Sometimes I'm a bit slow about these things, but this Braben quote has developed new meaning for me.
Aside from the zen of npc pew pew, the actual mechanics of the game ceased being "fun" for me a while back.
I continue to check in to slowly acquire resources for buying and outfitting ships, but that experience is more like playing solitaire than something authentically motivating.
But I still play.
I have two accounts, lots of skins, tons of ships.
Despite the broken BGS/Mission system, the weird grindiness of the Engineers and Guardians, the lack of any importance of my commanders, the lack of relationships my commanders have with npcs, the absolute irrelevance of the Thargoids to the "bubble" and the individual player - I still check in. I still play.
Then I realized - this really is an exercise in the minimum resource development necessary to keep idiots like me checking in and playing. The social experiment is an analysis of customer min maxing. Elite is a manifestation of a "math fantasy" with sci fi skins - not an RPG MMO.
One might argue that customer min maxing is the fundamental premise of all MMOs - but from my point of view, my experience in those environments was that game "fun" was a dev priority. The stories more compelling, the personal relevance greater, the mechanics better, an authentic sense of character progression with developing skills and choices more emergent.
All of this talk about C&P and spacelegs and combat logging and BGS and PVP vs PVE is irrelevant and unmotivating to the devs if idiots like me keep checking in and playing.
I don't plan to stop, at least until I find something that fills my sci fi cup a little fuller than Elite Dangerous.
When something does however, I won't look back.
It's really a shame - the environment is truly beautiful.
Aside from the zen of npc pew pew, the actual mechanics of the game ceased being "fun" for me a while back.
I continue to check in to slowly acquire resources for buying and outfitting ships, but that experience is more like playing solitaire than something authentically motivating.
But I still play.
I have two accounts, lots of skins, tons of ships.
Despite the broken BGS/Mission system, the weird grindiness of the Engineers and Guardians, the lack of any importance of my commanders, the lack of relationships my commanders have with npcs, the absolute irrelevance of the Thargoids to the "bubble" and the individual player - I still check in. I still play.
Then I realized - this really is an exercise in the minimum resource development necessary to keep idiots like me checking in and playing. The social experiment is an analysis of customer min maxing. Elite is a manifestation of a "math fantasy" with sci fi skins - not an RPG MMO.
One might argue that customer min maxing is the fundamental premise of all MMOs - but from my point of view, my experience in those environments was that game "fun" was a dev priority. The stories more compelling, the personal relevance greater, the mechanics better, an authentic sense of character progression with developing skills and choices more emergent.
All of this talk about C&P and spacelegs and combat logging and BGS and PVP vs PVE is irrelevant and unmotivating to the devs if idiots like me keep checking in and playing.
I don't plan to stop, at least until I find something that fills my sci fi cup a little fuller than Elite Dangerous.
When something does however, I won't look back.
It's really a shame - the environment is truly beautiful.
