first steps in space sort of section.

 

[Wizaerd]

On the one hand, I love the concept of it. On the other hand, it barely meets the concept. People will tell you to use your imagination, but there really isn't anything to imagine. People will tell you it's awesome, but I'm not exactly sure why. It's a lot of time spent traveling from Point A to Point B, and there really isn't that much variation between Point A and Point B. They'll tell you it's a gorgeous game, but again there really isn't that much variation between Point A and Point B. People will tell you it's hard, and that's how they like it, but let's not confuse being hard with being tedious. People will tell you there's endless possibilities, but there really isn't. You can fly, trade, mine, and/or fight. That's pretty much it, and from what I've personally experienced and/or read, even those are pretty tedious and boring. People will tell you there's great potential, and great gameplay will eventually be added. I don't know if that's true or not, but when it was released, people (myself included) had expected a fully released game, not a framework with potential.

 

[Argus Leadhead]

Are you still playing Eve Argus? My accounts are mothballed.

I bought a PLEX's last month with isk but only to see if I still didn't want to play. Needless to say, all I accomplished was adding jump freighters to my alts queue and trading a million units of tritanium. I haven't played seriously in years. I do miss null sec bomber fleets and hot drops, but I don't feel like dedication tons of time to it now that I have Elite

 

[Argus Leadhead]

On the one hand, I love the concept of it. On the other hand, it barely meets the concept. People will tell you to use your imagination, but there really isn't anything to imagine. People will tell you it's awesome, but I'm not exactly sure why. It's a lot of time spent traveling from Point A to Point B, and there really isn't that much variation between Point A and Point B. They'll tell you it's a gorgeous game, but again there really isn't that much variation between Point A and Point B. People will tell you it's hard, and that's how they like it, but let's not confuse being hard with being tedious. People will tell you there's endless possibilities, but there really isn't. You can fly, trade, mine, and/or fight. That's pretty much it, and from what I've personally experienced and/or read, even those are pretty tedious and boring. People will tell you there's great potential, and great gameplay will eventually be added. I don't know if that's true or not, but when it was released, people (myself included) had expected a fully released game, not a framework with potential.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I find ED far from tedious. Sure, mining doesn't float my boat but aside from that, I'm having a blast and have been since beta. I interpret people saying you need to use your imagination as putting myself in the pilots seat instead of just 'playing'.
Because I find the game so immersive, it's not that hard for me to do. Every action I take, is part of my own story. Once you get the game mechanics down, there really is infinite possibility. Sure you can break it down into fighting, mining, trading, and exploring at it's simplest. I try to imagine why Argus Leadhead would do those things. Is it just for money? Does he have a bone to pick with the federation? Why does he engage some ships but not others? Can he be part of a revolution?

The game doesn't give you a flashing arrow or line to tell you where to go or what to do, but you have the entire Milky Way galaxy in front if you. Different factions control hundreds of thousands of star systems and you can work for or against any and all of them. Will you be the paragon of the Alliance? Or will you take on the role of imperial inquisitor, rooting out and destroying all who oppose the empire?

The choice is yours and yours alone.

 

[Kyphros]

This game made me feel like I was completely for a good two days.

I love it.

 

[Sargon]

Not trying to be rude at all

Momoi

I'd like to know why is it that you think just because someone has played the original Elite games they can't have the objective maturity to judge a modern version.
I would say quite to the contrary. Those of us that are old enough to have danced disco, are also the ones who can objectively compare and give people a good idea of just how evolved the genre and the current version is. So please don't confuse age with a lack of modern gaming understanding nor the passion we have for the franchise with fanboyism.

Cheers

 

[Frumpy Momoi]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone, this is very helpful. Seems like it is a very immersive experience. Part of me want to try it badly, although it has a high price tag, and the other part want to wait until planet landing before I do so. Planet landing is a big selling point for me - it just sounds so… good!


Muthax - I really like your comment about flight simulators. I’m not big on the simulation aspect but I guess I should be ok on the ‘mentality” level. I played X3 for a while just to discover randoms locations…


Wizaerd - Yep, that’s exactly why I asked that no Elite old timers comment on this thread because I believe nostalgia can cloud judgment. Especially for a game that have had such a massive impact on gaming. Even the ‘professional reviews’ are done by Elite veterans and I see a lot of “It’s soooo awesome!!!” but am having a hard time figuring out what is outstanding about the game.


Vampyre111 - MechWarrior games were real good

 

[Frumpy Momoi]

Hello Sargon,


You’re absolutely right but not everyone has the self awareness to dissociate from the unconscious biases that comes with great old memories. I have also read a lot of threads, first impressions and reviews but very few from Elite newbies.


Cheers,
Momoi

 

[Sargon]

Hello Sargon,


You’re absolutely right but not everyone has the self awareness to dissociate from the unconscious biases that comes with great old memories. I have also read a lot of threads, first impressions and reviews but very few from Elite newbies.


Cheers,
Momoi

Great answer Cheers my friend.