is the bubble expanding too fast?

[[VR] Mad Mike]

I am reading some people complaining that the bubble is expanding alarmingly fast, possibly faster than FD intends.

IF this is the case and if anyone from FD is reading please for gods sake do not increase the requirements to slow things down..... contrary to what it may look like a lot of us cant put in much over 20hrs over a 4 week period.

IF it does need to be slowed down (i am not saying it does but IF it does) please consider a cool down on player accounts before being able to apply for a next architect license. This would slow down expansion (assuming its wanted) but still allow players of all abilities to have a go. Big squadrons would still get to expand a lot faster but this is to be expected... groups will always have an advantage...... but as it is now a lone wolf with limited time can just about access this content.... but any increases would certainly push me out .

 

[Ian Doncaster]

IF it does need to be slowed down (i am not saying it does but IF it does) please consider a cool down on player accounts before being able to apply for a next architect license

I don't know that would necessarily slow things down all that much, at least in the short term. My EDDN-sourced data shows about 5000 completed claims (of the 8000 Frontier says are done) and 12000 pending ones. Each pending one potentially represents a separate player initiating the process.

So the number of current players with multiple system claims is probably fairly small anyway, compared with the huge numbers with exactly one.

If there are 20,000ish players wanting to colonise a system and capable of doing the basics for at least a starter outpost, then even if every one of them only takes one each, that's still doubled the size of the bubble from its original. If they have to then wait a month before applying for their next license, well, that's still 20k new systems each month.

"Achievable by individual veteran players" and "Doesn't cause the bubble to double in size in a month" aren't really compatible.

 

[Starshot_Jigawatts]

Yes because people are using an exploit from what I've heard.

 

[Calteru]

Yes because people are using an exploit from what I've heard.

The exploit in question wasn't even related to colonization but was/is instead an existing exploit that was just applied to the concept of colonization and happened to be a fit.

Sure, it could have sped things along for a few of these systems, but not for anywhere close to all 8,000+ that popped up in the less-than-a-week of beta testing.

The reason so many popped up so fast is twofold -- outposts are very easy to build, and the 15ly tether means almost everyone has to build multiple outposts in multiple systems just to get to the one or few they DO want.

 

[metatheurgist]

It's no more dumb than 4 day wars or Outbreaks that wrap up after a week. This has always been a fundamental issue with letting players play with the BGS. The Space Emperors aren't going to wait for a credible time to get their toys.

 

[Starshot_Jigawatts]

The exploit in question wasn't even related to colonization but was/is instead an existing exploit that was just applied to the concept of colonization and happened to be a fit.

Sure, it could have sped things along for a few of these systems, but not for anywhere close to all 8,000+ that popped up in the less-than-a-week of beta testing.

The reason so many popped up so fast is twofold -- outposts are very easy to build, and the 15ly tether means almost everyone has to build multiple outposts in multiple systems just to get to the one or few they DO want.

I think we have to remember a massive number of these claims are from people who saw the materials requirement and said "SCREW THIS!!" When that 28day timer goes off, a ton of the bubble will go from purple to white.

 

[Calteru]

I think we have to remember a massive number of these claims are from people who saw the materials requirement and said "SCREW THIS!!" When that 28day timer goes off, a ton of the bubble will go from purple to white.

IDK, an outpost is pretty easy to finish and I'd bet that was the vast majority of builds. Some would probably fall off, but I think you'd still see a net increase (and a significant one).

 

[photomankc]

I'd say the 8K number does look to be a bit much in my view, but it is also a signature and highly desired feature so it would be best to let data build a few cycles before you go crazy on nerfing it. Also, the more the bubble expands the more systems the next shell encompasses so that will slow things down too but I expect the expansion wont be nice and even, more of an Amoeba with arms stretching out.

I agree that making hauling worse is NOT the way to go. I would look more to a cooldown on the colonization contact to limit new expansion from a newly established system. That won't stop the in-fill of the existing bubble which I assume will soon be solid but would slow up outward expansion. With that in place then open it up to the other mini-bubbles already in-game to reduce the number of people trying to daisy chain their way to the black.

 

[Starshot_Jigawatts]

I would look more to a cooldown on the colonization contact to limit new expansion from a newly established system.

That's unacceptable. That just makes people with gillions of alt-accounts having even more of an advantage.

The Milky Way is massive...

 

[photomankc]

That's unacceptable. That just makes people with gillions of alt-accounts having even more of an advantage.

The Milky Way is massive...

How? The alt can't expand from there either, the cooldown is on the service, not the commander. How does that lead to the alt being advantaged? The original and the alt both can expand from another original system or other colonized systems out of cooldown.

It doesn't even make sense that a system that doesn't have its port functional yet is now ready to send colony ships off to expand from.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

The amount of stars needed to be colonised in order to fill up space will increase by the cube as the bubble expands, but the total number of players has only been increasing slightly. Said players can only colonise one system at a time. The bubble's rate of growth will inevitably tail off.

 

[Landorin]

I also wondered whether it is expanding too fast when I saw the number of 8000. From a balancing and game planning perspective this might really go too fast, who knows.

Should things be artificially be slowed down? Perhaps. Yet as Mad Mike wrote, this should not punish someone who doesn't have an abundant time to spend on games. I completed my first outpost with a help of my gf in just a few days. I like the idea that you can do this all on your own (contrary to what's the case in most other online games and the return you get from a colonized system is small anyway).

Yet I do wonder why I can technically claim as many systems as I want (and keep them for at least 4 weeks, whether I colonize them successfully or not). Why not limit it to 1 claim per player until the colonization was successful? Or 1 claim per player per week or so? But hey, I would not want to vote on anything of that, I'd leave that to the devs. Eventually they will know if it's too fast for some reason or not.