Modes The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread [See new thread]

[CMDR Sheehy]

Well, I did not expect battles with thousands of ships as elsewhere.

Actually I wasn't aware the is a 32 Player limit to a system/instance. However I think 10 ships in front of a station you are docked in are enough to lay siege on it and sort out the ships leaving the station.

And I think a common enemy is a strong motivation to cooperate, while being able to avoid punishment for bad behavior is not.

Frankly I possibly just do not like inconsistent worlds with lots of backdoors, even if backdoors are part of the plan.

You only think they are backdoors because you are looking at Elite Dangerous through PvP glasses. The game is not designed for massive PvP as Rob Maynard pointed out. The way you are looking at it, the game appears broken. If you keep that mindset, you are going to be disappointed in the long term.

Solution: Find another game that suits your chosen focus OR realise what Elite Dangerous really is and join in the fun with the rest of us. Anything else and you risk your health, methinks.

 

[kapitankev]

It's no different (from the perspective of the camper) to the same player docking then quitting the game for the night.

That's true of course, but from the perspective of the camper a lot of players will be logging off at convenient times. A bit like combat logging.

It seems to me the reasons behind the single universe model are more technical/financial than gameplay oriented. Which is understandable but unfortunate.

 

[TeRRoRiTe]

That's true of course, but from the perspective of the camper a lot of players will be logging off at convenient times. A bit like combat logging.

It seems to me the reasons behind the single universe model are more technical/financial than gameplay oriented. Which is understandable but unfortunate.

Nope, it's been a concious design choice from the start. Elite: Dangerous is basically Elite with limited multiplayer features tacked on, it's not designed as a multiplayer game, even less as a PvP game. This is not freeflight-EVE, and it was never meant to be that either.

 

[Snakebite]

But, since you like generalizing about people in solo mode, here's one for you to consider: people in open mode must generally be youngsters (under 25) who never played any of the prequels, but who will leave E: D again anyway within 3 months for the next shiny title on the horizon, no matter how good or bad the multiplayer features of E: D happen to be.

I don't know where you got that idea from, i'm in my 40's and I have waited for a multiplayer elite ever since discussing the idea with my pals back in 84. I bought this because it was multiplayer.
And as far as it being like its sequel only better i'd disagree, First Encounters had far more features and a better developed game world than Elite Dangerous currently has.

 

[TeRRoRiTe]

I don't know where you got that idea from, i'm in my 40's and I have waited for a multiplayer elite ever since discussing the idea with my pals back in 84. I bought this because it was multiplayer.
And as far as it being like its sequel only better i'd disagree, First Encounters had far more features and a better developed game world than Elite Dangerous currently has.

As I said, I was generalizing. A bit mockingly perhaps. Rest assured, I believe my statement that open players are mostly youngsters is just as false as his statement that solo players are not good at this game is false.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

<snip>
And as far as it being like its sequel only better i'd disagree, First Encounters had far more features and a better developed game world than Elite Dangerous currently has.

...and was released five years after the graphics engine was written and ended up being out of date the day it released. Yes. That was clever. Mind you, they didn't have kickstarter, or the internet like we have today, so a Beta, Gamma and early release cycle was not possible then. Thankfully, they've been coming through with the features... so, a little patience goes a long way.

 

[Phier]

Trading, Exploring and some ranking with Missions and just making myself friendly/allied with all sorts of Places. Since I'm having fun doing all that I'm obviously doing it wrong, how should I do these stuff in the Future?

No, I just think you are pretty easily amused. Trading is dead simple. Ranking is just grinding little missions until they give you a rank up mission. Allied means nothing in game. Exploring means pinging and seeing a random location but not finding anything beyond that. If that keeps you happy, good for you. For me, I got over it pretty quickly.

For me I'm ranked as high as I want to grind for, Baron and something or other, I'm sitting at about 100 million and could just grind for a type 9, do the same and grind for a anaconda, but knowing there is no end game why bother? Its not particularly enjoyable going from A-B-A-B. I really did enjoy bounty hunting at first, but once you get the hang of how that works its really a shallow game with very little variety.

Do you know what the most interesting mission in all the game is? Supply strike. Its on the tutorial. There is more in that mission than any you will receive in game. How disappointing that is. Its not even very complex, its just not the USS nonsense.

From what I gather many are just grinding credits hoping that they are "worth" something later in game. I did that a bit, but meh.

 

[Phier]

Tell me again about how you're sitting on 100 million. Even after reading it 3 times I can't get enough of it. It's fascinating stuff

I'm sitting on 100 million and have nothing interesting to do with it. What are you doing in game for fun? You seem to troll the forums a lot too. Enlighten me on how great this game is, you can do it Ziggy, I know you can!

 

[Robert Maynard]

You seem to troll the forums a lot too.

Troll or trawl?

 

[Elprez]

Please explain Solo versus open play?

Can someone clear this......Are solo play and open play basically the same game? In other words if I play solo and build my credits up and then play open will my ship and credits that I built up in solo be there for me to use? I understand that the main difference between them is no human players are in solo play. If that is the case I plan on changing to solo while I build my ship up.

Thanks

 

[azdour]

The only difference between solo and open play, is that in solo you will never ever meet another player, just NPC's.

Solo and open use the same central place for all events and activities. So if you raise a factions level it will raise in open. In solo you can even contribute towards the community goals of building a station or capital ship etc...

I also believe if players in open play help start a civil war then you will see the same civil war in solo.

 

[Gemat]

Can someone clear this......Are solo play and open play basically the same game? In other words if I play solo and build my credits up and then play open will my ship and credits that I built up in solo be there for me to use? I understand that the main difference between them is no human players are in solo play. If that is the case I plan on changing to solo while I build my ship up.

Thanks

I joined Open play after 15M credits..... So, yes its the same world in both modes, but in SOLO mode you do not interact with other real players.
You can switch between SOLO and OPEN any time you like!

 

[Elprez]

I joined Open play after 15M credits..... So, yes its the same world in both modes, but in SOLO mode you do not interact with other real players.
You can switch between SOLO and OPEN any time you like!

Great! Thanks. On to solo tonight!

 

[affel]

Great! Thanks. On to solo tonight!

once you get out of the starting system, it feels very much like solo play wherever you are
the galaxy is huge and although i tend to see a few players from time to time, they usually go about their business.

dont get scared of all the stuff that is being said here about open play. just dont hang around in the populated systems and you will be fine. and seeing someone else from time to time does increase the fun in the game. even if it is, like the other day for me, just randomly going to the same conflict zone as another guy. asked him what side he is joining. he said X, and so did I. so we took out a few anacondas together. was great.

 

[mistohise]

Great! Thanks. On to solo tonight!

If all you're doing is back and forth trade then, yes, it's arguably safer in solo. But if you want to experience a bit of everything, it's probably just as well to stay in open. That way, you're experiencing whatever there is when you don't have a 15m credit ship to lose...

 

[affel]

If all you're doing is back and forth trade then, yes, it's arguably safer in solo. But if you want to experience a bit of everything, it's probably just as well to stay in open. That way, you're experiencing whatever there is when you don't have a 15m credit ship to lose...

on that note.. i find it funny how one can read a lot of posts about the game not being fun. at the same time people say "stay in solo when trading, it is safer". then again.. there is a reason for the saying "no risk no fun".
so what i did the other day was to max out my cash - had a balance of like 20k left - in my T7, in open play. it was actually VERY enjoyable. I was totally on edge and whenever i saw another player, i tried to immediately asses if he/she is following me or not, and if it felt like it, took a detour. was super careful when landing. i may have been close to a heart attack when i met an anaconda IN the entry to the station (not enough room for both ships...), but my shields held and i made it.
long story short: i actually had a fantastic time, knowing that i would be back to sidey and 0 cash when my little experiment went wrong
stupid? maybe.. but then again.. it is a game

PS: not saying that you, mistohise, are one of those saying that you shouldnt play in open - just to make that clear.

 

[Elprez]

If all you're doing is back and forth trade then, yes, it's arguably safer in solo. But if you want to experience a bit of everything, it's probably just as well to stay in open. That way, you're experiencing whatever there is when you don't have a 15m credit ship to lose...

Last night I was trading happilly and somehow got branded as wanted. 30 seconds later a CMDR snatched me out of space and proceeded to destroy me before I knew what was happening. I was way over matched. Luckily my ship was the base still but I lost about 20k credits.

 

[mistohise]

Yeah I switched into open a while ago to see what the fuss was about - it definitely increases the immersion levels as, well, humans are a lot more unpredictable than the NPCs.

No griefing / cheating noticed by me so far. I am sure it *does* happen, but maybe it's in different timezones or game locations, or maybe I was just lucky.

I dropped a few text "hi there" to some people, normally just before myself or they vanish into hyperspace.

I admit, though, when I dropped off my last load of rares I did it in the Mobius pve group, just in case

Turns out, it was a waste of time - the thing that almost killed me was an interdiction by an Elite Egale NPC whilst I was fuel-scooping. Ended up at 150+ % heat whilst escaping from that.

 

[azdour]

Last night I was trading happilly and somehow got branded as wanted. 30 seconds later a CMDR snatched me out of space and proceeded to destroy me before I knew what was happening. I was way over matched. Luckily my ship was the base still but I lost about 20k credits.

Beware that NPC's can also act like that even if you are not wanted - that's my experience.

 

[Turnip579]

Open Play or SOLO?

Just completed the training missions and starting out. Should I go Open Play or Solo to start? I don't want to jump into a universe where I get my butt kicked at every turn. Your thoughts?