Elite: Dangerous. I broke down.

[sandman2575]

We just got our own Faction in the game! Very cool!

That is cool. Congrats!

Newish question, but is the mechanic for doing this connected to PowerPlay or is it something players can accomplish separate from PP?

[undercovergeek]

That's pretty hardcore - well done

Are you independent? What's your alignment?

[Yskonyn]

It's seperate from PP to gain it. You have to work your asses off to make the in-game faction you would like to replace super influential. Then you can appeal in a certain thread on the Frontier forums to get your own faction in game as a replacement for the earlier faction.
Your alignment and type will be that of the swapped faction, so its important to choose one wisely right at the beginning.
You can, however, try to become a faction in PP if you want. Any minor faction (which we are now) can evolve into a major faction (those of PP).

We are Corporate. But we maintain a few Anarchy systems nearby to keep Black Markets open near enough to our operations.

We are independent indeed.

[Kushan]

Congrats Yskonyn. I didn't know something like that was possible outside of PP.

[Yskonyn]

Thanks! But the credit really should go to a few dedicated people in our group. I play much more casually than those guys.
Still my breadcrumb influence points have helped, no matter how insignificantly. :)

[Jarhead0331]

Horizons beta is due for release on:

November 24th!!!!!
Can't flippin' wait!

[bob48]

Ooooh! Just after me Birthday.

<drools down chin>.......................

[Yskonyn]

Thanks!

That's ON my son's birthday and we will be gone the whole week. Crap.

[sandman2575]

After binging on E:D the past couple of weeks, I seem to have reached that plateau that lots of players eventually reach -- the "Yes, it's fantastic, but what's the point?" problem.

My worry about Horizons is that it won't do much to add deeper purpose to the game. It'll be lots of fun to explore the surface of planets, but once that novelty wears off.... ?

There's something about the complete lack of interacting with other people as represented in-game that makes E:D alienating. Horizons will be nice in that it will actually let you depart your ship and experience the E:D universe in a new way, but you'll still be stuck 'in the cockpit' (and a cockpit that looks very much like your ship's!) Until we get to the more "FPS"-type mechanic where you can leave your ship and wander around stations and (presumably) interact with other characters, NPC or otherwise, I'm not sure where that sense of 'personality' that I feel is missing is going to come from.

Just some thoughts...

[RooksBailey]

After binging on E:D the past couple of weeks, I seem to have reached that plateau that lots of players eventually reach -- the "Yes, it's fantastic, but what's the point?" problem.

My worry about Horizons is that it won't do much to add deeper purpose to the game. It'll be lots of fun to explore the surface of planets, but once that novelty wears off.... ?

There's something about the complete lack of interacting with other people as represented in-game that makes E:D alienating. Horizons will be nice in that it will actually let you depart your ship and experience the E:D universe in a new way, but you'll still be stuck 'in the cockpit' (and a cockpit that looks very much like your ship's!) Until we get to the more "FPS"-type mechanic where you can leave your ship and wander around stations and (presumably) interact with other characters, NPC or otherwise, I'm not sure where that sense of 'personality' that I feel is missing is going to come from.

Just some thoughts...

I kinda agree with you on this.  I've been playing Elite now for almost a year, and while I do believe I have gotten my money's worth, I am also starting to feel annoyed by the state of the game.   I have been willingly patient with Elite.  As a gamer who has been around the block a few times, I know how frightfully difficult it is to make an immersive space sim.  I mean, just look at all the failed attempts over the years (Limit Theory being the most recent to fail to launch, sadly, and No Man's Sky keeps pushing its release date further and further away).  It is probably one of the most difficult game genres to craft since it has to mimic so many aspects of the real world - politics, economics, warfare, to name but three.  So I never expected a whole lot from Year 1 of Elite.  But what is starting to annoy me is that despite me setting my expectations low, there are large parts of the game that continue to feel poorly thought out and haphazardly implemented.  For example, the other day I was finally destroyed (largely due to the 1.4 interdiction bug  >:( ) by an NPC while on a mission.  After the explosion scene, I was deposited at the screen where you buy a new ship.  What happened in between?    I was thinking how the game never explained how you got back to a station to buy a new ship.  In Eve, you have the clone mechanic that explains away death.  In Elite, it is a naked "restore from a saved game" type of mechanic without the least attempt at a disguise consistent with some sort of in-game lore.  Lazy.  Even more annoying was how I discovered that the mission I was on was still active, even though the mission cargo was destroyed, rendering it moot.  The game should have listed the mission as a fail without me needing to cancel it.  Yeah, this is all small stuff, but the game is filled with it.  Exploration comes to mind, too.  There is nothing really interesting about pointing your nose at a star or planet and waiting for it to chime.  And I never learn anything interesting.  Wouldn't it be swell to, say, get a report that you detected a large deposit of gold, something that would allow you to get a mining probe (just making stuff up here) that would allow you to mine that deposit, or interact with the planet in some other way?  Likewise, it would be interesting to get loot that was actually interesting from time to time.  What about something like Starpoint Gemini has where destroyed enemy ships drop unique blueprints for special gear?   For that matter, how about a mission system that feels tied into the actual galaxy?  I am really surprised at how bland and uninteresting all the missions are in Elite.  They seem completely divorced from what is going on in the galaxy, not to mention getting repetitive really quickly.  And don't get me started on the awful "three card monte" mission system where you randomly hit the three varieties of signal sources in the hope of finding your target.  Or the equally absurd missions where your target is broadcasting his presence on the chat screen as he randomly flies around in SC.  And then there are the ridiculously annoying and redundant alternative mission offers.  I could understand one of these popping up 10% of the time, but they appear for almost every frickin' mission!  Worse, the game expects you to find out which ship is contacting you.  I mean, would it be that hard to put an indicator on the ship that is hailing you?  What about a outfitting screen that makes sense.  I am still not sure about the meaning of "class" and that other factor.  Despite the variations in ratings, all the gear looks and sounds the same.  I am never excited to get a new piece of equipment because it is all bland and nondescript. 

I could go on and on and on.  None of these complaints are game breaking, but when you take them as a whole, the entire Elite experience starts to seem really shabby and ill-conceived.  I was initially thrilled by the Horizons announcement, but until the large backload of these other issues are addressed, I don't know if I am going to bother to jump right in with Horizons like I initially planned to do.  Frontier in its first year is reminding me of CCP in its tenth year or so when instead of addressing the various complaints of long time capsuleers, they kept bolting on unwanted fluff like "ambulation."  The playerbase ultimately had to riot to get CCP to snap out of it and start addressing some fundamental problems.  I am wondering if it might be time for the Elite playerbase to do the same....

BTW: I think my most damning critique of Elite may be this: I just started played Eve again.   ;D  I haven't touched that game in two years.  In fact, when Elite launched, I deleted the Eve client because I figured I never would go back.  Well, I have.  And I have to say that the depth and activity in Eve is feeling kinda good after the lonely, lifeless Elite galaxy.  That, more than anything, says a lot about how Elite is dropping the ball for me.  Right now Elite is feeling more like an impressive celestial wallpaper generator than an actual "second life" space sim. 

I am even starting to look at X: Rebirth.... 

[Jarhead0331]

^eve online has been around since 2003. That's 12 friggen' years of development and refinement. Do you really think it's fair to compare the state of that game with the state of Elite, that has not even been out of early access for a single year?

Further, in my profession, you usually lead with your strongest arguments...your first complaint is that there is no explanation for how you get back into a ship after getting destroyed? I'm sure eventually they will have this kind of fluff, but they are still working on adding more game play content to enhance the universe and add things for players to do and explore. I'd think that is a wise strategy of priority. Personally, I'd rather them focus on new content, bugs, etc., than on lore and filler for people who don't have much of an imagination.

Elite has accomplished some miraculous things. Many of which have never been accomplished before. The game continues to improve and by the looks of it, it isn't going anywhere. But seriously, your wall of text of what to me, are extremely minor complaints, in comparison to all that the game actually does well, is exactly the reason why developers leave the business and/or get frustrated with their customers. Some will always want more and they will want it right away. Give credit where credit is due for a change. Elite is already a spectacular game, and I can't wait to see where it goes in the future.

Have fun playing Eve...and, LoL, X-Rebirth!

[Yskonyn]

I agree with Jarhead.
Additionally its not only the fact that you can land on airless Planets and drive around with a buggy.
The mission system will be enhanced so missions take place on planets as well.
There will even be missions where you don't get off the planet at all.
Bases and settlements (and even starports) can be attacked in various different ways. Generators can be destroyed to kill power to lights or turrets.
That's cool stuff way beyond 'just going to the surface of a planet'.
In preparation for the Loot and Crafting system there will already be missions to obtain items or resources from those worlds which arent found anywhere else.
This gives even more purpose to the (airless) planets.

But with every sandbox game, you will have to blaze your own trail and much of the immersion or 'RP' will be in one's mind to flesh out your story.

[JudgeDredd]

I'm not a "sandbox" guy and really should stay away from sandbox games. But as I have an "addiction" to gaming, I don't of course.

I'm one of those players JH is referring to - no imagination. The open play games I've bought in the past spend a few weeks at the WOW stage - and then I'm like "What now?"

I want the game to lead me. I said many, many times the games I've completed in the past have had amazing stories. Max Payne, Mafia, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3 (or was it 3 and 4??)

Every single time a game opens up and says "Go and do what you want", my enthusiasm wanes.

Elite:Dangerous isn't a bad game...it's an amazing game and the feeling of being in a huge space environment on a real ship is amazing. It's just a bit too open for me to be able to go and enjoy. I envy the people that say "Right - I'm going to be a smuggler" or "I'm an assassin looking for victims".

oh - but it's still on my system - because I haven't given up hope on being a trader  O0

[Jarhead0331]

I'm not a "sandbox" guy and really should stay away from sandbox games. But as I have an "addiction" to gaming, I don't of course.

I'm one of those players JH is referring to - no imagination. The open play games I've bought in the past spend a few weeks at the WOW stage - and then I'm like "What now?"

I want the game to lead me. I said many, many times the games I've completed in the past have had amazing stories. Max Payne, Mafia, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3 (or was it 3 and 4??)

Every single time a game opens up and says "Go and do what you want", my enthusiasm wanes.

Elite:Dangerous isn't a bad game...it's an amazing game and the feeling of being in a huge space environment on a real ship is amazing. It's just a bit too open for me to be able to go and enjoy. I envy the people that say "Right - I'm going to be a smuggler" or "I'm an assassin looking for victims".

oh - but it's still on my system - because I haven't given up hope on being a trader  O0

That is all totally fair. You know what you like, and you know what you don't, as a gamer. You acknowledge that Elite is a great game for what it is, and not a bad game, for what it is not. It's just not your cup of tea.

I recognize not all gamers are going to care for Elite. I guess I just take issue with comparing a one year old game with a game that has been around for 12 to 13 years, and then complaining that the newer game doesn't have enough content. It's not a fair comparison.

[sandman2575]

I think we can all agree that FD's approach with E:D has been far, far better than Chris Roberts' approach with SC. First build a solid foundation, and then add more content and depth over time. The opposite of: promise a fantastic, amazing interactive universe all at once, and then deliver nothing but demos for years.

I guess I'm just really looking forward to the point when E:D 'comes alive' as a deeply interactive universe, with a more robust and fully realized RPG element. I'm certainly willing to give FD time to achieve this. Horizons will no doubt be fun and amazing from a technical standpoint, but it's not going to be the turning point I'm looking forward to, unless I'm much mistaken (always possible  ;))

I think PowerPlay in theory was very much a step in the right direction, by introducing political intrigue and intragalactic conflict. But unfortunately the means of pursuing PP seems just more of the same:  endless grinding, endless deliveries, endless bounty hunting. I hope PP will continue to evolve -- I think it has great potential but the devs need to shift it in a more compelling direction.