Solo - Why the need to be online

[Frank]

David Braben has stated that he wants all of us in Open Play. Seeing that his games have provided me with so much pleasure over the years I'll certainly comply with his wish and give Open Play a good try.

You've got to remember that the forum is magnifying how big the problem with the village idiots is. People rush to the forums to tell of their problems with them, they don't rush here to say what a pleasant time they had with pilots they met in the void.

And if you are unfortunate enough to encounter someone that's ruining the game for you then just block them.

 

[Thunderchief]

I am not that sure that this will realy happen. DB once said that he like the idea of solo online modes to prevent piracy. Be sure tha ED would be pirated very much if the give the game a solo offline mode.

One of the kickstarted rewards was:

Pledge £60 or more

374 backers

Physical DRM-free boxed edition of "Elite: Dangerous" plus all rewards above (please note: the disc in the pack is simply an alternative way to install the game - it will have the same online account code whether installed off disc or downloaded digitally).

Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
Add £15 to ship outside the UK

So the promise of a DRM Free version is part of the deal, and certainly why I stumped up the cash. I don't want to pay all this amount and end up with a game I can't play when the servers go offline.

The DRM free Version should be just that, no activation required.

(Obviously Activation will be required for online play)

Cheers

 

[Milky82]

why play solo?
i dunno and never will know as i like flying with friends and solo mode is non existent for me in any multiplayer game, but i bet there are pilots with same reasoning behind solo play.

solo is good for casual players that value their time and want to minimize the risk, i prefer some challenges here and there (even if they are dumb challenges), also i like cooperative play and always when i want to be alone i can fly into unknown...alone

QUOTE]

You don't know for sure that the risk will be minimised in solo offline or online. It most likely won't be known until the game is released and even then, if youre in online all the time then how will you know.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Even in single player in mode offline, it will be possible to connect to update certain aspects of the galaxy

 

[Veljex]

I don't really think the online gives much option to meet people just yet. I think this will come more into swing when free-roam is added. Personally I prefer online myself just encase a friend or two buy the game, I will already be set up to meet and help them. But I agree, to help future proof it would be good to have a single player mode (although I could have sworn I've seen an option for this mode somewhere).

 

[jabokai]

I am not that sure that this will realy happen. DB once said that he like the idea of solo online modes to prevent piracy. Be sure tha ED would be pirated very much if the give the game a solo offline mode.

It will happen because they already said it will. They were pushed for this answer during the Kickstarter, and gave it.

Also, on piracy, you can find DB quoted as saying -

“Piracy, while frustrating, can contribute to game evangelism,” he said. “It can also help you reach new territories. For example, we are huge in China now. In the old days of silver discs, it would have been impossible to break the whole country. We would have needed an office in every province but through piracy, our games are circulating and fans are now seeking us out.

“Piracy goes hand in hand with sales,” he continued. “If a game is pirated a lot it will be bought a lot. People want a connected experience, so with pirated games we still have a route in to get them to upgrade to real version. And even if someone’s version is pirated, they might evangelise and their mates will buy the real thing.”

 

[Cmdr Andy B]

It will happen because they already said it will. They were pushed for this answer during the Kickstarter, and gave it.

Also, on piracy, you can find DB quoted as saying -

“Piracy, while frustrating, can contribute to game evangelism,” he said. “It can also help you reach new territories. For example, we are huge in China now. In the old days of silver discs, it would have been impossible to break the whole country. We would have needed an office in every province but through piracy, our games are circulating and fans are now seeking us out.

“Piracy goes hand in hand with sales,” he continued. “If a game is pirated a lot it will be bought a lot. People want a connected experience, so with pirated games we still have a route in to get them to upgrade to real version. And even if someone’s version is pirated, they might evangelise and their mates will buy the real thing.”

^this, in an example of how it can work science fiction writer Neil Gaiman has become a full-fledged piracy supporter, after finding out that regions that pirated his books also bought more of them.

“Places where I was being pirated, particularly Russia, where people were translating my stuff into russian and spreading it out into the world, I was selling more and more books,” he gushed.

listen to his comments about it in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qkyt1wXNlI

piracy is not always a bad thing as it often has a positive impact on revenue streams.

besides that, when Metallica sued napster all they did was inform the whole world about it, it went from a geeks only file sharing network to one everyone was using at the time.

 

[HaB1971]

why play solo?
i dunno and never will know as i like flying with friends and solo mode is non existent for me in any multiplayer game, but i bet there are pilots with same reasoning behind solo play.

solo is good for casual players that value their time and want to minimize the risk, i prefer some challenges here and there (even if they are dumb challenges), also i like cooperative play and always when i want to be alone i can fly into unknown...alone

still making friends is big part of gaming and solo is cutting it off completely, but i am perfectly fine with solo players, we must all take as much fun as we can from our game time, i just think that those modes should never overlap (separate saves for each mode), but maybe then after some time solo players will be bored and will come to all group...anyway we only can use the tools that developers throw at us and if they think jumping through different modes should be possible then it should.

also p2p require quite good internet connection, but with every new year it improves so after 5-10 years it shouldn't be a problem anymore.

as for offline solo mode - it will not be same alive universe we all be playing in, if you have bad or no internet then maybe but i prefer changing sandbox universe

I have to address your assumption that playing solo is about avoiding risk and this is a big misunderstanding from every thread I see about PvP v PvE or Online v Solo... for me it has nothing to do with risk... there is zero risk in a game that doesn't involve real money, property or life... it is all virtual and all that is lost is time... and time in gaming is escapism... reset and start again my life is not ruined and I have lost nothing.

I don't play games to make friends, no offense, but I don't know you, don't care to know you in a game... real life may be different but when it comes to my gaming time it is all about me and no one else... and i'm not a casual gamer... I just hate online pure and simple... and If i get bored with Solo... i'll stop playing that game until I fell like playing again... I will never join the All group...

For others it may not be a viable gaming option as the OP stated his network stability is not good enough to allow it and there is the nostalgia factor... this game (original forms) was Solo...

 

[Herik]

I am not that sure that this will realy happen. DB once said that he like the idea of solo online modes to prevent piracy. Be sure tha ED would be pirated very much if the give the game a solo offline mode.

I'm very sure there will be a "solo offline" mode. It was promised in the 'Kickstarter'...

Also it's confirmed that the 'Expansions' will also be included in the solo offline mode....

When pirating of the off-line game occurs, they'd be smart to wait till Expansions come out; - too much new content would be lost with/out it.

Also, I suspect the planetary landing Expansions will be somewhat incrementally added. Meaning; first Moons and airless bodies/planets, then...? -In offline mode (when) would a hacker pirate the software?

 

[Cody]

I have to address your assumption that playing solo is about avoiding risk and this is a big misunderstanding from every thread I see about PvP v PvE or Online v Solo... for me it has nothing to do with risk...

<nods sagely> Aye, playing solo is simply a preference for some of us.

 

[StarTux]

One might add that none of the other games were online. Granted, they were made well before the Internet was used for gaming. But still, E: D will attract many of the original Elite/F/F:FE gamers, and many of us will not really be interested in online play. It adds to the game, and then it doesn't. The AI is good, so meeting other players is really not a requirement for this game to be good.

As the OP wrote, we want a way to not play with trolls/gamebreakers.

I suspect that solo players will outnumber those in the all/all group quite significantly, at least to start.

Why?

I was shocked to read this over on the Il2: Battle of Stalingrad forums:

"also think that 777 is underestimating the size of the flightsim userbase. People who playied and loved the original IL-2 are not all dead. Market peneration is key to build a large community and online player base. Without players filling the servers, this game will do poorly. I think the marketing strategy is quite off the mark and could have been implemented a lot better.

---

No the hardcore customer base is somewhere between 200K - 500K. A bit smaller than 12 years ago, but enough if everyone jumps in. However, simmers have a knack for finding a reason not to buy something and will tell you so over and over again as you can see from this forum. Not an easy environment to sell anything.

And only 5% of users play multiplayer. "


http://steamcommunity.com/app/307960/discussions/0/35221031592297956/

I was a bit shocked, the forums certainly gave an impression that multiplayer was very popular, then I read that 5%....

Will Elite be different? Is suspect rather strongly not, although being able to switch modes from solo to all reduces the barrier that would normally exist.

How many will try solo offline, then decide to go to solo online and perhaps go to all/all and stay? I think it would be an interesting stat a few years down the line if Frontier ever decide to reveal it .

Sorry if this derails the topic.

 

[Tygar]

It is better if they remove solo mode. Meeting people while traveling make me feel great.

Why fix it if it's not broken ?
All the previous Elite's/Frontier's the game was designed to be a solo game, it was tried and tested perfection for decades.

I'm most likely going to play Solo, (may group with a couple close friends at certain times), If I want space PVP I would play EvE

 

[MikeSnos]

Feel free to test Solo mode, or Online mode. Whichever one you want.

But we're not all village idiots.

What's worse is that they seem to be proliferating at rather an alarming rate!

 

[Zenicetus]

I suspect that solo players will outnumber those in the all/all group quite significantly, at least to start.

Why?

I was shocked to read this over on the Il2: Battle of Stalingrad forums:

(snip)

"And only 5% of users play multiplayer. "

I assume Jason/777's quote there is from both Rise of Flight and IL-2 BoS. I don't think that directly compares to the potential of ED, because the games are so different. The MP mode in Rise of Flight is very limited; it's just arena or skirmish combat. It can be fun but it's one-dimensional, with no greater context.

ED will have other ways players can interact with each other besides PvP arena mode. Players cal trade with each other, sell exploration maps, join up in wings for combat or exploration, or just hang around a station and chat. It's a good game for role-players, and it's more fun to act out a role when there are others participating. So that may be an additional draw.

The percentage of people choosing All mode may end up lower than those in Solo or Private groups, but I think it will be higher than 5%, because there's more to do in this game compared to IL-2 BoS or Rise of Flight.

 

[Dr Roly]

I'd love to play full PvP, but just don't think I'll be able to put enough time into the game.

I was pretty competitive in Eve Online years ago, but I was putting 5hrs + per day into the game!

Now with a small child to look after, those days are over!

I like the idea of being able to get in a quick 1hr session of solo play when I have the time, without having to worry about getting "left behind" by other players.

 

[Hermit]

There really needs to be an official thread (preferably started by one of the devs) along with a timed clear yes/no poll on those who agree or disagree with the online solo mode in this game. These constant fragmented threads don't really make the case for or against it. The opening post should tell voters to read the thread before voting in the poll. Then users here can put forward their arguments.

But I would prefer a dev to start it, because users would then be assured that FD were taking notice of it and it would probably be a decent discussion.

 

[Zenicetus]

There really needs to be an official thread (preferably started by one of the devs) along with a timed clear yes/no poll on those who agree or disagree with the online solo mode in this game. These constant fragmented threads don't really make the case for or against it.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what would be the point of a poll like that? We know the online Solo mode will be included in the game. People will be able to choose it or not.

A player poll would only give a rough idea of how many people plan to play on either side of the divide, before even knowing what the final multiplayer experience will be like. I imagine some people's opinions will change on that, after we see how the bounty system works, how player interdictions are handled, and so on.

 

[cherbert]

I am surprised that 4 pages in and nobody has yet to explain the real benefits of Solo mode and why it exists.

Online Solo mode is you in the same online universe as everyone else but without seeing everyone else. Think of it as an online filter - filtering real players out of your game.

Playing in online groups is similar in that you can play in the online universe but only see you and other friends you have accepted into your private group.

The real stand out benefits here that are often overlooked are that you can switch between Open Play and Online Solo/Group modes whenever you like and still retain your stats and progress within the persistent universe. It therefore offers the ability for people who love the single player experience to be a part of the changing political landscape of the galaxy, the persistence of the universe and its realtime economy as they evolve. These are the reasons Online Solo exists - these are the reasons its a huge beneficial feature for many and these are the reasons it shouldn't be removed.

Offline Solo is a different story and will have no relationship to the main servers. Your character, ship and other stats will not carry over to any of the Online modes. It has been suggested that as the political landscape of the persistent universe changes over time that these may be updated into the Offline game along with any updates to the galactic map.

 

[Reidquat]

I play online All group only now, and I will do when the game launches too. If there comes a point when I feel that the presence of PCs are reducing my enjoyment of the game, then I will switch to solo. But this is David Brabens idea and I trust him (to the tune of money invested) to get it at least mostly right and so I will play it the way that he intends it to be played until or unless I find that it is negatively affecting my experience.

 

[Hermit]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what would be the point of a poll like that?

Because many, like myself, feel that it's unfair that the online solo game shares the same universe as the open game, with players able to cross-over assets and easily skip out of difficult situations (such as station campers) instead of figuring out ways of dealing with it (and there are ways of dealing with that if you're clever).

A solo mode should be an offline one. I wouldn't mind that, but it shouldn't be connected to the main open world.

But like I said, it needs to be discussed in it's own official thread.