One player’s perspective

Before I get into it I just want to provide some context. I want to provide some sincere feedback to frontier but keep it open for others to lend their own opinions. There will no doubt be some overlap with topics already raised. It’s not my aim to beat a dead horse. The truth is I’ve reached a point in the game where my interest has taken a nosedive.

I’m a console player. So, I’ve got the rough end of the stick off the mark (so I’m told). Though I’ll admit it doesn’t bother me. Odyssey has been a prickly project by the sounds of it. And I’ve never seen the appeal in walking around. The space ships of this game have always been a big driver for me. Extensively building and re-building them and getting genuinely attached to my favourites, even if they’re absolute garbage. It’s a definitive component of the Elite Dangerous experience, and what I know I’m going to get when I launch this game. It’s why I choose to play it.

Now this isn’t all about Odyssey, but humour me with a quick analogy for a sec and we’ll get it out of the way.

Picking up a game for me is like choosing a holiday. I’m signing up for a particular experience. For instance, choosing Elite is like going to Hawaii. With all the exotic resorts, cocktails and crummy shirts that defines that experience. But at some point, Frontier felt that a nice new addition to Hawaii would be to build a ski resort. Can it be done? Yeah. Is it nice to have the variety? Why not. Is it now what I’m going to go to Hawaii for? Absolutely not. For that I can go to any number of other games that offer a sci-fi first-person experience. Like Switzerland i.e. No Man’s Sky.

What sets Elite apart is the 1:1 universe and its gorgeously designed spacecraft. That may be a bit simplistic, but for me it honestly boils down to those two things.

But here’s the kicker: No new spacecraft. Unimaginative paint jobs. No decent ship kits in (what feels like) years. No modelling improvement to ships at all from what I can tell.

I’m at a point in the game where I’ve tried every ship, visited most known sites of interest around the bubble, accrued a decent nest egg, been to Beagle Point and back, and am now faced with the question of “now what?”

Fleet carriers look sick (honestly, the models look fantastic). But I take one look at them and I think: do I want to be chained to this game?

Expeditions hosted by the community would be a great driver for me. But it’s pretty difficult to engage on console. This made harder by the fact that despite everything I’ve said about Odyssey. Players aren’t drawn to a platform that doesn’t host the latest version of the game.

Another driver would be to go hunting for trophies/achievements. But the damn CQC trophies kill that ambition in the crib. I implore frontier, if it’s possible, to scrap them. Players won’t engage with the weird and wonderful things in the game via trophies/achievements when the ultimate goal is, and has always been, next to impossible.

So, I come back around to the one thing that got me giddy about this game to begin with; the ships and Its universe. And without any notable development of either after so long. I think I’ve exhausted all that this game has to offer me.

Frontier can take from that what they will.

For what it’s worth. Thanks for creating an astounding experience.