Please stop driving newbies to private servers!

[Bloodsign]

In address to the OP, after some thought I reject the idea that adapting my game to the lowest common denominator is a worthwhile pursuit. I'll continue ganking until I decide to do something else.

Elite Dangerous is a great game, with several notably great flaws. Engineering, Powerplay, PvP, and modes themselves all have serious issues. Cheating, whether a significant factor or not, is also perceived by the player base as being hugely problematic. Lack of truly engaging content in favor of the grind is another perceived problem.

The phenomenon of ganking, and the stigma/outcry surrounding it, presents a sort of locus where many (if not all) of the above issues overlap. While there are many malicious gankers out there, and that is perhaps another problem to discuss, I am not one of them. Win or lose an encounter, I still learn something every time I match wits with another CMDR. And sad but true, the "squeaky wheel gets the oil" -- in other words the complaints about ganking keep all the aforementioned problems right in FDev's face.

I'll keep doing what I do. It's more interesting than other activities in the game, and it performs a necessary function within the greater ED community. No hard feelings if/when I blow you up. No hard feelings if you manage to blow me up instead.

 

[Bloodsign]

Also, have you noticed that gankees use the most vulgar language? It really is astounding.

 

[SpaceInvader]

Then get rid of solo/PG. No more issue.

 

[Brrokk]

OP is a plea not to gank noobs. 15 Pages about how it's the noob's fault. Noob goes to PG / solo or quits.

All this has happened before. All this will happen again.

So say we all.

I'm starting to feel the deja-vu in advance.

 

[Dryheat4u]

This thread is poisonous. How about we all agree that Fdev needs to build the flipping player mission system so I can call for and hire a proper set of escorts. Then pay them in credits, without faffing about dumping cargo and collector limpets for twenty minutes. Bonus ARX if they can tie it to a matchmaking system so I can call from a pool of active players who want to play escort.

(Seriously, I will buy an ARX pack if this feature happens. Star Citizen proves it can be done.)

 

[Eliza]

Then get rid of solo/PG. No more issue.

As much as I would like that, it won't happen, because of reasons explained a thousand times before.

 

[Dryheat4u]

This thread is poisonous. How about we all agree that Fdev needs to build the flipping player mission system so I can call for and hire a proper set of escorts. Then pay them in credits, without faffing about dumping cargo and collector limpets for twenty minutes. Bonus ARX if they can tie it to a matchmaking system so I can call from a pool of active players who want to play escort.

(Seriously, I will buy an ARX pack if this feature happens. Star Citizen proves it can be done.)

I'll buy another ARX pack if we can get an Apex style JUMPMASTER system for better wing jump coordination.

 

[Eliza]

This thread is poisonous. How about we all agree that Fdev needs to build the flipping player mission system so I can call for and hire a proper set of escorts. Then pay them in credits, without faffing about dumping cargo and collector limpets for twenty minutes. Bonus ARX if they can tie it to a matchmaking system so I can call from a pool of active players who want to play escort.

(Seriously, I will buy an ARX pack if this feature happens. Star Citizen proves it can be done.)

Also this is just wishful thinking. First of all, a total rework of networking is required on the behalf of FDev. This p2p-crap we have now is not suitable for viable escort-missions, because instancing.

Yet alone the "black python"-error, we had in our weekly pvp-training session. It was a pain. Half of both wings had ctd during interception-attempts.

 

[Dryheat4u]

Also this is just wishful thinking. First of all, a total rework of networking is required on the behalf of FDev. This p2p-crap we have now is not suitable for viable escort-missions, because instancing.

I agree. If the next paid update does not address these things, Elite Dangerous is toast. Star Citizen goes into beta in the same quarter they are scheduled to release this mysterious update.

I dont know how Fdev is going to do it, but I hope they have something in their pocket. This radio silent strategy sucks. It, like solo play, is a thinly veiled firewall against deeper problems.

I dont want this game to die, but I also hardly play it anymore. I only logged in tonight to buy a few federal corvettes while they are cheap. Might try exploring again for a while, or not.

If Fdev dont get a handle on things, Chris Roberts is going to eat their lunch over the next two years.

 

[galahad2069]

Also, have you noticed that gankees use the most vulgar language? It really is astounding.

Once I was called "zrmlzm nemecky zmrrlm" (or something like that, not sure about the spelling, only that it had very few vowels in it) by a Slovakian player I shot down in Wyrd. According to google translate it meant something like [nasty censored F-word] German [even nastier not-sure-which-letter-word] in English.

Since I'm not even German, I figured he most probably mistook me for someone else, so I told the local RoA dudes that maybe one of their former clients wasn't exactly satisfied with their service.

 

[Deleted member 192138]

I was called a "pice [sic] of s***" yesterday

 

[Eliza]

I was called a "pice [sic] of s***" yesterday

Maybe you should consider changing your deodorant.

 

[galahad2069]

I was called a "pice [sic] of s***" yesterday

I'm not a native speaker, so idk what the word "pice" might possibly mean (plural of "pouse"?), but by the look of the aft of my Ferdie I can assure him that you are definitely not "s***".

 

[Eliza]

You have my condolences, you both. I'm working as a call-center-agent (for now) and I made the following my mantra: "If one lacks of arguments, one's falling back into insults". You'll get used to it.

 

[Morbad]

How about we all agree that Fdev needs to build the flipping player mission system so I can call for and hire a proper set of escorts. Then pay them in credits, without faffing about dumping cargo and collector limpets for twenty minutes. Bonus ARX if they can tie it to a matchmaking system so I can call from a pool of active players who want to play escort.

Quite a difference between making it easy to employ an escort and having gameplay mechanisms that make escorts useful enough to bother employing.

Even without the aforementioned networking issues, escorting is difficult to pull off. By and large, if you have the basic skills and loadout to survive long enough to make an escort useful, you do not need an escort at all.

About the only way to escort someone is to occupy potential attackers before the vessel being escorted even shows up. This is a tedious, relatively high-skill task, and without a way of vetting the quality of your escorts beforehand, probably won't work very well...you'll be back to not needing an escort.

I imagine it would be extremely frustrating for both employer and employee, because the odds of getting the competent employer that can meet their escorts half way, would still benefit from the escort, then having escorts who know what they are doing and aren't trying to gank their client, would be a perfect storm of miraculous odds.

Ten to one, 80% of people signed up to be escorts are gankers. Maybe the people trying to hire escorts are also gankers and it will balance out. Might make a good improvised wing-PvP match finder. Who knows.

I just don't see how such a system could work broadly as intended given the hyperspace, SC, interdiction, combat, and potential incentivisation mechanisms in play.

 

[Eliza]

Ten to one, 80% of people signed up to be escorts are gankers. Maybe the people trying to hire escorts are also gankers and it will balance out. Might make a good improvised wing-PvP match finder. Who knows.

How often did I saw THIS exact behaviour in EvE Online back in my days? Mainly when no or a minimal "insurance"-clause was appointed within the contract.

 

[Screemonster]

Quite a difference between making it easy to employ an escort and having gameplay mechanisms that make escorts useful enough to bother employing.

Even without the aforementioned networking issues, escorting is difficult to pull off. By and large, if you have the basic skills and loadout to survive long enough to make an escort useful, you do not need an escort at all.

About the only way to escort someone is to occupy potential attackers before the vessel being escorted even shows up. This is a tedious, relatively high-skill task, and without a way of vetting the quality of your escorts beforehand, probably won't work very well...you'll be back to not needing an escort.

I imagine it would be extremely frustrating for both employer and employee, because the odds of getting the competent employer that can meet their escorts half way, would still benefit from the escort, then having escorts who know what they are doing and aren't trying to gank their client, would be a perfect storm of miraculous odds.

Ten to one, 80% of people signed up to be escorts are gankers. Maybe the people trying to hire escorts are also gankers and it will balance out. Might make a good improvised wing-PvP match finder. Who knows.

I just don't see how such a system could work broadly as intended given the hyperspace, SC, interdiction, combat, and potential incentivisation mechanisms in play.

We saw it with Salome, after all. Even Iridium Wing have outright said that explorers would probably reach their destinations faster if they just beelined it without them since they almost certainly have higher jump ranges than their escorts, and the main benefit they can provide is scouting ahead into the destination system to make sure the supercruise instance is clear of baddies, and provide an anchor wing into that clear instance.

 

[Vetinari]

We saw it with Salome, after all. Even Iridium Wing have outright said that explorers would probably reach their destinations faster if they just beelined it without them since they almost certainly have higher jump ranges than their escorts, and the main benefit they can provide is scouting ahead into the destination system to make sure the supercruise instance is clear of baddies, and provide an anchor wing into that clear instance.

Agreed but most explorers who use player escorts probably do so more for RP reasons than pure security, it probably just feels more 'real' to do it that way. Don't know, haven't used one, but have thought about it.

Just a thought but I think I would be happier being blown up knowing that the player is suffering some consequences from the escort and not getting away scot free just shooting fish in a barrel. It just seems more realistic. Yes a gang can occupy a major motorway for an hour and hijack every vehicle that comes, but very quickly the police will turn up and stop it happening, if no law then the truckers would hire other vehicles to fight while they ran the blockade, its just the way it would work. Escort could be civilian, private contractor, state army or UN even today to get that aid through to where its needed. Truckers are supposes to make it some times and gankers are supposed to die some times, its the balance thats the problem. I am not asking for insta-kill feds to turn up, that's not realistic or good gameplay that's just stupid.

Pice = piece 'You piece of s...!'. (English is funny in that its more insulting to call someone a piece of s... than the whole s... itself for some reason)

 

[Screemonster]

Also, have you noticed that gankees use the most vulgar language? It really is astounding.

I wound up having a super-nice chat with someone in an anarchy station last night while we were parked on the pads. He was there to buy a new clipper specifically because flipping it to anarchy meant that he didn't have to go to imperial space to get it. Running into actual gankers, I've been pulled and we've memed at each other. One of my funniest moments was my vulture getting interdicted by a wing of sidewinders in eravate who then politely asked "hello, may we gank you?"

When I go reverse-pirating on the other hand, it's rare for someone to send any comms back at all.

 

[CMDR Harada]

Star Citizen goes into beta in the same quarter they are scheduled to release this mysterious update.
.
.
.
If Fdev dont get a handle on things, Chris Roberts is going to eat their lunch over the next two years.

HAHAHA !!! <golden ticket holder, T-shirt, ID card, etc etc>

I'll believe it when I see it. He's been raising cash since 2012. Zero credibility at this point.

IT'S BEEN 7 YEARS !