Is there any incentive to play open play?

[K-tel Records]

Do you make more money? Are there any advantages to playing in open play. I have not started playing this yet and wonder if it is better in some way to forgo single player and just become bullet bait and learn the hard way?

[Ad Hominem]

No, you just get the MMO aspect instead of being alone. There are also apparently PvE groups out there like Mobius, although I've never joined them. It's like a giant private session I guess but instead of a couple of your friends its 20,000 other PvE players.

If you want to play open they did implement a new player starting area that other players can't get to. Once you level up one of your traits and land at a station outside of the new player area though you get locked out also.

I've heard a lot of players complain about end game players killing helpless new players, they even have a name for it - seal clubbing. So I've always steered clear of open. You still share the same universe as the open crowd, so the actions they take affect your private universe and vice versa.

I stay away from open personally. I don't like MMOs in general because of the 'MM' part. Too many idiots, too many griefers and too many trolls. I might check out Mobius eventually but for now I stick to a private group with just my brother as another member.

[Stelar Seven]

The bonus to open is other people and the fun of meeting other humans.

Sometimes those other humans shoot at you, sometimes they help you on a task. If you like meeting strangers it's very cool.

If you will be stressed out or as from the occasional explosion of your stuff, best to not play in Open.

[Frank K]

It adds danger and makes you pay attention. Every fellow Commander you meet is a potential enemy, or a new friend. It can make your palms sweat. And playing in Open you get bragging rights since you're not from Care Bear Land. Just be sure you're not flying dirty, that's without a re-buy in the bank, Open is a dangerous place.

[Snobby Hobo]

For me it's ganking unsuspecting players. It's like a surprise to see how capable they are, which makes it interesting and thrilling. I do not kill the players I attack though - I always deliberately leave room for them to escape if I feel I bested them.

[Ad Hominem]

Originally posted by Frank K:

It adds danger and makes you pay attention. Every fellow Commander you meet is a potential enemy, or a new friend. It can make your palms sweat. And playing in Open you get bragging rights since you're not from Care Bear Land. Just be sure you're not flying dirty, that's without a re-buy in the bank, Open is a dangerous place.

That would be fine if everyone were on basically equal footing, but what can a new player do in their sidewinder when some gigantic mothership comes up and unloads every hardpoint on you? Or you try to run and they follow. There's no way to combat that kind of difference.

[Caramel_Clown]

Originally posted by Incredibly average:

For me it's ganking unsuspecting players. It's like a surprise to see how capable they are, which makes it interesting and thrilling. I do not kill the players I attack though - I always deliberately leave room for them to escape if I feel I bested them.

By god if all gankers were like you it would be way too safe in open :D
I like me a good gank, but not when I'm in my Cutter. Then the guy is just wasting time.

[Snobby Hobo]

Originally posted by Caramel_Clown:

Originally posted by Incredibly average:

For me it's ganking unsuspecting players. It's like a surprise to see how capable they are, which makes it interesting and thrilling. I do not kill the players I attack though - I always deliberately leave room for them to escape if I feel I bested them.

By god if all gankers were like you it would be way too safe in open :D
I like me a good gank, but not when I'm in my Cutter. Then the guy is just wasting time.

Ha. My code doesn't really make the good guy though. I will attack anything I intercept including Sidewinders and Adders. I also kill if the the opponent puts me in a really poor position(so if I met you probably one of us would end up dead).

I just don't like "seal clubbing" and I don't care for any loot.

[bkrrrrr]

When I bought this game years ago the idea in my head is that it would be cool to fly around a "living" Galaxy and see all the other players flying around going about their businesses as well, with friendly o7 all around. Obviously my first encounter with "PvP culture" was a shocking disappointment, and I spent the next year trying to avoid other players whenever possible. Open was a wasteland of self-serving gankery, which is sad. Eventually I got a ship that can run from pretty much anything, but I still hate the unfortunate distopian vibe of the game.

[UnwieldyRex]

Originally posted by Ad Hominem:

That would be fine if everyone were on basically equal footing, but what can a new player do in their sidewinder when some gigantic mothership comes up and unloads every hardpoint on you? Or you try to run and they follow. There's no way to combat that kind of difference.

That is what we call a griefer/troll and not a ganker. In real world, if you're in the higher ranks of the combat system, killing anything below you is not gonna get you any worthwhile score to your combat rank, so unless that greenbean has a bounty (which honestly isn't gonna be much), they're just being a ♥♥♥♥, aka griefing/trolling.

Also, the larger ships are pretty terrible for combat against smaller more agile ships. I was watching a video yesterday where a youtuber had a Chieftan he dubbed "blunderbuss" that would shred any Anaconda, Corvette, Clipper, Dropship, or gunship to pieces in a matter of seconds, but a Cobra/Viper/Vulture would take him several minutes and a couple even got passed his shields and I want to say the vulture damn near got him (leaving with 46% hull) before the Vulture ka-boomed all over the asteroid field.

[Caramel_Clown]

Originally posted by quentincw96:

Originally posted by Ad Hominem:

That would be fine if everyone were on basically equal footing, but what can a new player do in their sidewinder when some gigantic mothership comes up and unloads every hardpoint on you? Or you try to run and they follow. There's no way to combat that kind of difference.

That is what we call a griefer/troll and not a ganker. In real world, if you're in the higher ranks of the combat system, killing anything below you is not gonna get you any worthwhile score to your combat rank, so unless that greenbean has a bounty (which honestly isn't gonna be much), they're just being a ♥♥♥♥, aka griefing/trolling.

Also, the larger ships are pretty terrible for combat against smaller more agile ships. I was watching a video yesterday where a youtuber had a Chieftan he dubbed "blunderbuss" that would shred any Anaconda, Corvette, Clipper, Dropship, or gunship to pieces in a matter of seconds, but a Cobra/Viper/Vulture would take him several minutes and a couple even got passed his shields and I want to say the vulture damn near got him (leaving with 46% hull) before the Vulture ka-boomed all over the asteroid field.

Check out CMDR ThreeOfNine killing a Clipper with a mine launcher mounted on a Sidewinder :) It's a good laugh.

[UnwieldyRex]

Originally posted by Caramel_Clown:

Originally posted by quentincw96:

That is what we call a griefer/troll and not a ganker. In real world, if you're in the higher ranks of the combat system, killing anything below you is not gonna get you any worthwhile score to your combat rank, so unless that greenbean has a bounty (which honestly isn't gonna be much), they're just being a ♥♥♥♥, aka griefing/trolling.

Also, the larger ships are pretty terrible for combat against smaller more agile ships. I was watching a video yesterday where a youtuber had a Chieftan he dubbed "blunderbuss" that would shred any Anaconda, Corvette, Clipper, Dropship, or gunship to pieces in a matter of seconds, but a Cobra/Viper/Vulture would take him several minutes and a couple even got passed his shields and I want to say the vulture damn near got him (leaving with 46% hull) before the Vulture ka-boomed all over the asteroid field.

Check out CMDR ThreeOfNine killing a Clipper with a mine launcher mounted on a Sidewinder :) It's a good laugh.

Him and the DownToEarthAstronomy (the guy with Blunderbuss) are hella good. I like ThreeOfNine because he shows us that it's not about the ship, it's about how you use it!

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by Rex Ursus:

I have not started playing this yet and wonder if it is better in some way to forgo single player and just become bullet bait and learn the hard way?

If you like to learn the hard way and being a bullet bait then you can play in Open, no problems. It's the only "advantage" the Open gives you over Solo or Private Groups.

Don't forget - you play for your own fun, not for somebody else's.

[Caramel_Clown]

Originally posted by Dolphin Bottlenose:

Originally posted by Rex Ursus:

I have not started playing this yet and wonder if it is better in some way to forgo single player and just become bullet bait and learn the hard way?

If you like to learn the hard way and being a bullet bait then you can play in Open, no problems. It's the only "advantage" the Open gives you over Solo or Private Groups.

Don't forget - you play for your own fun, not for somebody else's.

Way to scare new players... You are vastly more likely to find friendly commanders in open than bullies. Been in open for 5 years, and I've definitely made more friends than enemies. Also, learning the hard way is best way of learning ;)

[Stelar Seven]

Originally posted by Caramel_Clown:

Originally posted by Dolphin Bottlenose:

If you like to learn the hard way and being a bullet bait then you can play in Open, no problems. It's the only "advantage" the Open gives you over Solo or Private Groups.

Don't forget - you play for your own fun, not for somebody else's.

Way to scare new players... You are vastly more likely to find friendly commanders in open than bullies. Been in open for 5 years, and I've definitely made more friends than enemies. Also, learning the hard way is best way of learning ;)

This.

But also what Dolphin said. This game offers wide ability to curate your experience. If you meet an agressive player in open and don't want to see them again you can block specific commanders and then you won't see them again.

Some of us like the threat and excitement of other humans who might shoot. It makes even the charts where no one shoots that much more fun.

Others hate that feeling and they are accommodated in single or big groups like Mobius.

So you get to select your experience. Try it with stuff you can afford to get blown up in and see which you are.

[Caramel_Clown]

Each mode has it's place, and it's good that people have choice. I just hate when somebody paints it black and white for new players, deliberately trying to scare them from one option on another.