The credits per hour and the 'end game'

[sollisb]

I agree with a lot you said in this post, but Elite Dangerous doesn't disrespect the player's time any more than most games. It simply gives you reasons to keep playing other than a love of spaceflight. It gives you more goal options than most games. Most player career games require quite a bit of time to develop your character where you can take on the BIG BOSS or buy the best ship or accomplish the goal you've set for yourself. Elite Dangerous however, while it doesn't have boss battles, has many, many more goals you can set for yourself. It takes time to purchase and upgrade your ship so you can accomplish those goals. And it should. If it didn't it would be too easy and people would get bored, and therefore be done, in 10 or 20 or 30 hours of playing.

Well... They're now implementing a new engineering system which down-grades the top rolls of the previous system, and forcing players to adapt/adopt the new system. That in itself is disrespecting the player's time already committed. Additionally, there is absolutely no reason to do it, other than the usual bad design they continually peddle as enriching gameplay.

There was/is no problem with the current system except for the grind factor, and the storage space. The grind factor could easily have been fixed by making the materials more accessible. The storage space was/is just a figure! Now they're changing it to a galalctically stupid design where you have to go through all 5 updates even if it's the same module type as you've just learnt.

To put that in normal MMORPG terms we'd go from 1 to 100 in crafting mage robes, then have to go back to 1, to relearn to 100 to make the next mage robe!! I'm betting if Blizzard introduced that tomorrow, they'd be laughed off the stock market!

People don't get bored by having the top ships. They get bored because there is nothing to do with them once you have them, after going through hoops/grinds to get to them.

What we do in ED, is grind credits/materials to get the best ship we can, and then find, woo woo, oh wait. What do I do now with my mega ship? Absolutely nothing. They come up with a thargoid story for us to apparently tests our ships against, they nerf the weapons, then expect us to accept the constant rebuys. Yet, remove the only viable fast way to get credits.

What are we supposed to do? Grind for ship, grind for materials, grind for modules, grind each module from 1-5, then go attack a thargoid, and lose ship, then grind the 40m+ rebuy back and continue ad' infinitum?

I find it hard to accept/believe that any game design company can think this is engrossing/enriching/entertaining.

 

[Vorxian]

Actually in my opinion the game STARTS when you stop worrying about money. Engineering a fleet is a huge task. (bigger now that the engineers slurp up a million materials a module.) Flying around, doing what you LIKE doing is REALLY FUN, vs. trying to have fun and realizing you should be busy making money instead.

I have four Anacondas, two cutters, and a corvette. I get to fly around and play the way I want to now because it's nice to make money, but not critical moment to moment. Trust me, the game isn't about money, it gets better when money gets out of your way and stops you from being able to play around with ship builds and fly the way you want.

Exactly. I have been saying this for a long time now. I can quite honestly (and hand on heart) tell players there's no difference having 47b, than there is 46b. I can't find any in game benefit between the two. I will however try to reach the big 50 by the end of the week. No I'm not talking about my age lol

 

[fuub]

ED endgame is seeing there is no endgame, progression is unbalanced, the forum cult trying to excuse it with weird theories, and stop playing.

 

[Magnum62666]

I hate when people talk end game, cuz that usually signifies their done playing. ED is a second life, not just a game and you only get out of what you put into it. You wana grind? then grind. You wana bounty hunt? then bounty hunt, ect ect. the important aspect is that your having fun and enjoying "life". Ive owned alot of ships, imperial eagle, cobra mkw3, viper mk 3 and mk 4, kneel back, type 6, vulture, asp x, dbx, thinking i needed tons of ships to be happy, well i wasnt so i changed that, sold all my ships except for my fully modied and engineer viper mk4( never been shot down, things a beast), and my a rated type 7 that im using to bank money for a cheiftan and a FDL. Just have fun with it guys, the more people we have happy and active the more this amazing universe will come alive.

 

[KellyR]

Your approach doesn't work if you want to fly the largest ships and if you want to do PvP.

To properly outfit the largest ships you need a) go through an insane reputation grind an b) obtain literally billions of credits to afford the modules. If you were playing casually, without focusing on either reputation nor credits, it would take you literally YEARS to get those ships, without exaggeration. Now, you don't have to go for those ships, sure. But some people love large ships specifically. For them this is the endgame.

And when it comes to PvP your build has to be super tight, engineered to very particular requirements and lots and lots of credits to spare for rebuys. This all amounts to hundreds of millions outfitting and maintaining something as simple as Federal Assault Ship, let alone anything larger. Engineering takes MONTHS, even if you play for six hours a day. I am 800 hours in the game and I am yet to unlock all engineers.

So, yes. Credits per hour and efficiency in general is very important in this game, because the numbers are very high for certain aspects of the game. And it makes it feel like a massive grind with little reward at the end of it.

So you want it NOW? Sorry, Elite Dangerous doesn't work that way. It might take years. Unless you want to be miserable for a couple or three months. Myself, it's about the journey, not the destination. I play this game to have fun. I'm not going to do stuff that's not fun. But yes, if you want an Anaconda or Cutter or Corvette and want it quickly, you'll have to grind. If it's that important to you, grind away. And while you're grinding, I'll be making my deliveries, running food and medicine into famine and plague systems, and occasionally going to RES zones, having a good time. I won't get my Anaconda, Corvette, or [insert ship class here] as fast as you, but I will have had a whole lot more fun. Because I won't have suffered through the grind. But some people like the grind or can tolerate it. I don't and can't.

 

[MarkAusten]

Actually in my opinion the game STARTS when you stop worrying about money. Engineering a fleet is a huge task. (bigger now that the engineers slurp up a million materials a module.) Flying around, doing what you LIKE doing is REALLY FUN, vs. trying to have fun and realizing you should be busy making money instead.

I have four Anacondas, two cutters, and a corvette. I get to fly around and play the way I want to now because it's nice to make money, but not critical moment to moment. Trust me, the game isn't about money, it gets better when money gets out of your way and stops you from being able to play around with ship builds and fly the way you want.

In that case, in your opinion, despite my having played regularly since alpha days, I have not yet started the game since everything I do in-game is credits based. My targets, the things I aim for, are all based on a credit amount to be earnt using a specific method. So I might set myself a target of 1 billion earnt buy doing passenger missions, or exploring, or long range cargo missions and so on. That is how I play the game. I'm well over 1000 Hours of game time but according to you, I've not started playing yet.

I beg to differ.

EDIT: Oh, and I enjoyed every minute if it.

 

[Quantis Trap]

The game isn't about money is what people who have enough of it to do what they want in the game say!

I qualify as one of those. I play the game a little differently every time I play it. Sometimes money is made and sometimes it isn't.

 

[Genus]

ED endgame is seeing there is no endgame

Mind.

Blown.

 

[Quantis Trap]

Do not try to find the end game ... that's impossible ... instead only try to realize the truth ... there is no end game! <-- Modified Matrix spoon quote.

some may argue the quote should be

Do not try to find the game ... that's impossible ... instead only try to realize the truth ... there is no game!

I don't believe that. Just stirring!

 

[DNA-Decay]

"End Game" suggests that you are about to finish.

Wealth and power are not "End Game".

They are tools.

But they are only tools.
You don't need a steamroller to crack a nut.




Although it is nice to have a steamroller when you are making a road.

 

[Susanna]

Do not try to find the end game ... that's impossible ... instead only try to realize the truth ... there is no end game! <-- Modified Matrix spoon quote.

some may argue the quote should be

Do not try to find the game ... that's impossible ... instead only try to realize the truth ... there is no game!

I don't believe that. Just stirring!

I think it should be the second version...

Do not try to find the game ... that's impossible ... instead only try to realize the truth ... there is no game!

After all... It's all just a simulation... [haha]

 

[babelfisch]

"End Game" suggests that you are about to finish.

Wealth and power are not "End Game".

They are tools.

But they are only tools.
You don't need a steamroller to crack a nut.




Although it is nice to have a steamroller when you are making a road.

Or lots of nuts.

 

[Genus]

Or lots of nuts.

Massive conquers

 

[Dragoniel]

So you want it NOW? Sorry, Elite Dangerous doesn't work that way. It might take years. Unless you want to be miserable for a couple or three months. Myself, it's about the journey, not the destination. I play this game to have fun. I'm not going to do stuff that's not fun. But yes, if you want an Anaconda or Cutter or Corvette and want it quickly, you'll have to grind. If it's that important to you, grind away. And while you're grinding, I'll be making my deliveries, running food and medicine into famine and plague systems, and occasionally going to RES zones, having a good time. I won't get my Anaconda, Corvette, or [insert ship class here] as fast as you, but I will have had a whole lot more fun. Because I won't have suffered through the grind. But some people like the grind or can tolerate it. I don't and can't.

Well, no, your approach just means you will never get to use those ships. You will quit the game before doing so. And even if you persist, a rebuy on a Corvette is around 30 million. If you fly that thing in the Open while playing casually, you will simply go bankrupt sooner or later. That, or will be playing catch-up with credits all the time.

 

[KellyR]

Well, no, your approach just means you will never get to use those ships. You will quit the game before doing so. And even if you persist, a rebuy on a Corvette is around 30 million. If you fly that thing in the Open while playing casually, you will simply go bankrupt sooner or later. That, or will be playing catch-up with credits all the time.

Welcome to life in the 34th century for those who can't stand the grind. And to be honest, I don't want to fly a mobile asteroid. That's why I sold my Type-9. It just wasn't fun to fly. From what I've researched the anaconda isn't much better. Yeah, it can pitch a bit faster. 12 seconds for a 360 as opposed to the 15 for T-9. They're still mobile asteroids, both of 'em, although I do admit the Anaconda rolls much quicker. And the Cutter pitches slower than the T-9.

No matter, though. I prefer a more agile ship. 2 weeks with that T-9 was just about the most un-fun I've had in this game.