I was done.
Done with this game.
Done mining. Done shooting. Done trading. I was done because I'd done all I wanted in this game. I was done when I played the FC beta and thought "this means more mining doesn't it?"
I told Elite I was off to buy some milk, "Ok", Elite said, and I high-waked out of the door for the next few weeks, free from mining and server errors named after various coloured ships and being redirected 200,000Ls away to kill some NPC Pirate.
So I went off and I sought comfort, fun and respect for my free time elsewhere. Stellaris has had me up until the early hours of weekend mornings. Forza 7 satisfied my car racing craving in this F1-less lockdown era. Gears 5 was there when I wanted to shoot things and even No Man's Sky (!) occupied my time for a while and brought me space legs this year and not the next.
Meanwhile, from a safe distance, I've observed the forums regarding the initial release of Fleet Carriers aaannnnd....LOL, Frontier, can we please have an update which doesn't break half the game? Don't even get me started on the story of my Cloaked Cobra MkIVs.
But still, I returned. Why? New toy. Fleet Carriers, I guess. Something of an missed opportunity in my book for reasons I've previously mentioned in other threads, but I can't deny they are game-changers in their own right. IMO, by themselves. they don't add any meaningful gameplay activities - but - and this is the thing I've realised, now - they've had an major impact on existing activities.
Storing 200+ tons of LTDs for a Boom-state rainy day? Sure. Jump your entire fleet 400Lys down the road? Why not? Wanna swap your Battle-Condy for a Battle-Corvette for a combat zone? Park your carrier next door to the CZ and have at it, knowing your mobile rearming station is just down the road. Need a lift? I can help, what? Not on Xbox? No worries my friends, because The Black Sapphire (J2N-T2Z) and my pirate-ish crew are a friendly bunch (if overpaid), and don't care what platform you play the game on.
The number of times I seen "Need a lift?" on Xbox system chat says it all. Hell, I even went mining this week. Mining! Yeah, still waiting for that balance pass Frontier (since December 2018 actually) but I admit, having a huge storage space for myTritium Carrier Jump Juice and LTDs changes things, and my game, and the way I play the game, beyond 'heh, I take fleet anywhere now!'. Do I need that fuel scoop on my Python miner? Do I sell LTDs now or wait until the price goes higher? At the moment I'm also stocking up on goods which are in-demand in negative system states. Those 250 tons of basic meds? Selling them to a outbreak state system at some point. Maybe today. Perhaps next week. Fleet Carriers give me that freedom.
At the moment, I'm mining. Tomorrow I'll jump away from New Borann, and select the second star to the left, 500Lys away.
PS - Maybe its me but Madeline is more welcoming then the default ATC by far. At times she almost makes me think I've acually paid for the tub I've spent billions on and that I'm paying her wages!
Done with this game.
Done mining. Done shooting. Done trading. I was done because I'd done all I wanted in this game. I was done when I played the FC beta and thought "this means more mining doesn't it?"
I told Elite I was off to buy some milk, "Ok", Elite said, and I high-waked out of the door for the next few weeks, free from mining and server errors named after various coloured ships and being redirected 200,000Ls away to kill some NPC Pirate.
So I went off and I sought comfort, fun and respect for my free time elsewhere. Stellaris has had me up until the early hours of weekend mornings. Forza 7 satisfied my car racing craving in this F1-less lockdown era. Gears 5 was there when I wanted to shoot things and even No Man's Sky (!) occupied my time for a while and brought me space legs this year and not the next.
Meanwhile, from a safe distance, I've observed the forums regarding the initial release of Fleet Carriers aaannnnd....LOL, Frontier, can we please have an update which doesn't break half the game? Don't even get me started on the story of my Cloaked Cobra MkIVs.
But still, I returned. Why? New toy. Fleet Carriers, I guess. Something of an missed opportunity in my book for reasons I've previously mentioned in other threads, but I can't deny they are game-changers in their own right. IMO, by themselves. they don't add any meaningful gameplay activities - but - and this is the thing I've realised, now - they've had an major impact on existing activities.
Storing 200+ tons of LTDs for a Boom-state rainy day? Sure. Jump your entire fleet 400Lys down the road? Why not? Wanna swap your Battle-Condy for a Battle-Corvette for a combat zone? Park your carrier next door to the CZ and have at it, knowing your mobile rearming station is just down the road. Need a lift? I can help, what? Not on Xbox? No worries my friends, because The Black Sapphire (J2N-T2Z) and my pirate-ish crew are a friendly bunch (if overpaid), and don't care what platform you play the game on.

The number of times I seen "Need a lift?" on Xbox system chat says it all. Hell, I even went mining this week. Mining! Yeah, still waiting for that balance pass Frontier (since December 2018 actually) but I admit, having a huge storage space for my
At the moment, I'm mining. Tomorrow I'll jump away from New Borann, and select the second star to the left, 500Lys away.
PS - Maybe its me but Madeline is more welcoming then the default ATC by far. At times she almost makes me think I've acually paid for the tub I've spent billions on and that I'm paying her wages!