I feel I'm completely excluded from material and data gathering in Odyssey 🙁

[Cmdr Travers]

I have a good selection of suits (and weapons) now in Odyssey. I caveat the weapons because, while I looked for them when I was buying suits, I just can't stand combat in games...

I haven't got the reflexes for it, I find that it causes me genuine anxiety, and it's just not my bag.

This is why I feel I'm completely excluded from material and data gathering in Odyssey (so far). In the rest of the game there's not a single material or data type that cannot be gathered completely safely, or traded for, with no possibility of combat. I'll caveat this as everything you need to upgrade your ships and that doesn't involve Thargoid or Guardian sites, but even much of that is perfectly safe to gather.

Even the safest methods of gathering materials and data in Odyssey still have a risk of combat, or an element of combat. For someone who, like I said, gets genuine anxiety from combat in games this isn't good. I feel there's FAR too great an emphasis placed on the FPS element of Odyssey and the rest of us are being completely forgotten. So much for the "play it your way" approach.

I'm wondering how many more of you feel the same way, as I seriously hope this gets fixed at some point.

 

[Codger]

If you aren’t going to do combat, there’s no reason to upgrade your suits or weapons.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

If you aren’t going to do combat, there’s no reason to upgrade your suits or weapons.

There is a very good reason to upgrade suits... night vision, extra battery capacity, extra backpack capacity, and all the other upgrades that are extremely useful for exploration and salvage (as and when that comes). This is the point I made and, no offence, but I think you highlighted it perfectly. People seem to completely forget all the other things you can do in Elite

 

[metatheurgist]

That's completely untrue though. You can get everything from reactivation missions. Sometimes there will be scavs there but you can just nuke them from orbit. Since the last update you don't even get surprise scav dropins, they just all turn up at the start. Once you've cleared them you can spend your sweet time exploring a base. If you can't cope with that then you can always leave, cancel the mission and find a base with no scavs (sometimes it'll be exactly the same one!). There are also a lot of rewards from fetch missions with zero combat. If you're prepared to steal at those bases and do it carefully there's no combat there either. As it turns out I don't mind a bit of foot combat but for efficiency I usually just nuke the scavs. I've basically done no foot combat at all.

About the only thing you can't do is qualify for that engineer with the CZ requirement, and you can bring friends and sit on the side while they do all the work for that.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

That's completely untrue though. You can get everything from reactivation missions. Sometimes there will be scavs there but you can just nuke them from orbit. Since the last update you don't even get surprise scav dropins, they just all turn up at the start. Once you've cleared them you can spend your sweet time exploring a base. If you can't cope with that then you can always leave, cancel the mission and find a base with no scavs (sometimes it'll be exactly the same one!). There are also a lot of rewards from fetch missions with zero combat. If you're prepared to steal at those bases and do it carefully there's no combat there either. As it turns out I don't mind a bit of foot combat but for efficiency I usually just nuke the scavs. I've basically done no foot combat at all.

Well there you go, you said it yourself "sometimes there will be scavs there". So what I said isn't completely untrue then is it!

 

[Terry Daniels]

Give it 6 months and I believe there will be more options for suit 'n gun upgrades. I think the reason it's so limited now is simply because there's not much else to do in the £30 DLC. Plant scanning is a wash, city walkabouts became a room so there's mostly limited AI settlements with fighting. So they stretched out the grindi... sorry, crafting elements.

 

[Terry Daniels]

I just can't stand combat in games...

Sometimes there will be scavs there but you can just nuke them from orbit.

So, combat!

steal at those bases and do it carefully there's no combat there either

So, maybe combat - thus raising anxiety levels.

 

[metatheurgist]

Nuking them from orbit is as far from combat as you can be. It's like saying duck hunting is a sport. And like I said, if you don't like it, cancel the mission and leave. Many times there will be no scavs for those missions.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

Nuking them from orbit is as far from combat as you can be. It's like saying duck hunting is a sport. And like I said, if you don't like it, cancel the mission and leave. Many times there will be no scavs for those missions.

I know some people can't relate to the way other people want to play Elite, and can't see things from other people's point of view but saying "if you don't like it [don't do it]" is a completely pointless statement. I'm not doing it because I don't like it, and feel excluded from an aspect of the game as a result. That was the whole point of the post.

 

[metatheurgist]

So not only do you not want combat, you also can't be bothered to turn around and leave and find a situation with no combat? Well, I can't help you at all them.

Also, fetch missions are still completely combat free (just don't take the ones that ask you to fetch an illegal item). It will take you much longer to get everything you want that way but it's still remotely possible.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

So not only do you not want combat, you also can't be bothered to turn around and leave and find a situation with no combat? Well, I can't help you at all them.

Also, fetch missions are still completely combat free (just don't take the ones that ask you to fetch an illegal item). It will take you much longer to get everything you want that way but it's still remotely possible.

No, you clearly can't help me and nor should you because sadly you can't see beyond the end of your nose. Also you didn't read the original post past the headline, and didn't see that combat causes anxiety. Some people just can't help themselves however when it comes to commenting on absolutely everything.

 

[taniwha-qf]

I know some people can't relate to the way other people want to play Elite, and can't see things from other people's point of view but saying "if you don't like it [don't do it]" is a completely pointless statement. I'm not doing it because I don't like it, and feel excluded from an aspect of the game as a result. That was the whole point of the post.

Yes, but you've just been informed how to participate in material collection while not doing the combat. I don't see the problem.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

Yes, but you've just been informed how to participate in material collection while not doing the combat. I don't see the problem.

Because you know as well as I do that there is no single way to collect materials and data in Odyssey that has zero chance of combat. If you don't know how anxiety works you shouldn't comment further.

 

[CaptainPugwash]

I have a good selection of suits (and weapons) now in Odyssey. I caveat the weapons because, while I looked for them when I was buying suits, I just can't stand combat in games...

I haven't got the reflexes for it, I find that it causes me genuine anxiety, and it's just not my bag.

This is why I feel I'm completely excluded from material and data gathering in Odyssey (so far). In the rest of the game there's not a single material or data type that cannot be gathered completely safely, or traded for, with no possibility of combat. I'll caveat this as everything you need to upgrade your ships and that doesn't involve Thargoid or Guardian sites, but even much of that is perfectly safe to gather.

Even the safest methods of gathering materials and data in Odyssey still have a risk of combat, or an element of combat. For someone who, like I said, gets genuine anxiety from combat in games this isn't good. I feel there's FAR too great an emphasis placed on the FPS element of Odyssey and the rest of us are being completely forgotten. So much for the "play it your way" approach.

I'm wondering how many more of you feel the same way, as I seriously hope this gets fixed at some point.

I enjoy combat in ships, but the whole on foot experience is just weirdly confrontational in my experience. If a wealthy trader lands at a peaceful settlement he or she should be welcomed, whereas now all we get is a grudging scan and on your way.
But back to the OP’s point: I think it’s valid, yes, and I would also say there is very little point in doing the poorly thought out material grind in the first place, as it only serves to make the, er, material grind quicker. It’s a self serving pointless game loop. My advice to the OP is to search the stations for pre-upgraded stuff, and/or the very useful forum thread (for which I myself am grateful).
Then wait patiently for better missions ..

 

[Cmdr Travers]

I enjoy combat in ships, but the whole on foot experience is just weirdly confrontational in my experience. If a wealthy trader lands at a peaceful settlement he or she should be welcomed, whereas now all we get is a grudging scan and on your way.
But back to the OP’s point: I think it’s valid, yes, and I would also say there is very little point in doing the poorly thought out material grind in the first place, as it only serves to make the, er, material grind quicker. It’s a self serving pointless game loop. My advice to the OP is to search the stations for pre-upgraded stuff, and/or the very useful forum thread (for which I myself am grateful).
Then wait patiently for better missions ..

I've been doing that, had success with my main Cmdr in the bubble. My second Cmdr at Colonia though hasn't been anywhere near as successful. I'll keep looking though, and have spent so much time in Apex shuttles recently that when I finally got back into my own ship I crashed into a star

 

[Dextio]

I have a good selection of suits (and weapons) now in Odyssey. I caveat the weapons because, while I looked for them when I was buying suits, I just can't stand combat in games...

I haven't got the reflexes for it, I find that it causes me genuine anxiety, and it's just not my bag.

This is why I feel I'm completely excluded from material and data gathering in Odyssey (so far). In the rest of the game there's not a single material or data type that cannot be gathered completely safely, or traded for, with no possibility of combat. I'll caveat this as everything you need to upgrade your ships and that doesn't involve Thargoid or Guardian sites, but even much of that is perfectly safe to gather.

Even the safest methods of gathering materials and data in Odyssey still have a risk of combat, or an element of combat. For someone who, like I said, gets genuine anxiety from combat in games this isn't good. I feel there's FAR too great an emphasis placed on the FPS element of Odyssey and the rest of us are being completely forgotten. So much for the "play it your way" approach.

I'm wondering how many more of you feel the same way, as I seriously hope this gets fixed at some point.

This is actually a valid point, and I sympathize. Exploration is a valid gameplay loop for ED (obviously), and perhaps there should be alternate avenues to getting materials/geared up. You can discover abandoned ships/wrecks, without any scavengers, but you probably won't get enough mats to level up your suit. I like the idea of solving puzzles to get loot and/or discovering ruins (which you can do with thargoids/guardians, but perhaps can do with older abandoned settlements beyond the bubble, etc.). Perhaps you can just get loot by turning in specimens? shrug

Whatever the possible solution, it would likely entail new functionality which might take FDev a while to implement, and I'd likely not anticipate anything soon.

ED is not...the easiest game to play if one is trying to avoid combat. You run the risk of being interdicted even if you play all your cards right. Even I get anxiety when I get intercepted by Thargoids! Of course, you can avoid certain realms of space and be strictly out of the bubble, but then you lose out on a lot of that gameplay too...

Hmm...it's a tough problem for sure. It's a lame recommendation, but I might recommend Space Engineers? You don't necessarily need to do combat in that one if I recall? At least until FDev realizes this problem...?

 

[Cmdr Travers]

This is actually a valid point, and I sympathize. ...but perhaps can do with older abandoned settlements beyond the bubble, etc.

Dav's Hope anyone?

 

[taniwha-qf]

Because you know as well as I do that there is no single way to collect materials and data in Odyssey that has zero chance of combat. If you don't know how anxiety works you shouldn't comment further.

There is no activity in Elite that has 0% chance of combat. Not one. Though, admittedly, once you're out in the black, it's very very low. But when you go somewhere to hand in your data, there's a risk of combat (I count evading interdiction as combat).

However, you can buy decent suits (eg, Artemis with mods), and as you don't need weapons for exploration (normally), you're set (g3 is pretty darn good), The only mod that really matters is reduced tool power usage, though I imagine extra battery cap won't go astray.

As for anxiety, we all have anxieties. Games are a good way of facing and overcoming our anxieties in a safe environment.

 

[Dextio]

Dav's Hope anyone?

Something like that...for on foot mats. I'm trying to remember...I think some crash sites like the one for the missing ACT lady had Odyssey loot...but I forget. Just more of that maybe. That would be a "quick" fix.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

There is no activity in Elite that has 0% chance of combat. Not one.

In a ship though you can gather the majority of materials and data completely safely though and then trade for the rest, so 0% chance of combat. Even interdictions are simple to get away from even for a novice. I'm never in one where even a single shot is fired, they're a bit weedy in my view.