What is the 'endgame'?

[SpitTheDog]

If we go all philosophical, an empty box is a sandbox that is just waiting for sand. And a box with a grain of sand is also a sandbox. (both apply to ED, depending of how positive or negative you feel respectively )

And does the sandbox exists when we are not looking at it? *mind blown*

And if your mind blows but there is no-one to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

[andyraptor]

Is this a trick question ?

 

[Finbar]

Elite is not story-based, it is not a RPG, there are no guilds, no achievements are unlocked, there are no pink unicorns and no magical level-ups. There is no end game and no "I win button". And it is unlikely that any future content will add one of these things. Sorry to disappoint you.

Very much agree with this. IMO it is a game built on the very sturdy assumption that what matters is not the winning but the taking part. That view is (currently) out of fashion, but it sums up a philosophy that can, if you let it, lead to a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction both in real life and in game.

 

[Zak Gordon]

What is the 'endgame'?

I still play Elite FFE today (modded somewhat), I also still play Oolite (a free open source version of the orginal game) from time to time. I've been playing a form of Elite since 1985, it is one of those rare few games (like Civ) that has pretty much always had a place and game time on my PC.

So 20 odd years of gaming later i can probably say with some certainty that there is no 'end game' in Elite. And if ED is a true Elite game it too will have no end game. A game of Elite is nearly all about the journey rather than the destination. You could go for the most expensive ship and equipement, but you then (should) have a ship that is not the 'best' overall but more suited for a specific purpose and play style.

So Elite will always be about changing ships to suit the current goal you fancy doing, and that is a never ending ebb and flow. I do find, after 20 years of Elite, that i prefer the early stages of the game, once i have too much money an element of the Elite expereince closes, but there always was a vast galaxy to explore and move around in, using the background story of the game can help here, so dig out the novella's and go be a space tourist and visit the places mentioned in those.

ED may be different, but i hope not too much?

 

[Lanz]

If that's all you've seen when exploring, then you haven't done exploring. Brows some of the exploration threads and see what others have discovered.

...but back to the point. There is no goal to aim for, (unless you set one yourself). The way to get enjoyment out of this game is to do the things you enjoy. Don't worry about how much money you have or how big your ship is. If you don't like trading then don't trade. If Exploring is not your thing, don't do that. If you want excitement, try smuggling, piracy of bounty hunting the more notorious pirate or psyco commanders.

Could you link me an example? I took a look through the exploration threads and saw basically what I expected: Someone found a bigger star, someone else found a whiter star, someone else found a blue planet, someone else found a green planet. They're all just colored spheres that you can't engage with other than crashing into them. Planets with rings are pretty cool since you can actually go down to the edge of the rings and see them up close, but I don't need to explore to find a planet that has rings around it.

Actually, I don't have to explore to find any of things. Maybe exploration is for the people who want to be first?

 

[CMDR Sam00197]

ED is NOT an MMO........ I wish people would STOP trying to label it a such. It is a space-fight-trade-sim at its core and lacks ANY resemblance to an MMO. Is BF4 an MMO? Is world of tanks an MMO? The answer is NO and neither is ED Its multiplayer at best, with at most 20-30-ish players per shard.........I suppose its easier to swallow, the MMO line, its easier to excuse the development "hiccups" and lack of content....

ED IS an MMO. It is sold to people as an MMO by Frontier

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

The game is open-ended. There is no "end game".

Power Play is "end game" .. it's where all the battle hardened gamers go to die.

 

[Samosa]

Could you link me an example? I took a look through the exploration threads and saw basically what I expected: Someone found a bigger star, someone else found a whiter star, someone else found a blue planet, someone else found a green planet. They're all just colored spheres that you can't engage with other than crashing into them.

Here's the thing. We all know that Elite: Dangerous consists of zooming around from one occasionally pretty sphere to another, messing about with a simple spreadsheet, and sometimes shooting things.

Some people have rather active imaginations. A lot of people are invested in roleplaying with this game. How they're doing so, I have no clue - but good for them. Maybe I'm just too old, or maybe - being a programmer - the actual mechanics of the game are just too apparent. Still, it's what's going on. I imagine them getting all big-eyed and waving their hands arounds while describing the infinite possibilities of billions of stars and a sandbox in which you can Blaze Your Own Trail, and I'm happy for them.

With this being the case, it's much like religious debate; you just can't argue with that sort of faith. It is what it is. Either you're on the same page or you're not. It's a somewhat pointless discussion.

I like clicking cows, metaphorically, it seems.

 

[Deadlock989]

Samosa is right. People who like this game are people that like to believe.

Here's the endgame for everyone else:

 

[smokingrabit]

my endgame happened when i realized the navy missions are too bugged to complete, i will play the game again i know when theyre broken.

 

[Samosa]

{deleted}

 

[KaizoMK]

The endgame is when you either become a griefer or space-Batman. Which will you choose?

 

[Lanz]

The endgame is when you either become a griefer or space-Batman. Which will you choose?

Why not both?

 

[Deadlock989]

What does being a space-Batman involve?

Running around in tights with a comically oversized bomb?

 

[Comrade Napoleon]

Iam not going anywhere in tights, no way !!!!
No end game for me then !
Just played a whole year ......and no end game!
FD I want a refund ! this game is not worth playing bla bla bla bla
Made it into a whine thread also


Cheers Cmdr's

 

[Gormadoc]

For me the endgame Pree Powerplay was to ally me with a minor faction in a system with a population off 2000 people and get that minor faction to expand and gain control of other systems.
I got as far as getting the minor faction to expand to another system before Powerplay was introduced.

I started my "endgame" when i had a ASP, Vulture and Lakon type 6 and not even close to any Elite rank or to buy any off the more expensive ships.
I dont like to Grind money, combat or exploration, so i plan to raise in ranks as i go along.

However Powerplay has changed this a bit. So currently iam grinding merits. Easiest way of getting fast CR as i see it.
If Powerplay are not changed to something more interresting and not so much grinding i will probably go back to nursing my minor faction into world dominance again at some point.

 

[Privata]

Samosa is right. People who like this game are people that like to believe.

Here's the endgame for everyone else:

View attachment 49039

But who in the right mind would remove elite from there hard-drive? that is treason

 

[geoffrey.hdt]

The endgame is to pledge for on of the bottom 3 in power play, then help getting to the top 3.

 

[Pendra]

The endgame is your imagination. You can uninstall ED, turn off the computer, close your eyes, and imagine you are a spaceship captain blazing your own trail in the galaxy.

 

[Krezan]

There is none. Maybe corps and such in the future.