Kasumi GotoIf the Titans were placed there because of something only partially related to us and we're the ones off worse after it if they are "driven off", well, won't be me who's looking so stupid...
Hah, that reminds me of the Out of the Darkness novel. I wonder if Frontier actually considers it a part of the canon…
Kasumi Goto[snip a lot of points I agree with]
But hey, it's easier to blast the "bad/mindless bug" like the propaganda's been telling you to than to question why the supposed invasion hasn't really been an invasion, and think critically.
Yeah, that’s been the sad truth ever since the Thargoids appeared…
Kasumi GotoSampi OgonekOh, I’m perfectly aware that clearing the Titans had very little to do with actual combat. I well understand the fun that people have decoding the system and then using strategy to achieve goals, but the way it all has gone thus far feels rather off to me (even though I have been mostly absent from the game for a couple of months this year, and AX stuff has not been a major part of my play time).
In what way does it feel off to you, the strategies applied or just the direction it has taken?
I mean mostly the strategy, with AX combat tending to be far less effective than the sampling grind. Although the long period of mostly uneventful pushing back of the frontlines followed by what appears to be ‘panic adjustments’ on the FDev part does not help, either. As you said, it does not feel like a real war.
Kasumi Goto (I feel like I'm supposed to doubt this "contaminant" - which totally isn't a poison or anything - actually really being that 'effective'. The [Galnet] report feels more like a mockery of 21st century "Going to this dangerous or abandoned place with a history for the views with no scientific/historic insights or study" trends.)
Definitely, that’s also my impression. I, too, think it was deliberate, although I’m not sure if it was supposed to make us doubt the effectiveness of the contaminant, or was just a thinly veiled satire on the real-life phenomenon.
Kasumi Goto[snip more points I agree with]
TL;DR is I find the way spire progress is handled stupid, if only because of the point that hitting one spire site can somehow have the effect of clearing 1-3 others at the same time, instead of those needing attention separately. And tons upon tons of Orthrus for an "important logistical operation", but there are no ships guarding it until sabotage or destruction of logistical/recon vessels within it occurs.
Indeed. It is painfully obvious that, while the spire sites are visually stunning and the activity around them is fun, their war progress mechanic does not appear to be well-thought-out at all.
Silvia SharpeKasumi all of what you said is exactly why I feel like the war is just another failure of a hail Mary.
There’s the question how much of a ‘hail Mary’ it was supposed to be in the first place, though. After all, Frontier has to cater to players who are not going to drop everything else and do AX stuff, no matter what happens within the game (and I suspect such players form a decisive, if not overwhelming, majority).
Kasumi GotoI'm not sure about wiping the Bubble(Frontier upsetting players that much? they removed Scythe interdictions entirely and only now left some hyperdictions in only when you leave an alert/invasion while doing evacs). I'm not even sure - as per above - whether to expect them doing what they should and making the Thargoids slam down a hammer... or five... on humanity's collective stupidity. If they wanted to make the story more interesting, they absolutely should not be listening to the BGSers and whoever all stuck in their comfort zone that want none of it messed with in any way or under any circumstance so they can keep 'maintaining' it until the end of time with only some interference from other players. Because they're not the ones interested in the Thargoid story, most likely, yet they're like a giant road-blocking wall just waiting to be smashed down.
Pretty sure it’s not going to happen, for the above mentioned reason.
I’m kinda torn on this — on the one hand, I agree the story so far has been meh, and it would be cool to have anything actually upset the status quo (one totally redundant engineer in the utter backwater of the Witch Head Nebula being out of commission for a couple of weeks hardly counts); on the other hand, I know I would not have the time or dedication to participate full-time in an actual war, and if non-AX activity in the Bubble became unsustainable, I would either move to Colonia (only if it were to expand; currently it is a bit too small to support enough diverse options for fun) or disengage from the game altogether.
Kasumi GotoAs long as there eventually are some interactions to the Thargoids beyond primitive cargo 'donations' or shooting them in the face...
That’s what I’m hoping for, too. I find that current Thargoid-related activities are reasonably fun to me but I have little motivation to do them beyond trying out new stuff.