I think I've figured out how to slow down my progress on my next save so I actually enjoy the game again.

[VR SenseiMatty]

Thanks for the feedback - I think a mode like you're describing could be a lot of fun for players who are already loaded with credits.

What I'm suggesting is you set additional goals for yourself (beyond earning the needed credits) to each ship, that way unlocking them might feel more substantial. For example, reaching a given rank in trade before buying the next mining ship or killing x number of pirates for the next combat ship.

Few years back the very rewarding missions were locked behind trading ranks were the most rewarding required elite rank. I think what you ‘re suggesting is good but trading ranks should be also harder to get.

One feedback that’s been given many times in the forum is to introduce mining ranks so it’s unrelated to the selling of mined LTDs.

In this way your suggestion would work greatly if integrated in the game code

 

[Bob McBobblehead]

I like to see a good spec multi-purpose ship that required a lot of work to obtain. Not in credits, but gathering resources to build the ship. Ram Tah could offer to build you a hybrid human/Guardian ship, but it would takes months to gather the materials required.

 

[Denneb]

Want to experience the game's progression as it was meant to be? Then just quit mining...

 

[Bob McBobblehead]

Want to experience the game's progression as it was meant to be? Then just quit mining...

Also quit passenger missions and trading Tritium between stations.

 

[Drelthar]

Feedback received! There are quite a few things we'd like to do with the launcher and this would be a good improvement for sure.

What might be nice, is having multiple characters, but on one account.

This isn't a new concept, not doing it is actually a little odd, and this being implemented was talked about a lot earlier in development.

I've always found it a little sad customers are seemingly expected to buy the game multiple times, the expansions multiple times, and to top it off, all of their cosmetics multiple times.

So, I would prefer it wasn't a launcher thing, but a character select screen.

This way I could have an explorer out in the black, but then swap back to my bubble pilot to assassinate some scum politicians if I felt like it.

 

[ManlyVIK]

I've got a good suggestion to slow down your progression: only play in heavily populated systems on console.

 

[Galaxias]

On a sidenote, my HOTAS Warthog has arrived.

YOU'VE JUST RECEIVED A WARTHOG HOTAS!!!

 

[G.man]

The massive credit earnings in ED are proving to burn me out very quickly.

So how do I work around this in such a manner that doesn't interfere with other people's credit farming?

Something I can do myself within the current ruleset that is harmless?

I think I have the answer.

When I start my new save, the only missions I will attempt are the starter missions for the sake of RP, and those that must be done to unlock content, namely engineers. Preferably donation missions so that I actually lose credits.

Aside from that? RP the heck out of it. Does the galaxy really need another diamond or void opal trader? Nope.

I shall shift fruit and vegetables. Meat if I'm feeling fancy.

Mining shall be restricted to low market-value ores that are not mined much outside long-term contracts. Industrial supplies? Leather, fabrics. Commercial products? Clothes, domestic goods.

I'm going to make 100's of credits. Rich I say! Rich!

No outside tools. All in game. If a market is bust, I choose. Sell anyway or seek elsewhere?

Planets? I'll pick up junk, sure. I'm no rescue pilot but if I see escape pods, they'll get priority. I'm no monster. And yes I will dump cargo for them.

Passenger cabins are interesting. Due to them being mission only... However restricting myself to economy cabins and only taking a-b ferry trips will limit those earnings. No requests will be accepted. The contract at pick-up is final.

Combat is not something I will actively seek for the most part. Pirate/criminal hits will be responded to on the moment. Do I fight, or run?

Exploration is a flat out no for me, unless it's to map a system inside the bubble or essential for unlocks. I'm considering just not selling the data anyway just to eliminate those potential earnings.

As you can see I'm taking extreme measures to make this game enjoyable for a hard-core RP'er like myself.

It's a shame but there we are... I can't do anything about the stupidly inexpensive repairs or fuel costs.

On a sidenote, my HOTAS Warthog has arrived.

These rules are pretty similar to the ones I posted the other day that our group is using to make the game more dangerous (i.e. fewer credits). Great post!

One recent change we made for exploration data is to only scan objects in systems that are undiscovered. That really nerfs the payout since you need to go at least 2K out from the bubble above or below the plane or 5K out otherwise to find new systems.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

These rules are pretty similar to the ones I posted the other day that our group is using to make the game more dangerous (i.e. fewer credits). Great post!

One recent change we made for exploration data is to only scan objects in systems that are undiscovered. That really nerfs the payout since you need to go at least 2K out from the bubble above or below the plane or 5K out otherwise to find new systems.

There's still a few unscanned systems within 1k Ly of Sol and unscanned bodies around 700 Ly

 

[Red Anders]

While I am not disagreeing with you, you can do the new player tutorial at any time without wiping.

Yeah I know but cheers for mentioning it anyway. I was meaning more the whole new player experience, for example even when engineers were first introduced I already had access to a lot of them because I'd already hit their unlock requirements, the fact that I did all my significant material hunting back when we just had to fly round aimlessly praying to the RNG god for high grade USSs to appear, the fact that I built my stable of ships when a good mission paid out about 50-100k, etc etc. My impression is that progression is faster and yet also quite different as an experience from back when I started and I'd like to get that overall sense of it.

Generally in gaming I find the mid-game phase to be the most rewarding, the part where you're past noob errors but still have lots to go at and progression still means something in terms of improving your effectiveness. That's not to say that I don't enjoy 'end-game' gamplay but with any game like this there's a definite plateau after which you're setting targets for yourself because the game doesn't really have many more to offer you. I tend to be quite a target-focused gamer and whilst I can and do enjoy setting my own goals (as anybody playing Elite for close to five years must) it's nice when the game itself is presenting them for you, along with rewards for reaching them.

I'd really like to run a second Commander and focus on taking a completely different path through the early and mid-game than I did on my current and only account. I just think it's borderline gouging to expect players to shell out for second copies of the game itself and expansions to do that, which is why I won't do it.

Few years back the very rewarding missions were locked behind trading ranks were the most rewarding required elite rank. I think what you ‘re suggesting is good but trading ranks should be also harder to get.

One feedback that’s been given many times in the forum is to introduce mining ranks so it’s unrelated to the selling of mined LTDs.

In this way your suggestion would work greatly if integrated in the game code

Removing the rank lock on missions is probably the single worst decision the developers ever made in my opinion. I still have absolutely no idea who thought that was sensible or desirable. It changed ranks from being something that were a key part of player progression into, well, a badge.

 

[sandkid]

Personally, on credit rewards being outsized and such...

Why do missions have rank 'requirements' that are, well, not required?

I always found it odd that, way back when in my piddly Dolphin as a fledgling passenger captain, after quickly reaching Allied with a faction I could take on highly lucrative "Elite" trade and explorations missions, but only as a lower end rank? If rank requirements were hardlocked to "N-1 or Higher" I think missions, and rank growth, would be more meaningful while also reducing the credit faucet in early game. None of that stops the mining rush, but for the rest of us it would be an easy but hardly painful 'nerf'.

I, too, miss the early decision-making on 'what next ship' and strategizing how I would fund it, and then fund its outfitting, while adhering to Rule #1.

 

[Old Duck]

Before you reset your account, consider donating your wealth to another player! Fleet carriers makes this easy now. If I was in the Bubble, I'd happy accept your donations. Running a fleet carrier isn't cheap (especially for a non-cherry-picking part-time explorer).

 

[Kamiyoda]

Also quit passenger missions and trading Tritium between stations.

Also quit exploring.

I like to see a good spec multi-purpose ship that required a lot of work to obtain. Not in credits, but gathering resources to build the ship. Ram Tah could offer to build you a hybrid human/Guardian ship, but it would takes months to gather the materials required.

You had me until you said months. That sounds absolutely insane. I cant imagine anything in any game taking months at best to get that wasnt behind an artificial timegate Power Play modules being an example

So if you make the requirements to get this magic ship that high it basically just becomes inaccessible to anyone not willing to grind for an absurdly long time. And given how much complaining goes on here about this already, well...

So I guess I need to ask what you mean by months. Months of casual play dedicated to this, maybe a few hours a day and a bit more on the weekend, or monthes of hardcore no life grinding?

 

[Vasious]

Personally, on credit rewards being outsized and such...

Why do missions have rank 'requirements' that are, well, not required?

I always found it odd that, way back when in my piddly Dolphin as a fledgling passenger captain, after quickly reaching Allied with a faction I could take on highly lucrative "Elite" trade and explorations missions, but only as a lower end rank? If rank requirements were hardlocked to "N-1 or Higher" I think missions, and rank growth, would be more meaningful while also reducing the credit faucet in early game. None of that stops the mining rush, but for the rest of us it would be an easy but hardly painful 'nerf'.

I, too, miss the early decision-making on 'what next ship' and strategizing how I would fund it, and then fund its outfitting, while adhering to Rule #1.

There once was a time where missions were locked to those of the correct rank or above and a minimum reputation with the issuing faction.

But that could result in the mission board being populated with missions none of which you could do, since missions are not generated for the Cmdr looking for them.

This could be an issue with Non Market owning Factions as there could be the trap of
They don't offer many missions
You don't have the rep to do the ones they want
Since you cannot do the missions, it is hard to earn the rep

The rank now is just an advisory of the quantum of the mission

 

[VirtueXOI]

what you can do is buy carrier , put all your credit in it and restart to sidy , with only you main account. You can put your carrier in colonia or far away if you are tempted.

I think carrier is good for that , you can even RP that it's your father one and you have to make money to rebuy it or follow some epic quest.

The only thing that dont reset are rank sadly :/

 

[Haradrim]

Just don't exploit the inflated mining meta we have and you won't burnout as fast

 

[G.man]

There once was a time where missions were locked to those of the correct rank or above and a minimum reputation with the issuing faction.

But that could result in the mission board being populated with missions none of which you could do, since
are not generated for the Cmdr looking for them.

This could be an issue with Non Market owning Factions as there could be the trap of
They don't offer many missions
You don't have the rep to do the ones they want
Since you cannot do the missions, it is hard to earn the rep

The rank now is just an advisory of the quantum of the mission

I've really struggled with trying to do missions without making too many credits.

At first, I only would do missions if I was allied with the faction. But then you just delay when the credits start taking off.

So I added rank unlocks only for those missions you're "allowed" to do. But there's no balance. You can do a Merchant delivery mission for a few million credits yet a Tycoon courier mission might pay only 75K.

Then I added rank unlocks but always choose the lowest payout option (max rep or influence). That worked well but once your credits increase enough with other methods, the payout starts being too low relative to the time/effort of the mission.

For a restart, I played around with limiting your payout based on trade rank and threw out the Allied with the faction and rank unlock rules.

Penniless: No missions
Mostly penniless: < 10K credits
Peddler: < 25K
Dealer < 50K
Merchant: < 100K
Broker: < 250K
Entrepreneur: Can do any mission
Exceptions: Can do any mining missions or fed/imperial rank up missions regardless of trade rank.

So far, this seems to work well. Although I might go back to the always-choose-the-lowest-payout option.

 

[Enderby]

Sounds boring as —
Like the same we’ve all done to try to wrest some fun from this computer program
always boring

 

[CMDR DragonHorn]

I'm kinda losing thread of logic here... It's not really clear to me what "progression" is in Elite? You just randomly unlock stuff for convenience, which is detached from each other, or you just don't. Having billions of credits or buying large expensive ships doesn't really mean you progress anywhere, because if Eagle is your favorite ship, you'll be sending most time in it.

I personally did some high payout things just to have rebuy money, so I can do stuff for fun. When I log, I can just go and do planetary jobs, either though the pay peanuts and onionheads.

When you have stuff unlocked or bunch of credits, it doesn't mean you can't go back or some content is locked away from you. Why delete save, though? It's hard to imagine doing same mindless stuff over and over to, say, unlock engineer? Can it be fun for anyone or do you get the feeling that you progress... to where?

Biggest gripe here is how much time everything takes in Elite. Simple assassination or trade related job can take almost up to an hour...

 

[Red Anders]

I'm kinda losing thread of logic here... It's not really clear to me what "progression" is in Elite? You just randomly unlock stuff for convenience, which is detached from each other, or you just don't. Having billions of credits or buying large expensive ships doesn't really mean you progress anywhere, because if Eagle is your favorite ship, you'll be sending most time in it.

And if the Eagle isn't your favourite ship, you won't and would presumably like to acquire the credits to get another one. Sorry you were saying something about logic?

Progression isn't linear in the game for sure, which is the point (or one of the points) of a sandbox. 'Progression' is still ultimately something that every player will define for themselves as it's entirely dependent on what that player's personal gameplay preference happens to be, but surely you can see that if a player starts a new character, with zero credits, zero engineers unlocked and a starting Sidey as their only ship, then whatever their personal goal may be, the game then provides a progression route towards it? And that simply playing through that route can be entertaining to some people, if not to you.

I've never 'randomly unlocked' anything in this game really, I've decided to achieve a particular task and set about it. The only things I've ever randomly acquired were the engineer unlocks when they were first introduced and there's no way I could have known that (for example) the fact I took a trip out past the Eagle nebula about a year before Palin was in the game as an engineer meant that when he appeared I'd already achieved his 5,000LY unlock requirement.

In general, do you play a game through once and then that's it, you never go back to it? If so I can get why you'd have a problem seeing how a new start could be entertaining for someone who already did that once (and there's nothing wrong with that at all, how entertaining each of us finds any game is a completely subjective judgement).

If you're the kind of person who might play an RPG through three times using completely different characters just because it offers a different progression and gameplay experience despite ultimately following the same story, or might play through a squad-based strategy game several times just because you like to experiment with different tactics and leveling through tech trees in a different order or priority (looking at you X-COM series ) I'm surprised that you'd have trouble seeing how starting over in this game and perhaps employing some limitations on your playstyle, or following a particular (I'm so sorry for using this phrase) personal narrative could be appealing.