General Recommendations from a Newish players 300 hours into Elite

[achigi]

I have been getting into Elite with my family over the past few months and am about 300 hours in. I have tried most gameplay loops at least to some degree and am currently saving up for my first fleet carrier. Here are a few things I would personally love to see in the game and that I think would enrich it while not reducing what makes it great.

These can mostly be summed up as leaning into what already makes the game great.

Exploration - This one is close to my heart, Elite is the first game I have played where I truly feel like an explorer. A lot of the core of it are great but this mostly just needs variety and more mechanics to deal with I think. Like geological things to find, more reasons to bring research limpets, maybe some unique exploration hard points or utilities? Obviously more assets and major overhauls like what Exobiology or new planetary generation tech would be great but those are very expensive to do. Maybe a community goal to send research limpets into new black holes and unlock a module or something like that?

Trading - I like trading in most games but in Elite it actually almost made me leave the game. Because I started using Inara which is a great tool but it just says "here is the best trade route" and so all I do is go back and forth and there is not thought. I am fine with this type of trading existing but I would love some deeper systems that could not be so easily trivialized by a tool or website. Something that I could master and get good at because I have yet to meet a "master Trader" in Elite but there is not really anything to "master" in my opinion, people like trading sure but it feels worse compared to most others like exploration I get good at know what systems to go to, or how to find certain exobiology flora, combat with flying or mining on the knowledge there and knowing what asteroids to go for. If trading had some deeper "endgame" I would love to get into that and feel like a space business man who is skilled at what I do.

PVE Space Combat - I think the combat and flight model in Elite are incredible no issues there, my main two issues are that of the ship builds/variety and ammo cutting my sessions short.

1.There seem to be so few weapons in the game and even fewer that are viable or usable. I understand needing to keep the game balanced but there seem to be so few options and it just seems a bit stale. So obviously new weapons would be awesome but those are harder to implement. So even some number changes to existing weapons would be good enough for now I think. Some weapons I think would be great if the numbers were tuned down and ammo increased.

2. I find myself needing to go back for ammo fairly consistently on multiple different weapons I try, I would like to stay out just a bit longer while I am in the grove of bounty hunting instead of it being interrupted so quickly. Especially if I play well and take no damage I still have to go back after just 20 minutes sometimes which feels like a very short amount of time to me. Even if the solution is there is an optional internal to hold ammo that would be great but I do not love the idea of giving up my engineering modifications to have the combat sessions I want especially since that could limit the number of ship builds I can do even more if I use the increased capacity engineering mod.

Ground activities and combat - I do not have a ton of experience here except for exobiology but would love for this to be more related to other gameplay mechanics and at least a little more rewarding, I am at the point in the game where it feels hard to justify doing something that rewards so little for my time. Maybe once I have my carrier and more money than I know what to do with I can do it when I am bored but it would be nice to have it feel worth doing and rewarding. I could be wrong but when I tried it, it felt like something I should come back to when I no longer need money.

Connecting gameplay systems - With colonization update I am seeing the potential of more systems that will interact with each other. I would love to see more features that interact with multiple gameplay features, we will have to see how colonization actually feels but I think more features like that (in the sense of how trade and exploration are used for this feature) would be great for the game.

Finally more gamification of systems and less grind - I put this here because it seems that there are already steps to make the game less grindy and more about the gameplay. Like SCO drives or the engineering rework, I do not want the game to become easy but majority of us have jobs and obligations so I would like a middle ground where I have lofty goals to work towards but also not a list of chores I need to do either. This is always hard to accomplish though.

So most of these I think are hopefully not too resource intensive since they do not require tons of assets or something like that. But I am fairly new still but maybe have a different perspective. Also for full transparency I will probably not make Elite my main game but I would love it to be a game I consistently come back for major updates or when I have that space game itch.

 

[aRJay]

I have been getting into Elite with my family over the past few months and am about 300 hours in. I have tried most gameplay loops at least to some degree and am currently saving up for my first fleet carrier. Here are a few things I would personally love to see in the game and that I think would enrich it while not reducing what makes it great.

These can mostly be summed up as leaning into what already makes the game great.

Exploration - This one is close to my heart, Elite is the first game I have played where I truly feel like an explorer. A lot of the core of it are great but this mostly just needs variety and more mechanics to deal with I think. Like geological things to find, more reasons to bring research limpets, maybe some unique exploration hard points or utilities? Obviously more assets and major overhauls like what Exobiology or new planetary generation tech would be great but those are very expensive to do. Maybe a community goal to send research limpets into new black holes and unlock a module or something like that?

More exploration targets and techniques would be good, new planetary generation might well be a long way off.

Trading - I like trading in most games but in Elite it actually almost made me leave the game. Because I started using Inara which is a great tool but it just says "here is the best trade route" and so all I do is go back and forth and there is not thought. I am fine with this type of trading existing but I would love some deeper systems that could not be so easily trivialized by a tool or website. Something that I could master and get good at because I have yet to meet a "master Trader" in Elite but there is not really anything to "master" in my opinion, people like trading sure but it feels worse compared to most others like exploration I get good at know what systems to go to, or how to find certain exobiology flora, combat with flying or mining on the knowledge there and knowing what asteroids to go for. If trading had some deeper "endgame" I would love to get into that and feel like a space business man who is skilled at what I do.

From what I have read I think the thing to master in trading is doing it without using the external tools.

PVE Space Combat - I think the combat and flight model in Elite are incredible no issues there, my main two issues are that of the ship builds/variety and ammo cutting my sessions short.

1.There seem to be so few weapons in the game and even fewer that are viable or usable. I understand needing to keep the game balanced but there seem to be so few options and it just seems a bit stale. So obviously new weapons would be awesome but those are harder to implement. So even some number changes to existing weapons would be good enough for now I think. Some weapons I think would be great if the numbers were tuned down and ammo increased.

Ignoring AX and PowerPlay there are around a dozen different weapons for our ships many on a choice of mounts.

2. I find myself needing to go back for ammo fairly consistently on multiple different weapons I try, I would like to stay out just a bit longer while I am in the grove of bounty hunting instead of it being interrupted so quickly. Especially if I play well and take no damage I still have to go back after just 20 minutes sometimes which feels like a very short amount of time to me. Even if the solution is there is an optional internal to hold ammo that would be great but I do not love the idea of giving up my engineering modifications to have the combat sessions I want especially since that could limit the number of ship builds I can do even more if I use the increased capacity engineering mod.

Ammo capacity can be an issue, it can be dealt with by synthesis or avoided by using a non ammo build.

Ground activities and combat - I do not have a ton of experience here except for exobiology but would love for this to be more related to other gameplay mechanics and at least a little more rewarding, I am at the point in the game where it feels hard to justify doing something that rewards so little for my time.

ED is not a good game for playing based on time, Do what you enjoy.

Maybe once I have my carrier and more money than I know what to do with I can do it when I am bored but it would be nice to have it feel worth doing and rewarding. I could be wrong but when I tried it, it felt like something I should come back to when I no longer need money.

Taking time out of the picture Exobiology is one of the most rewarding activities.

Connecting gameplay systems - With colonization update I am seeing the potential of more systems that will interact with each other. I would love to see more features that interact with multiple gameplay features, we will have to see how colonization actually feels but I think more features like that (in the sense of how trade and exploration are used for this feature) would be great for the game.

Finally more gamification of systems and less grind - I put this here because it seems that there are already steps to make the game less grindy and more about the gameplay. Like SCO drives or the engineering rework, I do not want the game to become easy but majority of us have jobs and obligations so I would like a middle ground where I have lofty goals to work towards but also not a list of chores I need to do either. This is always hard to accomplish though.

If the majority have jobs the player base must be getting younger. The term gamification worries me one of the plus points of ED is how it doesn’t feel like a game where there is one path through things.

So most of these I think are hopefully not too resource intensive since they do not require tons of assets or something like that. But I am fairly new still but maybe have a different perspective. Also for full transparency I will probably not make Elite my main game but I would love it to be a game I consistently come back for major updates or when I have that space game itch.

For transparency Elite Dangerous has been my only large game for the last eight years and it is a game I hope I can continue playing on a daily basis.

 

[Hugh Jardon]

I have been getting into Elite with my family over the past few months and am about 300 hours in. I have tried most gameplay loops at least to some degree and am currently saving up for my first fleet carrier. Here are a few things I would personally love to see in the game and that I think would enrich it while not reducing what makes it great.

These can mostly be summed up as leaning into what already makes the game great.

Exploration - This one is close to my heart, Elite is the first game I have played where I truly feel like an explorer. A lot of the core of it are great but this mostly just needs variety and more mechanics to deal with I think. Like geological things to find, more reasons to bring research limpets, maybe some unique exploration hard points or utilities? Obviously more assets and major overhauls like what Exobiology or new planetary generation tech would be great but those are very expensive to do. Maybe a community goal to send research limpets into new black holes and unlock a module or something like that?

Trading - I like trading in most games but in Elite it actually almost made me leave the game. Because I started using Inara which is a great tool but it just says "here is the best trade route" and so all I do is go back and forth and there is not thought. I am fine with this type of trading existing but I would love some deeper systems that could not be so easily trivialized by a tool or website. Something that I could master and get good at because I have yet to meet a "master Trader" in Elite but there is not really anything to "master" in my opinion, people like trading sure but it feels worse compared to most others like exploration I get good at know what systems to go to, or how to find certain exobiology flora, combat with flying or mining on the knowledge there and knowing what asteroids to go for. If trading had some deeper "endgame" I would love to get into that and feel like a space business man who is skilled at what I do.

PVE Space Combat - I think the combat and flight model in Elite are incredible no issues there, my main two issues are that of the ship builds/variety and ammo cutting my sessions short.

1.There seem to be so few weapons in the game and even fewer that are viable or usable. I understand needing to keep the game balanced but there seem to be so few options and it just seems a bit stale. So obviously new weapons would be awesome but those are harder to implement. So even some number changes to existing weapons would be good enough for now I think. Some weapons I think would be great if the numbers were tuned down and ammo increased.

2. I find myself needing to go back for ammo fairly consistently on multiple different weapons I try, I would like to stay out just a bit longer while I am in the grove of bounty hunting instead of it being interrupted so quickly. Especially if I play well and take no damage I still have to go back after just 20 minutes sometimes which feels like a very short amount of time to me. Even if the solution is there is an optional internal to hold ammo that would be great but I do not love the idea of giving up my engineering modifications to have the combat sessions I want especially since that could limit the number of ship builds I can do even more if I use the increased capacity engineering mod.

Ground activities and combat - I do not have a ton of experience here except for exobiology but would love for this to be more related to other gameplay mechanics and at least a little more rewarding, I am at the point in the game where it feels hard to justify doing something that rewards so little for my time. Maybe once I have my carrier and more money than I know what to do with I can do it when I am bored but it would be nice to have it feel worth doing and rewarding. I could be wrong but when I tried it, it felt like something I should come back to when I no longer need money.

Connecting gameplay systems - With colonization update I am seeing the potential of more systems that will interact with each other. I would love to see more features that interact with multiple gameplay features, we will have to see how colonization actually feels but I think more features like that (in the sense of how trade and exploration are used for this feature) would be great for the game.

Finally more gamification of systems and less grind - I put this here because it seems that there are already steps to make the game less grindy and more about the gameplay. Like SCO drives or the engineering rework, I do not want the game to become easy but majority of us have jobs and obligations so I would like a middle ground where I have lofty goals to work towards but also not a list of chores I need to do either. This is always hard to accomplish though.

So most of these I think are hopefully not too resource intensive since they do not require tons of assets or something like that. But I am fairly new still but maybe have a different perspective. Also for full transparency I will probably not make Elite my main game but I would love it to be a game I consistently come back for major updates or when I have that space game itch.

Lots to get into there. Firstly, trading: Some guys have devoted their lives to the science of finding trade routes that make massive profits. They keep them to themselves to stop other people crashing the market. Go on Reddit and see if you can find the threads about how they do it. I think there's some on this forum too, or start a new thread to discuss it.

There are many activities in the game. Each one has it's own special knowledge about how to get the most from it. You mentioned mining. It's worth looking up Youtube videos on how to do it. They explain where to go and how to do it. It's probably best to avoid any made by the regular influencer types because they always seem to lack knowledge and detail that you'd get from those that have made it their life's work. Here's one on platinum mining. You can start in a Python, but you need to watch the explanation about the T6 because all the detail is there. I think the Python build is detailed in part 2.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTNTGYVy4nk&t=2420s


Your combat problem is dead easy to solve. I never go back for ammo. The simple solution is to use only lasers, which is all you need for NPCs. I can always get at least into the top 10 commanders and sometimes no.1 in any bounty farming CG, so other weapons aren't necessary, though some are fun for a short while. I'm not too sure about what you're saying about choice of weapons. There are loads of different ones all with their plus and minus points. Did you try bombing elite Anacondas with reverberating cascade mines, then finishing off with packhounds?

How are you getting money for your fleet carrier? Pirate massacres from Ngalinn is a pretty solid way at between 200 and 250 million/hr, if you do it right (not skillfully). With help from a friend or two to share the wing missions, you can get over a billion for about 3hrs work. You don't even have to do the missions together. Just arrange to meet up at Hickham Survey at a set time each night to cash in. That takes about 20 minutes to get an additional 500 million each.

There's also the Thargoid event on Sunday should get you a couple of billion if you take part.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7YqlIR8U58

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I am fine with this type of trading existing but I would love some deeper systems that could not be so easily trivialized by a tool or website.

The nature of Elite Dangerous certainly leaves trade in an unfortunate place.
- there's an incredibly complex background system [1] which sets supply, demand, pricing and even temporary changes in which goods are legal based on hundreds of separate factors, all ultimately influenced by aggregate player activity (both trading and non-trading).
- a combination of extremely quick inter-system travel, the sheer size of the bubble, and relatively low player density in terms of traders-per-system means that understanding all of that almost never has any practical benefit over just getting Inara to tell you what today's profitable trade route is (even if it turns out Inara actually only knows the fifth best) and mindlessly following it
- other ED design decisions have meant that the purpose of trade in the previous games no longer really applies, but it hasn't yet found a new one

Trade missions are generally a much more profitable use of a cargo hold than free trading the same tonnage is, and you'll be able to do them slightly more efficiently if you understand some of the market basics without having to do an Inara search every time you pick one up, but once you've memorised "what sort of economy produces Insulating Membrane?" there's really not a lot more to add.


[1] I spent a year or so researching it; fun as it was just to investigate, knowing all that has come in useful for achieving an in-game goal precisely once. Being able to mostly accurately predict tomorrow's prices for Gallium has very little practical value.