Open-Only in PP2.0?

[Shurimal]

It doesn't matter, the main thing for me is to eliminate any risk, even if it is minimal. I need an absolute 100% guarantee that I won't lose anything.

That's the neat thing in PP 2.0—you don't lose anything! Rebuys become free in friendly territory at level 30-something, and in other territories at level 60. Powerplay cargo costs nothing, PP related Odyssey materials are not lost in ship destruction and ship kills give merits at the moment of explosion, not when cashing in bonds/vouchers. Honestly, all the PP 2 systems seem tuned so as to encourage PvP and other dangerous activities

 

[Doctor Dread]

So all you lack are victims

 

[Rat Catcher]

Me too.. rewards could have been reworked somehow (i.e. disjoining personal merits from system CPs), but unfortunately the new PP 2.0 has so many broken things, bugs and unbalanced activities which have by far higher priority.

FD should have followed through with their suggestion that PP 2.0 activities could only happen in open - perhaps, as you say, by making CP only earned in open, and personal merits in any mode - but there was a lot of pushback here against it, and, as we both know, money speaks louder than players...

 

[Shurimal]

So all you lack are victims

Don't worry, I'll be there

 

[Robert Maynard]

.... but there was a lot of pushback here against it, and, as we both know, money speaks louder than players...

Noting that Frontier have also previously indicated that they know that players who prefer PvP tend to be more vocal.

 

[Rebel Yell]

FD should have followed through with their suggestion that PP 2.0 activities could only happen in open - perhaps, as you say, by making CP only earned in open, and personal merits in any mode - but there was a lot of pushback here against it, and, as we both know, money speaks louder than players...

There's not much detail...

"Outside of CMS games, Frontier’s genre-leading space simulation game, Elite Dangerous, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in December, achieved a substantial increase in revenue in the Period through new story elements, and the release of both free and chargeable content. [...] With new story elements and ships, Elite Dangerous revenue from both the base game and paid downloadable content (‘PDLC’) grew versus the comparative period, with PDLC sales almost doubling through strong player engagement."

 

[Robert Maynard]

That's the neat thing in PP 2.0—you don't lose anything!

In a combat ship, certainly.

In a ship that is doing something else then any commodities, exploration data, etc. that is lost on destruction is still lost - the value of which may significantly exceed the rebuy of the ship.

 

[Doctor Dread]

Don't worry, I'll be there

No, you will not. Your (mind you, YOUR) gameplay will look like this...

...because you will never ever get anything Open Only.

 

[SergMx]

In a combat ship, certainly.

In a ship that is doing something else then any commodities, exploration data, etc. that is lost on destruction is still lost - the value of which may significantly exceed the rebuy of the ship.

That's not really true. Playing in the open you will have to slightly improve the ship, put shields and defenses it will reduce the cargo hold.

And it'll give you a chance to escape if you realize you have something to lose. But in the case of an empty hold (we're flying for cargo) you get an extra bonus.

 

[Robert Maynard]

That's not really true.

Which part?

 

[Shurimal]

In a combat ship, certainly.

In a ship that is doing something else then any commodities, exploration data, etc. that is lost on destruction is still lost - the value of which may significantly exceed the rebuy of the ship.

True, but strictly in Powerplay context, you don't need to rely on trading and exploration. In fact, I haven't done any of these and I'm making comfortably into top 50% of my power's leaderboard every week even if my hours-per-week have dropped significantly lately. Plus, with exploration, you can switch from lightweight exploration ship to uncatchable/unkillable blockade runner in a quiet system and get through the carnage. A Courier is probably the best, well, courier vessel for that—good shields, very fast, no-one who knows Courier bothers to try to gank a Courier. Or take an Apex to the destination system, buy a Sidey there, sell exploration data, leave the system and sell the Sidey

At the end of the day, though, I don't nor won't advocate for strict open-only, I just find that there's a lot of unwarranted fear about open (cue in Toy Story meme: "Gankers! Gankers everywhere!"). Speaking as a former "solo only" player when I just started out nearly five years ago

 

[SergMx]

Which part?

If I'm playing PvE, I'll take a T8 without a shield to haul more cargo.

My Mandalay will be naked to jump far, 80.

Playing in the open my Mandalay will have shield and dirty engines. Yes I will only jump 50 but I will be hard to kill.

In case of cargo it will be Cutter with 6k shields and heavy weapons I will start fighting at least when my hold is empty.

 

[Robert Maynard]

If I'm playing PvE, I'll take a T8 without a shield to haul more cargo.

My Mandalay will be naked to jump far, 80.

Playing in the open my Mandalay will have shield and dirty engines. Yes I will only jump 50 but I will be hard to kill.

In case of cargo it will be Cutter with 6k shields and heavy weapons I will start fighting at least when my hold is empty.

None of which contradicts the fact that losses can be incurred in Powerplay even if the ship enjoys a 100% reduction in rebuy cost.

 

[Shurimal]

No, you will not. Your (mind you, YOUR) gameplay will look like this...

...because you will never ever get anything Open Only.

Still, I'm sure I only need to go to Harma or Shinrarta and send a system chat message if I feel like arranging a playdate

Other times, I'll always find something to amuse myself. And PP 2.0 offers plenty of avenues to leave a mile wide trail of mischief and mayhem somewhere

 

[Robert Maynard]

At the end of the day, though, I don't nor won't advocate for strict open-only, I just find that there's a lot of unwarranted fear about open (cue in Toy Story meme: "Gankers! Gankers everywhere!"). Speaking as a former "solo only" player when I just started out nearly five years ago

I doubt that there is much, if any, "fear" of those who like to attack player ships - it's a game played in the safety and comfort of ones preferred gaming environment after all. I don't doubt that some wish to be "feared" though.

Noting that their play-style preference may represent a tedious and predictable waste of game time to players who don't share their play-style preference.

 

[SergMx]

None of which contradicts the fact that losses can be incurred in Powerplay even if the ship enjoys a 100% reduction in rebuy cost.

Agreed, but at least a guaranteed 50 mil loss reduction is good too.

And I can make a purely combat build and train in combat with enemies knowing that I have no risk of loss.

UPD. By the way all the missions I've seen in PP2 all require a maximum of 16 tons of cargo rack, so it can all be done on a normal warship.

 

[Morbad]

When you penalize those players, they stop spending money on the game.

I've been penalized by an increasing lack of organic risk and focus on quantity over quality when it comes to content for most of the game's existence.

Of course, targeting the lowest common denominator is usually the best bet toward maintaining or increasing revenue while reducing costs.

It doesn't matter, the main thing for me is to eliminate any risk, even if it is minimal. I need an absolute 100% guarantee that I won't lose anything.

From my perspective, the lack of underlying risk cheapens any skill or effort spent on mitigating it.

Inspired by that 10th Anniversary email I just found, I was looking at my CMDR's stats earlier. It's absurd that a combat focused character in a violent dystopia has most of his rare ship losses traceable to 'SRV got stuck in crater', or 'ran into stationary object after falling asleep at controls'.

I play far more recklessly than I would like to in my preferred style of game and my CMDR's ship losses are down to about one per 1k hours. If this game took it's setting seriously, I should have had to start over from scratch fifty times by now.

 

[[VR] Bulbulunufus]

I doubt that there is much, if any, "fear" of those who like to attack player ships - it's a game played in the safety and comfort of ones preferred gaming environment after all. I don't doubt that some wish to be "feared" though.

Noting that their play-style preference may represent a tedious and predictable waste of game time to players who don't share their play-style preference.

It's commonly expressed as "fear" in my experience. I think there's a distinction between mortal fear and fear of consequences to one's in-game persona though. The point being made is that much of the apprehension about risks in open are phantoms. It's not as dangerous to one's in-game persona are is made out. And many overestimate the consequences of a negative scenario outcome on their experience of playing the game. They also often neglect the enhancement that becomes available to every experience of success, when that success was not guaranteed, due to meaningful risks.

 

[Robert Maynard]

It's commonly expressed as "fear" in my experience.

By whom?

The individuals who express their disatisfaction regarding their experience in Open?

.... or by those who wish to categorise those players who express their disatisfaction with their experience in Open or their preference for the other game modes?

I think there's a distinction between mortal fear and fear of consequences to one's in-game persona though.

.... or simply not wishing to have ones time wasted by another player choosing to do what they want to do with little or no consideration as to what their selected target wants to do.

The point being made is that much of the apprehension about risks in open are phantoms. It's not as dangerous to one's in-game persona are is made out. And many overestimate the consequences of a negative scenario outcome on their experience of playing the game.

Indeed, noting that some have already had their negative experiences as a result of player encounters in Open and have made their own mind up on the subject.

They also often neglect the enhancement that becomes available to every experience of success, when that success was not guaranteed, due to meaningful risks.

Whether dodging an unwanted encounter initiated by another player represents an "enhancement" to the player's gameplay, or not, rather depends on the player - and is not a in any way guaranteed.

 

[SergMx]

From my perspective, the lack of underlying risk cheapens any skill or effort spent on mitigating it.
...

I don't know if I can properly explain my situation ....

(I'm not saying it's right or good, I'm just describing my condition).
The thing is that when I read a fiction book (I read only what I am interested in, otherwise I quit) I am totally in the story. I imagine myself there.
So with games, I play only games that are interesting to me, and I am entirely in the game. If my ship is shot down, I worry as if it were my own ship. Yes I agree, if I didn't take the game seriously (I certainly wouldn't play such a game) I would evaluate the game as a set of dots on the screen and I wouldn't care.
Everyone has a different attitude towards games.

I remember when they were looking for the Guardian bases and put forward different theories I was so much immersed that I constantly forgot that it was a game ...

I even bought myself a joystick because if I press key 3 I can see my right hand on the joystick.

UPD. The game is completely lacking in teaching players the techniques of wielding combat against humans. Yes, I realize that you can't learn everything, but there should be some minimal basics of fighting against humans.
The difference between PvE and PvP is so big that the training in training in the game can not be considered at all.

If I'm preparing for a competition, I'm constantly practicing. If I want to drive a car I have to be trained.

As a result, we simply have a negative attitude to the open game in Elite, and this is normal for the current situation - what they gave is what they got.