[Opinion] Elite needs guided, mission-based campaigns and content

[dreampage]

In the past months I’ve been thinking about why people are often dissatisfied with Elite Dangerous. Trying to put my finger on what they mean by “there’s no content” in the game. As a completely free-form, “blaze your own trail” game there’s only so much Elite can offer. An incomprehensibly large galaxy and different mission types for earning money and expanding our fleets. But no matter the variation these missions try to offer, gameplay ultimately comes down to the same principle. Flying from A to B and either fighting, trading, mining or scanning something there. However, the more you play the game the more the most important question comes up: what for?

I’ve been playing Elite Dangerous since 2015, ever since it came out on Xbox One. After 4.5 years (which means around 2400 in-game hours) I’ve now come to the point which most active players reach sooner or later. The problem of not knowing what to do anymore. Let me explain.

My current standing in the game:

• I’m triple Elite.
• I’m both Admiral (Federation) and King (Empire).
• I have all the small, medium and big ships I ever needed, most completely outfitted and engineered to the maximum.
• 4.6 billion CR in cash and 6.5 billion CR in assets.
• I’ve been to Sag A*, Colonia and Beagle Point.
• I’ve first discovered thousands of stars, planets and moons, contributed to the Codex countless times.
• I’ve discovered all known Generation ships with all their audio logs.
• I’ve explored Guardian sites and unlocked most technologies I need.
• I’ve taken part in dozens of Community Goals and most Interstellar Initiatives in their entirety.
• I have 90% of all achievements, most remaining are for CQC which is unplayable due to the low number of players.

So the question stands: What remains to be done? Don’t get me wrong: I still play the game, and try to mix up my activities. A little bounty hunting here, a small exploration trip there, a little trading over there. But I no longer feel the long-term motivation, or goals which, in the past, so often glued me in front of the TV and encouraged me to play dozens of hours pursuing something. After 4.5 years I feel there’s nothing else left to pursue, yet I don’t want to leave the game since I love it so much.

Now, we’re obviously all waiting for the 2020 update which will be huge. But let’s suppose the leaks were correct and see what said update may contain.

Base building. OK, so at the end of this year we will be able to buy and possibly expand our own planetary bases. For what? Let’s see:

• To have one and be able to say we have one.
• To make trading and (again, possibly) get our own profit from that.
• To attract people and so make more money in the end.
• Then the question again: for what will we need even more money?

Space legs. OK, I’m excited for this one, but let’s try to break it down as to what it may mean for the game:

• We may be able to get up and walk around the ships.
• We may be able to walk around stations, online social spaces, meeting other CMDRs, team up and go to missions together.
• We may walk on planetary surfaces or even outposts.
• “FPS combat” (according to the leak). This would mean a brand new set of missions. Fly there, get up, walk in, shoot the enemies, fly back, get your reward. Done.

Now, even if we suppose Frontier manages to pull it off, and make both base building and space legs polished and enjoyable experiences, what would these new features ultimately add to the game? New ways to spend and earn money, but for god’s sake, for what?

And here comes the thread title in the picture, before you say I’m insane and can only ask that one thing.

I think the main struggle for Elite Dangerous is that it doesn’t have guided, curated, linear, mission- and story-based campaigns. Look at MMOs for example. Every big expansion means a new campaign, with a new story, missions that have to be completed in order, with an overarching plot, and a bigger GOAL to work towards. It not only means dozens of hours you can invest, but also unique endgame mechanics, gameplay features etc. I think this is what Elite needs. Besides the huge galaxy, the different missions and the free-form gameplay, it needs proper, linear stories we could complete and get exclusive bonuses for.

Just a few examples that come to my mind this instant:

• Complete X campaign (let's say 8-10 missions) and a previously permit-locked sector opens up for you, with exclusive stations, possibly even Thargoid or Guardian facilities where you can trade or fight afterwards.
• A new enemy reveals himself, attacking traders etc. You have to go to stations, speak to NPCs, go to planets where you look for clues, download audio logs, go from breadcrumb to breadcrumb, trying to find and ultimately kill the boss. It gives you unique badges, new commodities to buy somewhere, or whatever.

In short, Elite should – at least partly – embrace the model that games like World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online or other MMOs use. Continually offering new stories, challenges, in-game events, rewards, and at the same time making the galaxy feel more alive. Make us feel as if things are actually happening in this universe, it’s not just us flying around. Or if we want to make it even simpler, imagine if every GalNet story was actually an interactive set of linear missions with cut-scenes, characters etc.

Instead of more money investing and -making methods, the game needs stories we can relate to and invest ourselves in, and rewards that can't otherwise be acquired. So even with the rumoured gameplay additions of the end-of-year update, I think it’s story- and character related content that’s needed in the game in the long run. Be it smaller, bite-sized stories or larger overarching campaigns, this is what would make us (well, me at least) feel more connected to and more invested in it.

 

[Trueno33]

Short answer: join a player group.
Edit: also, I tried ESO and didn't like the system (finding other players bouncing around broke mah immersion) Never touched again

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

In the past months I’ve been thinking about why people are often dissatisfied with Elite Dangerous. Trying to put my finger on what they mean by “there’s no content” in the game. As a completely free-form, “blaze your own trail” game there’s only so much Elite can offer. An incomprehensibly large galaxy and different mission types for earning money and expanding our fleets. But no matter the variation these missions try to offer, gameplay ultimately comes down to the same principle. Flying from A to B and either fighting, trading, mining or scanning something there. However, the more you play the game the more the most important question comes up: what for?

I’ve been playing Elite Dangerous since 2015, ever since it came out on Xbox One. After 4.5 years (which means around 2400 in-game hours) I’ve now come to the point which most active players reach sooner or later. The problem of not knowing what to do anymore. Let me explain.

My current standing in the game:

• I’m triple Elite.
• I’m both Admiral (Federation) and King (Empire).
• I have all the small, medium and big ships I ever needed, most completely outfitted and engineered to the maximum.
• 4.6 billion CR in cash and 6.5 billion CR in assets.
• I’ve been to Sag A*, Colonia and Beagle Point.
• I’ve first discovered thousands of stars, planets and moons, contributed to the Codex countless times.
• I’ve discovered all known Generation ships with all their audio logs.
• I’ve explored Guardian sites and unlocked most technologies I need.
• I’ve taken part in dozens of Community Goals and most Interstellar Initiatives in their entirety.
• I have 90% of all achievements, most remaining are for CQC which is unplayable due to the low number of players.

So the question stands: What remains to be done? Don’t get me wrong: I still play the game, and try to mix up my activities. A little bounty hunting here, a small exploration trip there, a little trading over there. But I no longer feel the long-term motivation, or goals which, in the past, so often glued me in front of the TV and encouraged me to play dozens of hours pursuing something. After 4.5 years I feel there’s nothing else left to pursue, yet I don’t want to leave the game since I love it so much.

Now, we’re obviously all waiting for the 2020 update which will be huge. But let’s suppose the leaks were correct and see what said update may contain.

Base building. OK, so at the end of this year we will be able to buy and possibly expand our own planetary bases. For what? Let’s see:

• To have one and be able to say we have one.
• To make trading and (again, possibly) get our own profit from that.
• To attract people and so make more money in the end.
• Then the question again: for what will we need even more money?

Space legs. OK, I’m excited for this one, but let’s try to break it down as to what it may mean for the game:

• We may be able to get up and walk around the ships.
• We may be able to walk around stations, online social spaces, meeting other CMDRs, team up and go to missions together.
• We may walk on planetary surfaces or even outposts.
• “FPS combat” (according to the leak). This would mean a brand new set of missions. Fly there, get up, walk in, shoot the enemies, fly back, get your reward. Done.

Now, even if we suppose Frontier manages to pull it off, and make both base building and space legs polished and enjoyable experiences, what would these new features ultimately add to the game? New ways to spend and earn money, but for god’s sake, for what?

And here comes the thread title in the picture, before you say I’m insane and can only ask that one thing.

I think the main struggle for Elite Dangerous is that it doesn’t have guided, curated, linear, mission- and story-based campaigns. Look at MMOs for example. Every big expansion means a new campaign, with a new story, missions that have to be completed in order, with an overarching plot, and a bigger GOAL to work towards. It not only means dozens of hours you can invest, but also unique endgame mechanics, gameplay features etc. I think this is what Elite needs. Besides the huge galaxy, the different missions and the free-form gameplay, it needs proper, linear stories we could complete and get exclusive bonuses for.

Just a few examples that come to my mind this instant:

• Complete X campaign (let's say 8-10 missions) and a previously permit-locked sector opens up for you, with exclusive stations, possibly even Thargoid or Guardian facilities where you can trade or fight afterwards.
• A new enemy reveals himself, attacking traders etc. You have to go to stations, speak to NPCs, go to planets where you look for clues, download audio logs, go from breadcrumb to breadcrumb, trying to find and ultimately kill the boss. It gives you unique badges, new commodities to buy somewhere, or whatever.

In short, Elite should – at least partly – embrace the model that games like World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online or other MMOs use. Continually offering new stories, challenges, in-game events, rewards, and at the same time making the galaxy feel more alive. Make us feel as if things are actually happening in this universe, it’s not just us flying around. Or if we want to make it even simpler, imagine if every GalNet story was actually an interactive set of linear missions with cut-scenes, characters etc.

Instead of more money investing and -making methods, the game needs stories we can relate to and invest ourselves in, and rewards that can't otherwise be acquired. So even with the rumoured gameplay additions of the end-of-year update, I think it’s story- and character related content that’s needed in the game in the long run. Be it smaller, bite-sized stories of larger overarching campaigns, this is what would make us (well, me at least) feel more connected to and more invested in it.

If space legs is a thing, I can see a PG mission system using the games player journel to create mini quest lines for you. This may well be a mission system that sits on our computers in instead of server based. That is how I would introduce space legs.

 

[Wrecked]

I like your ideas. Sadly I think space legs will be a poorly implemented addon to the game. Given FDevs track record, I see space legs in ships being just the ability to walk around your cockpit, not your whole ship, and in space stations, a couple of rooms. Base building will likely also be a thinly implemented feature. I don't see them taking the time and energy to implement anything significant because they don't have to. Apparently this game is still their big money maker even with years of nothing significant happening in the game. So, for them, where's the motivation? Whatever they release, it will sell, and people will still buy Arx, complain on the forums, and nothing of real significance will change. hopefully I'm wrong, but I think not.

 

[Vedmo]

I think the main struggle for Elite Dangerous is that it doesn’t have guided, curated, linear, mission- and story-based campaigns. Look at MMOs for example. Every big expansion means a new campaign, with a new story, missions that have to be completed in order, with an overarching plot, and a bigger GOAL to work towards. It not only means dozens of hours you can invest, but also unique endgame mechanics, gameplay features etc. I think this is what Elite needs. Besides the huge galaxy, the different missions and the free-form gameplay, it needs proper, linear stories we could complete and get exclusive bonuses for.

My favorite thing about Elite is that it isn't this.

 

[Ganogati]

The only issue with this is that, by the time someone has reached your level of gameplay, they'd have played enough to beat any amount of campaigns 10x over. That's the appeal of sandbox games: you make your own fun, so you can draw it out further.

I'm not opposed to them adding some interesting story component and think that it would probably draw in new players who don't understand how sandbox games work, but I think that "best bang for your buck" is going to be new toys for the sandbox that players can use to entertain themselves, far more than a concerted effort to bring scripted story and life to the game.

 

[Skellen]

I'm just hoping one day we will have missions like the old game where you would have to wait outside a station for your target to exit or even arrive, and then try and take them out before they jump out of the system or even dock before the station police attack you, I can't even remember when I've last seen a station even shoot anything lately.
There seems to be no risk at all now a days, getting into the station for protection, when is the last time a pirate has even tried to attack you before you can dock?

 

[Bryan K]

Elite does need a proper campaign. Alas, that would require a great deal of planning and storyboarding which, honestly, it seems like FDev is keen to avoid.

“Blaze your own trail!” is developer-speak for “Make up your own story so we don’t have to pay someone to do it!”.

 

[Knot2clever]

ED was funded by a kickstarter campaign because it is not the game you want.

 

[Kekkonshiki]

I'm just hoping one day we will have missions like the old game where you would have to wait outside a station for your target to exit or even arrive, and then try and take them out before they jump out of the system or even dock before the station police attack you, I can't even remember when I've last seen a station even shoot anything lately.
There seems to be no risk at all now a days, getting into the station for protection, when is the last time a pirate has even tried to attack you before you can dock?

Ah the old days... when an NPC chasing you would blindly follow you within the exclusion zone of a station with guns blazing.

Or my favourite: annoying an Outpost until it got fed up with you and started shooting at you, only for you to dock and enter the hanger and then spend time listening to the station shooting itself.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

I do actually like this idea and it has come up before on this forum.
Story arcs for Guardians and Thargoids, Various forays into the politcal landscape of ED, factions and the games lore.
Each story Arc ends with various unique rewards, such as Paintjobs, Decals, ships and system permits.

The storys themselves can be dropped and picked up when ever the player feels, so no one is locked into an activity.

I love the endless open world of ED, but a choice to join a focused activity guided by a well written and curated story does have an appeal to me. The storys cannot be 'CHOSEN ONE' story lines. Just a narrative that leads a player into the game world and lore.

however... what i HATE about MMO's is watching other players complete the same story beats just before you in an over crowded space, like waiting in line for a theme park ride.

These stories will need to be locked to a single play through, completion gets logged in the Codex... and you can only play them in SOLO or limited Private.

----

actually the more i think about it.... The more i dont like it. ED is a living galaxy which we all live in, no one is special. Stories guide people through narrow avenues like an experiance factory.

 

[Factabulous]

when is the last time a pirate has even tried to attack you before you can dock?

last night just because you haven't seen something for a while doesn't mean it doesn't happen to anyone...

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

The only issue with this is that, by the time someone has reached your level of gameplay, they'd have played enough to beat any amount of campaigns 10x over. That's the appeal of sandbox games: you make your own fun, so you can draw it out further.

I'm not opposed to them adding some interesting story component and think that it would probably draw in new players who don't understand how sandbox games work, but I think that "best bang for your buck" is going to be new toys for the sandbox that players can use to entertain themselves, far more than a concerted effort to bring scripted story and life to the game.

It's a really difficult one. Personally I don't play sandbox games and would welcome a scripted campaign. Currently ED sits somewhere in the middle it's not a pure sandbox (tho it is far closer to one now than it was at launch as it is super easy to get everything compared to how it used to be) ands it's certainly not scripted either.

I must admit I had hoped FD would have done more with the generated missions to hide the fact they are all the same

 

[Drelthar]

It needs some more custom missions, and expansion on "chained" missions, where it links various element's together.

Find escape pod, get passenger mission, get them home, they give you an assassination mission to take out the guy that destroyed their ship, you then choose to either destroy them or take Thier offer of the location of a cache of mats.

 

[Marklar_]

If FD delivers, this game will be very different a year from now and there will be new opportunities for content.

I want to see what happens then before spitballing content changes. They're working on it but we don't know much of anything yet about where the game is going.

 

[kdogg788]

Fully agree. Needs more real campaign content and meaningful linked missions instead of flying to the next station and "interacting" with a talking head graphic with one line of samey dialogue.

-k

 

[stereoBear]

Yes, because what we need most desperately is yet another WOW clone...

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Yes, because what we need most desperately is yet another WOW clone...

I don't think anyone is asking for a world of Warcraft clone.

 

[Ghstimage]

In the past months I’ve been thinking about why people are often dissatisfied with Elite Dangerous. Trying to put my finger on what they mean by “there’s no content” in the game. As a completely free-form, “blaze your own trail” game there’s only so much Elite can offer. An incomprehensibly large galaxy and different mission types for earning money and expanding our fleets. But no matter the variation these missions try to offer, gameplay ultimately comes down to the same principle. Flying from A to B and either fighting, trading, mining or scanning something there. However, the more you play the game the more the most important question comes up: what for?

I’ve been playing Elite Dangerous since 2015, ever since it came out on Xbox One. After 4.5 years (which means around 2400 in-game hours) I’ve now come to the point which most active players reach sooner or later. The problem of not knowing what to do anymore. Let me explain.

My current standing in the game:

• I’m triple Elite.
• I’m both Admiral (Federation) and King (Empire).
• I have all the small, medium and big ships I ever needed, most completely outfitted and engineered to the maximum.
• 4.6 billion CR in cash and 6.5 billion CR in assets.
• I’ve been to Sag A*, Colonia and Beagle Point.
• I’ve first discovered thousands of stars, planets and moons, contributed to the Codex countless times.
• I’ve discovered all known Generation ships with all their audio logs.
• I’ve explored Guardian sites and unlocked most technologies I need.
• I’ve taken part in dozens of Community Goals and most Interstellar Initiatives in their entirety.
• I have 90% of all achievements, most remaining are for CQC which is unplayable due to the low number of players.

So the question stands: What remains to be done? Don’t get me wrong: I still play the game, and try to mix up my activities. A little bounty hunting here, a small exploration trip there, a little trading over there. But I no longer feel the long-term motivation, or goals which, in the past, so often glued me in front of the TV and encouraged me to play dozens of hours pursuing something. After 4.5 years I feel there’s nothing else left to pursue, yet I don’t want to leave the game since I love it so much.

Now, we’re obviously all waiting for the 2020 update which will be huge. But let’s suppose the leaks were correct and see what said update may contain.

Base building. OK, so at the end of this year we will be able to buy and possibly expand our own planetary bases. For what? Let’s see:

• To have one and be able to say we have one.
• To make trading and (again, possibly) get our own profit from that.
• To attract people and so make more money in the end.
• Then the question again: for what will we need even more money?

Space legs. OK, I’m excited for this one, but let’s try to break it down as to what it may mean for the game:

• We may be able to get up and walk around the ships.
• We may be able to walk around stations, online social spaces, meeting other CMDRs, team up and go to missions together.
• We may walk on planetary surfaces or even outposts.
• “FPS combat” (according to the leak). This would mean a brand new set of missions. Fly there, get up, walk in, shoot the enemies, fly back, get your reward. Done.

Now, even if we suppose Frontier manages to pull it off, and make both base building and space legs polished and enjoyable experiences, what would these new features ultimately add to the game? New ways to spend and earn money, but for god’s sake, for what?

And here comes the thread title in the picture, before you say I’m insane and can only ask that one thing.

I think the main struggle for Elite Dangerous is that it doesn’t have guided, curated, linear, mission- and story-based campaigns. Look at MMOs for example. Every big expansion means a new campaign, with a new story, missions that have to be completed in order, with an overarching plot, and a bigger GOAL to work towards. It not only means dozens of hours you can invest, but also unique endgame mechanics, gameplay features etc. I think this is what Elite needs. Besides the huge galaxy, the different missions and the free-form gameplay, it needs proper, linear stories we could complete and get exclusive bonuses for.

Just a few examples that come to my mind this instant:

• Complete X campaign (let's say 8-10 missions) and a previously permit-locked sector opens up for you, with exclusive stations, possibly even Thargoid or Guardian facilities where you can trade or fight afterwards.
• A new enemy reveals himself, attacking traders etc. You have to go to stations, speak to NPCs, go to planets where you look for clues, download audio logs, go from breadcrumb to breadcrumb, trying to find and ultimately kill the boss. It gives you unique badges, new commodities to buy somewhere, or whatever.

In short, Elite should – at least partly – embrace the model that games like World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online or other MMOs use. Continually offering new stories, challenges, in-game events, rewards, and at the same time making the galaxy feel more alive. Make us feel as if things are actually happening in this universe, it’s not just us flying around. Or if we want to make it even simpler, imagine if every GalNet story was actually an interactive set of linear missions with cut-scenes, characters etc.

Instead of more money investing and -making methods, the game needs stories we can relate to and invest ourselves in, and rewards that can't otherwise be acquired. So even with the rumoured gameplay additions of the end-of-year update, I think it’s story- and character related content that’s needed in the game in the long run. Be it smaller, bite-sized stories of larger overarching campaigns, this is what would make us (well, me at least) feel more connected to and more invested in it.

 

[Ghstimage]

I whole heartedly agree 100%. It would make the game more approachable, and worth investing the hours into. Case in point is "No Man's Sky", started out the exact same way as Elite. Just trade, fight, discover...etc. And was bombing. After adding in first what was promised at launch, they added a storyline and campaign objectives with unique rewards to pull the player in, and maintain player interest. I prefer Elite over Sky and would happily pay for story dlc type additions. Great post...