Out of Pod Experience

So, I bought Elite Dangerous on Steam for 12 euros while it was on sale. For those who don't know, it's a spaceship sim that's really immersive. However, I have found a few problems with the game.
I'll be addressing these in a FAQ style:

So, what is the problem with the game?

Elite Dangerous is about a mile wide and an inch deep. It lacks depth, and depth means content. Every mission is generic, such as mine in XX or mine in YY, kill this NPC, smuggle this space weed into a station etc. The game is an ungodly grind for a new ship, and it's not even exciting since you do the same things over and over and over again, even if you've reached "endgame" (which is inexistent).

Well if you don't like the game, why did you buy it?

I never said that I don't like the game. As a matter of fact, I do, and I'm addicted to it, I won't lie. However, there are just a lot of aspects that make the game unappealing: lack of depth, boring grind, almost zero player interaction etc.

Would you recommend the game to me?

If you really like spaceships, you could buy it... But for the moment, I'd say no. When the game was backed on kickstarter, you had to pay $75 for the game. Asking that amount of money for a game that feels like it's unfinished is cheeky. Asking for another $40 for a DLC that's practically the same, only with glorified planetary landings is impertinent. And asking for a lifetime expansion pass for $200 is downright insulting.

You're saying that the devs mistreat their customers?

Well, you couldn't put it like that, really. The devs are really just greedy gluttons that completely ignore the pleas of the community. We wanted social interaction like guilds and clubs, they only gave us a 4-player co-op mode. It could've been nice to walk around the station or through your ship, or more content would've been welcome, but nooooo, the money-hungry devs want more of my money for the same f*cking thing, only with space cars.

How do we know that this is actually true and not opiniated b*tching?

Believe what you will. A lot of fanboys will tell you that the game is what you make of it. I wish it were that way. With 20 hours in the game I know that pretty well. You will find out after this time that the game is practically making you do the same missions over and over and over and over again for ships that you will do the same thing in.
If you really want to buy this game, I'm not stopping you, but please just sit back for a year, and see how the game evolves, and consider looking into Star Citizen.

And you know, it's a shame! If only this game would have more stuff to do, it would be just amazing, the type of 10/10 game. The devs need to stop making DLCs and actually add a purpose to the game.

It is called "an ocean thousand miles wide, inch deep" in reviews for a reason.

At its heart, Elite: Dangerous is a remake of a game that's 20 years old, which at its turn was a sequel of the game that's 30 years old. ED core gameplay replicates and improves upon the features that were there in 1984, and at that time it was a mind-boggling revolutionary hit.

If you seek easily accessible and pre-digested content, achievements, or even a mass-multiplayer persistent universe, it is not for you. It's as niche as eve -- but in a slightly different way.

To each their own.

Update: After struggling for another 5 hours to find a reason to play the game, I just said: "Hell, I want my money back" and requested a refund. Hopefully it'll get accepted and I can spend my hard-earned cash on a game that's actually fun (like EVE).

In a way, E:D still isn't finished. And it won't be finished until planetary landings and avatar content are fully implemented.

I just compare it to EVE's timeline. How was EVE in 2004...?

SPACE DOG

per glass:

6 ice-cubes
1 pinch sodium chloride IGP
1 part Anarchal Gin
2. 5 parts BitterFruit juice

Dampen glass, dip rim in crushed NaCl

Add ice, Anarchal Gin and Bitter Fruit Juice

Swirl gently

And Battleships with 6 guns which took 2 months to mine for since there was no trade hubs to sell/buy minerals in any meaningful quantity...

Also 8,000 players online.

In 2004 EvE may have had much less "features" than it has now, but the core of what makes EvE fun to this day, namely player interaction aka sandbox was there. I started playing in october 2005 after I had read about the GHSC heist in a non-gaming magazine. By this time I already regretted not having found EvE a lot earlier. EvE had had a rich history of political turmoil, the roots of which can be traced to the very beginings.

Proof:
mOo

Actually EvE in 2003 was (most likely) a bad game from a pure game mechanics perspective. But some people had fun back then ... and it's the same kind of people that enjoy EvE today. People who love developing fittings, doctrines and tactics. People who love organizing logistics, teaching new players and supporting leaders. People who enjoy commanding fleets, negotiating trade agreements, creating propaganda material or spying. Basically all the stuff which makes EvE different from the new batch of singleplayer with a touch of coop or multiplayer but only if consentual space arcade games.

SC or E:D may be better at simulating flight mechanics (even if they are just as fictitious as EvE's flight mechanics), but EvE is the better simulation in economics and politics.

ED is basically euro truck simulator with lasers. I played the last game in the series and enjoyed it a little.

in 04 eve was alot of fun with tons of stuff to do. some of the infrastructure stuff was not there in 04 but it was not dull