I'm curious, what do you class as 'playing the game'

[Saool]

There are lots and lots of threads about grind. However, what a lot of people class as grind, I class as playing the game. For example, I wanted to make some shield upgrades for my T9. So I worked out what I would need, and then set out to get them. In some cases I got things through doing other things. Selecting the right rewards for missions, or just scanning ships as a habit. In another case I went to a moon and drove around for a while until I had harvested 20 units of Niobium.

To me this is playing the game. I enjoyed those things. But is that playing the game for you, or is that grind? And if so, what do you class as 'playing the game'?

So all you people making post about how awful the game is and how much of a grind it all is; let's say you have all the money you need and all the ships you need, with all the engineering you need. What do you do now? What is 'playing the game' to you?

 

[RamirezKurita]

I'd say "playing" the game is when you are flying around picking your activities and having fun, weighing up your options carefully and considering all available courses of action.

Grind sets in when you are performing those activities, not because you enjoy them, but because you want to see the numbers in your credit account or material storage go up.

 

[Vardaugas]

Anyone fancy a buzzword salad? It's promising to be a ripe harvest.

 

[Oss133]

I assume "grind" is a derogatory term.

Everything I do in the game is "playing the game". If it felt like a grind I would not play it.

 

[John J. Aubrey]

The only time I feel like I'm being ground is when I have limited play time. For example I logged on recently knowing I only had a little over an hour to play. It was a retrieve stuff from signal source mission. I had to wait an inordinate amount of time for mission USS to spawn. I low waked and high waked trying to get instance to spawn it. Normally if I'm in my weekend play mode this wouldn't have bugged me. I used time to practice my super cruise flying skills, seeing how various throttle positions and maneuvers effect planet positions, etc. It finally spawned, I picked up my stuff and handed it in. I would have much rather spent that time either doing more missions or gathering materials. Then I was done for the day. If I have more time, everything I do feels fun and when it stops feeling fun, I do something else.

 

[znôrt]

So all you people making post about how awful the game is and how much of a grind it all is;

let's say you have all the money you need and all the ships you need, with all the engineering you need. What do you do now? What is 'playing the game' to you?

i have all the money, ships and engineering i need. playing the game means whatever i feel to do. stroll around, do this and that, currently practicing hitting elusive npc eagles and vipers with plasmas, looking forward for a player group managed event next week.

grind is not derogative, it is a common component of most (ok, many) of today's games. way too much / poorly thought out grind pretty much amounts to bad game design. people complain about that, that's natural. you might not agree, because it's subjective. that's also natural. why are you so upset?

 

[Darty]

I hate driving around on planets. It causes my computer to get all laggy if I do it for too long, it's mind numbingly repetitive but just difficult enough to not be relaxing and in general just isn't they type of gameplay I am interested in. I understand that some people like it and more power to them but it's just not for me. When I spend an hour doing it and don't even collect enough mats to g5 more than one module when I have 7 to do, I consider that grind.

Mining on the other hand, I do enjoy. Even though it's not the most profitable gameplay mechanic, I still like doing it. My alt account has made almost all of its credits from mining, and it's almost able to afford a mining clipper. I do not consider any of the time I spend on that account grinding even though progress has been slow.

And this is the core issue with engineering. I may have fun making all my credits through mining, but most players would hat to do so. Thankfully they don't have to because they can make credits just as fast or faster with other activities. This allows players (for the most part, credit earning is a little low across the board at certain levels) to progress through the game on a path they choose. Engineering is the exact opposite however. There is only 1 or 2 ways to do get a lot of different materials, and if a player happens to hat doing them, they are out of luck. Material traders did nothing to address this because their rates were so bad there was no point in using them. If mining made credits at 6 times the rate of the next most profitable profession, and it wasn't because mining was profitable but because everything else was so unprofitable, even the most hardcore anti-mining players would feel forced to do it (please don't get any ideas fdev ).

Engineering removes player agency when it comes to progression, leaving them with the choices of not progressing at all (harder and harder as engineering is so OP and npcs are getting more and more engineering themselves, plus just a crappy solution in general), slowly progressing through an activity they can't stand, or progressing 6-36 times slower through an activity they can stand but probably don't enjoy.

 

[Arry]

Playing the game to me; means a successfully launch.

Winning the game means landing with more credits than I started with.

Everything else is gravy; sometimes a little bitter maybe, but most of the time; quite appetising.

 

[MottiKhan]

I like to pick out a task and see it through. It might be gathering materials for engineers or rank for ships. Credits are always a byproduct of playing, so I don't need to look for those.

Most of the time, my task involves the BGS. Either helping my faction(s) or undermining others to help mine. The BGS is a long term thing, but there are nice little mini-goals along the way.

 

[MarkAusten]

The trouble is that, despite what a lot of people say, the term 'grind' has a negative connotation and it is used that way by most players using the term. The term 'time sink' is probably better since it does not have these negative vibes.

However, it is the negative connotations that make me say, repeatedly, for me there is no grind (Yes OA, I'm looking at you). Time sink yes, grind no. Nothing negative since I enjoy playing Elite and always have done. I don't recall a time when I have not enjoyed playing.

Must be just me I guess.

 

[Lanceor]

Doing whatever I enjoy.

 

[Saool]

why are you so upset?

I'm not upset. I'm curious.

From my own point of view, I spend the vast majority of my time in Mobius, or some other private groups. What other people do has very little impact on me, outside of systems like the BGS.

But I read a lot of posts here and see a lot if dissatisfaction. Lot's of people say what is wrong. But I don't see too much about what 'normal game play' without the things they see as grind would would like. And I am curious.

I will confess, I do harbour some assumptions. And one of those is that it is certain parts of the player base that do certain activities that generates a lot of these post. For example people primeraly interested in PvP who need to do lots of work to build competitive ships. But as I said, that is an assumption and may be bull. Which is why I ask.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

There are lots and lots of threads about grind. However, what a lot of people class as grind, I class as playing the game. For example, I wanted to make some shield upgrades for my T9. So I worked out what I would need, and then set out to get them. In some cases I got things through doing other things. Selecting the right rewards for missions, or just scanning ships as a habit. In another case I went to a moon and drove around for a while until I had harvested 20 units of Niobium.

To me this is playing the game. I enjoyed those things. But is that playing the game for you, or is that grind? And if so, what do you class as 'playing the game'?

So all you people making post about how awful the game is and how much of a grind it all is; let's say you have all the money you need and all the ships you need, with all the engineering you need. What do you do now? What is 'playing the game' to you?

"Playing the Game" : Consists of putting my hands on the controls I use and operating them to influence what happens on the screen.

Sometimes this is a lot of fun, sometimes it requires some effort on my part that isn't non-stop explosions and bright flashing lights.

That simply is what the game is.

 

[DaggerSnake]

Once you choose a mode and press start and find yourself in the cockpit of your ship you are playing the game. And you play until you are back at the main menu.

 

[Taimaru]

Every activity that one does within the game. I enjoy it all.

 

[Darty]

I'm not upset. I'm curious.

From my own point of view, I spend the vast majority of my time in Mobius, or some other private groups. What other people do has very little impact on me, outside of systems like the BGS.

But I read a lot of posts here and see a lot if dissatisfaction. Lot's of people say what is wrong. But I don't see too much about what 'normal game play' without the things they see as grind would would like. And I am curious.

I will confess, I do harbour some assumptions. And one of those is that it is certain parts of the player base that do certain activities that generates a lot of these post. For example people primeraly interested in PvP who need to do lots of work to build competitive ships. But as I said, that is an assumption and may be bull. Which is why I ask.

One man's grind is another mans gameplay. That's why options are so important. Material traders could have done so much if they were implemented correctly. They would have allowed players to bypass activities that they saw as grinding, while still encouraging and rewarding players for trying and doing a diversity of activities, but without forcing them. They could have also minimized the negative effects of rng too, which is another issue with engineers.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I'd like to do my thing rather being constantly bothered by pimped AI to better go and grind for my OP gear instead.

 

[Stigbob]

Grind doesn't actually exist outside the heads of the people who choose to do it, and then complain about it. As a rule of thumb never ever follow the advice of someone whining about how much they don't enjoy playing the game and you won't go far wrong.

Just do what's fun for you, try everything to find out what that is. One of the best things about the engineers is they make you do things like mining to unlock them. Personally I like fighting in highly maneuverable medium ships with low weight builds or just grabbing interesting missions at random. Wing assassinations are fun to do solo, and frequently give out quality mats.

 

[Hedy]

Playing the game is doing exactly what I want to do rather than following any laid out prepared content in any organised way. If I want to grind, engage Thargoids, engineer all day or simply head into the black for six months, would characterize playing the game as long as it is my version of when and how and ignore aspects I don't care about.
Elite is obviously a time sink, so making your own rules of engagement with the game is pretty important to getting the most out of it to my mind.

 

[akaliel]

The grind in Elite is simply repeating a task in order to acquire something that you need. What separates "grinding" from "playing the game" is how much fun it is to do these tasks. So when people are complaining about the grind, they're saying that the repeated task is not fun. So now that that is taken care of can we progress this thread onto the inevitable, "Well if you don't like it, go play something else!" phase?