I realize some folks say "why not just play another game?" but in all honesty, what other space games are there? Unless all I want to do is shoot, what options do I have? Star Citizen is years away, most of the other space games are very limited in scope and mechanics, and quite frankly I've been looking for a Freelancer replacement since Freelancer, and Elite comes the closest. I mean, SO CLOSE you have no idea. I don't mind a little planning, I don't mind grunt work or grinding if it's going to something that will be rewarding and enjoyable, but right now Elite just isn't there yet. To put it another way, it's like meeting the man or woman of your dreams, and then realizing they don't like human contact. You can still fall in love with them, you can admire them for many other attributes, but at the end of the day, your interaction will be sorely limited, and instead of being physically involved, face to face and enjoying the moment together, you're watching Netflix for 3 hours while sitting at opposite ends of the couch.
That may not have made sense, but, yeah. I want to love this game. I already like it, I want to play it all of the time, until I log in and start playing, at which point I realize why I get frustrated.
"Go play another game if you get bored."
What if I don't want to play another game? What if there really is no other game? You know exactly what I mean: you step away, but then you itch to log back in hoping something else will catch your attention. Elite is addicting, because the potential is right there, no other game comes close. Let's look at a few of the modern space games out there:
As colorful as it is, No Man's Sky doesn't do that for me. They have amazing worlds, but meh flight mechanics and it doesn't feel "real," (as if that can be quantified in a game).
Eve Online would be more fun if it wasn't more about pewpewpew than anything, and then there's the lack of first person flight perspective, which takes away from it for me. Also, it's F2P, which is just begging for trouble.
I play Star Trek Online sometimes, but the ships are small, the mechanics boil down to "shoot this," and "scan that" which get very boring before long, and it too is F2P, though I think they do a nice job balancing it out.
Mass Effect has some incredible visuals, but it's about shooting stuff, and I'm more fascinated by the beautiful universe in which it is set. Seriously, the art department for that game needs high praise, but unless I want some cinematics and pewpewpew, I've got nothing to do.
Stellaris has some nice strategy/gameplay, but it's made in the same vein as so many other modern space games that eschew a first person, visceral experience. It sits along with the other modern space games that favor voxels and sprites, which is fine if you're into voxels and pixel, but none of it scratches the Elite itch one iota.
Star Conflict is another F2P set in a first person universe, and while it looks good, there's no time to appreciate it because of pewpewpew and "buy more credits."
Endless Space 2 looks incredible, and has gameplay and story out the wazoo, but it's not a first person immersive experience like Elite.
Eve: Valkyrie looks jaw droppingly fantastic, has first person perspective and everything, but it's just combat.
All of these games have their positives and negatives, but they're not Elite: Dangerous, and they don't have 1/3rd the potential Elite: Dangerous has.
So, yeah, I care a lot about what gets changed in Elite: Dangerous, and what path it's on in terms of development. I want a more invested experience, but not just time, I want to be emotionally involved, I want to be excited, surprised, gratified, and I think so many of the game mechanics get in the way of that. I feel that Elite brushes up against greatness, and then backs away. Like they know what they could do, but they're too afraid or unsure to do it. They gave us an entire galaxy to play in, but little to do. A sandbox should allow for stimulation, not boredom. You can do anything you want, as long as it involves this handful of repetitive actions.
I complain because I care a lot. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been brought on board by Braben's words when I was making my considerations for purchasing the game. He sold me on an incredible world, and some of you say that's what Kickstarters do, but that doesn't excuse anything. Don't we all get angry when we feel deceived by those we trust? Or when we realize we have a product that could have been amazing if the manufacturers wouldn't have half- it in the name of expediency? So many of the game mechanics scream "good enough for now," and "that'll shut them up for a while." Whether that is the intention, I can't say because the devs don't talk to people. Communication between developers and player base in this game has to be the worst I've ever encountered for a modern game in development. I know they're busy, but Jesus H. Christ, you make a little time for the people who believed in you and helped get your butt off the ground and back into the game, and are still working to keep you in that game.
"Hey, new paint jobs!" and "buy our new game!" doesn't count. So much more has to be done, and more effort is required. This game is the best game in town. That's not damnation, but it's not praise, either.
TL;DR - There are no other modern space games when it comes to wanting something like Elite: Dangerous, which means Elite has to be the torchbearer when it comes to this type of space sim. They're the only game in town for this kind of experience. Others fall short, or don't focus on the kind of gameplay that had drawn us to Elite in the first place. Talk to us, listen to us, be our friends, guys. The reason so many of these threads are happening is because it's awfully quiet from the other side of the table, so people keep shouting, hoping to be heard. You have the potential to be amazing, so just be amazing. Do it. I believe you can, and so many other players in this game believe you've got the skill and talent to make every other game in this genre be nothing but amateurs.
Just my two credits.
