I've seen a fair number of posts recently about people being on the verge of giving up or outright throwing in the towel, largely out of frustration or boredom. This surprises me somewhat, simply because I've been playing since the beginning of premium beta, and am still enjoying the game immensely. I recognize that different people have different tastes, BUT I see a fair amount of consistent recurring themes in the "quit/boredom" threads that I believe are largely self-inflicted by those annoyed or bored with the game. And so, I present my (and yes, it is just MY) perspective on how to have FUN and AVOID BOREDOM in Elite.
It should be noted that I define FUN as an experience that makes you smile or exclaim (in an inside our outside voice), "That was cool!". I don't derive fun from simply inflicting misery on others (e.g. unprovoked attacks on other players), earning a lot of credits or flying a big ship. If that's what you seek, I won't be able to help. But if you're seeking to enjoy the experience, put a smile on your face, and have some good old-fashioned and basic fun, I may be able to help.
So, here are my own "rules", in no particular order:
1. Don't do one activity indefinitely - variety is key! If you're getting bored of bounty hunting, try trading or mining or smuggling. Don't keep doing something you find repetitive or monotonous, irrespective of foregone returns.
2. Don't FOCUS on earning credits or flying big ships! They're irrelevant to having fun. You can have a great deal of fun in a basic Sidewinder; you don't "need" an Anaconda to have fun. I've never flown anything more expensive than a Lakon 6 - since I started months ago in PB. Yes, it's true that Elite is more fun if you focus on the journey vs. an arbitrary destination. I mean, let's say that you received a decked out Anaconda in the mail from Frontier today. How long before you state you're bored of the ship because everything's too easy? Not long at all.
3. Avoid 3rd party exploration/trading/navigation tools! They're great for efficient credit earning, but will quickly make the game monotonous, repetitive and a lot less thrilling. It's much more fun to find your own lucrative trade route than it is to simply look one up and run it over, and over again.
4. If you're seeking more challenge, downgrade your ship and/or weapons! Ever tried taking on an Elite Anaconda in a basic Sidewinder?
5. If you do decide to fly something "bigger", fly with insurance! No point losing it all due to impatience. This won't make the game more fun, but it will reduce the frustration associated with the inevitable loss down the road. Of course, if you're seeking thrills and can handle a costly loss, ignore this rule.
6. If you find missions repetitive, create your own! Go to a USS and hunt for stolen items, and try to smuggle them into a guarded star port; not to make money, but for the thrill of it. Attempt to change the balance of power in a system. Look for a black hole. Engage in intense combat in a high intensity combat zone. Practice your combat skills with FA off - at nav beacons against wanted targets.
7. Fly in "Open"! It's more thrilling as the pilots around you are more unpredictable (and harder to fight, if need be) than NPCs. If you don't enjoy this sort of thrill, by all means stick to Solo, of course.
8. Interact with other Commanders - via voice or text comms! In my experience, most respond and most are very cordial. It makes the game more immersive, and makes the universe feel more alive. You can simply greet them, ask for tips/advice, whatever - but just communicate (a bit).
This doesn't negate the need for more content and improvements down the road. Those aside, though, it is most definitely possible to have fun in this game. At least based on my yardstick.
It should be noted that I define FUN as an experience that makes you smile or exclaim (in an inside our outside voice), "That was cool!". I don't derive fun from simply inflicting misery on others (e.g. unprovoked attacks on other players), earning a lot of credits or flying a big ship. If that's what you seek, I won't be able to help. But if you're seeking to enjoy the experience, put a smile on your face, and have some good old-fashioned and basic fun, I may be able to help.
So, here are my own "rules", in no particular order:
1. Don't do one activity indefinitely - variety is key! If you're getting bored of bounty hunting, try trading or mining or smuggling. Don't keep doing something you find repetitive or monotonous, irrespective of foregone returns.
2. Don't FOCUS on earning credits or flying big ships! They're irrelevant to having fun. You can have a great deal of fun in a basic Sidewinder; you don't "need" an Anaconda to have fun. I've never flown anything more expensive than a Lakon 6 - since I started months ago in PB. Yes, it's true that Elite is more fun if you focus on the journey vs. an arbitrary destination. I mean, let's say that you received a decked out Anaconda in the mail from Frontier today. How long before you state you're bored of the ship because everything's too easy? Not long at all.
3. Avoid 3rd party exploration/trading/navigation tools! They're great for efficient credit earning, but will quickly make the game monotonous, repetitive and a lot less thrilling. It's much more fun to find your own lucrative trade route than it is to simply look one up and run it over, and over again.
4. If you're seeking more challenge, downgrade your ship and/or weapons! Ever tried taking on an Elite Anaconda in a basic Sidewinder?
5. If you do decide to fly something "bigger", fly with insurance! No point losing it all due to impatience. This won't make the game more fun, but it will reduce the frustration associated with the inevitable loss down the road. Of course, if you're seeking thrills and can handle a costly loss, ignore this rule.
6. If you find missions repetitive, create your own! Go to a USS and hunt for stolen items, and try to smuggle them into a guarded star port; not to make money, but for the thrill of it. Attempt to change the balance of power in a system. Look for a black hole. Engage in intense combat in a high intensity combat zone. Practice your combat skills with FA off - at nav beacons against wanted targets.
7. Fly in "Open"! It's more thrilling as the pilots around you are more unpredictable (and harder to fight, if need be) than NPCs. If you don't enjoy this sort of thrill, by all means stick to Solo, of course.
8. Interact with other Commanders - via voice or text comms! In my experience, most respond and most are very cordial. It makes the game more immersive, and makes the universe feel more alive. You can simply greet them, ask for tips/advice, whatever - but just communicate (a bit).
This doesn't negate the need for more content and improvements down the road. Those aside, though, it is most definitely possible to have fun in this game. At least based on my yardstick.
