Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter Launched

scharmers · 2016-01-05T14:48:02.000Z

Aszurom:

If I can spare the slot, autodock.

I would vastly prefer that instead of the shirty interdiction system they have now, if they would replace that with dropping out of cruise some distance from any destination and then deal with piracy and combat out there on the approach lane. That way a freighter is running for the safety of the port, police ships are already present patrolling like in a RES. In fact just treat dropping to a station just like a RES. Drop me 30-50 km out and let me walk it in. Bounty hunters would be able to patrol around the station and clean up trouble for the incoming transports.

Super cruise as implemented is a tragic mistake.

The first betas dropped you out 18km from the station. And yes, the areas of interest should be the only place you should encounter bad guys.

IWar 2 did “supercruise” right.

BrianRubin · 2016-01-05T15:14:02.000Z

scharmers:

IWar 2 did “supercruise” right.

Ohhh, mix I-War 2 with Elite: Dangerous…my nipples, they are hardening…

meeper · 2016-01-05T15:58:10.000Z

Ewwww.

MrCoffee · 2016-01-05T17:30:26.000Z

scharmers:

The first betas dropped you out 18km from the station. And yes, the areas of interest should be the only place you should encounter bad guys.

IWar 2 did “supercruise” right.

That sounds like a good distance.

Knightsaber · 2016-01-05T18:55:49.000Z

I first-discovered a system last night. I thought that was pretty cool…was starting my journey into the core, only got 30 jumps in before I hightailed it back home to get my name on those planets :)

It’s kinda neat to look up and check out the system map.

carltonbauheimer · 2016-01-06T10:02:26.000Z

I’ve never once escaped an interdiction. I honestly don’t understand what I’m supposed to do, so I just don’t do anything and let it pull me out, and either kill whatever did it, or run away.

scharmers · 2016-01-06T10:05:34.000Z

carltonbauheimer:

I’ve never once escaped an interdiction. I honestly don’t understand what I’m supposed to do, so I just don’t do anything and let it pull me out, and either kill whatever did it, or run away.

Full throttle
Steer toward the big blue indicator that keeps floating about on your screen

or, if you’re in a Vulture:

Kill throttle
Chuckle evilly

carltonbauheimer · 2016-01-06T10:07:35.000Z

Ahh. Seems simple enough. I flew in a Vulture most of the time, so I did the second option a lot… if you replace “chuckle evilly” with “kind of roll my eyes and shrug”.

scharmers · 2016-01-06T10:09:55.000Z

Suicidal NPC interdiction behavior is always amusing. “You interdicted me… in that? You’re braver than I thought.”

KevinC · 2016-01-06T10:16:54.000Z

Suicidal and annoying. Look, if I’m flying around in an Eagle I just pulled out of the nearby scrapyard, I’m not about to interdict a Vulture or a Python. The AI should have at least a couple checks to make sure the interdiction even makes sense to attempt, since a lot of the time it’s just a waste of time. Interdict my freighter loaded with goodies? Oh yeah! I don’t know why you’re bothering tackling my Vulture with a sidewinder, though.

meeper · 2016-01-06T10:22:53.000Z

I was interdicted last night on my very first hop in my brand new Python. I was sweating bullets because I took my cash reserves dangerously close to the insurance line (it turns out I had a few million to spare, but I didn’t know that at the time).

Here comes this Vulture at me pew-pewing all the way. Eight seconds. It took me eight lousy seconds to kill it. I love my Python. :)

Fishbreath · 2016-01-06T11:01:49.000Z

I took down an NPC Python in my Eagle the other night. For contrast, it took me about five minutes. <.<

MrCoffee · 2016-01-06T12:20:42.000Z

Everytime i get interdicted i just kill throttle to concede and then jump away since there is long FSD cooldown that way and its faster than doing that long interdiction “fight”

BrianRubin · 2016-01-06T12:27:21.000Z

I enjoy trying to get out of interdictions when not in a Vulture, but if it’s clear I’m not gonna make it, I always cut throttle then boost away until the FSD is ready to go.

Rod_Humble · 2016-01-10T18:04:29.000Z

I have spent hours and hours this weekend, landing on desolate moons in the Pleiades searching for the Barnacle secrets. My little rover has been down to the bottom of seemingly endless gorges, happened across abandoned bases, cargo containers, uncovered metals and rocks of all kinds. I have found nothing to do with the secret but my goodness, what adventure. So much fun to be had with this slow explore. I love it.

meeper · 2016-01-11T07:18:57.000Z

conVurt:

The only reason not to fly the python at your earliest opportunity is its maneuverability.

While it’s a bit pokey, I’d probably suggest that there’s no reason not to fly the python at your earliest opportunity.

I love it.

My mining, bounty-hunting, and trading revenues all went through the roof with the transition from an Asp to a Python (as would be expected), but the scale of the increase was the largest I’ve seen to-date. Instead of collecting 1M bounty-hunting in my Viper, I’m collecting 5-6M in my Python and the sessions go quicker. Trading feels that it can be a legitimate option now too.

Aszurom · 2016-01-11T08:02:31.000Z

meeper:

While it’s a bit pokey, I’d probably suggest that there’s no reason not to fly the python at your earliest opportunity.

I love it.

My mining, bounty-hunting, and trading revenues all went through the roof with the transition from an Asp to a Python (as would be expected), but the scale of the increase was the largest increase I’ve seen to-date. Instead of collecting 1M bounty-hunting in my Viper, I’m collecting 5-6M collecting in my Python and the sessions go quicker. Trading feels that it can be a legitimate option now too.

I guess it’s time to grind for a python.

So, in Asp the other night and I mined like 40 ton of painite. As soon as I jumped out to dock it, I was the most interdicted I’ve ever been. Like 5 times on the way to the station and the last NPC even followed me into station instance still shooting. Station guns wrecked him.

Apparently having a big load of high price cargo is some trigger to have the AI grief the shit out of you. Luckily an Asp can just walk away from a Viper again and again.

So the thing is, there needs to be another currency that isn’t money. An mmo has rewards in the form of dropped equipment upgrades, XP gain, faction standing as a gatekeeper on some content availability, and areas you cannot access until you earn it.

Elite has just money. There’s the empire/federation rank gateway to some hulls, but it’s hard to pursue something that is only offered at the games infrequent whim, and is no reward for effort, just patience.

You can’t pay anyone for doing something, and if it’s not money there’s no reason to ever leave dock except to take pretty screenshots.

This game needs some form of karma players can give to each other. There needs to be something gotten for doing missions that is beyond money, to make a lower pay mission attractive for another reason. Even if it’s just ePeen. Unlock skins or faction flag decals or something.

Other games have currency that can only be spent with particular faction vendors. Let me earn karma points with a faction and then spend them on something. Then I have something else to consider when mission hunting… Good will trumps hard cash sometimes.

meeper · 2016-01-11T08:50:07.000Z

Aszurom:

So the thing is, there needs to be another currency that isn’t money.

I think Elite is a bit unique in that they’re eschewing the traditional parallel money and experience upgrade paths and replacing the skill tree with ship upgrades.

That said, I think part of a new currency is being drip-fed via the new boost crafting mechanism in Horizons. I could see certain resources used in crafting as being granted via mission rewards. Beyond that, I’m skeptical of what we’ll see with regard to this in the current season.

Ginger_Yellow · 2016-01-11T09:38:24.000Z

Elite has just money. There’s the empire/federation rank gateway to some hulls, but it’s hard to pursue something that is only offered at the games infrequent whim, and is no reward for effort, just patience.

Well, there is the Powerplay currency, whatever that’s called, and community goal rewards, and 1st discovery bragging rights, and combat/trade/exploration rank, and unlocking missions. I’ll grant it’s not as fleshed out an economy as most fully-fledged MMOs, but it’s not exactly the case that credits are the only measure of progress/achievement.

Ponicus · 2016-01-12T06:04:37.000Z

Ok. So. This barnacle thing. I’m not sure I get it? I’m exploring planets all over Merope and Maia. It’s fun. However, am i supposed to come across any of these eventually? Is it a needle in a haystack? Am I doing anything wrong here? And if I do find one, where do I bring them to? Not sure I understand what is going on here.