Newcomer / Intro New to the game... Already very frustrated!

[Lamoi]

Hi me and my friend recently got this game and after spending several hours trying to figure out what we meant to be doing yesterday we all but gave up.

It almost feels like the game doesn't want you to play it, it's like it says,

"this game is complicated and we are not going to explain anything to you, so if you can't figure it out you can jog on mate"

So trying to push on through regardless of how frankly obtuse this game is!


We are on the mining mission, to find 3 units of OSMIUM. First of all, how do I find out what OSMIUM is? Secondly, where do I get it? I've tried to buy a mining laser and refinery but it say my cargo is full? I can't seem to figure out how to address this?
The Game never explains any of this...

The very fact that I am now having to go on YouTube to find tutorial videos, and search Internet forums, and even join the games forum, to find out what the hell it is I meant to be doing and how to do it -- i'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that these are the hallmarks of a poorly designed and explained game.

I shouldn't have to do this.

Nevertheless I'm already having a sneaking suspicion that this game is going to be overly complicated, and even labourious, and I'm wondering whether the payoff will be worth it ?

So so here's hoping it is!


Can anyone please help?

 

[Patrick_68000]

The Galactic Academy will help you ---------- https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/237551-The-Galactic-Academy-is-now-open-for-business

 

[STRONTIUM DOG]

try you tube tutorials too there are loads covering many different aspects of the game
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elite+dangerous+mining+guide
rome was not built in a day...........................

 

[wolferr]

Elite Dangerous does have a steep learning curve, but your efforts will be rewarded. Hang in there Commander!

 

[AdamDZ]

I nearly quit the game several times out of frustration. It is not easy. Rage quit few times. You indeed have to do a lot of learning to be able to play it. Check out the Wikia too:
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous

And watch all the video tutorials. If you have hard time with something in ED there is probably a tutorial for it or a video somewhere. Having said that, this is not an easy game to get into and it takes a very long time to become easier and rewards often feel inadequate for the chores you had to do to get there. I'm nearing 200 hours and there is still more that I don't know about the game that I do know about it.

 

[CMDR Mr. Boombastic]

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Mining * But Were Afraid to Ask

This tutorial from CMDR Chaos Wulff taught me everything I wanted to know about mining 5 or 6 months back.
The video is over a year old (so doesn't cover icy rings and uses the old outfitting screen) but teaches most (if not all) of the basics.

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;EkU-1SJ_7a4]https://youtu.be/EkU-1SJ_7a4[/video]

E: D is akin to learning on how to ride a bike but once you've gotten rid of those stabilisers it will be second nature.

Spoiler

 

[Chris Simon]

All good suggestions, above.

I'd just say - Keep on keeping on and don't get frustrated. Stay in the starter Sidewinder, because dying in her is free, unlike all the other ships. And try things. I started playing when there wasn't any other choice than to find everything out myself. We, veterans (har har), have a big advantage, because as the features are added, we only have a couple new things to digest. (And there are still those who complain about it)

As a new player now, well, to say the learning curve is steep is a major understatement. MMOs have steep learning curve, competitive FPS have steep learning curve. Elite doesn't even have a curve. It just spills stuff all over you at once and you have to sort it out. And you won't believe me, but that's what really amazing about this game. And one day (not too long from now, if you manage to make it) you will be remembering fondly of those days when everything was new and breathtaking, slightly frustrating, and everything was trying to kill you, your own ship included. That won't happen again. Even if you decide to start over, later on, you won't be a newbie full of awe.

That being said, the game isn't hard. Not in the way you see it. There are actually constant outcries for added complexity all the time. After a while, it slides into routine.

Anyway, go through the link the people here posted. They are all awesome. If you still have questions and don't want to join the Academy, you can always ask here.
Questions have answers. We can't help you much if you say "The game is too hard, help", but if you say "How to do X, why is Y so, what does the Z mean?..." we are very good at answering those.

Also, if you need more personal care - I play every night, starting usually around 11pm in-game time, usually for 5-6 hours. If you can play at this time, feel free to send me a friend request and drop me a line. We can meet in Open or in my Private group and I will very gladly walk you guys through the basics and everything you need to know.


Other than that, to answer your only question in the post - To mine, you need three things. Refinery, mining laser, and an actual cargo space. If your refinery screams "Cargo bay full" it has two reasons, it is full, or it is not there. So buy a cargo rack. Leaving the internal compartment empty isn't enough.
If you are in a Sidewinder, you'll always have problem with internal space, though, so don't expect miracles.

 

[Codger]

Yes, this game is hard to get started in, and it doesn't hold your hand or guide you.

It will take a lot of persistence on your part to get over the initial confusion part, but once you start to learn things and have a few successes, you'll probably be hooked.

This is a game that you can put hundreds, even thousands, of hours into. It's not something you'll be done with in a couple of weeks.

In fact, in a couple of weeks, you just barely be getting started.

That, however, is what makes it so great.

You do have to use outside-the-game resources to figure things out in many cases. This forum is one place to ask questions. So feel free.

Good luck!

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Everyone above has already posted really good advice so I'll give you a brief "why"

This game harks back to the old school games. It's a re-envisioning of the original 1984(iirc) effectively, a true sandbox in the way of "here's a ship, I'll push you out the door and sit here with my book ignoring your cries for help". Those old games where you'd get an instruction manual the size of a breeze block and a gamebible to go with it! There is a 100+ page instruction manual available from the launcher (top right iirc).

Yes its a bit cruel but to be honest after the recent games "this is how you look up/down/left/right" its kinda refreshing.

In any case yes youtube etc but my advice is "fly the starting sidewinder like you stole it". Don't be afraid to die, do stupid things like attacking stations etc. Learn how the game works, and the pitfalls then press the reset save button and start fresh with the experience and knowledge.

Yes its a learning curve like a brick wall but when you manage to perform some sick manoeuvres (accidents mostly) like boosting and tumbling out a station backwards it never fails to put a grin on my face as I check the scanner to see if a human player saw me fail...

 

[AdamDZ]

I was docked deep at the end of a station so I boosted out the mail slot at nearly 300m/s and got 200CR fine for reckless flying i tried it again later and I crashed into the wall, nearly destroyed my ship.

 

[GJ51]

I have over 3200 hours of game time, but still remember taking the first two weeks focusing on controller setup.

Focus on simple basics first and be patient. Practice basic skills until they become muscle memory reactions.

Learn defense first. Learn to run and survive before thinking your the galaxies next greatest fighter pilot.

As you acquire good foundation skills you can then look at being a bit more aggressive when the opportunity is right.

Knowing what to do when takes a bit of patience.

Good luck CMDR

Fly safe

 

[metatheurgist]

Pretty sure if you go to the commodities market and click on Osmium, it tells you it needs to be mined. But yeah, there should be a centralised location for game info in the game.

 

[Touchwood]

I really can't improve on the excellent advice offered already - just to say, I'm a complete novice, being playing only two weeks, and the game IS really hard to get into, but that's exactly what makes it so good! As someone above has said, you could spend a lifetime playing this game. Don't give up, it's going to be worth it!

 

[Ashnak]

...
We are on the mining mission, to find 3 units of OSMIUM. First of all, how do I find out what OSMIUM is? Secondly, where do I get it? I've tried to buy a mining laser and refinery but it say my cargo is full? I can't seem to figure out how to address this?
The Game never explains any of this...

Chris already covered the most important parts: you need three things, the mining laser, a refinery and cargo space. Since you're not going to fight in a mining Sidey, you'll either run or die, so you won't need any guns, armour or good shields. But you'll also need ~13,000 Cr to buy that stuff. Something like this: https://coriolis.io/outfit/sidewinder/0p4t4F4l4d4s4f12l---3v011k-.Iw1-EA==.Aw1-EA== .

Assuming you got that, you go out there and find a decently mineable ring - metallic or metal-rich, pristine or high reserves. Drop into the ring (approach it slowly in supercruise, it'll drop you automatically when you're close enough). Don't go for a RES - they have lots of pirates and some security, which will usually show up too late. Wait for the two pirates to appear, scan, mock and disappear. Now you're on your own.

Shoot an asteroid with the mining laser. This will create some fragments. Scan the fragments (target them from the left screen, "contacts" tab). If they show up containing Osmium, scoop them in and continue shooting that asteroid. If not, go on to the next asteroid. The small refinery has only one bin, i.e. it can only process one material, so vent it regularly from unwanted materials, as usually those chunks do not only contain one material.

Or go over to the Galactic Academy Discord channel and check if anyone online is ready to give you a hands-on demonstration of mining in a wing .

 

[SirDavros]

Back at the end of 2015 I think there was a limited time trial on Xbox and I gave it an hour and thought 'sod that!' but after reading about what Horizons added to the game back in July I actually just forked the £39.99 out on the spot.

The learning curve can be very steep but watch the tutorials offered from the main menu, browse all the fantastic tutorials offered in these forums and ask questions that probably seem stupid but everybody has probably asked before. I've been playing a month and have a new query every day but it is definitely worth pushing forward.

 

[Exigeous]

Like others have said I was in this same place about a month ago. I'd play for about 30 minutes, couldn't figure out anything and quit. Wait a few days then back to it. I fly with a Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS, the joystick/throttle that has something like 50 different buttons and switches. I'd go to the controller mapping screen and would get completely overwhelmed. I started learning the very basic commands then I started flying (in VR) with a browser open on my desktop and each question that popped into my head I'd go Google. I remember the first mission I was successful with, a simple Boom Time Data delivery mission. When I got to the destination station and landed and went to the Mission board and got my tiny payment I was just about jumping up and down.

It's definitely a case of what you put into it you will get out of it. I'd suggest starting with Boom Time Data Delivery missions, search for that on Youtube and you'll find a ton of tutorials, specifically look for Obsidian Ant. His videos are fantastic. Once you've got that figured out next try Trade or Rebel Data missions. Those are a bit more complex but still not extremely hard. As you have to do much more you'll start to learn how things work, again check out Obsidian Ant's videos.

I'm only at about 100 hours of playtime and while I don't have much figured out what I do know is extremely fun to me. Once you know your way around and can setup some additional stuff like VoiceAttack and a proper HOTAS and especially VR the immersion becomes extreme. I'll play for 6-8 hour straight sometimes and when I stop I have this funky feeling that I just left one world for another.

It really is a fantastic sim, it's not really a game at all. If you think about it in those terms it may give you a better perspective on what you're doing. Oh and finally come here and read or ask questions. I just commented in another thread that this is one of the rare forums I've seen where there is a ton of great information combined with a ton of great guys. I've asked some pretty dumb/noob questions and never have I gotten a smartass answer back. The guys here really want to help, so long as you come at them with a good attitude (which it seems you have).

-Ross

 

[Long Star]

Did you ever end up finding the Osmium you needed OP?

 

[AdamDZ]

I'm at over 200 hours and still learning stuff. But it's been gradually more an more fun. It's hard to start, but then it gets better. However, do not expect to get far in 20-30 hours in this game. I suspect I will beat my Skyrim record of 2000+ hours with ED.

 

[CMDR Mr. Boombastic]

Here's a great absolute beginners guide with the dulcet tones of Obsidian Ant.

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;SNSKAteZ2y4]https://youtu.be/SNSKAteZ2y4[/video]

Some of the screens (outfitting, bulletin board) are little out of date as the video was uploaded last December, but at least you understand the basics and will get you through the first few hours.
This is assuming you've gone through the training missions and at least made a start on reading the manual.

 

[JetsonRING]

Hi me and my friend recently got this game and after spending several hours trying to figure out what we meant to be doing yesterday we all but gave up.

It almost feels like the game doesn't want you to play it, it's like it says,

"this game is complicated and we are not going to explain anything to you, so if you can't figure it out you can jog on mate"

So trying to push on through regardless of how frankly obtuse this game is!


We are on the mining mission, to find 3 units of OSMIUM. First of all, how do I find out what OSMIUM is? Secondly, where do I get it? I've tried to buy a mining laser and refinery but it say my cargo is full? I can't seem to figure out how to address this?
The Game never explains any of this...

The very fact that I am now having to go on YouTube to find tutorial videos, and search Internet forums, and even join the games forum, to find out what the hell it is I meant to be doing and how to do it -- i'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that these are the hallmarks of a poorly designed and explained game.

I shouldn't have to do this.

Nevertheless I'm already having a sneaking suspicion that this game is going to be overly complicated, and even labourious, and I'm wondering whether the payoff will be worth it ?

So so here's hoping it is!


Can anyone please help?

Fact is, there is no goal. Besides community goals, the only "goals" you need to fulfill are the goals you set for yourself like: "I want 2 of each ship". It's a mighty big universe and it is up to you to find your own way in it. Want to mine? Go for it! Want to fight? Heck, yeah! Want to deliver pizzas? You can do that too. And like real life if you do not like what you are doing, you can change! Don't want to deliver pizzas anymore? Become a pirate! Mining might be somewhat ambitious for a new player, most of the forums agree that delivery missions are the safest way to earn the first few millions a players needs to purchase an appropriate ship and start a career in space. I currently have about 500 million credits, an A-rated gold Anaconda, an A-rated gold Asp-X and did it almost entirely on deliveries. Didn't take a million years either, I have been playing for about a month.

It's not so complicated, it just seems that way to the newcomer. There is a learning curve. Here's a few tips I learned the hard way:

Don't go through a bunch of ships early on just because you have the cash to buy them in series. Work (the Sidey or) a Cobra until you can afford the ship you really want, then spend money on IT. A basic Anaconda is "only" 148 million credits but with outfitting and upgrades you can go over 400-500 million credits.
Don't spend a bunch of money on ship upgrades early on. Upgrade Power Distributor & FSD only until you have saved some credit.
A good first upgrade ship: Cobra Mk III
RUN FORREST, RUN! If you are not a fighter (if you are a trader/miner) and not in a fighting ship . . . don't try to fight . . . run.
Don't get distracted. If you are flying a load of rares, get distracted/curious and fly into a USS you deserve to be robbed. Complete the mission.
You can leave the guns off. You're going to run.
Don't try to be a hero. In space no one can hear you die. Immediately submit to interdictions then: Boost. Jump. Run.

See you out there! Try not to die.