What can a Fleet Carrier add to the Game?

[Chaparral]

The travel mechanic is a fundamental underpinning of the sense of scale we have of the galaxy. That it takes time is NOT a bad thing. As somebody who uses the mobility of my FC to "get where I want to be doing what I want to do" faster, I have to say that the FC doesn't appear to me to circumvent that. Particularly now, but even after Wednesdays patch you watch your trit reserves, you DO ask yourself the question of whether expending the fuel and maintenance costs is worth saving the time that it would take to just fly there in one of your ships. Because of that, the sense of scale is undiminished by a FC.

It is a problem. Travel distance scale can be represented through fuel consumption, wear and tear on the ship, in game clocks, costs, etc. FCs absolutely reduce travel times, both for long SC and system to system transits. Hutton mugs do not mean what they used to with FCs. Crystal Forest mat farming is not the same after FCs.

 

[Chaparral]

I think this forum has a VERY, VERY, VERY unhealthy obsession with players achieving milestones at a faster pace than previous. This includes credits, ships, etc. Then there's the notion that a player must play a certain way, or experience something a certain way to "appreciate" the game like you might appreciate it.

I agree that players are obsessed with progression mechanics. This is not confined to ED.

Unfortunately, ships are progression in this game. Meta optimization to progress along the ed ship acquisition path is inevitable given the game mechanics.

 

[DaveB]

There is one fun thing to look forward to, although it's not strictly something a FC "brings to the game"...

Is anyone else hoping for an update to the "scale of elite" video including the FC?

 

[DaveB]

I agree that players are obsessed with progression mechanics. This is not confined to ED.

Unfortunately, ships are progression in this game. Meta optimization to progress along the ed ship acquisition path is inevitable given the game mechanics.

Back in the day, just after launch, we got a lot of folks on these forums complaining about a "lack of progression mechanics" - as if that was somehow required to make any game worth playing.

The whole point was that ED wasn't that kind of game - at least in its fundamentals. Sure, there were "ways to progress" whether that was down one of the three rating paths, building your fleet, ranking up with a superpower (PP wasn't a thing) but you could take your time, enjoy what you were doing and have fun with your game time without always having an eye on some arbitrary progress meter. "Progress" down any one of those paths - or, more usually, down several of them at once - would happen anyway just from playing. One didn't need to "rush the endgame" to "git gud" at Elite.

Those of us that tried to point this out got accused of trying to dictate how other people played the game, which was complete Bravo Sierra... It's up to them if they wanted to take the option or not, they just seemed unaware that it existed. Some of us, when the exasperation boiled over, said things like "well maybe this isn't the game for you, then" and caught quite a bit of (arguably justified) flak for it. But a lot of those folks who insisted on that progress pathway to validate their gaming experience have ragequit - and we're still here, still playing, still enjoying it.

I certainly am, as much as I did with the original in '84.

 

[Schmack]

The scale is meaningless but for fringe interests. There is nothing to see anyway. The galaxy is been created for the sake of it - not gameplay. A fraction would have done as well - but without having to press J thousands of times and watch th same loading screen over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

You've not yet even left the bubble with that tbh

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Back in the day, just after launch, we got a lot of folks on these forums complaining about a "lack of progression mechanics" - as if that was somehow required to make any game worth playing.

The whole point was that ED wasn't that kind of game - at least in its fundamentals. Sure, there were "ways to progress" whether that was down one of the three rating paths, building your fleet, ranking up with a superpower (PP wasn't a thing) but you could take your time, enjoy what you were doing and have fun with your game time without always having an eye on some arbitrary progress meter. "Progress" down any one of those paths - or, more usually, down several of them at once - would happen anyway just from playing. One didn't need to "rush the endgame" to "git gud" at Elite.

Those of us that tried to point this out got accused of trying to dictate how other people played the game, which was complete Bravo Sierra... It's up to them if they wanted to take the option or not, they just seemed unaware that it existed. Some of us, when the exasperation boiled over, said things like "well maybe this isn't the game for you, then" and caught quite a bit of (arguably justified) flak for it. But a lot of those folks who insisted on that progress pathway to validate their gaming experience have ragequit - and we're still here, still playing, still enjoying it.

I certainly am, as much as I did with the original in '84.

Well, I think the progression they tacked on to ED like a wet, limp noodle effectively choked all the joy out of what you described earlier in ED's life cycle

 

[Six Of Nine]

Fc is working for me

 

[nicedevill]

Then there are other players who thought the FC was a solution to explore any part of the galaxy. When this doesn't quite work out they are not happy.

What do you mean "doesn't quite work"? I'm pretty happy how my plan worked out. I'll be occupied at least until Odyssey comes out.

 

[Halloweeen]

There was a few at sag a*..
I could see how players could open up a bubble over at the core..it already got a wendys
I have to say all nice and helpful cmrd

 

[Six Of Nine]

My fleet carrier is amazing for mining i am lovin it

 

[Denneb]

You heard the man in the first page. He joined a few months ago and now he has an FC. Enough said. What about the rest of us who play since day one but don't like mining? We get some poop and a f..up economy.

 

[Six Of Nine]

Then do not mine tons of other things to do