Elite is aging. It has MANY years ahead (perhaps 10 or more), however, young upstarts are threatening to leave it behind. Many would have you believe that SC will 'kill' Elite. It won't, but it's easy to see why people say that.
If you want to be 'cool', you've got to stay current, and in gaming, that means serious multiplayer competition.
Take a look at Rocket League. A pretty basic game in its own right, but tune it for multiplayer and suddenly humans use its mechanics to pull off miracles.
There is only one real criteria for a game to become an esport, and of course, it's what most games DON'T have (otherwise they'd all be esports!) Depth of the 'core' mechanics of the game, and a very high skill cap. Elite already has both of these, and both in abundance, making it a prime, PRIME candidate to become an esport.
Obviously CQC is the way to go with this, but it needs to be revamped GREATLY.
1. Add Racing.
First of all it needs to be expanded so that it is CQC and Racing. Sanctioned buckyballing should be created, tracks with floating hoops in space that can record split times. Many different classes, E class stock racing, D class lightweight racing, open (use your own ship(s)) class, and of course....who could resist...combat racing (very interesting dynamic between heavy defenses and speed, cos it still only matters who crosses the line first).
2. Create proper classes for CQC and proper arenas
E class stock deathmatch, D class lightweight deathmatch, open deathmatch (use your own ships from the game), matched ships (choose whose ship is the template and the other player uses your ship as well), completely open (mismatched ships possible, such as Courier vs Corvette). Lasers only, Multicannons only, etc. The existing Arenas with tunnels and stuff are great, but could be much better and much larger, especially for team games.
3. Team games.
Capture the flag (put the flag deep in a base tunnel network, and holding the flag turns off your shield or limits your speed), 2v2 and 4v4. Team deathmatch, 2v2 up to 10v10 (sanctioned fleet battles with pro teams. SDC vs the CODE, anyone?) Onslaught (have 4 stations in a system and have 6 players defending and attacking them each, holding each station gains you points while you hold it, whoever has the most points wins. Capture the flag on the surface of a planet as well, that would be so cool, as heat would be a huge factor dogfighting above a planet and boosting aroudn with the flag.
4. Prizes.
I know you make enough money to offer big prizes for season CQC rewards, FD, but even if not, stickers to display our prowess and even player titles to display with our ship names would do the trick. Offer the money, people will come, learn and earn.
There are many missed opportunities in Elite (and many obscenely great things about it), but this is imo one of the biggest. It would breathe life into a completely dead area of the game, it would put Elite back on the games charts as people who cared about skill realised what a good combat game it actually is, nobody would 'need' to grind to enter the stock classes, but people WILL grind and join the main game to minmax a ship for the 'Open' classes, so it's good for the game on that level AS WELL! The best part of all, since CQC is an instanced (outside the game) game mode, it does not need to affect any other aspect of the main game AT ALL, except to be able to see 'Federation Champion Aashenfox' next to my target reticle instead of 'CMDR Aashenfox'.
This will put Elite on the map along with the other greatest e-combat games of our time, a place it does DESERVE.
If you want to be 'cool', you've got to stay current, and in gaming, that means serious multiplayer competition.
Take a look at Rocket League. A pretty basic game in its own right, but tune it for multiplayer and suddenly humans use its mechanics to pull off miracles.
There is only one real criteria for a game to become an esport, and of course, it's what most games DON'T have (otherwise they'd all be esports!) Depth of the 'core' mechanics of the game, and a very high skill cap. Elite already has both of these, and both in abundance, making it a prime, PRIME candidate to become an esport.
Obviously CQC is the way to go with this, but it needs to be revamped GREATLY.
1. Add Racing.
First of all it needs to be expanded so that it is CQC and Racing. Sanctioned buckyballing should be created, tracks with floating hoops in space that can record split times. Many different classes, E class stock racing, D class lightweight racing, open (use your own ship(s)) class, and of course....who could resist...combat racing (very interesting dynamic between heavy defenses and speed, cos it still only matters who crosses the line first).
2. Create proper classes for CQC and proper arenas
E class stock deathmatch, D class lightweight deathmatch, open deathmatch (use your own ships from the game), matched ships (choose whose ship is the template and the other player uses your ship as well), completely open (mismatched ships possible, such as Courier vs Corvette). Lasers only, Multicannons only, etc. The existing Arenas with tunnels and stuff are great, but could be much better and much larger, especially for team games.
3. Team games.
Capture the flag (put the flag deep in a base tunnel network, and holding the flag turns off your shield or limits your speed), 2v2 and 4v4. Team deathmatch, 2v2 up to 10v10 (sanctioned fleet battles with pro teams. SDC vs the CODE, anyone?) Onslaught (have 4 stations in a system and have 6 players defending and attacking them each, holding each station gains you points while you hold it, whoever has the most points wins. Capture the flag on the surface of a planet as well, that would be so cool, as heat would be a huge factor dogfighting above a planet and boosting aroudn with the flag.
4. Prizes.
I know you make enough money to offer big prizes for season CQC rewards, FD, but even if not, stickers to display our prowess and even player titles to display with our ship names would do the trick. Offer the money, people will come, learn and earn.
There are many missed opportunities in Elite (and many obscenely great things about it), but this is imo one of the biggest. It would breathe life into a completely dead area of the game, it would put Elite back on the games charts as people who cared about skill realised what a good combat game it actually is, nobody would 'need' to grind to enter the stock classes, but people WILL grind and join the main game to minmax a ship for the 'Open' classes, so it's good for the game on that level AS WELL! The best part of all, since CQC is an instanced (outside the game) game mode, it does not need to affect any other aspect of the main game AT ALL, except to be able to see 'Federation Champion Aashenfox' next to my target reticle instead of 'CMDR Aashenfox'.
This will put Elite on the map along with the other greatest e-combat games of our time, a place it does DESERVE.
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