Compared to Privateer

[Alexx]

Hi, I was just playing Wing Commander Privateer and I loved it! I know it is an old game but i enjoyed the open world, the different missions and the overall freedom with the goal of making money.

So my question is: how does Elite dangerous compare to Privateer? Would I enjoy it as much or is it fundamentally different?

Would be great to get some feedback!

[ShadowintheMist]

don't ask me I'm addicted to scifi games in space, in elite you have to be patient till something happens, but it's worth it (was about to quit, but the night i was parking my ships the aliens showed up, a feeling you can't pay enough for, especially because some of the streamers on youtube woke up all over the world), fly safe commander and don't forget the insurance

[Laurreth]

The core idea is diametrically opposed to Privateer. Privateer is based around a central story with, frankly, not very much "open world" content once you're done with the raving fanatics. E:D doesn't have that story aspect at all, but instead it's (IMAO) something you pick up to dawdle around in, read up on GalNet, and generally do stuff just for the heck of it.

Gameplay-wise, E:D beats the pants off Privateer.

[ShadowintheMist]

lol but there are a lot of stories around and about Elite Dangerous, i'm considering to buy some books that i missed

[Sapyx]

WC:P was a (relatively) very small universe, only a couple dozen star systems if I recall correctly, so there was much more scope for creating unique, hand-crafted planets and missions. With 400 billion star systems to fill, ED simply can't do that.

WC:P puts You at the centre of a Story. Your actions decide what happens next and make The Story progress, with lots of cutscenes to explain what's happening next with The Story.

In ED, there's no grand unifying story which you are the centre and hero of. It's a multiplayer game, so they can't really create much in the way of unique content that would be both meaningful and believable; it'd be pretty lame if they wrote a "rescue the princess" storylline, and everyone got to rescue the princess from the same dungeon on the same planet. It would be equally lame if they made such a storyline that only the lucky first player got to play the story, and the other 50,000 players who were too slow miss out.

In WC:P, you found "meaning" by following The Story. In ED, you create your own meaning and write your own story. It may recall a little more effort on your part, and may involve you exercising some "imagination" to fill in the gaps increating your story which ED cannot yet support. You want to be a freedom fighter? Then find some oppressed donw-and-out minor faction, and work the BGS to support them. Want to be an archaeologist and a mystery solver? Follow the clues and see if you can think of some possible answer to the great mysteries of the galaxy which no-one else has thought of yet. Want to seek out strange new worlds and boldly go there? Buy an exploration ship, kit it out and off you go. But at no point in ED will you ever be told, "You've gotta stop doing what you're doing, and go do this now".

[Alexx]

I have mostly played the Wing Commander games. I know they are completely different. I thought that Privateer was too boring for me but I was surprised about how much I liked it. I know that Chris Roberts made the game with Elite in mind. But I guess that the gameplay is somewhat dumbed down compared to Elite. What I enjoyed the most in Privateer was to make my own routes, so when I knew I wanted/needed to fly to a certain Base I would look up the different Unions to check if they had profitable missions that I could complete on my way to the next destination. I also used the missions to explore the quadrants and systems. For my taste the Gemini Sector was fairly large and I haven't visited all the places after my playthrough. So I think I might enjoy the open nature of Elite. I have to admit that I like the story aspect of the Wing Commander games, as i like to immerse myself in the roles. For my taste the story in Privateer was great and maybe I would "miss something" in Elite dangerous. I am not sure that is why I asked in this forum to get some inspiration ;-)

Star Citizen is still not even close to being available and I am not sure if I like the whole business model with subscriptions so Elite Dangerous is probably the only real option.

[Alexx]

PS: My interest in No Man's Sky is Zero and I am not a fan of that whole procedually generated bullsh_t.

PPS: I am not a multiplayer. I only play single campaigns.

[Alexx]

Thank you Sapyx for your helpful descriptions. So I guess if I am not into multiplayer, ED is not really for me...

[PG Pepperoni]

Originally posted by Alexx:

Thank you Sapyx for your helpful descriptions. So I guess if I am not into multiplayer, ED is not really for me...

You don't have to do multiplayer. There is a solo mode, which is still online. There are multiple threads on here discussing differences between solo and open play (multiplayer).

If you like single campaigns, in ED you can do a variety of missions that are handed out at stations from different factions. They are somewhat repeatable in nature, but can be fun. Find 20 units of x and bring it back here. Take passengers to y and back. Etc. Etc. And things might happen during the mission, like you'll get chased by pirates or have a sudden change in the destination. Anyway, I enjoy the solo nature of the game, but with the possibility of interactions with both NPCs and human players if I desire.

[Laurreth]

Originally posted by Alexx:

PPS: I am not a multiplayer. I only play single campaigns.

That would be a killer then, E:D doesn't have a campaign. You start in your little Sidewinder and just go from there.

It's entirely possible and enjoyable to go alone, but you won't find a grand epic story forced upon you. As I wrote before, it's mostly a relaxing almost meditative experience for me ☺

[Alexx]

let me rephrase that. I only play solo. It does not have to have a campaign in the traditional sense. Well it sounds quite promising. I like the relaxing aspect, like get lost in a fictional universe for a few hours. Thanks for all the replies folks!