At first when I came back to the game (I played this game on 3 occasions each time with a new save but never went far), I was thrown off by the fact that I did not spawn in this good ol' Mawson Dock in Dromi system. By looking up what was what seemed like an issue, I learned the "noob systems" mechanic was gone and was disapointed at first, feeling like I got ripped off my comfortable, homey starting environment always buzzing with nooby activity.
But then, I bought my first ship, a Hauler, and got started with my first tiny hauling missions. I earned my first creds and quickly bought an Eagle to do some newb combat missions and bounty hunting against those terrifying shieldless pirate Haulers (ok, I admit only the first one was like that, but seriously: what was that guy thinking ? xD) and diversify my gameplay/income.
After getting my first million credits, something struck me: I was having…Fun ? I mean, way more fun than back then when I started a new adventure.
At that very moment, I had an epiphany:
The Pilots' Federation systems were garbage and ruined the early progression fun.
I mean, don't get me wrong: I guess they served their purpose at offering a secured environment for new players, but they were very flawed for one particular reason: you could farm the shit out of credits very easily. I discovered a trick on my second playthrough. You just had to earn just enough to buy a Cobra Mk III, outfit it with the best stuff available, go to the "noob anarchy system" (do not recall the name, sorry) and hop into that heavy PVE zone.
Oh boi, this thing was a newbie all-you-can-eat buffet. If I remember well, it wasn't rare that pirate Anacondas spawned there, with hefty 400k to 800k bounties !
It probably would have been difficult to take those down as a beginner and would have served a valuable lesson to not try to eat more than you can chew… If it wasn't for all the security forces laying around. you basically just had to shoot those big bois a couple times before they got obliterated, and ka-ching ! Consequently, it was easy af to make "large" sums of money quite quickly. Last time I played, I remember leaving the tutorial area with 20 millions creds after farming for an entire day, it was ridiculous (keep in mind it's a lot of money for someone who litteraly just started on that very same day) !
What is the problem you might ask ? Well… This little trick fucking destroy your sense of progress. Last time I played it was only for a dozen hours because I felt bored quickly and I suspect that is because I earned too much too quickly.
I started a new game again for the 4th time yesterday and this time ? I'm having a blast ! I'm playing with ships I wasn't even looking at on my previous playthrough, and I'm having tons of fun just slowly progressing, at my pace, roleplaying as a mercenary beginning pilot earning his first credits as a bounty hunter and transporter of people and goods (I now use the hauler as a cheap "private jet" for businessmen and tourists and haul goods on my way back to my home port).
Take a look at my bois ! Those are shitty ships, sure, but they are MY shitty ships !
Thank you for reading my novel Commanders, and thank you Mr. Devman for this much needed change <3
