Money and ships - got to be more to it.

[nats]

ED is arguably quite limited in depth of gameplay at the moment.

I think because of this it seems to be the case there are loads of players now with piles of money (far more than they will ever need) and loads of high powered ships (far more than they will ever need), and probably these people will soon lose interest in the game by not having any goals to keep them playing.

I think this is being caused by the fact that there is precious little to do in the game other than, you guessed it: making money and buying ships.

I hope Frontier are getting to grips with this lacklustre gameplay beginning with 1.3. TBH I think even with FFE I stopped playing once I got myself an Imperial Courier. It is a significant problem with this sort of game that the only thing to aim for is "the next ship".

I will be interested to see what Frontier have in mind for this game in order to keep players busy and not just encouraging them to make money and buy ships. There has to be a lot more to the game than that otherwise this is going to be significantly short lived game once everyone gets up to an Anaconda or whatever. I think if I ever reach an Anaconda I would probably start the game from scratch again mind. But you know what I mean. Once the impetus for making money goes there is precious little left to keep you playing, well certainly at the moment anyway.

 

[Whiterose]

Roll on 1.3

 

[lilikin]

You forgot to activate your Fanboi shield.
.
While I don't disagree, lets see what PP brings to the game, missions and factions wise

 

[Ancipital]

"Buy this car to drive to work,
Drive to work to pay for this car" -Metric et al

..to an extent, OP- you're right. However, we dinosaurs have everything in ED that we had in Elite, and that lasted us for years. I suspect that it's what you make of it. People expecting a "themepark" game are going to be quite bored, though, sure. Those of us who spent years in the inky void for no reason other than the journey may find more to divert us.

People who have exploited their way to billions (seeking luxuries, bounty exploits etc.) in particular, may be experiencing some ennui. Heck, people who have played the game more or less honestly since the last pre-launch wipe, but done so in a fairly hardcore way might be out of luck, too.

It looks like you'll have some new shinies in 1.3 anyway, with new ways to win and lose, and an allegedly beefed-up mission system. Maybe you'll have more fun then? I hope so.

 

[lilikin]

"Buy this car to drive to work,
Drive to work to pay for this car" -Metric et al

..to an extent, OP- you're right. However, we dinosaurs have everything in ED that we had in Elite, and that lasted us for years. I suspect that it's what you make of it. People expecting a "themepark" game are going to be quite bored, though, sure. Those of us who spent years in the inky void for no reason other than the journey may find more to divert us.

It looks like you'll have some new shinies in 1.3 anyway, with new ways to win and lose, and an allegedly beefed-up mission system. Maybe you'll have more fun then? I hope so.

Most people aren't expecting a "themepark" game. They get the idea of a sandbox and are just looking for some meaning/long term goals etc

Edit: It's not the 80s anymore

 

[Stigbob]

Find yourself a new goal, or go deliberately bankrupt starting again from scratch but keeping your ranks.

I got a bit jaded with the Lave area (good for all three major faction bounty claiming but I'm sick of the sight of the same systems) so I've flogged my spare ships and have only visited new systems (to me) for a while and I have no reason to hang around that area now.

Jump in splat anything wanted poke about the Nav point or anything else of interest, then land claim bounties and jump again selecting the destination by its unfamiliarity. Keeps things new for me (ATM) power play will be along soon and I'll try missions again then. Currently I'm wandering sort of Galactic South(ish) and enjoying myself.

 

[Joe Spivey]

You forgot to activate your Fanboi shield.

Really? No need for this sort of persistent petty abuse. Everybody has an opinion and they are entitled to air it without the name calling.

 

[Midian27]

That seems to be the whole point of power play. Getting people more involved with the politics and interworkings of the human sphere.

 

[puca]

It is a significant problem with this sort of game that the only thing to aim for is "the next ship".

OP I think I have identified your problem. Maybe make more interesting goals for yourself. It is a sandbox, use your imagination!

I do agree FD should (and will) give us more to do.

 

[Midian Cabal]

I think this is being caused by the fact that there is precious little to do in the game other than, you guessed it: making money and buying ships.

There isn't anything you can do with bigger ships that you can't do with smaller ships.

 

[Fen Harel]

I think because of this it seems to be the case there are loads of players now with piles of money (far more than they will ever need) and loads of high powered ships (far more than they will ever need), and probably these people will soon lose interest in the game by not having any goals to keep them playing.

Maybe. But variations on this are true of every game. At some point even the most ardent fan will wander off and try something else.

The game can be very grindy. I hope they keep adding more to it, of course, but I suspect the essence will remain as a grind. I don't see that as being a bad thing, just the way the game is.

Personally I keep going by self-RPing. I don't play the game so much as I play as a character who is piloting a ship. I make decisions on what to do based on what I think the character should do. (Well, I make decisions and then justify them in my little head canon.) I'm not sitting here with sock puppets of my commander and the navigator/observer arguing about course changes. Although... hmm...

Self-RP is like self-medicating. It makes you feel better for awhile, but long term doesn't solve anything. And I am personally fine with that. I have been playing Elite for a lot longer than I expected, and have no plans to switch over to something else, but at some point I will.

 

[xondk]

I want to point out that this is basically the same thing in all games.
Get x to get y to get better x to get a better y

Even in big mmo's, it is about getting equipment, to get better equipment....

 

[Magic Man]

ED is arguably quite limited in depth of gameplay at the moment.

Taken at face value, perhaps, but then it always was what you make of it.

 

[nats]

I want to point out that this is basically the same thing in all games.
Get x to get y to get better x to get a better y

Even in big mmo's, it is about getting equipment, to get better equipment....

Well of course computers are made to do repetitive tasks well, and being a procedurally generated game ED is more repetitive than some. Frontier will have to start coming up with great ideas for either disguising that repetition or giving us tasks that take us temporarily out of the circle. Problem is at the moment the endless cycle within the game is very evident, more evident than in the previous games I would say.

 

[Ulfar]

Well of course computers are made to do repetitive tasks well, and being a procedurally generated game ED is more repetitive than some. Frontier will have to start coming up with great ideas for either disguising that repetition or giving us tasks that take us temporarily out of the circle. Problem is at the moment the endless cycle within the game is very evident, more evident than in the previous games I would say.

The reason it is more evident than the previous games is that times have moved on.

We have seen between the old games and the new some fantastic space games, especially when it comes to mission play in games like, x-wing tie fighter, Freespace, I war 1+2,etc. The hunt the USS, war zones need to go. We need real missions.

 

[I and I Redeye]

There is an end game in Elite. You just can't see it atm but it is there.

It's about conflict, expansion, politics etc. Just like it is in other open mmo's.
All will be more clear when PP comes.

I imagine now that big groups/guilds will form for the popular powers.
That the community will organise like in other mmo's.
Gaming has evolved and so has Elite.
I think we will be pleased with power play.

 

[Pendra]

I calculate that grinding up to a fully speced Clipper without ANY outside help or exploit will occupy me until No man's sky comes out.

 

[Philip Coutts]

The OP is sadly quite close to the truth. I find that in ED you have to make a lot of the story yourself and by story I mean entertainment. There's a lot you can do to make it more challenging but often it involves wiping your save and starting again, if only we had multiple character slots. You could for example play the game only using 2 ships i.e. only the eagle and sidewinder. That would make life a lot more interesting. But ultimately at the moment it's all about money and ships. Heck I made it to the highest rank in the Empire by mostly delivering cargo.
.
All that being said I have high hopes that Powerplay will provide a whole load of depth that is currently lacking from the mission boards.
.
Finally please can we not turn this into a fanboi v haterz thread, the OP was well written and polite let's keep the thread the same.

 

[Captain Fizz]

A 'conda isn't end-game.

I have one, now getting 150+ mill to get the Python back...
Then finish ranks, get alliance rep.

Then likely the Corvette.

Plenty to keep me going for 6+ months.

 

[LawHunter]

This is the problem with any game with currency and the currency is very important for progress.

Need more things to spend it on.