Thoughts on Elite Dangerous with relevance to Oolite

[Redspear]

Only Elite-rated pilots are allowed to fly Anacondas?

Isn't that just like "only Baron von Richthofen is allowed to fly Boeing's 747-400 DreamLifter Large Cargo Freighters"?

Nice comparison

Not if only elite-rated independant pilots are allowed to own Anacondas.
Not quite the same thing.

[Wildeblood]

You know what that needs? Palm trees that fold over.

[Redspear]

I'm starting to think that those ships are in the wrong order...

The python could be something of a disappointment if that isn't your prefered play-style.

Maybe after Moray it should be mk III (another allrounder), then the python becomes available at a point where a player might not wish to upgrade anyway (but likely would if a freighter actually did suit their prefered play-style)

So mk III at 'right on commander'
Asp/Python at Dangerouus
Boa/FdL at Deadly
Anaconda/Boa mk II at Elite

But the real killers star-ride in the sleek, and highly efficient, Fer-de-Lance Lightspeeder, in which they live for months at a time. Bounty hunters can always be found outside Orbit Space, especially around worlds classified as "dangerous". They are invariably of combat rating: DEADLY or ELITE.

[Cholmondely]

I still fail to see why anybody would want to prevent non-Elite rated pilots from buying a cargo carrier.

I can see that if one is selling machine guns to the general public, that one would not wish to sell them to teenagers or somebody likely to murder everybody in the area because they are too inexperienced to aim properly. So Asps, Constrictors, über-ships... yes. But cargo carriers? What is the logic?

[Redspear]

So Asps, Constrictors, über-ships... yes. But cargo carriers? What is the logic?

It's a fair question.

Firstly, in it's own way, the anaconda is an uber-ship. It's the gravy train to credits becoming highly irrelevant very quickly.
In a sense, all of the large capacity ships are like that but the anaconda makes all the others look like small capacity ships...

So that's a gameplay reason but how can I handwave this one in a lore sense?

Maybe the freighters should be unlocked along a different path? Contract delivery rep perhpas? Then I could even include the transporter again as an early unlock for that route.

I can see that if one is selling machine guns to the general public, that one would not wish to sell them to teenagers or somebody likely to murder everybody in the area because they are too inexperienced to aim properly.

Another issue might be safety of a different kind.

You'd like to a licence to drive a lamborghini, Sir? Certainly.
And another for a... container ship was it? Ah...

Crash an adder through a dodgy docking attempt at the local coriolis and they'll barely notice but an Anaconda?
With a crew of 70 odd? Carrying how many missiles (and probably a mine)? A wreckage including potentially how many cannisters?

Crashing an adder would be an accident, but crashing an anaconda would be a disaster.

How about that for logic?

[arquebus]

Maybe the freighters should be unlocked along a different path? Contract delivery rep perhpas? Then I could even include the transporter again as an early unlock for that route.

That's a good idea!

But ultimately, you can make any justification work for any assortment of setups. Even without keeping freighters on a different track, you could make the lore such that the licensing body has been lobbied by various shipping guilds to limit access to the most lucrative ship types. Kind of like how in New York City you have to get a ridiculously restricted "medallion" in order to be allowed to drive a taxi. The only reason that exists is because the taxi companies captured the relevant regulatory body.

Same with the docking computers: while on a purely technical level those should be ubiquitous especially among new pilots, there are ways you can craft the lore to make them rarer or higher status. For one thing, docking computers are faster (since the fast dock option exists), which means traffic prioritization for the ships that have them, and traffic prioritization means shorter turnaround. That's highly valuable from a commercial standpoint. No way the commerce guilds and corporations (and the government entities that have been captured by them) are going to let that tech get into the hands of filthy upstarts who haven't paid their dues and bent the knee to the bosses.

[Switeck]

Firstly, in it's own way, the anaconda is an uber-ship. It's the gravy train to credits becoming highly irrelevant very quickly.
In a sense, all of the large capacity ships are like that but the anaconda makes all the others look like small capacity ships...

Tells me you haven't played the Anaconda without saying it.

[Redspear]

Tells me you haven't played the Anaconda without saying it.

Are you sure?

The obvious drawback is the lack of speed (it's not the slowest I've flown, that was an orbital shuttle at approx. HALF the speed of an anaconda) but the main issue is likely the lack of manoeuvrability. Despite the high number of energy banks it can appear very much like a sitting duck.

It's less than half the speed of most ships, which not only makes it much slower but also much more difficult to escape a pursuer. It's NOT suited to dangerous systems but...

It has a profit per system ceiling that is lofty to say the least.

I wouldn't want to start in one with just 100Cr to spend - in a cobra you'll be both much faster and much better defended but the cargo bay in a mk III is soon at capacity.

Meanwhile in an anaconda you can keep investing , not just in your ship but in your business. Buy even more computers, why not buy all of the computers?... and the machinery and the alloys and take that passenger and that contract. You still have room for not only mining and salvage (both painful) but also docking at that hermit and milking that for all it's worth.

It needs a bit of patience (both in terms of travel and spending) but it can make money in situations others can't.

Contract route takes you past 3 agricultural systems in a row? No problem! Clean them all out of produce and there'll be an even bigger payday by the time you hit the next industrial. No other core ship can do that, not on such a scale.

Still don't think it's an uber-ship? Then sell up after a short while and find that you can both buy and equip pretty much anything, and with cash to spare to boot. In many games, such astrategy could be considered cheating, so yeah I think that makes it an 'uber-ship', in it's own way.

[Redspear]

That's a good idea!

But ultimately, you can make any justification work for any assortment of setups. Even without keeping freighters on a different track, you could make the lore such that the licensing body has been lobbied by various shipping guilds to limit access to the most lucrative ship types. Kind of like how in New York City you have to get a ridiculously restricted "medallion" in order to be allowed to drive a taxi. The only reason that exists is because the taxi companies captured the relevant regulatory body.

I didn't know about the taxi drivers but that's a good example.

Same with the docking computers: while on a purely technical level those should be ubiquitous especially among new pilots, there are ways you can craft the lore to make them rarer or higher status. For one thing, docking computers are faster (since the fast dock option exists), which means traffic prioritization for the ships that have them, and traffic prioritization means shorter turnaround. That's highly valuable from a commercial standpoint. No way the commerce guilds and corporations (and the government entities that have been captured by them) are going to let that tech get into the hands of filthy upstarts who haven't paid their dues and bent the knee to the bosses.

I think docking manually actually saves time in game but your basic point is still valid - people generally like to know who they're dealing with, especially if that includes access to 'privilages'.


The in-game justification is the easy part for me, more tricky is to create a satisfying experience for the player.

In the core game there are already two currencies: credits and kills. The latter is barely used (triggers some missions) but is generally the much slower of the two. This is potentially useful of course because the former can come a little too quickly for the long-game player. Kills will often also grant credits (bounty or booty), just as credits will soon enable kills (weapons etc.)

Kills is a very particular aspect of gameplay however and so having a third currency might be helpful. Contract rep would be appropriate but it can fall as well as rise, so what else for the combat averse player? How about number of systems visited?



It hints at experience in any and all of trade, delivery and combat. Furthermore, without visiting any of the more dangerous systems it's pretty hard to rack up the numbers. Rather neatly, it also stacks in similar fashion to elite rankings in terms of numbers. If the last two steps simply double numerically (unlike for elite rankings) then we max out at all of the systems in all of the 8 galactic sectors?

I've used all Griff modeled ships for consistency but there are other options in that regard.

[arquebus]

Systems visited is good. I'd almost want it to be stations visited but that would be impossible to balance since stations can be added by OXPs.

[Redspear]

Systems visited is good. I'd almost want it to be stations visited but that would be impossible to balance since stations can be added by OXPs.

In theory there could be a timer for how long was spent in a system before that system 'counted'. Of course the player could exploit that by hiding somewhere safe for a while but... don't they have anything better to do?

[Cody]

I think docking manually actually saves time in game...

Indeed it does!

[Redspear]

Can't help myself...

[Redspear]

So after expanding it further and further I feel like I got a sense of what's wheat and what's chaff.

• Simplifying:
  • Simple progression of core ships, initially expanding one energy bank at a time.
  • Changed some of the ship prices (as suggested below), in order to make the progression gradient more steady.
  • No non standard player ships/equipment involvement, any of which might not be present.
  • No weapons restrictions, if you want those as well then install  Weapon Laws.

[arquebus]

I like this a lot!