Question about ED player goals

[Capt. Hook]

I think that given the game will offer players a multitude of playing 'professions', open to all and utilising a variety of playing styles (SP offline/online, multiplayer, ironman etc) then players will continue to discover an evolving and changing range of goals as they play.

The goals and motivations I might have in Ironman mode, for ex, would no doubt be widely different from say SP offline.

Having a sandbox game is fantastic and I think as new expansions are rolled out over time adding depth and new challenges to the game I think E D will become a gaming classic. Yes it will not be to everyone's taste but I think it will offer something for most players interested in the genre.

 

[TheBetpet]

I am struggling to find a polite way to point out the irony here.

I will think on it some more.

Never worry about being polite to me. I'm rather thick skinned

The point I was trying to make is that with it being a sandbox game, you can come up with your own goals and endgames. As long as they fit within the rules of the 'universe', what you achieve is up to you. I'm sure there are a few professions you could take up that aren't considered 'official' but will give great pleasure. That does exclude griefing though!

 

[Rog]

I just wanted to ask about the player goals of ED.

<snip>

So once you have made money through fighting and trading , what are going to be the things that keep people playing?

Bet you regret asking now...

So as I see it, it's precisely the individualistic, unstructured and open-ended nature of the game that makes it attractive and so compelling. Pure escapism, hence the lack of empire-building etc: that's a different type of game.

Do what you want, though there may be consequences.

 

[CaptGrumpyPants]

I think it was explained to you in first day when you came here. So why are you here?

I agree with you, Pecisk--It was explained clearly. I don't understand why people think every game made HAS to have everything every game before it had or it is no good.

ELITE did not have 3 lives, a score or anything ANY game before it had and it did pretty darn good, right?

So, lets let them make this THEIR way with what THEY want in it because sometimes, just sometimes, what you WANT is not what you really need.

 

[Slythe]

Player goals:

I have a variety of goals. If I can have four characters (I know 3 has been mentioned as a possible limit) the plan looks like this:

My Explorer will be out there on the edge of explored space, my goal is simply to go places no one else has been and make it back (alive for preference ).

My Trader will be simply trying to make money and visit interesting places within the inhabited core.

My Bounty Hunter/Mercenary will be seeking to play the game of kings and take down the biggest adversaries he can find, making money simply to be able to upgrade his ship.

My other character will be seeking to avoid the attention of the law as much as possible.

Which character I play will simply depend on how I feel at the time.

 

[jedt]

To those who just want to fly their ships and never do anything else; if extra content was added to the game that never forced you to stop flying your ships as you want to, would that be ok?

yup. had to add this bit because replies have to be at least 5 characters..... how dumb is that?

 

[jedt]

No, forget it, they want no other options for other players, they just want their Elite from the 80ies and nothing added to that base concept. And since FD let these people steer the direction of the game it will most likely end up like this.

hmm.... no. i wanted elite updated to run on a current rig. given what they did on an acorn, what can they do on a current pc? fd...blow my mind.

Basically they want WoW without a level cap doing exactly the same thing at level 9999999+ they already did at level 1. With different ships and a billion credits and some day, owning a player title.

no. elite doesnt have levels.... one of the things that made it groundbreaking. if i wanted to play wow (dawkins forbid) i'd play wow.

More importantly they don't want YOU to own a piece of the galaxy or build up a trade empire, or engage in player driven territory warfare.

meh...

 

[Slythe]

Regarding the territorial ownership/conflict mechanic: What stops a group of players from declaring ownership of an anarchic star system and policing it based on rules they've established? It doesn't sound like much fun to me, but that's what ownership of a star system actually comes down to in practice. A system of law, tax gatherers & customs agents, police. If they did it right they could actually get the support of player-traders who might willingly pay them a modest fee if the system "owners" guarantee to protect them from NPC & player pirates.

 

[Riandor]

But this is what the OP is asking us to do is it not?

Not quite, the OP is asking what possible scenarios there are post just flying around making a ton of money. The answer is... We, or at least i don't know, at least not beyond the concepts that spring to mind given the already confirmed expansions.

But to argue over Frontier not pushing this game to be an Eve clone, that was my point.

Im all for moving beyond the ship, adding concepts that grow Elite beyond the originals wildest dreams, as long as we are happily discussing what we would like or maybe not like to see.

But i am struggling to understand Fromhell's argument, other than the game should not limit itself, nor the fanbase, to a graphical upgrade of the original and in that, i agree, but beyond that I'm clearly missing the point.

Players will do what players wanna do. If enough band together to control orion's belt, let em... With no known choke points its not an issue for me and if it was, i could ignore them through the groups mechanic anyway. Thus for those reasons and the 32 player per instance... Its just not designed to work, unlike in Eve.

For me, so called continuous development and content for the "Elite" comes not just through new physical content such as ships or stations, but the increase in game mechanics, such as running complexities of said stations, or terraforming new planets, or just missions that are intriguing, complex and just plain tailored to capture my imagination and cater for my level.

Maybe Elite players are needed to fend off a Thargoid threat, maybe i can as an Elite pirate walk and fly amongst notorious npcs and other players and trade secrets, have missions and infiltrate organisations for power.

Im just throwing ideas out, but the fact remains, no one, possibly not even Frontier know what the plan is just yet for Elite ranked or rich pilots. So whilst speculation, conceptualisation and chit chat is all good, open critique of the game at this point for a lack of end game style content is pointless.

 

[Herik]

Well, I have to say Fromhell, your ideas seem very narrow. This game has vast potential and doesn't need or want an end game. This game could be played indefinitely! And that is just what I'd want.

 

[jedt]

But i am struggling to understand Fromhell's argument, other than the game should not limit itself, nor the fanbase, to a graphical upgrade of the original and in that, i agree, but beyond that I'm clearly missing the point.

fromhell does miss the point.... i would say that i suspect that that is deliberate, but that would be uncharitable.

Players will do what players wanna do.

.

yup, we wanna do what we wanna do

and we wanna get loaded.

what fromhell does not seem to get is the size of the play area. fd has promised the milky way. minimum 100 billion stars. MINIMUM (you will hear from my solicitor if it is otherwise).

i posted this point in another thread but it is just as valid here. assuming instant travel and 1 hour (count them ONE HOUR) at each star it would take 11.4 million years (REAL TIME.... that is you at your keyboard for 11.4 MILLION YEARS) to visit every star.

ok? you still with me here? it is ******* BIG.... no-one will see it all. how can you talk about petty ideas like wow style end game given a play area that big?

 

[Riandor]

Well, I have to say Fromhell, your ideas seem very narrow. This game has vast potential and doesn't need or want an end game. This game could be played indefinitely! And that is just what I'd want.

True, but there is value in asking the question what do you do when rich and Elite? Travel is obviously one choice... But there should be more to it.

Some are happy to just fly around, but many others want purpose, connection.

Status or ranks mean nothing if you cant do something with them. Careful planning is needed to cater for those who outgrow the initial concept of the game and there is nothing wrong with debating that.

Its true the size, gigantic size and the groups direction means that guild/control concepts seem a little meaningless given current info, butt here is no harm in really discussing how Elite could grow, what it could give you beyond hauling cargo until you are richer than the Empire (exaggerating for effect).

Without that added content, missions, etc... The average player will get bored. I also want Elite Dangerous to be more than something like a WoW or D3, where levels and gear are the be all and end all... Borrrrring. What i own and my rank should be secondary to what i can experience and what i can be part of.

 

[devastat]

Wrong, I mentioned WoT only in context of the most successful titles among LoL, TF and DOTA2 which are all PvP driven. At the time people came up with the idea of PvE more profitable than PvP which is plainly wrong.

To me it seems that you want a micro management game such as the X-series. You want to build a colony and then micro manage for bigger gains and that's the endgame for you..

From what I can tell, it seems that ED will be a very different game - a more combat focused exploration sandbox game, and there probably isn't much things to micro manage.

Once you get the best ship and you'll join the elite, I guess what's left for you for the endgame is exploration and helping others etc.. Also all the expansions will also probably extend the lifetime somewhat.

 

[Ayo]

The goal should be to be a part of interesting stories that are going on all over the galaxy. This will be the beginning and end goal for all players. In that sense it's a role playing game (actual role playing not stats and levels)

 

[jedt]

The goal should be to be a part of interesting stories that are going on all over the galaxy. This will be the beginning and end goal for all players. In that sense it's a role playing game (actual role playing not stats and levels)

spot on.... +1 to you sir/madam/other

 

[lien_leposh]

Regarding the territorial ownership/conflict mechanic: What stops a group of players from declaring ownership of an anarchic star system and policing it based on rules they've established? It doesn't sound like much fun to me, but that's what ownership of a star system actually comes down to in practice. A system of law, tax gatherers & customs agents, police. If they did it right they could actually get the support of player-traders who might willingly pay them a modest fee if the system "owners" guarantee to protect them from NPC & player pirates.

Thats an interesting point of view. Within the scale of the game, that would be the equivalent of a group of protesters capturing the Scilly Isles ( or that famous rock with the lighthouse on it whose name escapes me?) and offering you protection if you wanted to come into their waters to do some cod fishing, or perhaps asking for a small token to pass unhindered through their piece of space? For that I envisage the old fashioned turnpikes, where you paid a toll that went towards the upkeep of the roads and safer passage? It could get interesting if the system is at a choke point, but it makes it interesting from a gaming point of view. Do I pay the "toll" and take the shortcut, or go the long way round for free?

Now, if thats not for me I will go exploring in Siberia, bounty hunting in South Africa or taking diplomats on a cruise of the West Indies...and will I give two hoots about their little plans? Nah not really.

perhaps the point of this is the scale of it. If the group got bigger and started moving into Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and on towards London then I might get worried. But there wont be enough players in the game to make a significant impact globally.

 

[jedt]

perhaps the point of this is the scale of it. If the group got bigger and started moving into Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and on towards London then I might get worried. But there wont be enough players in the game to make a significant impact globally.

actually.... i think that may be possible. just sayin.

 

[lien_leposh]

actually.... i think that may be possible. just sayin.

Maybe, up to a point. But to do that you'd have to be really coordinated and there would be nothing to stop the "Government" (FD) from sending in the battlecruisers to nip your little uprising in the bud.
They could just park a whole fleet of them around the rim of the uprising and cordon it off.
Then its "here you go , your welcome to your ghetto, but you can't get out as an individual or group without dying, and no one is allowed in either."
How soon before the players get bored and take their ball home?
If I was FD I'd log the names of all the players involved and just wait for them to concentrate in the Outer Hebrides where they want to set up another scheme, then I'd reset the ghetto.
FD are MI6/CIA/big brother and can track your movements and those of your associates at all times. No different from Real Life really.

 

[jedt]

Maybe, up to a point. But to do that you'd have to be really coordinated and there would be nothing to stop the "Government" (FD) from sending in the battlecruisers to nip your little uprising in the bud.
They could just park a whole fleet of them around the rim of the uprising and cordon it off.
Then its "here you go , your welcome to your ghetto, but you can't get out as an individual or group without dying, and no one is allowed in either."
How soon before the players get bored and take their ball home?
If I was FD I'd log the names of all the players involved and just wait for them to concentrate in the Outer Hebrides where they want to set up another scheme, then I'd reset the ghetto.
FD are MI6/CIA/big brother and can track your movements and those of your associates at all times. No different from Real Life really.

erm.... clearly we have different views about fd's intent with this game.

my memory of elite is.... here is a space combat/trading/exploration game please come and have fun.

your's appears to be ....erm.... different.

idk.

 

[lien_leposh]

erm.... clearly we have different views about fd's intent with this game.

my memory of elite is.... here is a space combat/trading/exploration game please come and have fun.

your's appears to be ....erm.... different.

idk.

Not really. I want all those things too. My first post on this thread was about the fact that it might enrich a game, esp on a small scale. I got the impression (probably wrongly - for which I apologise) that you were concerned that groups of players might try something a little more agressive en-masse and threaten the balance of the game?

I have no idea about FD's intent, other than what I have read (and forgotten) on the forum. I was merely being devils advocate in my 2nd post and not intendng to yank your chain. Merely suggesting how easy it would be to control a mass attempt to unbalance a game if FD wished to do so?