Blackcompany
Banned
There are some things about Elite that are a little frustrating. The forums have been over those time and again. There are some other things that simply...make no sense. Lets begin with prices:
Dedicated combat ships costing upwards of $5 million credits. Why? You wont see a return on investment in your lifetime. Period. Combat simply does not pay well enough to offer a return on investments that size. And that is before factoring in repairs, reloading and fuel. Not to mention load outs.
Which brings me to point number 2:
Ship Pricing: You are pricing ships based on their capabilities when fully loaded. You are then selling a frame that lacks any of the parts needed to do the things you advertise as the ship's capabilities. My Asp couldn't jump 20LY. It couldn't even jump as far as the Viper I traded in. Nor could it use six guns (that were not present at the time of purchase). The default power distributor on an Asp can't run the ship and a toaster at the time, more less the ship and six guns. Not to mention the power supply and shields, both default pieces of hardware being run by the same pair of tired mice on a creaky wheel badly in need of oiling.
As its sold to me, the Asp is a junk pile that isn't worth a Viper and a ham sandwich. More less the ridiculous price tag attached to it. You are pricing ships based on their capabilities when fully loaded, and then selling me the frame for the fully loaded price.
If a car dealership tried to do what Frontier does with ships in this game, they would be sued into Bankruptcy in a month. When I buy a new ship for some outlandish price, please, make it worth my while. Because right now, I dont even WANT to buy new ships, only to go through the hassle of outfitting.
Which is point the third: Finding modules for ships is annoying. Its a nightmarish hassle that closely resembles walking through the world's largest mall using a shopping guide printed ten years ago and intended for your local grocer. Finding anything you need is...luck. Or internet forum searching. Dont you think the game should feature mechanics to help pilots find the sorts of modules they require for a given purpose? Surely people have not ceased advertising goods and services in the year 3300? So why can we not find those goods and services?
And speaking of services? Mining is a service. One I presently cannot provide, as its slightly less cumbersome than trying to sail uphill against the current of a class 3 rapid with a single mast and no paddles.
Seriously, mining needs fixed. I know people dont want tractor beams. Or so they claim. But introducing tractor beams is a quick fix solution that would at least make mining something we could do. More immersion-oriented, complex and efficient systems could be introduced later certainly. But I bet that right now, a bored programmer could introduce a system of 'point laser at rock, get known quantity per second/minute of mineral type rock provides' on his lunch break while holding a sandwich with his other hand.
Maybe he could even trade the sandwich for an Asp. If its got bacon on it and he or she has eaten less than half, I've got a ship they might want. That bacon will go a lot further than the Asp when its first purchased.
Dedicated combat ships costing upwards of $5 million credits. Why? You wont see a return on investment in your lifetime. Period. Combat simply does not pay well enough to offer a return on investments that size. And that is before factoring in repairs, reloading and fuel. Not to mention load outs.
Which brings me to point number 2:
Ship Pricing: You are pricing ships based on their capabilities when fully loaded. You are then selling a frame that lacks any of the parts needed to do the things you advertise as the ship's capabilities. My Asp couldn't jump 20LY. It couldn't even jump as far as the Viper I traded in. Nor could it use six guns (that were not present at the time of purchase). The default power distributor on an Asp can't run the ship and a toaster at the time, more less the ship and six guns. Not to mention the power supply and shields, both default pieces of hardware being run by the same pair of tired mice on a creaky wheel badly in need of oiling.
As its sold to me, the Asp is a junk pile that isn't worth a Viper and a ham sandwich. More less the ridiculous price tag attached to it. You are pricing ships based on their capabilities when fully loaded, and then selling me the frame for the fully loaded price.
If a car dealership tried to do what Frontier does with ships in this game, they would be sued into Bankruptcy in a month. When I buy a new ship for some outlandish price, please, make it worth my while. Because right now, I dont even WANT to buy new ships, only to go through the hassle of outfitting.
Which is point the third: Finding modules for ships is annoying. Its a nightmarish hassle that closely resembles walking through the world's largest mall using a shopping guide printed ten years ago and intended for your local grocer. Finding anything you need is...luck. Or internet forum searching. Dont you think the game should feature mechanics to help pilots find the sorts of modules they require for a given purpose? Surely people have not ceased advertising goods and services in the year 3300? So why can we not find those goods and services?
And speaking of services? Mining is a service. One I presently cannot provide, as its slightly less cumbersome than trying to sail uphill against the current of a class 3 rapid with a single mast and no paddles.
Seriously, mining needs fixed. I know people dont want tractor beams. Or so they claim. But introducing tractor beams is a quick fix solution that would at least make mining something we could do. More immersion-oriented, complex and efficient systems could be introduced later certainly. But I bet that right now, a bored programmer could introduce a system of 'point laser at rock, get known quantity per second/minute of mineral type rock provides' on his lunch break while holding a sandwich with his other hand.
Maybe he could even trade the sandwich for an Asp. If its got bacon on it and he or she has eaten less than half, I've got a ship they might want. That bacon will go a lot further than the Asp when its first purchased.
and mining is a husk. It will (should) be updated in 1.3, but in 1.2 a new mineral, which is very rare, Painite, has been added. It will be worth roughly 35k per tonne.