Big row on steam at the moment..can't see it here..

[Dave Sewell]

So I thought id start a thread about the upcoming update and ask.."How does everyone feel about instant transport to someone elses ship, no matter how far apart they are from eachother"?

I personally don't like the idea. There are lots of people on steam saying "I am out in the void at the moment and it gets a bit dull..it'd be great to be able to do something else" But to me that destroys the whole point of exploring. Anyone taking the plunge and going waaay out there needs to face that slog, the boredom..the lonliness. Making it possible to jump out and back just sticks two fingers up at the great Elite explorers who really had to battle with the harshness and loneliness.

To combat this, surely there has to be a minimum range before transport should be allowed? or at least restricted to 'in the bubble'

People are arguing that there is 'instant refuel' and 'instant customisation' at stations, but that doesnt destroy realism, you are AT the station, at least you are physically there. I can live with that. Outside of this, fuel scooping takes time, AFMU takes time...everything takes time. Time is a big part of elite..becoming elite. At the moment the vastness is palpable, and I like that.

I worry that anything that 'casualises' what Elite really is will lead eventually lead to it's transformation into something far less great.

What does everyone else think?

[Relix Typhon]

I understand the reservations but this feature would die a death if you had to physically had to go to the ship your are crewing. I voted for ship transfer times but I wouldn't vote for any barriers to this feature.
I don't play with anyone regularly in the game and I can find myself anywhere in the bubble on a given day, so it'll be nice to just jump into a ship of someone advertising for crew.
Regarding your point of explorers, nothing would really change, it'll just be like talking to someone on teamspeak (but their avatar will be next to you) while your exploring as they'll have nothing to.

[Dave Sewell]

Cheers RD.

I think the whole idea of exploring is to face the lonliness, yes you have voice comms..but that's entirely different to trying to explain away teleporting huge distances and being able to suddenly be back in the bubble with your pals. At the moment exploring is still something many do not try because of the time it takes to go out and back..and this keeps it feeling like a real achievement for those who try it.

Im happy enough for players to teleport from any station 'within' the bubble, but if they make it from 'anywhere' it will ruin the spirit of exploration and make it so accessible as to devalue it and it's sense of achievement.

Im not that great at combat, but I would shun anything that made it easier for me, bar my own improvement through practise...the same should apply to exploring I think.

[Kiltrathi]

I don't agree with you.
When I started playing, the day the game came out , I found it hard work to earn credits. I remember flying my new Viper in a fight with another CMDR's ASP and that ship was still well over a month away before I could even buy that. In order to raise enough credits to buy an Anaconda would have taken me a year of constant trading, and grinding is not what I wanted to do in this game.
I played this game to have fun, to reach a few goals while doing it, it has taken me roughly two years to earn enough credits to buy and equip an Anaconda. I play Elite the same way I used to back in 1985, by taking on missions and trading bits and bops while doing that. I've seen all kinds 'loop-holes' build in, the trip to Sagitarius A* is a lot simpler now, you can make a ship jump way farther than before, use neutron stars to supercharge your FSD and above all, you can actually plot a course. I've taken pride out of earning my ranks by playing the way I do, that doesn't mean that everybody should play accordingly so we can compare notes.

I understand what you're saying, it's not the same now when you can say, I've been to Sagitarius A* or I own a fully A-specced ASP or Anaconda, as it was when the game just came out. The game has evolved. The 'prestige' of owning a big ship like that is gone already, people can raise enough in a fraction of the time it has taken me to do the same. The same for exploration, it's easier now, different.

[Dave Sewell]

Kil..BUT, exploration is still a time sink..a hell of a time sink, and the journey still feels epic and lonely. I struggle with it at times, but that's what it is meant to be..a struggle. If I want to be with my pals...I have to make the long trip back..or self destruct. I think limiting transfer to 'docked in bubble' is a fair compromise without destroying the achievements of explorers. I'm not arguing for AT THE SAME STATION, just..in the bubble.

Elite was never about Easy..and yes it may get 'easier' it has to to a point to attract the casual player..but this has to be carefully balanced or else you eat away at the core of what it is. I played it back on my BBC Micro as a kid...that was not about easy either.

[Kiltrathi]

I'd be over the moon to see the game turn into a more simulation direction, but I'm unsure that would make it more "fun". I think Frontier is trying to make a more accessible game (which is still tricky to learn). They need to keep this interesting for as many potential customers as possible. I'd already be happier if you had to be at a station to make your jump into another player's ship, however I do understand Frontier's point of view. The want to sell this game as much as possible and keep those buyers happy at the same time.

I was turned off by the introduction of the engineers and stepped away from the game for the better part of a year. I still came back, I play this game not to compare my Anaconda to anyone else's, I play to have fun and do it the way I enjoy. My Elite ranking is my own reward when I do finally get it.

P.S. I don't want an easy game, I want the 1985 experience back as well. It's not 1985 anymore though.

[Dave Sewell]

So we really agree then. I tried EVE and it wasnt for me, one thing I did notice was many of the older long time players were unhappy with where the game was going..now these changes would have made and did make it easier for me to start playing, but I was aware that players like me, although being welcomed to the game, were ruining it for those who had played it for such a long time. The allowances being made to attract new blood, and more importantly a different kind of blood, had transformed the game into something else. As a result I do believe Eve may eventually die off. Elite is great, and it caters for a wide range of players, but Frontier need to very carefully balance what it is with what it is going to b e or you end up loosing as many as you gain as the game transforms into something less special and more mainstream. The casual player has the majority of the market these days...Elite was never meant to be for the casual player and was special IS special, because of that.

Gratification does not always need to be instant, the easy win is not always the best. Sometimes it's all about the slog. And slog is at the heart of Elite, always has been. The whole feel of vastness and lonliness could be ruined if we are able to just woosh about at the click of a button..so I hope that they big guys have gone some way to protect the feel of Elite with this new update...I like the slog, the grind...when I eventually get to Elite for exploration, it will have been through real blood sweat and tears! lol

If you don't mind me asking..what was it about the engineer update that turned you off mate? (Interested..not looking for a scrap)

[Early Bird]

I don't like the idea of instant transport to someone elses ship. As Kilrathi said, Frontier wants to sell the game as much as possible. That means even to players who don't care about the elite universe but just want to have fun. This will enlarge the group of players who will use this just for killing other players for fun. Transport in a station would be a good solution. If I want to get on the ship of a friend than I will fly to him or we meet halfway. That would be part of the fun in my opinion

[Dave Sewell]

I don't like the idea of instant transport to someone elses ship. As Kilrathi said, Frontier wants to sell the game as much as possible. That means even to players who don't care about the elite universe but just want to have fun. This will enlarge the group of players who will use this just for killing other players for fun. Transport in a station would be a good solution. If I want to get on the ship of a friend than I will fly to him or we meet halfway. That would be part of the fun in my opinion

Totally agree mate..why do we need to attract anyone who doesn't care for Elite at the risk of changing what Elite is? Balance is essential and I think ' In station In Bubble' is a good compromise. I was all for transfer times with ships, I like the fact it takes time to scoop fuel or repair modules...instant respawn after death doesn't bother me, although I'd like a little cut scene of my ejected pod heading off after my ship being gubbed (Like in Eve).

ALSO...where do I get a PILOTS LICENCE banner like you have??

[Early Bird]

You get the pilots federation license at inara http://inara.cz/ When you register (for free) you can use it.