Hm, there's numerous things that basically removed that for me.
1) Crime & Punishment, the current System just doesn't make any sense (apart from being 100% ineffective)
- to me it's utterly illogical and downright bizarre, requires total overhaul
Disclaimer : getting blown up is one thing, part of the Game, fine. No sweat. Seeing however that this carries zero (0, NIL, N/A, none) consequences for those who do
anywhere it is just plain wrong.
And seeing the same even in so-called High Security Systems that even require a Permit is a complete deal-killer. Makes no sense to me, just doesn't compute - unless the Game is build around "no laws, no rules" by design. Which isn't the case with ELITE.
2) System Authority and Defense Force responses to Crimes... utterly ineffective in most cases
- again, doesn't many any sense
- they're just the same ineffective NPCs... if you compare, Stations (!) ended up requiring
massive buffs to deal with post-Engineer offenders
and got them more than once - despite already having considerable firepower
-> yet the core of law enforcement [System Authority/Defense Forces] got zero attention, leaving a
huge inconsistent gap. Again, doesn't pass even a simple common sense test.
3) The massive reliance on external Information sources
- a special someone (no naming & shaming

) recently posted "you don't need a spreadsheet to play the Game". True Meme stuff, right there.
-> but... technically he was correct. In order to be effective to at least some degree later in the game, you don't need "a" spreadsheet. You need
far more than that.
And if you want to have at least some clue as to what's going on, you'll have to do quite alot of Forum reading on top of that. And/or Reddit, Twitter etc.
Imagine what your Gameplay would be like, had you started AND continued playing 100.0% without any 3rd party Websites/Forums etc. and relying exclusively on in-game Resources.
From bugged single-pinned Engineer Blueprints, the Engineer state of all your Ships, false/obsolete in-game Trade Data, Mining locations, all Faction Data/BGS details (many times entirely undocumented for the most part), what are Players up to and where... the list just goes on and on and on and on.
Want to track and monitor all that in your head? Good luck with that.
Found an ELW or a nice spot or knowledge you gained (Aliens/Mysteries/Volcanism locations/whatever) you'd like to share with a broader Community? How? You're right back in an external source - right there. Likely more than one.
The entire social framework? Imagine playing in big Groups without own Forums/INARA/Discord/Teamspeak etc.... Again... good luck with being any effective using only in-game tools.
As I said, that list alone would be
long. Very, very long. Information handling, distribution, acquisition, brokering... Almost non-existent in-game. And mind you, it's supposedly a MMO right?
If I was limited to reading GALnet to keep myself up-to-speed on the ELITE Galaxy... *lol* I'd be a totally clueless sheep. 100% clueless.
In-Game Encyclopedia? Non-existent. Personal logbook/building up of a personal Database? Non-existent.
4) Bugs
- kinda natural I guess....
From dark square patches on Planets over airdropping suicide skimmers, whacko-unbalanced Engineered Weapon specials, Players being able to safely engage or Mine others inside Stations or right 500m over an Engineer base.... quite a bit added up.
Problem being... many of these things were left unfixed for
very long times, despite being critical in nature and warranting a hotfix.
In my books, that approach doesn't work.
And even a rather minor thing like a malfunctioning Docking Computer kinda gets old.... after over 2 years (!). Can't have that, not over such a long time.
5) Inconsistencies
*uff*
Don't want to list them all.
Telepresence Range into MultiCrew : Unlimited
Telepresence Range into the own nearby SLF : 30km.
CMDRs have Escape Pods even in the SRV. NPC Crew? Not even in your Cutter or Corvette. All despite NPC Crews being magically able to be picked up and set active from any location. That they can do, just not eject?
Can I Telepresence into another Station to get Commodity Quotes, check the local news, check local Traffic Reports, view at Station Traffic arriving/departing... anything? Nope.
At least soon, I don't have to sell Occupied Escape pods into the normal Commodity Market anymore, Details like that are good changes.
6) Sandbox vs. "Pretending to be a Sandbox"
I love to look at small Details. I used to see their potential. Alas, many things that should be dynamic are still found fixed. No Scripts that manage or "free" them yet.
Stuff I'd like to see : Player CAN DO instead of Player CAN'T DO. Most of the time, the Game tells me "nope, you can't".
- build a temporary or permanent Planetary Installation (storage, Forward Repair/Refuelling Base, stockpiling)
- communicate and interact properly with NPCs (Wings, MultiCrew, SRV, Tasking, Missions, Scenarios, Events unfolding)
- take care of Systems of Assets inside Systems and improve/change them (improve Shipyards, Outfitting, Services, System Secutiry, Population... build & grow, develop things)
- I'd like to see Economies actually develop (ever tried to support and accelerate a Terraforming project? Doesn't work of course...)
- Colonization of space... why not let Players or Player Groups invest some of their xxx Billion Credits into such Projects,
without being subject to Frontier approval everytime.
-> make it a Game mechanic and permit populating uninhabited Systems. Let folks build their own home somewhere in deep space if they wish. If they wish, let them. Just... let... them.
- and lots of more Details, i.e. even huge Black Holes, Gas Giants or large non-landable Planets/Suns still having zero Gravity
==============================================
TL : DR
I dislike inconsistent or illogical stuff. I like stuff that makes sense intuitively and all fits together on its own terms.
And like many others, I'm often looking for some social interaction, share and exchange Information of any kind. The current in-Game methods make it practically impossible, at best extremely cumbersome.
IMHO the state of things can safely be called "It's not all bad for sure - but clearly has room for improvement"
