I've Been A Bad Dog Today

[Ralph Vargr]

I hit a point where I would normally go for a clean save on my alt account. I was grinding too much with it, and it was far past the point of the new player experience.

Time for a change. I wasn't going to waste the grind I had put in on my main or alt accounts. So, no clean save.

Humble Bundle had a sale going.

I bought a second alt account for about $13 USD. Base game and Horizons. I now have three accounts. The only thing I will miss from my main account is a Cobra 4.

The experience is wonderful. I'm not repeating what I did with the first alt account. It's staying with one ship, and any progression via ranks, engineering, etc. will be accidental. No beating myself up. No giant fleet, and the logistics of umpteen parts. No hoarding of engineered modules. No bromelite or painite or Lavian Brandy or Kamitra Cigars.

I learned this from the friends I bought the game for. They played the game for fun.

Currently, I have an Adder that will last a long time. Did it in four hours. Not having to mine for mats/big money is just fantastic. I just run missions, and trade, and turn in the occasional astro data.

Also, no big bucks on cosmetics. And, my CDR is one ugly SOB.

The best surprise of all was the commander name was not taken yet. I'm stunned that someone at least as grumpy as myself hadn't taken it yet. No profanity or vulgarity, just a statement about the game that dates from Mr. Space Loach.

No hunting for records in exploration, either. It probably won't be going to Colonia. No CG's. It's a vacation from my regular game.

It feels great. Now, I don't dread starting up the game.

 

[starman]

There are many who are gold framing on borrowed account s or using there fleet careers

From your description of Fun I cant really imagine what that involves?

MY early experience involved alot of crashing into suns on on docking with a constally expanding'bubble' It was quite hard to trade in early days and pritaes hunts seemed bugged. Under normal play time I still dont know how some manage to amass so quick but I I kNOW a signifcant no are just buying thre credits with real cash from the get go.

 

[Michael Whatever]

Well I guess we are all ED enthusiasts here, but i'm really unsure what to make of this post.

If the game isn't fun, you felt you need a vacation from it, have spent a lot on it but dreaded starting it up yet continue to play on multiple accounts, is it possible you have an issue?

I don't know you , and I don't mean to upset you - it just comes across as an addiction to me.

 

[PaulieWotsit]

You can't buy in game credits with real cash, you can only buy arx

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Well I guess we are all ED enthusiasts here, but i'm really unsure what to make of this post.

If the game isn't fun, you felt you need a vacation from it, have spent a lot on it but dreaded starting it up yet continue to play on multiple accounts, is it possible you have an issue?

I don't know you , and I don't mean to upset you - it just comes across as an addiction to me.

We are addicts.

 

[moorison]

I think there is a point when playing the character feels more like an obligation than anything else, especially if one has certain roleplay limitations, like never supporting a certain power and being locked out from progressing through all unlock trees. You can't just delete the character, having achieved so much. Even if the basic concept remains, that we have to buy another game to get another character (and I see no reason from Frontier's perspective to change this), it would be nice to be able to switch more easily, like in the game itself.

 

[Michael Whatever]

We are addicts.

Fair enough. Admitting the problem is the first step and all that.
I regard this forum a self help group for ED addicts, proud to be a member myself.

 

[Stealthie]

Trouble with either a wiped save or an alt-account is that it doesn't take long before you end up buried underneath the "to do" list again.

 

[Red Anders]

Under normal play time I still dont know how some manage to amass so quick but I I kNOW a signifcant no are just buying thre credits with real cash from the get go.

There is no way to buy credits with real cash, so whatever you think you know about that, you don't in fact know.

As for making cash there have been ways to make 80-100m an hour in the game for at least three years now. If making cash is your objective, it's one of the easier ones to achieve.

I think what Ralph finds fun is the experience of having to actually work for things in the game, instead of the experience being akin to running an infinite cash cheat. If I didn't have a principled objection to FDev forcing PC players to pay for a second save slot, I'd probably do the same thing myself on an alt. I'll never be wiping five years of progression on my one and only account though.

 

[Stealthie]

If I didn't have a principled objection to FDev forcing PC players to pay for a second save slot, I'd probably do the same thing myself on an alt. I'll never be wiping five years of progression on my one and only account though.

Indeed.

It wouldn't matter so much if you actually, properly, "died" and then respawned as a new character but the CMDR of my main account is "me" - it's all the things I've done in ED, all the places I've visited and discovered, all the friends and enemies I've made and the effort I've put in.
Even if my CMDR ended-up as a penniless outlaw, despised by the entire galaxy, that'd still be a "heritage" that I'd want to keep hold of.

I bought an alt-account to monkey around with but, honestly, that really only taught me that the whole "new game buzz" thing is temporary, and it doesn't last more than a couple of days for an experienced player, so there's little point in repeatedly wiping that account either.

About the most fun I had with my alt-account was being Harmless and flying around in Open and being capable of evading gankers successfully.

 

[Faded Glory]

I think what Ralph finds fun is the experience of having to actually work for things in the game, instead of the experience being akin to running an infinite cash cheat. If I didn't have a principled objection to FDev forcing PC players to pay for a second save slot, I'd probably do the same thing myself on an alt. I'll never be wiping five years of progression on my one and only account though.

With you on this one - I paid for beta access and an LEP, not really willing to chuck more money at FD I'm afraid, no matter how little.

I think though, that as Stealthie said, the 'new experience' wouldn't last long. I played FE2 for ages (decades) starting over fresh after a break, and in the end all that the new experience was, was getting into the Cobra Mk III so I could play the game and chase the same in-game goals as before.

This game is what it is, trying to play it differently for RP purposes is all good and well, but in the end there's only so much that you can do to progress except to play the game that's there. Play without using large ships? Already do that because I don't like them. Play using only small ships? Could do, they are my favorites, but then I'm just making it harder (or longer) to reach some goals (for example the Elite rank in trade), but I won't be doing it differently, because there's not really any way to do that.

Should FD ever decide to put in a genuine criminal career, with actual game-play that would preclude you from the clean side of the game, maybe, just maybe it would be worth a few quid to have that extra CMDR, but right now, I don't really see the point.

 

[Mercury7]

I always saw myself as a mercenary - hired by the highest bidder to do whatever dirty work was required. I'm independent; a drifter. That is how I've played ED up to now, and my rank/rep with the major powers is still at beginner. I'm locked out of the rank-based ships, but I had (and have) a lot of fun doing it!

Addiction to games is real. If it goes from "fun" to causing you to worry about it while you're away, you certainly need a break.

I had a break from ED because I was suffering burn-out. I've just returned due to work and updates!

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

A really dumb and smelly idea from eso i finally get recently for elite..

Eso has cash shop items that let you buy fully levelled (i think) skill lines, or a zones worth of skyshards... only if you have already done the full thing on another character in your account. Yeah the community generally hates it.

But... grinding for my second carrier.. see i've decided i need one for both the 2 accounts im regularly playing.. but don't have the money of course. Wish i could just buy the second one.

/tangent.

 

[rrobes]

"...and any progression via ranks, engineering, etc. will be accidental. No beating myself up. No giant fleet, and the logistics of umpteen parts. No hoarding of engineered modules. No bromelite or painite or Lavian Brandy or Kamitra Cigars.

I learned this from the friends I bought the game for. They played the game for fun.

I just run missions, and trade, and turn in the occasional astro data.

Also, no big bucks on cosmetics. And, my CDR is one ugly SOB.

No hunting for records in exploration, either. It probably won't be going to Colonia. No CG's. It's a vacation from my regular game."

Sometimes less is more. No giant fleet for me either, own 7 ships, but mostly only 3 are used.

Try to play for fun, no goals, same, incidental loss/profit. I looked into my status and found that I'm 51% past prince, didn't know. It doesn't mean , but it's part of the game. Maybe I'll reach king someday.

Did spring for Black Friday paint for my main ships (black is stylish, slimming and always presentable) and one weapon and engine color. No bobbles or lights.

Run missions, trade and hunt and collect astro data organically as I Bubble along.

Went to Sag A and stared into the Abyss, but it didn't seem to give a quark 'bout my presence, Colonia was a mewling baby when I visited, soon left. A few thousand jumps left me spent. I don't know how you explorers do it over time.

So similar in philosophy to Master Ralph except:

I won't give up my cushy Corvette and my CMDR game face is OK, better than the RL one (well, younger at least).

So more power to the OP, don't avoid the void, just Ride, Sally, Ride!

 

[starman]

You can't buy in game credits with real cash, you can only buy arx

I wish people would not do this to my posts..
To be crystal clear.. What they are buying is for some one else to earn credits which actually involve handing over there own account which breaks Eula It was going on long before Arx came along. Its facilated by a third party site. Now we have fleet carier owners in game doing the same with in game transfer of commodities.Again advertised and real cash handle by a third party site. Was that clear enough?

 

[starman]

There is no way to buy credits with real cash, so whatever you think you know about that, you don't in fact know.

Don't make me laugh mate. Like I said you are buying a 'service' . Someone is farming those credits on your actual account and real money is being paid for that service . Now with fleetcareer owners are doing this in game and again real money is paid to them via third partysites. It breaks the EULA. Obviously I can't go show pics but its supposed to be being dealt with but its goes on and we dont really know whats actually done on a offical level but it ruins that game for me and probably distablished the game.

 

[PaulieWotsit]

Well, if someone wants to pay me to play their game, go for it

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I bought an alt-account to monkey around with but, honestly, that really only taught me that the whole "new game buzz" thing is temporary, and it doesn't last more than a couple of days for an experienced player, so there's little point in repeatedly wiping that account either.

That's where I am with my alt account now. Wiped it twice, and upon the third start (main motivator for the third wipe was to change the CMDR name) I genuinely dreaded the engineer unlock grind so moved it permanently to Colonia, where unlocking engineering recipes is a lot more convenient. And having an alt based there is actually worth the money spent on the second account, because I'm also way over the commute between bubble and Colonia (incidentally, I managed to hitch a ride on a FC this time around).

Problem is, now I don't quite know what to do with it there other than flying around - I'm mostly flying a single ship (have a second one as palette cleanser) and don't plan to amass a lot of credits, or achieve certain ranks etc. - quite the opposite, I want to keep a low enough combat rank in order to fool other players, but it's been pretty much tumbleweed in terms of meeting other players there, apart from a couple of hotspot systems.

So I find myself playing my main account mostly in recent weeks/months, also because that account has everything unlocked I can experiment with different builds and engage in slightly more varied gameplay that's not available in Colonia (AX, burned stations, PP maybe).

I don't regret buying the alt, it was worth it even just to prevent me from wiping my main account which I considered for a while - now that I would've regretted big time.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Trouble with either a wiped save or an alt-account is that it doesn't take long before you end up buried underneath the "to do" list again.

All too true.

This is a cheap, temporary fix.

At least, I'm free from the FSS and mining for a little while....

 

[Red Anders]

Don't make me laugh mate. Like I said you are buying a 'service' . Someone is farming those credits on your actual account and real money is being paid for that service . Now with fleetcareer owners are doing this in game and again real money is paid to them via third partysites. It breaks the EULA. Obviously I can't go show pics but its supposed to be being dealt with but its goes on and we dont really know whats actually done on a offical level but it ruins that game for me and probably distablished the game.

Well in five years of playing I've seen exactly one goldfarmer advertising his services, which would suggest that it's not a significant issue.

By the way, if you want people to interpret your posts correctly, try something revolutionary like being a little more precise with your language.