Where Elite Went Wrong, or: How NOT to craft a Sandbox Experience

[Blackcompany]

It does let you do all those things.

The problem for er... some people... seems to be that it doesn't hold your hand through it all, congratulating you at every turn then telling you where to go next. You can absolutely do them you just have to blaze your own trail rather than follow the dungeon map and the achievements.

Another Strawman argument. Shocking.

Can I speak with characters about the factions I am supporting? Nope.

Can I negotiate prices for my services, build alliances to take advantage of or create enemies who stall me, based on my choices? No.

Can i, AS FDEVS OWN MARKETING SUGGESTS, create my own empire? EMPHATICALLY NO.

I cannot interact in any meaningful way with any part of this universe. Nor does it reflect my actions except as sliders on progress bars. For this reason a personal narrative is impossible - except in.my own imagination, since it's in no way reflected in the game.

This has NOTHING to do with hand holding. Nothing to do with direction, or guidance. It pertains to Elites complete lack of feedback. That all interaction is one sided - and therefore barely interactive at all - is a serious problem for Elite.

 

[frostypaw]

Can i, AS FDEVS OWN MARKETING SUGGESTS, create my own empire? EMPHATICALLY NO.

Where does it suggest that.

You need a different game buddy, it's just pathetic seeing this constantly in every thread.

 

[Blackcompany]

Where does it suggest that.

You need a different game buddy, it's just pathetic seeing this constantly in every thread.

New PS4 add direct from FDEV EXPLICITLY states:

Build Your Own Empire.

Like this is EVE or an X game or something with actual persistence and consequences. That's not even POSSIBLE in this game...yet FDEV are advertising it anyway.

Try looking for information about a topic outside of an echo.chamber now and then.

Edit: one last nitpick.

I purchased two products from fdev, neither of which is anywhere close to the product they advertised. Persistence, personal narrative, interaction beyond sliding progress bars... entirely absent, after three years.

So...I'm providing the last bits of feedback I care to offer the regarding their falsely advertised merchandise, and suggesting methods by which to improve those products so as to provide the Experience they advertised, as opposed to a pure numbers grind.

If you're so sick of seeing that feedback, here's an idea: stop looking. You don't have to read these threads. You certainly don't have to post on them just to add additional pages people have to Wade through before they see actual contribution.

So don't.

Now, I realize this was my thread. But I've said my piece. And other than thanking everyone who flew in the Bounty Hunting CG this past week and helped blow the rooftop off credit reward tiers, I've real nothing much left to say about Elite.

I still enjoy some facets of the game. Had a great time with the CG. Still love flying my Courier.

But the game is severely and obviously lacking beyond flight and combat. I hope that changes this year.

Best to you all. Thanks for taking the time, for putting up with me whether you agree or not, and for bringinf out the big guns to the CG this week.

Fly safe, EVERYONE. Even you, Frostypaw. I hope.one day to fly alongside you in a deeper, more persistent, more consequential Elite to which these gripes no longer even apply.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

New PS4 add direct from FDEV EXPLICITLY states:

Build Your Own Empire.

Like this is EVE or an X game or something with actual persistence and consequences. That's not even POSSIBLE in this game...yet FDEV are advertising it anyway.

Try looking for information about a topic outside of an echo.chamber now and then.

i have never seen that advert.................. however I will give you that.... build your own empire is misleading. would be kind of cool actually, so long as it was a single player thing and not locked down multiplayer stuff. but to be honest i would say elite has never been marketed as that kind of game (untill now it seems according to you)

 

[John Xenir]

I'm just gonna say there were people presenting solutions on how that can be achieved using skill.
It just takes one gigantic ignorant fool to completely discard it, then use lack of said solution as an argument in dispute.

 

[Atrus5060]

Advert he was talking about is this: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/elite-dangerous-ps4/

To be fair, it does say: Decide what kind of hero you’ll be and compete and cooperate with online players from around the world to build your own galactic empire.

This to me sounds like the faction system we have in game already. Just we lack the tools in game to coordinate it.

 

[frostypaw]

New PS4 add direct from FDEV EXPLICITLY states:

Build Your Own Empire.

I'll give you that this singular new advert probably needs a copy change - however one copy error is just one copy error.

Try looking for information about a topic outside of an echo.chamber now and then.

How often is that BGS tick Bc?

Edit: one last nitpick.

...

If you're so sick of seeing that feedback, here's an idea: stop looking. You don't have to read these threads. You certainly don't have to post on them just to add additional pages people have to Wade through before they see actual contribution.

So don't.

No. Absolutely and utterly no.

If I've learnt anything from the changes to Engineering it's that it's more important than ever to voice support for the things I like, not stay silent and just let the whingers represent the entire community.

 

[rp198419]

Another typical blackcompany post where he doesn't seem to know what he is talking about.

Well, are you sure that YOU know what you are talking about?

Nearly all your posts seem to tell us what YOU want, regardless of the views of anyone else.

We all have our opinions and that is fine. Sometimes though, although occasionally informative, I personally find your posts very dismissive of the view of others.

Imagination...here we go again

"Imagining" should not be a driving force in a game. I love Elite, but come on. To anybody looking to buy a game, the selling point shouldn't be "You can imagine yourself doing all these things". It should be "The game mechanics let you do all these things"

As I said somewhere else, ED is like going to a movie and finding a screen which is blank...except for a message saying, "Thanks for coming. Now, use your imagination."

 

[Eldragon]

Ah yes, "Imagination", argument. One of my favorites.

I "Imagine" I'm the best pilot in the galaxy. Of course I never leave solo mode so no one can break me of my delusion.

Now lets get the other old idiotic slogans out of the way.

"Just play the game and everything will fall into place. There is no grinding."

"The Sidewinder is functionally identical to the Anaconda".

and finally...

"Unbalanced PVP isn't a problem because no one really wins in Elite. Its an experience."

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Ah yes, "Imagination", argument. One of my favorites.

I "Imagine" I'm the best pilot in the galaxy. Of course I never leave solo mode so no one can break me of my delusion.

Now lets get the other old idiotic slogans out of the way.

"Just play the game and everything will fall into place. There is no grinding."

Don't think anyone has said that.

"The Sidewinder is functionally identical to the Anaconda".

Never seen that one either.

and finally...
"Unbalanced PVP isn't a problem because no one really wins in Elite. Its an experience."

Think I have seen this once. I just ignore stuff like that even though I don't partake in PvP.

 

[galahad2069]

Because for rare mats there is, as you yourself have pointed out, only one way to get them. So we are forced to farm specifically for them.

I, for one, would like to know the answer to the Ultimate Question(s) about Life, the Universe and Everything, with special regard to Unobtanium and Pharmaceutical Isolators (PI):

1. How can pirates find and destroy ships hauling PI?
2. Why do they leave all those tasty PI behind, floating in space?
3. Where do all those PI come from?
4. Who (and more importantly, where) is the manufacturer?
5. Can they not be convinced to sell us some PI directly, for a reasonable price (other than our precious game time that could be spent better than mindlessly supercruising around in search of HGE in outbreak systems)?

 

[Sir.Tj]

To be hones I think that's sorta where the thread should close.

It's degenerated into baiting each other and just going round in circles.

Closing.