Okay But Really, Proxima Centauri?

ITZC0ATL

ITZC0ATL
El Grillo said:
No-one suggested making every system the same, that would be boring as . This game already suffers from a relative lack of visual interest compared to other galaxy simulators e.g. Space Engine.

There certainly is a reason; the game will in certain instances actively encourage you to go 'the long way' due to the rewards systems. Thus you will inevitably at some point (read: plenty of times, over any significant period playing the game) end up with a choice between sitting staring at a static screen for 5 or 10+ minutes waiting to get somewhere in SC, or having to do multiple other missions to make up the same amount you would have earned with a more pain-in-the- mission of the formerly mentioned type. These are not sensible things to force players to choose between.

What's interesting about all this to me is that is doesn't make any logical sense. If you have jump technology that somehow gives you a pathway between stars, why can it only send you to one star in the system, if there are multiple stars placed far apart? Is there some in-game justification for this?
Click to expand...

While I agree with your points in theory, I don't think the time durations you've mentioned are significant enough to really warrant change. The scale and time it takes to travel in Elite are part of what makes it a special game - love it or hate it - and FDev need to be very careful not to reduce this any more than is strictly necessary.

If destinations like Hutton that are over an hour away from their main star were the norm, then I would definitely agree that that is not respectful of the player's time or indeed 'good' gameplay. However, Hutton is an isolated case and has achieved relative fame/infamy due to this.

5 to 10 minutes isn't too long to travel in supercruise, I feel. At the start, I remember that even travelling 2-5 minutes in SC seemed like forever. You get used to it though, there's no denying that as you play Elite more you become accustomed to the time it takes to travel and it doesn't seem nearly as long as it used to. I will regularly travel 100,000Ls to 500,000Ls away from main stars to tag interesting systems without breaking a sweat - it's actually very relaxing gameplay that rewards patience, something that very few games seem to capture.

We don't need another fast-paced space shooter adventure game. While I can appreciate that many people would enjoy that, I don't believe Elite is all about that. Us CMDRs are a special bunch of people with a penchant for punishment and we need to get our fix by spending obscene amounts of time jumping or travelling in SC. The reward for our dedication is worth it, IMO.
 

Viper2kUK

Viper2kUK
Well I've decided to do the Hutton Run. I've got some time off now and a Python ready to go. No Neutron Boosts allowed so I'll see how it goes. Lets hope the Sat Nav can plot a course there :)

See you all in the black.

V2k.
 

Thatchinho

Thatchinho
El Grillo said:
That's fine then - leave Hutton Orbital in without a secondary jump point, so people who want to go supercruise in a straight line for an hour can do that. As you all say, there's no obligation on players to go to Hutton Orbital. Unless they're in systems nearby and the only available missions they can do involve going to Hutton, though even with the terrible mission board population issues that seems unlikely.
Click to expand...
The point we all made stands. There is still zero obligation to go to Hutton even in the scenario you describe. It is entirely the players choice. You are not blocked from anything by not doing those missions.

El Grillo said:
So let Hutton stand. But add secondary jump points in all the other systems where it takes 5+ (or 10+?) minutes of supercruising in a straight line to get to a destination station.
Click to expand...
The same point that was made for Hutton applies to all systems of that nature, not just Hutton. You do not have to do those runs if you don't want to.

El Grillo said:
Because, as you have all tacitly admitted, it is not a sensible mechanic to have where players have to sit staring at a screen doing absolutely nothing, waiting for the game to allow them to continue to play.
Click to expand...
Please don't twist what's being said to suit you. I can't speak for the others, but I certainly have not tacitly admitted anything of the sort applies to ED. Supercruise is part of play. A player in supercruise is not waiting for the game to allow them to continue play - they are already playing. And again, no one is under any obligation to do those long distance supercruises, it is optional.

El Grillo said:
And outside of Hutton, there are many, many instances of that and it is not something that can be avoided by players, without taking a whole lot of time to work out which missions might screw them over with ridiculously long SC times and how to avoid those particular missions/trade runs/whatever.
Click to expand...
It's usually pretty simple - you see those missions which are pretty much the same except a few pay much much more than the others? - They'll be the ones that involve a long distance supercruise.

And if you do take one and it turns out to be a long distance supercruise that you don't want to do? Just ditch it. Why wouldn't you?

And just to point out as well, those missions pay well specifically because of the long supercruise. If you got what you wanted with secondary jumps then the consequence would be that the payout for those missions would return to that of normal missions. So it would be bye bye to those high payouts for those missions. Is that what you really want?
 

Iskariot

Iskariot
DanHyder said:
As I type this, I am going into my 30th minute of travelling to Hutton Orbital in the Centauri system near Sol for a passenger run mission. I took the mission, reading the target distance from drop point as .22Ls, and thought "Oh jeez, that's pretty close. Should be a peace of cake." I jump about 200ly from the system I got the mission, dropped into Centauri, and started looking around. No sight of Hutton Orbital. "Okay", I thought. "Let's look at the Nav Page then." I open it, and then I see it. Not 22 hundredths of a lightsecond. 22 hundreds of a light year. I need to travel .22ly in Supercruise for a measly 1m.

The point of this thread is to point out how ridiculous some of the distance in binary and higher magnitudes are between drop point and anything you need to get to. In the Erevate neighborhood, there's a star named GD 215. A white dwarf with a G-Type star orbiting at 395kLs. The funny thing is that GD 215 has absolutely nothing at all in orbit around it, while its companion star has everything else. These distances are absurd, and the time it takes to travel these distances is equally so.

So, while I sit here and watch another Let's Play video as I wait for my ship to cross another .19Ly at 2,000c, please know that I disdain this greatly, and next time I will do what I can to not mistake a Y for an S.
[REDACTED: I now understand what this trek means to people. I apologize for my comments on it]
Click to expand...

It is all part of this incredible Galaxy.
There are far places and there are farther places.
Nobody is forcing anyone to go anywhere.

In my noob days I have broken off a trip to Hutton too.
I don't do long trips like that without a serious incentive.
And I am not talking about just credits, although that helps too.
If, for example a place like Hutton had a completely unique station design, or if it sold a unique ship I want, I would travel there.
As it is now I will not.
 
Last edited:

CMDR Mayhem

CMDR Mayhem
Although the trek is ridiculously far, you can make alot of credits if you need to go AFK for a while.
Also, be more attentive to reading the mission details. If you see the word "trucker", your in for a long haul o7.
 

[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
DanHyder said:
Right, but some of these are just absurd. Not only in distance, but because the star you drop at usually seems to have nothing in orbit around it. I just feel like maybe some sort of in-system jumping or faster Supercruise acceleration would fix this glaring issue.
Click to expand...

This system specifically has some history attached to it in the Elite franchise and it is good that it is like this in ED imo. Just keep an eye on your destinations when in the area... That said I feel sorry for anyone who gets a mission redirect there. if that happens to me and i am not in the mood for a hutton run i just tell em to do one!.

PS i hope you are not in a big ship ;)

edit. i just noticed thread date... unless OP was walking there hopefully he made it by now ;)
 

Cmdr Miles Long

Cmdr Miles Long
When I was new and first got my Hutton haul I didn't even know you can see distance in the mission log. Then after 30mins I simply thought "oh well finally a game with a huge map"
 

Brrokk

Brrokk
We can maybe complain about things the Stellar Forge cooks up, but not Proxima Centauri. It's an actual real star and an important feature of the 1:1 galaxy model. And the Elite lore (jumps only to main star etc. ) requires that you fly the distance. Just learn the difference between ly and ls for future reference.

(Edit) Sorry, I posted before I saw it was a necro.
 

TiberiusDuval

T
I think it is kind of fascinating. You can have system near bustling capital where some outpost of mankind is more isolated than say system 600 ly away with station just some tens of ls away from main star. It would be fun to have some kind of isolation rating for stations/outposts/planetary bases. Say some weighed score which takes in account distance from somewhere like Sol in ly's and then in-system distances....
 

[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
SJParker said:
Lol what’s necroing?
I’m a noob to forums
Click to expand...
Dont worry about it....... it isnt a black and white thing. Necroing is replying to a really old post.

as someone already said, you cant always win because if you make a duplicate thread some will moan, and if you necro some will moan...... I personally was pulling your leg when i mentioned the necro.

Personally i think it is a case by case basis.... ie if you were to jump in and bump a 2 year old post about exploration mechanics that would be bad because things have changed a lot in exploration and very little from 2 years ago is relevant now. All it would do is confuse people.

The hutton run now is as "fun" today as it was in 2014 and so personally i think chatting about the hutton run in this thread is perfectly fine..... 🤷‍♂️ but then what do i know :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom