How can I group up with other players?

[Akumati]

So recently I discovered how to Merit Farm, and also realized that it would be quicker to do it in a pack of 3-4 other pilots..

Is this one of those games where I have to join a clan from the forums to go hunting 2007 style? Or is there some form of group advertisement ingame that i'm missing? I'm not saying joining a clan the old fashion way is bad, in fact it would be pretty neat and remind me of my old MMO days but, I don't think they'd be interested in a total noob like myself. I have 100 hours in this game and am now just discovering how powerplay works..

[Agony_Aunt]

No need to join a clan. Just look for people doing the same thing in the same area. Talk to people. Add like minded people to your friend list. Build up a network of people you know.

There are no clan tools in game. There are out of game groups that play together in game, and many of those player groups have factions in game that they work for named after them.

Group features will slowly be developed over time, its an area that FD are interested in fleshing out, although they have been careful to say they don't want to pursue the traditional MMO clan/guild style of glameplay and systems, which anyway, are not possible considering territorial control would be a joke since we have different game modes sharing the same gameworld. ;)

[Akumati]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

No need to join a clan. Just look for people doing the same thing in the same area. Talk to people. Add like minded people to your friend list. Build up a network of people you know.

There are no clan tools in game. There are out of game groups that play together in game, and many of those player groups have factions in game that they work for named after them.

Group features will slowly be developed over time, its an area that FD are interested in fleshing out, although they have been careful to say they don't want to pursue the traditional MMO clan/guild style of glameplay and systems, which anyway, are not possible considering territorial control would be a joke since we have different game modes sharing the same gameworld. ;)

Ah, it's nice to see that ED is actually still being developed :) I thought the game was already completed and this is what we got! Is there a way where I can see which systems are popular for whatever reason then? The universe is quite a large place, and I'd like to know what systems I can bookmark for events. :)

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by Akumati:

Ah, it's nice to see that ED is actually still being developed :) I thought the game was already completed and this is what we got! Is there a way where I can see which systems are popular for whatever reason then? The universe is quite a large place, and I'd like to know what systems I can bookmark for events. :)

Ah, really need to poke the Community Managers again about getting the Steam page updated with clear info about how its a game in development.

Here is the brief rundown: Devs have what is touted as being a 10 year plan for the development of the game. Each year they will release a "Season pass" which combines a number of expansions within it. Mainly new major features will only be added for those that have the expansions, but smaller features and bug fixes and improvements will still be made for the base game.

So, things on the cards for future years are things like landing on planets with atmospheres, life on planets, walking around your ship and stations, etc.

The positives to this approach are that there is no monthly subscription and new content is always fun and expands on gameplay.

The downsides to this are: Bugs... always new bugs. And that they are using a layered approach to development. That is they add the basics of a gameplay element then slowly iterate improvements to it, rather than including complete finished versions of each element in a block.

The downsides sometimes frustrate people and causes a lot of annoyance and confusion. For some its better they do not buy at this stage and simply wait a few years until the game is more fleshed out.

Depends on whether this would be an issue for you or not.

[norbiq]

Originally posted by Akumati:

The universe is quite a large place, and I'd like to know what systems I can bookmark for events. :)

I think your best bet would be either read GalNet in the game or here: https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet