Remember that first atfempt

CMDR Woland92

CMDR Woland92
I just want to take a pause to encourage everyone to remember how their first time playing Elite Dangerous.

I’m relatively new to the game (spring ‘17) so I remember my first attempt well. I read a few articles and watched a YouTube tutorial or two and then decided to just give it a go.

Remember how daunting it was to sit behind those controls for the first time? There is very little instruction and the controls (for a video game) are quite complex. Elite was unlike any other game I had ever played. It was mysterious, challenging and honestly kind of stressful. For those first few jumps I had pangs of anxiety as the FSD countdown approached zero. Hurtling through witch space with it’s strange sounds and sights was unnerving and disorienting. Then, as that small bead of light grew larger I would brace myself for the loud bang and sudden appearance of an enormous star. The first time I jumped into a system with a neutron star or brown dwarf I felt a fleeting but visceral sense of fear and panic.

We all have our gripes with FDev and I agree that ED is far from perfect. But think back on that first attempt and try to remember how special this game is. Think about how far you’ve come since then. As frustrating as I find ED sometimes, I think it’s my favorite game. I find myself marveling at the stars and immensity of the in-game galaxy. Now that I am a relatively adept combat/exploration pilot, I really appreciate the level of complexity that has gone into the game’s mechanics. I can exercise an enormous degree of control over my vessel and it really feels like I am piloting a powerful, sophisticated craft.

Anyway, I’m rambling (and procrastinating) but I just wanted to take a second to share my thoughts and appreciation for this game. We have a great community of people across the world and an entire galaxy at our fingertips. Fly on, commanders! o7
 

wakko151

wakko151
I miss that feeling. Now that I know the cake is a lie I mostly just blow people up. I enjoy flying around with a 30m bounty hoping someone will make me content. Alas, this game is dying. Somehow after all these years, FDev thinks "Guild Chat" is the answer...
 

Riverside

Riverside
I've never reset my save, mostly because you can only do something for the first time once.

But my son just started on a new account (Black Friday offer, £16 for the premium starter pack) and it's fascinating to see the things he finds easy (he 'got' docking way faster than I remember), and things he finds unintuitive (mostly the key bindings page so far, but also just how big & far away things are).

Before I bought ED I had played the previous versions & lots of driving & flight sim games, before getting his own copy my son had done the training scenarios & some exploration on my account, so neither of us started from zero.

At this stage (he has maybe 4-5 hours in-game) he is struggling to believe some people complain that it's too easy to fly the ships. He'll get there soon enough if he sticks with it but it's a helpful reminder that familiarity breeds contempt for some.
 

pzykozomatik

pzykozomatik
For me it was mostly to learn how the game world works and to discover all the small things you'd have to read up about on the net. As an avid player of many a space sim/shooter over the decades I quickly felt at home with the controls and the mission and economy system though. The pure scale of the galaxy was the most overwhelming part of the experience at first, those baby steps in the Sidey didn't get you anywhere fast. I've since started a new CMDR but that feeling is gone, replaced by routine and muscle memory. But especially the game's visuals still manage to amaze me regulary :D
 

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Back in 1.4... However long ago that was...

I remember trying to land at my first coriolis station for a mission direct from the starter system. A simple data delivery.

First mistake was, of course, approaching from the back.
I didn't know how to read the radar, or anything at this point, and I spent 5 minutes trying to find the entrance.
Then I tried "pausing" the game while I googled it, because my docking timer was running out, and I didn't know what would happen.
Second mistake was finding out there is no pause option. Lol
With 35 seconds to spare, I found the slot, and actually managed to land fairly well for a first time.
Cashed in my mission, and spent a few credits on basic upgrades.
The next mission I did, gave me enough credits to buy an Eagle. Never even used the upgrades I purchased. :p
Then off to learn the horrors of combat. Lol

I died. Quite alot. But I also made loads and loads of cash in a few hours(well, enough to buy and C outfit Viper, it felt like loads).
Quickly outfitted that (badly) for combat. I still hadn't learned the class and rating system, so a lot of modules were undersized. Lol
I soon decided I didn't like the Viper, and swapped it for a DBS, which I adored, and kept until I'd saved up enough for a Vulture. My DBS took me everywhere with its "massive" jump range of 21ly. Lol
I quickly moved away from the newbie systems, and settled in a corner of space close to Empire, Federation and Alliance space, which made my KWS hugely beneficial.
I soon had a Vulture, and was rocking up High RES sites like a pro (I wasn't), rarely dying, always upgrading.
Then the long haul for a Python. I needed 56 million to buy it, and another 30 million to outfit it for half decent combat and missions.
A few weeks later...

Tah day! The mighty Python was sitting in my hangar. C rated. I felt invincible!
I earned a few more credits bounty hunting, and running missions, loving every second.

I decided to return to newbie space to show off my prize.
And immediately came under attack from another CMDR, an Elite CMDR in an A rated Battleconda. Sheesh!

And this is when I realised I wasn't actually the pro I thought I'd become...
Well not quite...

I soon found out I didn't have the firepower to break it's shields, but I did have a slightly higher top speed.
I boosted and charged for a low wake.

I was mass locked (I didn't know I could high wake out, I thought that was effected by mass lock too).
Charging was painfully slow, and I was taking massive damage. But I was slowing getting away. Slowly.
At 30% hull I began to think I wasn't going to make it. I was at 2.6km from my attacker, and still taking fire. I'd ran out of chaff, my shields were toast, but my thrusters were still good.
I still had 25% charging to go before I could jump.

I finally made the jump to supercruise at 16% hull...!
I'd survived my first ever PvP encounter!

I immediately dropped out of supercruise, and jumped to several systems to make sure I'd lost my attacker, and docked for much needed repairs.

I never went back to the newbie systems to show off my prize. Lol

I still have that Python to this day. Although, it has met it's demise several times, mostly to crashing or station guns, and only once in PvP combat.
 

Shiro Akai

Shiro Akai
Years ago I played some space sims, interestingly enough none of them was Elite. Then drifted away from genre and over two years ago I was looking for some good space sim. Star Citizen still WIP, Space Engineers is 99% building and redesigning than flying (+one small system to "explore") and... beyond that nothing more. NMS got terrible reviews so my gaze stopped at ED.

I did some "before you buy" research, learned about good things and bad things. Decided to bite. Being CMDR since, casual one with breaks but I still come back. Early days - overwhelming. 20 LYs was a distance to plan ahead. 50 LYs was far far away. 100 LYs was a day long trip. I was wondering how one could endure ~24 THOUSAND LYs journey to the SagA*. And then I learned about 65k club. While sitting in an Adder, planning my first 100 LYs trip.

I remember I skipped on almost every activity but cargo and data delivery. With time I got better with controls, got upgraded ships and modules. Now I "fly casually" and know few tricks. Back then? Fun times.
 

MottiKhan

MottiKhan
CMDR Woland92 said:
I just want to take a pause to encourage everyone to remember how their first time playing Elite Dangerous.

I’m relatively new to the game (spring ‘17) so I remember my first attempt well. I read a few articles and watched a YouTube tutorial or two and then decided to just give it a go.

Remember how daunting it was to sit behind those controls for the first time? There is very little instruction and the controls (for a video game) are quite complex. Elite was unlike any other game I had ever played. It was mysterious, challenging and honestly kind of stressful. For those first few jumps I had pangs of anxiety as the FSD countdown approached zero. Hurtling through witch space with it’s strange sounds and sights was unnerving and disorienting. Then, as that small bead of light grew larger I would brace myself for the loud bang and sudden appearance of an enormous star. The first time I jumped into a system with a neutron star or brown dwarf I felt a fleeting but visceral sense of fear and panic.

We all have our gripes with FDev and I agree that ED is far from perfect. But think back on that first attempt and try to remember how special this game is. Think about how far you’ve come since then. As frustrating as I find ED sometimes, I think it’s my favorite game. I find myself marveling at the stars and immensity of the in-game galaxy. Now that I am a relatively adept combat/exploration pilot, I really appreciate the level of complexity that has gone into the game’s mechanics. I can exercise an enormous degree of control over my vessel and it really feels like I am piloting a powerful, sophisticated craft.

Anyway, I’m rambling (and procrastinating) but I just wanted to take a second to share my thoughts and appreciation for this game. We have a great community of people across the world and an entire galaxy at our fingertips. Fly on, commanders! o7
Click to expand...

+1 rep. I find it funny that you'd use the word "pause" in your first sentence. That's the main memory I have from the first time I played ED.

I had traveled somewhere. I don't recall where and while flying to my destination, some children who were visiting with their mother wanted my attention. So I hit the "pause" button and spent some time with them.

I came back to the rebuy screen. No biggie though. Kids are more important than the game. It's just that I wasn't expecting that.
 

Krash

Krash
wakko151 said:
I miss that feeling. Now that I know the cake is a lie I mostly just blow people up. I enjoy flying around with a 30m bounty hoping someone will make me content. Alas, this game is dying. Somehow after all these years, FDev thinks "Guild Chat" is the answer...
Click to expand...

Mr. Wakko. Did you happen to drop into the CG cz last night in your big bad cutter?
 

Autoculto

A
Having played the original extensively 30 plus years ago and been waiting for a decent updated version of it since, I can tell you that I could barely contain myself when I jumped in that sidewinder. My emotions were extreme but I took off and flew that vessel like I'd never had a break in the game in the last 30 years. I was amazed that everything felt and handled the same, the likeness was uncanny but the visuals and sound were awesome. I flew out the letterbox and had a look around the station exterior in absolute awe. I then flew back in to dock and got blown away because I hadn't requested docking permission. I'm don't recall the stations didn't have defenses back in 84 lol
 

Mo Ronik

Mo Ronik
I spent the first day doing the docking training session. That's all I did till I could just about dock with my eyes closed. I watched as many videos as I could prior to install so I was a little aware of what to expect. First thing I did before heading out on my first mission was to store the cargo rack and buy an E rated fuel scoop. I did the welcome mission and after that I just plotted a course from star to star around where my starting point was and flew to them, scooping fuel between jumps. That was it... I jumped in with both feet from that point forward. I might go back to the training sessions one day and wear out the combat one but since combat really doesn't interest me that is a task on the back burner.
 

CMDR Woland92

CMDR Woland92
Some great responses here. There’s a real sense of stepping out into the great unknown when you first begin playing.

I remember the sheer loneliness of all that empty space. The first thing I tried to do was plot a course to Sol. I soon realized that my access was locked by some group called the federation. My next thought was to plot a course to Alpha Centauri. I can’t remember how many jumps it would have taken me in my stock Sidewinder but the journey seemed treacherous and impossibly far.

My heart sank but I decided to set out anyway. I remember being surprised to learn that I would have to restock on fuel during my trip. I just assumed the ship would have some infinite fuel supply - I had no idea what kind of game I was playing. I dropped out of SC and tried to gauge my remaining fuel. I found the galaxy map completely overwhelming and decided to go back to my starting system and rack up some credits before attempting such a mammoth journey.

6 months later I’m sitting at about 250M credits (I know some of you will sneeze at such a paltry sum) and I just engineered a 70+LY DBX. I have an Anaconda fitted as a “science vessel” for deep space, long range expeditions. An iCourier for bounty hunting, and a FAS for heavier combat.

I miss the feeling of being all but lost in a galaxy of incomprehensible proportion. But I also revel in the freedom imparted by my more powerful fleet. I’m not sure where I’ll venture next but I’m excited to see what awaits me.

Fly on, Commanders! o7
 

zebcarter

zebcarter
Started a second account last week (black Friday sales do work 😄 ) and the thing impressing me most was how you are more or less locked in your start system due to the ridiculously low jump range of the sidey 😄
"Route plotting failed"....jeez I did not remember how frustrating this message is 😎
 

IndigoWyrd

IndigoWyrd
wakko151 said:
I miss that feeling. Now that I know the cake is a lie I mostly just blow people up. I enjoy flying around with a 30m bounty hoping someone will make me content. Alas, this game is dying. Somehow after all these years, FDev thinks "Guild Chat" is the answer...
Click to expand...

Grain and corn, grain and corn,
All that dies shall be reborn.
 

Bill Clement

Bill Clement
Stonn Mrogg said:
I suggest flushing hamsters down toilets.
Click to expand...

[haha] Ye Gods, that's funny!

Kids- it's called 'humour', no hamsters were actually drowned. Please don't attempt to drown any hamsters on your own, that is a BAD THING to do.

@Woland92: Back in '84 I was an impoverished, working class teen. My posh mates had BBC Model and Vic 20s, I had holes in my shoes. There was no point in asking my folks to help- their shoes were even worse than mine! [sour]

'85 was better. I had some cash of my own and blew it on a ZX Spectrum. Gods bless Sir Clive Sinclair! Nowadays you'd call it 'modding' or something else exciting and glam, back then I tinkered with the wee plastic beastie. A chunky, full travel keyboard was just wonderful, but ripping the Spectrum to bits and sticking it inside was even better! I bought a memory upgrade, a snazzy new joystick, and even found some cash for games.
Words don't describe how chuffed I was when Elite was released on the Spectrum!

The 'first' game was less memorable than my last. I'd played on my mates' machines, I had the basics nailed down. The last game (though I didn't know it at the time) was a mission that went horrifically wrong. I got bounced by a whole fleet of Thargoids in witch space and went out in a blaze of glory! I was shouting out defiance right to the last, much to the amusement of my kid brother. I was left shaking, sweating, utterly exhilarated- what a buzz! :D

Working life took over. I had less and less time to myself, the Spectrum got stuck in a succession of temporary hidey holes- drawers, top of the wardrobe, under my bed, anywhere out of the way. Before I knew it months had slipped by. I flashed her up one last time, only to burn out the board. All that moving around had allowed a ton of dust to get into the jury rigged keyboard, smothering the Sinclair. The poor wee thing never stood a chance...

It would be more than a decade before I owned another computer. As nice as my shiny new lappy was, it didn't quite compare to my old Spectrum. Nostalgia casts a long shadow.

In '14 I had a decent rig, several joysticks and a bunch of flight sims loaded when a mate of mine mentioned Elite might be getting re-released. I got in at the tail end of testing and couldn't believe what I was seeing. What a game! The visuals were beautiful, the scale was astonishing (this was when all we really had were a few tech demos- gas giant, ring system, two battleships leathering the heck out of each other...). They could probably hear me all the way down in Cambridge screaming "TAKE MY MONEY"!

I played the training missions over and over, counting down the days to release.

The first game was nerve wracking. Landing was tough- early bugs and the less than stellar throttle slider on my stick didn't help! If you can think of a n00b mistake, I made it. And kept making it, for weeks! I lost three Sideys just making my way across the bubble to my Freeagle.

But when I strapped into that little red rocketship, I was in geek heaven. :cool:

Back then Vipers pretty much ruled. Once I'd figured out how to fly I bought a string of 'em. I learned to love that rebuy mechanism, it really takes the sting out of losing a ship. I didn't see much point in the bigger ships when I could solo an NPC Anaconda and all the cool kids were running Vipers, too.

A Cobra followed. This was Nirvana! The game I imagined in '85, brought lovingly to life thirty years later.

I'm still tinkering with hardware. My rig is worth more than my bike, now. Scary thought! :eek: It's a work in progress, I have plans for a whole bunch of upgrades, but there's no hurry. Frontier say they'll be developing ED for a decade, so I'll move at their pace. I've got some cool, in-game kit to fly and plans there, too.

I don't think I'll ever quite recapture the feeling of playing as a newb- as opposed to me playing as a total n00b, which I'm still doing to this day! But I'm still loving the game, more with each patch. Think it's time to go get my revenge on those 'goids yet? ;)
 
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