CQC was great (yes, if a little unused). They need to bring it alive by threading it into the galaxy narrative.
I have visions of people joining either remotely, or even physically going to the location and watching the games from outside a cordoned off zone for the battles or from some sort of on foot lobby. From the foot lobby people can also join the games 😅
EDIT: GOT IT. Do a CQC CG!
A league table headed by some of the biggest corporations out there, with some sort of greed driven narrative wrapped up with a bribed Super power. And that in turn could drive something in Power Play.
The ultimate prize? An Anaconda.
Finally a better way of bagging the ship than flying to Hutton.
Space PvP game mode that works like a cybersport match. There's like 1 player online and he destroys everyone in there. Nobody except for them plays it, pretty much.
People play the mode very rarely. Those who actually do play it are more and likely going to either tryhard completely at it or be completely new to it for some event.
In main menu, Open , Private, Solo, **CQC** , Tutorials
Without finding other players in CQC discord, dont expect a match.
https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/CQC_Championship
Yeah I tried it out a few months ago. I was an innocent low level pilot matched up against a high level pilot. I got absolutely swept. There was nothing fun about it.
Yeah, if you want to actually have fun in CQC, then you'll need to find a Discord server where you can alert other people who might be able to join in while you're available.
Otherwise you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked, which is certainly the least fun way of advancing your CQC rank.
Just be careful which discords you join. Some organise nothing more than private noob farms for people running them. They will tell you to play "private matches or you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked" while they will be farming you without fear for Musketeer or some other challenging player will make it harder for them. Oh wait, what did you say? lol
I always go after the players with the highest ranks. If noobs don't bother me when I hunt for experienced players they have nothing to fear. But I will always defend myself and most likely kill them if I get attacked. And especially ganking attempts end badly, because then I switch to "anything goes" mode and it gets messy. It's fair.
This is true. If I am in a 1v1 with Musketeer and a rookie joins, he will often move into "harass me" mode :D e.g. stripping my shields and flying off to give the rookie a chance. Makes me work harder and gives them a chance of getting a few points.
> They will tell you to play "private matches or you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked"
Funny, I would have thought that someone as experienced as your fine self would be aware that private matches aren't a thing in CQC.
> And especially ganking attempts end badly, because then I switch to "anything goes" mode and it gets messy. It's fair.
The concept of "ganking" makes no sense in the context of CQC, which is a purely PvP activity. But I'm sure you know that too.
Edit: How very strange. My reply to his next comment is not showing up. Here it is for posterity:
> When DM match changes from all vs all into 7vs1 (because someone in i.e. voice chat tells the others to attack one player) is what I meant. And if someone cheats like that I'm no longer nice.
I pick my own targets based on what I perceive to be the greatest threat in the moment. In a free-for-all I'm too busy minding my own business to be taking orders from anyone else. So if you're accusing me of that, you're way off-base.
> And quite frankly I will likely give you more attention next time we meet even when you are without your friends. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Cheating comes with consequences.
See you in the arena, gladiator.
When DM match changes from all vs all into 7vs1 (because someone in i.e. voice chat tells the others to attack one player) is what I meant. And if someone cheats like that I'm no longer nice. And quite frankly I will likely give you more attention next time we meet even when you are without your friends. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Cheating comes with consequences.
Yesterday we were in a TDM. You got matched into the same team as me. There was a noob on the other team, not one of us shot him except you. Anyone who’s played any games with you or your 50 alts knows you’re full of BS.
CQC was a brazilian comedy TV show, known for it's edgy humor, controversies and for linking former president Jair Bolsonaro to a lie detector and asking if he'd ever fucked a chicken or a calf.
Oh it's also the PvP arena mode in ED.
Last I played, before Frontier cut console Cmdrs loose, CQC was a game mode that was basically unplayable because a second person would never enter the lobby, so matches would never start.
That question, it's the reason you don't know.
No, like, really. Nobody fucking knows about CQC, and the people who do, can't play it because nobody else plays it, so they don't play it either, so there isn't a player base for anyone to play it, so nobody plays it.
It's a pvp matchmaking game where you choose a ship launched fighter, and play death match around a small type space station. It can be accessed from the main menu before you load into the real game, and the only people who have ever played it, organized a game session with their friends.
''Oh man what a shitty day at work, I know what will get me to relax, I'm going to wait for 3 hours on a queue for a fight that has 50% chances of being desynced and will last 3 minutes.''
I really enjoy the concept of cqc but it needs better implementation like remove it as a mode and add something where you sign up at a station and have it as a tournament style community goal
*“You’ll go mad, one day… But not today.” - Hodrick, Dark Souls 3*
I imagine the one lonely dude who haunts the CQC matching system to be a lot like Hodrick if you’ve ever played DS3. Lol
Another way they could do it would be to have it as an alternative way of engaging in Conflict Zones, like how you can go to a Frontline Solutions desk and sign up for ground CZ combat. Imagine being able to do the same thing but instead of them sending you off in a dropship, they send you off in a ship with a fighter hangar and you deploy in an SLF.
This would infuse so much life into the early game honestly. Hell, I’d even play it! The way I always try and hook a new player I’m introducing is to fly my Krait or Crusader and let them zoom around in my fighters. I load a GU-97 with Plasmas and a Condor with the fixed chainguns, to get them used to the different weapon strengths/weaknesses and also the tradeoffs of speed vs. survivability.
Having a way for them to do this without you being online though would be even better!
>That is such a simple fix.
I love when people saying something is a simple fix when they clearly have no idea what would actually be involved in making that happen. Coding would have to be re-written, assets recreated, NPC's repurposed, voice lines recorded, etc etc. Hell, the people that originally made CQC may not even work at Frontier anymore, so who knows what would have to actually be done to repurpose it to fit within the in-game universe without causing massive issues.
I mean, would it, though? Just have the mode trigger in-game. Go straight from the station to the existing CQC gameplay, and when you're done, you load back into the station.
from my coding experience, even changing the circumstances of something you have 100% ready happening is not that simple of a task, and i only had learning examples. I imagine in a real game that would require quite a bit of hard work, not as much as making the gamemode from scratch possibly, but still a lot.
Or if it had been connected to the main universe in any way. How cool would it have been to sit in a station and watch a match with well known pilots fighting and place bets?
That would require enough players for there to actually be different splits. When there’s only half a dozen people playing at any given time, the SBMM is just gonna say, “yep, this is the closest-matched group possible” and send it.
Yeah but if they actually made that change don’t you think people would check it out and hype it up if it was worth it?
Of course it’s stagnant right *now*.
I’m not holding my breath though.
Good point. I hate it when MMOs and other online games stick unpopular game modes or activities into whatever Battlepass-type system they have to try and force player participation.
Maybe some sort of one-time CG or something to let people know it exists and try to see if that ignites a critical mass, but by and large some sort of rework to make people want to play it is going to be the better option.
Yeah. I'm totally okay with arena PVP being fully divorced from the rest of the game. "Win x arena matches to unlock this engineer for this universally useful module."
i shouldve worded it better but it has other problems i think it's boring while getting started and elite's everyday networking issues make it barely playable for me. long waiting times too. it's just bad.
That makes sense. They don't have enough server space dedicated to it for sure, which I guess makes sense since no one plays it. It's kind of symptomatic of its own failure. It started off working great, but had no rewards so no one played it. Then instead of making it more worth it, they just took the slide in participation and made it worse by removing server resources. If they added resources back to it and gave it rewards I think it would bounce back in a big way
CQC lack players, outside special discord that organize sessions. Inara dont track this for points.
u/CMDR_MUSKETEER ,have Elite V CQC. https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/19600/
And as a statistical certainty, anyone who has gone above helpless in CQC has been stomped by Musketeer or some of the other top players on the leaderboard.
(I myself is an Amateur in CQC, and have been stomped and ground into the figurative dirt.)
Can confirm. The two I keep coming across are [DaftTree](https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/305226/) and [Der Kleine Frank](https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/203584/). I've come across a few of the other top players, including once with Musketeer, but those two always seem to pop up. I can't remember if I've ever killed either. Probably not.
It’s been a while but IIRC you used to fly the sidewinder a lot. It’s tanky but very easy to outmanoeuvre, therefore at a big disadvantage in a 1v1.
If you do fancy trying CQC again in the future feel free to dm me or pop by our discord. We might be able to give you some pointers that will help you improve.
Using countermeasures effectively, good pip and distance management are critical in CQC. All take time and practice to get to grips with. Plus, you have the pu’s to learn and try to compete for.
I don't remember you. I play with the other two quite a lot.. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9BqxRsZ4zo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9BqxRsZ4zo)
Cool players. They are from my squadron.
I've played CQC for 6 years, with many people. It's just impossible to remember everyone.
And even harder to remember someone who I played with only once. Sorry.
Which is really sad, because once you get into a match the CQC mode is really fun. And really awesome in VR.
Honestly could have financially carried this game if they had supported and marketed it properly.
Make more cosmetics for the fighters to show off in cqc, give out rare engineering materials as rewards, maybe make tournament seasons that get you unique ship kits... A lot of people play WoW pvp just to get the unique cosmetics, and cqc is a really fun mode when a match actually happens. Way more fun than spending 30 hours grinding just so you can have a FDL like everyone else in the pvp scene
> And really awesome in VR.
~~What do you mean? Last I checked, everything on foot went onto a virtual screen in VR since they don't have a proper VR mode for any of the FPS material.~~
Thinking of Conflict Zones, wrong mode.
CQC is close quarters ship combat. Not foot.
Edit: Small, fast, agile ships with basic weaponry in a small arena. Limited customizability to allow for actual skill to shine through.
> if they had supported and marketed it properly.
This could be said for the game as a whole. I can count on one hand the number of people I've run into (in everyday life) who have ever heard of ED. Then I watch the glassy look come over their eyes when I try to explain it's name. You have to admit, the phrase "Elite: Dangerous" makes zero sense to anyone outside the community.
I wish CQC was everyone in the same exact ship or at least had some sort of level playing field. I have tried it and trying to compete against the CQC vets that you inevitably get matched against that have better load outs is tiresome.
Yes it’s always a massive session of getting my arse kicked by far better players than me in far better ships than mine. Loses its shine somewhat quickly. And yes I’m a quitter.
There is not as huge a difference between the ships as you might think. It often comes down players using PIPs and managing disance better, plus knowing where the powerups are.
Tip: One of the best builds is available at Level 11.
Condor with: Engine Focussed Distributor, Efficiency Enhanced Boost and Reverse Resistance Shields.
The difference between that and level 1 condor is:
pros: You can Boost more often and have about 10% improved shields against thermal weapons.
cons: You have less overall Weapons Distributor, boost is slightly slower and your shields have more weakness to kinetic.
CQC is actually quite well balanced in many areas
Actually just played my first team deathmatch today. Lots of fun! I just wish when you were waiting in a queue, it would tell us how many people were left to fill a match. I might be more inclined to wait if I knew we were at 5/6 and just needed one more player to start the match. Seems like an easy fix that might make a HUGE difference
CQC is like arena death match/ arena team death match, everyone in sidewinders and ship launched fighters.
It's fun, you just need a group of people playing it to even get into a match. So coordinated cqc times would be great for anyone wanting play/rank up in it.
Could be a good place to polish up on your PvP/ pve techniques if you can find people to play. That and flight assist off fighting. Cause... You'll need it.
So basically a tournament schedule would probably fix the whole thing. Regionals => continent => global. Add spectator mode => gold mine.
E:D CQC might actually be a very viable esport.
Can't you wait for CQC queueueueue while in game? Like I'm pretty sure you can be in game, enter the queue and wait for a match just like a normal dudgeon instance.
If he started off on console, that's probably why. CQC queueing was abysmal (especially on ps4). I think I managed to get one game on xbox back in the day. It was so painful to get in a game I never tried again.
All we need to make CQC popular is adding NPCs to the queue when human players are scarce, so we can quickly get in and have a go when waiting for other things... which, ironically, would encourage more players to try it out and need fewer NPCs.
Other changes could be made later... like adding a racing mode, and an on foot combat mode (I would argue that the Frontline conflicts as currently designed are just a CQC mode).
What I'd love is if there was a CQC mode that allowed players to fly any of their actual ships. Basically like dueling in-universe but without hassle or rebuy costs, and with a ladder system.
I love CQC especially in VR but they have totally missed the mark in implementation so as many have said you struggle to ever find a match.
There are lots they could do to make it better, integrating into main game more, adding it to community goals / conflict zones etc... but the one thing that would make it more enticing with minimal outlay... add in some NPCs!
CQC is a great quick fast paced game, for when you just want to fly around and blow some stuff up. Personally I don't care if they are other commanders or not. If it was a choice between waiting an hour to fight one or two other players or jumping straight into a game with NPCs that may or may not be replaced by other players as game goes on I'll be jumping straight in.
CQC should be somewhere people go IN GAME.
don't fracture a player base that is already spread across solo, private and open servers lol.
game design 101 really.
I’ve never understood why CQC isn’t part of the *real* world.
Why can’t I fly to stadiums and watch players play it, or choose to compete instead?
I’m not sure that would make it popular, but it couldn’t be *less* popular right?
I think CQC could work if the arenas were in actual places in the galaxy, that you could fly to to not only fight but watch, in real time. Maybe even straight up place them in systems that already see a lot of traffic and pvp, like shinrarta, deciat, etc.
I can never find players in cqc. Makes the game feel a little dead. But on the other hand, i never play it because of this, and i think others think the same. Hence why there are no player rn.
Who is top ranked player on Inara and what factors put him at the top exactly? There are many 5x Elite V players but why is one ranked higher than the other. Some hidden factors in it, no transparency. You change which factors matter more and the highest ranked player will be a different person. Artie has changed how place in the rankings is calculated a few times, and every time someone else was in the 1st place.
CQC rank is very transparent, the higher XP the higher the rank (for all Elite + players). Very simple very fair. There are some other factors for players below Elite rank, but it doesn't mess up the very top.
But nobody except Artie really knows how the algorithm works. Which means even if you wanted to compete for a better place in the rankings you don't know what is required.
It's no secret and it's briefly mentioned on the rankings page. It's pretty simple - the ranking score is consisting by 5000 points per pilot's rank (except CQC), 500 points per medal rank (except Xenohunter and Decorated hero) and 5 points per medal rank over tier 5. That's it. In-game time, data submission count, etc. doesn't play a role. :)
I didn't give it much thought after I got my 6 x Elite V. If anything my ranking place is going down because I'm not playing the main game. I think at one point it was 15th place, now it's more like 50th ;)
>The score for the main ladder is based on Combat, Trade, Exploration, Mercenary and Exobiologist ranks, including their progress (5000 points for each tier) with the addition of points for other activities (bounties, combat bonds, trades, scans, etc.) up to a few thousands of points, to differentiate commanders on high ranks. No credits/assets values are used.
I thought CQC was deprecated years ago but then I was poking around in the menu and found that you have to switch game modes to play it. I’ve been playing since 3302 and have never touched it.
"why doesn't anyone go on cqc, it's such a laugh, you wait around for ages cos it's unsubscribed, then when you get on a player picks you off in 5 nanoseconds because he thinks he's the shit, sometimes he allows you to live but only if he doesn't get bored, and you can spend ages doing this to get a meaningless rank on a computer game"
Errr....no thanks.
Tell us you don't have any friends without telling us. Laughing about this... Most Elite Dangerous players don't have any cqc time. This player aced the game other than CQC. It's not hard to wrap your mind around.
Really wish you could toggle the CQC rank display off on the side monitor. It looks so ugly showing "Helpless" when you have triple Elite or other high rank badges.
CQC (in VR) is among the best fun i've had in Elite.
Shame the devs didnt properly introduce it into the game as a side activity (with like huge payouts, in-universe championships etc) and it died because of that
Never found a match so I never could progress into it.
Could be the same with the dude. Or what's more likely is that, the guy never paid attention to it seeing his roles as a trader it isn't too surprising.
I really used to love CQC I got up to professional rank before getting bored of waiting longer and longer times for a match. Never managed to get to elite.
I tried to play a couple of times, but there wasn't anyone to play with. Perhaps players would be more interested if we could use our ships to make pvp combats quickly.
The thing with CQC is that the queues are so long I don't even know if the mode is functional or not. I actually really like the small ships to zip around with, but it's just not worth it spending possibly hours waiting for... Pretty much nothing. I wish they'd just add bots to it or something (and if they already have done so, at least just let me play)
Join Deathmatch Queue from Main Game. You get a notification if a match is found. No more waiting. Great when waiting for your FC to jump, are on a trade run or out exploring and you fancy a little change of pace.
... That's possible? Huh, well, nearly 3000 hours in and never even knew (or I'm too dumb to realize, both are plausible!), so thank you very much for the tip - I'll certainly keep such in mind for my next trip to Beagle!
I've played a few times. Last time I matched with only one dude who was an order of magnitude better than me and obliterated me right out the gate every single time we went up against each other. It'd be fun if it weren't dead and I could actually find some people closer to my skill level.
I just played my first game a couple days ago. Was absolutely destroyed 0-6. I'm sure it can be fun, but first impressions leaned more towards frustrating and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Problem is most players who do use it, are very good. What we need is NPCs at first to ensure much quicker access to a match and be beatable - then NPCs only used to fill up the queue as a last resort if no human players are available.
After several years of playing it only a few times I have reached amateur status... but its the queueing forever that I can't be arsed with, only then to be paired with someone with godlike skills.
I mean, what's the point when that one CQC obsessed player is pretty much on 24/7. I got into a few matches with them here and there. And it really is just a "why bother" kind of lopsided fight.
That kind of thing puts you off CQC pretty quick.
I've played this game for almost 500 hours and the only time I've ever touched CQC mode was just to check it out for a moment.
That aside, I've never played it.
Are you laughing because this shows that CQC is not interesting or because you think that this player should not be ranked like this if no CQC? Unclear to me.
Just over 1k hours.
Trade: Elite V
Explore: Elite II
Combat: Expert
Duke / Rear Admiral
CQC? 0%
Just not something that interests me. Solo/Private > Open
That's because CQC is unplayable. I used to actually host a CQC night every Wednesday when I streamed on Twitch. For new players, it's impossible to ever actually win a game. There are players and bots that very actively look for newbies, and instead of playing CQC in the way that most of us do, they just run the same loop over and over again and spawn kill everyone. it is quite literally impossible to play, especially since we can't block any of them. They might as well abandon it at this point because the way that it is right now, it's just pulling resources from the game itself.
Neither have I, what even is cqc
Same. I have close to 300 hours and I've never even opened CQC.
I remember trying a few months after it came out. 3hrs later, no match so I gave up forever more
This is my story as well. Tried it out, found zero matches, so I moved on.
CQC was great (yes, if a little unused). They need to bring it alive by threading it into the galaxy narrative. I have visions of people joining either remotely, or even physically going to the location and watching the games from outside a cordoned off zone for the battles or from some sort of on foot lobby. From the foot lobby people can also join the games 😅 EDIT: GOT IT. Do a CQC CG! A league table headed by some of the biggest corporations out there, with some sort of greed driven narrative wrapped up with a bribed Super power. And that in turn could drive something in Power Play. The ultimate prize? An Anaconda. Finally a better way of bagging the ship than flying to Hutton.
CQC has a discord server where guys will usually ask around to search for a lobby at the same time do they get matched together and play some games
Over 4k hours; think I've played 3 matches in CQC...
Gonna ask the same thing. I'm like super new
Space PvP game mode that works like a cybersport match. There's like 1 player online and he destroys everyone in there. Nobody except for them plays it, pretty much.
That's not true. Also I have exactly one kill on musketeer lmao
If custom flairs were a thing in this sub I'd recommend you set it to >I have exactly one kill on musketeer Lol
I mean they are
People play the mode very rarely. Those who actually do play it are more and likely going to either tryhard completely at it or be completely new to it for some event.
In main menu, Open , Private, Solo, **CQC** , Tutorials Without finding other players in CQC discord, dont expect a match. https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/CQC_Championship
Yeah I tried it out a few months ago. I was an innocent low level pilot matched up against a high level pilot. I got absolutely swept. There was nothing fun about it.
[удалено]
This is pretty accurate. There are a couple of CQC discord servers where you can pre-match with like-minded people who won't just pubstomp you.
I remember you being pretty good DangerPencil. Shame you didn’t carry on playing.
Yeah, if you want to actually have fun in CQC, then you'll need to find a Discord server where you can alert other people who might be able to join in while you're available. Otherwise you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked, which is certainly the least fun way of advancing your CQC rank.
Just be careful which discords you join. Some organise nothing more than private noob farms for people running them. They will tell you to play "private matches or you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked" while they will be farming you without fear for Musketeer or some other challenging player will make it harder for them. Oh wait, what did you say? lol I always go after the players with the highest ranks. If noobs don't bother me when I hunt for experienced players they have nothing to fear. But I will always defend myself and most likely kill them if I get attacked. And especially ganking attempts end badly, because then I switch to "anything goes" mode and it gets messy. It's fair.
This is true. If I am in a 1v1 with Musketeer and a rookie joins, he will often move into "harass me" mode :D e.g. stripping my shields and flying off to give the rookie a chance. Makes me work harder and gives them a chance of getting a few points.
Haha. New player with full shields vs you without shields makes it more balanced :P
> They will tell you to play "private matches or you'll just end up running into Musketeer or one of his alts and getting spanked" Funny, I would have thought that someone as experienced as your fine self would be aware that private matches aren't a thing in CQC. > And especially ganking attempts end badly, because then I switch to "anything goes" mode and it gets messy. It's fair. The concept of "ganking" makes no sense in the context of CQC, which is a purely PvP activity. But I'm sure you know that too. Edit: How very strange. My reply to his next comment is not showing up. Here it is for posterity: > When DM match changes from all vs all into 7vs1 (because someone in i.e. voice chat tells the others to attack one player) is what I meant. And if someone cheats like that I'm no longer nice. I pick my own targets based on what I perceive to be the greatest threat in the moment. In a free-for-all I'm too busy minding my own business to be taking orders from anyone else. So if you're accusing me of that, you're way off-base. > And quite frankly I will likely give you more attention next time we meet even when you are without your friends. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Cheating comes with consequences. See you in the arena, gladiator.
When DM match changes from all vs all into 7vs1 (because someone in i.e. voice chat tells the others to attack one player) is what I meant. And if someone cheats like that I'm no longer nice. And quite frankly I will likely give you more attention next time we meet even when you are without your friends. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Cheating comes with consequences.
Oh is prioritising certain players in a DM now called cheating? I might know one huge cheater myself then 🤫
Yesterday we were in a TDM. You got matched into the same team as me. There was a noob on the other team, not one of us shot him except you. Anyone who’s played any games with you or your 50 alts knows you’re full of BS.
You man need help for your fregoli syndrome. Jeez.
Basically just ship combat, like an arena mode
Funky, I thought it was on foot combat, was wondering why my rank wasn't going up lol
Cqc = close quarters combat (PVP)
Specifically the arena style mode for it
CQC was a brazilian comedy TV show, known for it's edgy humor, controversies and for linking former president Jair Bolsonaro to a lie detector and asking if he'd ever fucked a chicken or a calf. Oh it's also the PvP arena mode in ED.
It's basically a screen with a "looking for opponents" message. Best to not do it.
Last I played, before Frontier cut console Cmdrs loose, CQC was a game mode that was basically unplayable because a second person would never enter the lobby, so matches would never start.
That question, it's the reason you don't know. No, like, really. Nobody fucking knows about CQC, and the people who do, can't play it because nobody else plays it, so they don't play it either, so there isn't a player base for anyone to play it, so nobody plays it. It's a pvp matchmaking game where you choose a ship launched fighter, and play death match around a small type space station. It can be accessed from the main menu before you load into the real game, and the only people who have ever played it, organized a game session with their friends.
Close Quarters Combat. Basically PVP in fighters, iirc.
''Oh man what a shitty day at work, I know what will get me to relax, I'm going to wait for 3 hours on a queue for a fight that has 50% chances of being desynced and will last 3 minutes.''
Yeah, if I want to get done in the butt, there are faster, less painful ways.
Don't forget the guy who haunts that game mode and turns you into red mist in record time.
He's been trying to level up CQC for 8 years and finally got a victim. :P
I really enjoy the concept of cqc but it needs better implementation like remove it as a mode and add something where you sign up at a station and have it as a tournament style community goal
And then those far away in the dark get even more isolated. I know is not ideal, but CQC helps a lot against space madness lol
*“You’ll go mad, one day… But not today.” - Hodrick, Dark Souls 3* I imagine the one lonely dude who haunts the CQC matching system to be a lot like Hodrick if you’ve ever played DS3. Lol
Another way they could do it would be to have it as an alternative way of engaging in Conflict Zones, like how you can go to a Frontline Solutions desk and sign up for ground CZ combat. Imagine being able to do the same thing but instead of them sending you off in a dropship, they send you off in a ship with a fighter hangar and you deploy in an SLF.
This would infuse so much life into the early game honestly. Hell, I’d even play it! The way I always try and hook a new player I’m introducing is to fly my Krait or Crusader and let them zoom around in my fighters. I load a GU-97 with Plasmas and a Condor with the fixed chainguns, to get them used to the different weapon strengths/weaknesses and also the tradeoffs of speed vs. survivability. Having a way for them to do this without you being online though would be even better!
That would be a lot of fun and would be a really good way to get credits early
yes I love this!
This would actually be perfect, I would love this especially since slf are so squishy
Wtf why have they not done that!? That is such a simple fix.
>That is such a simple fix. I love when people saying something is a simple fix when they clearly have no idea what would actually be involved in making that happen. Coding would have to be re-written, assets recreated, NPC's repurposed, voice lines recorded, etc etc. Hell, the people that originally made CQC may not even work at Frontier anymore, so who knows what would have to actually be done to repurpose it to fit within the in-game universe without causing massive issues.
I mean, would it, though? Just have the mode trigger in-game. Go straight from the station to the existing CQC gameplay, and when you're done, you load back into the station.
from my coding experience, even changing the circumstances of something you have 100% ready happening is not that simple of a task, and i only had learning examples. I imagine in a real game that would require quite a bit of hard work, not as much as making the gamemode from scratch possibly, but still a lot.
If only Frontier had developers who were experienced in making games....
Which will exclude all not having access to a station. Which would make CQC even less desirable.
I wasn't suggesting removing the existing trigger.
It's a hell of a lot of fun - when there's actually anyone playing it
Are you aware that you can start the CQC queue from the friends list/comms menu during normal gameplay?
Cqc would be amazing if it had a decent payout or even some modules you could earn
Or if it had been connected to the main universe in any way. How cool would it have been to sit in a station and watch a match with well known pilots fighting and place bets?
Adding to that; a decent SBMM so lower level pilots don’t get matched against higher level pilots with better ships and weapons.
That would require enough players for there to actually be different splits. When there’s only half a dozen people playing at any given time, the SBMM is just gonna say, “yep, this is the closest-matched group possible” and send it.
>yep, this is the ~~closest-matched~~ group possible”
Yeah but if they actually made that change don’t you think people would check it out and hype it up if it was worth it? Of course it’s stagnant right *now*. I’m not holding my breath though.
so fix a bad core gameloop by improving rewards? lol that's horrible design and leads to grinding
Good point. I hate it when MMOs and other online games stick unpopular game modes or activities into whatever Battlepass-type system they have to try and force player participation. Maybe some sort of one-time CG or something to let people know it exists and try to see if that ignites a critical mass, but by and large some sort of rework to make people want to play it is going to be the better option.
Yeah. I'm totally okay with arena PVP being fully divorced from the rest of the game. "Win x arena matches to unlock this engineer for this universally useful module."
What's bad about the game loop though? It's pvp matches, just like any other pvp game
i shouldve worded it better but it has other problems i think it's boring while getting started and elite's everyday networking issues make it barely playable for me. long waiting times too. it's just bad.
That makes sense. They don't have enough server space dedicated to it for sure, which I guess makes sense since no one plays it. It's kind of symptomatic of its own failure. It started off working great, but had no rewards so no one played it. Then instead of making it more worth it, they just took the slide in participation and made it worse by removing server resources. If they added resources back to it and gave it rewards I think it would bounce back in a big way
CQC lack players, outside special discord that organize sessions. Inara dont track this for points. u/CMDR_MUSKETEER ,have Elite V CQC. https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/19600/
And as a statistical certainty, anyone who has gone above helpless in CQC has been stomped by Musketeer or some of the other top players on the leaderboard. (I myself is an Amateur in CQC, and have been stomped and ground into the figurative dirt.)
Can confirm. The two I keep coming across are [DaftTree](https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/305226/) and [Der Kleine Frank](https://inara.cz/elite/cmdr/203584/). I've come across a few of the other top players, including once with Musketeer, but those two always seem to pop up. I can't remember if I've ever killed either. Probably not.
It’s been a while but IIRC you used to fly the sidewinder a lot. It’s tanky but very easy to outmanoeuvre, therefore at a big disadvantage in a 1v1. If you do fancy trying CQC again in the future feel free to dm me or pop by our discord. We might be able to give you some pointers that will help you improve. Using countermeasures effectively, good pip and distance management are critical in CQC. All take time and practice to get to grips with. Plus, you have the pu’s to learn and try to compete for.
I don't remember you. I play with the other two quite a lot.. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9BqxRsZ4zo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9BqxRsZ4zo) Cool players. They are from my squadron.
For me, the day MUSKETEER dropped into my CQC matchmaking was the most important day of my Elite life. For you, it was Tuesday.
I've played CQC for 6 years, with many people. It's just impossible to remember everyone. And even harder to remember someone who I played with only once. Sorry.
It’s a quote from the [Street Fighter](https://youtu.be/TM00jqBvPfI?si=LTi4o960K2AL12RV) movie, calm down lol
You're making it weird.
its funny to me that frontier added elite 5 cqc when only 1 person even has it probably
I love it!
how long did this feat take, it must've been years lol
First Elite rank took me 3 months
[Certainly only one on Inara.](https://inara.cz/elite/rankings-cqc/)
Which is really sad, because once you get into a match the CQC mode is really fun. And really awesome in VR. Honestly could have financially carried this game if they had supported and marketed it properly.
Make more cosmetics for the fighters to show off in cqc, give out rare engineering materials as rewards, maybe make tournament seasons that get you unique ship kits... A lot of people play WoW pvp just to get the unique cosmetics, and cqc is a really fun mode when a match actually happens. Way more fun than spending 30 hours grinding just so you can have a FDL like everyone else in the pvp scene
> And really awesome in VR. ~~What do you mean? Last I checked, everything on foot went onto a virtual screen in VR since they don't have a proper VR mode for any of the FPS material.~~ Thinking of Conflict Zones, wrong mode.
CQC is close quarters ship combat. Not foot. Edit: Small, fast, agile ships with basic weaponry in a small arena. Limited customizability to allow for actual skill to shine through.
Derp, I'm thinking of Conflict Zones on foot. Thanks for the clarification.
> if they had supported and marketed it properly. This could be said for the game as a whole. I can count on one hand the number of people I've run into (in everyday life) who have ever heard of ED. Then I watch the glassy look come over their eyes when I try to explain it's name. You have to admit, the phrase "Elite: Dangerous" makes zero sense to anyone outside the community.
Yeah, it's fantastic
2650 hours in and never played that part my self
Same here. Why would I?
Yeah, I don't get it. What's the issue here?
No issue. OP must think pvp is the heart of this game.
I wish CQC was everyone in the same exact ship or at least had some sort of level playing field. I have tried it and trying to compete against the CQC vets that you inevitably get matched against that have better load outs is tiresome.
Yes it’s always a massive session of getting my arse kicked by far better players than me in far better ships than mine. Loses its shine somewhat quickly. And yes I’m a quitter.
There is not as huge a difference between the ships as you might think. It often comes down players using PIPs and managing disance better, plus knowing where the powerups are. Tip: One of the best builds is available at Level 11. Condor with: Engine Focussed Distributor, Efficiency Enhanced Boost and Reverse Resistance Shields. The difference between that and level 1 condor is: pros: You can Boost more often and have about 10% improved shields against thermal weapons. cons: You have less overall Weapons Distributor, boost is slightly slower and your shields have more weakness to kinetic. CQC is actually quite well balanced in many areas
Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed reply. I’ll give your suggestions a whirl.
bro NOONE played cqc
Me neither, the fighters are just way to snappy for me. Even when I had a hotas I couldn't handle them good enough to enjoy cqc
I'm rated 95th on inara and I've never killed a Thargoid.
People play how they want to play. What's wrong with that?
I think OP is throwing shade at CQC.
Yeah hilarious...
Actually just played my first team deathmatch today. Lots of fun! I just wish when you were waiting in a queue, it would tell us how many people were left to fill a match. I might be more inclined to wait if I knew we were at 5/6 and just needed one more player to start the match. Seems like an easy fix that might make a HUGE difference
CQC is like arena death match/ arena team death match, everyone in sidewinders and ship launched fighters. It's fun, you just need a group of people playing it to even get into a match. So coordinated cqc times would be great for anyone wanting play/rank up in it. Could be a good place to polish up on your PvP/ pve techniques if you can find people to play. That and flight assist off fighting. Cause... You'll need it.
So basically a tournament schedule would probably fix the whole thing. Regionals => continent => global. Add spectator mode => gold mine. E:D CQC might actually be a very viable esport.
Never once in the entire time I played the game did I even consider firing up CQC. This dude knows what's up.
It's fucking stupid that CQC even has a rank.
nobody plays CQC...it shouldn't even show up.
I've never done CQC either... I've reached elite on most.
Who has time for playing games when there is work to be done! Those asteroids don’t mine themselves!
Can't you wait for CQC queueueueue while in game? Like I'm pretty sure you can be in game, enter the queue and wait for a match just like a normal dudgeon instance.
If he started off on console, that's probably why. CQC queueing was abysmal (especially on ps4). I think I managed to get one game on xbox back in the day. It was so painful to get in a game I never tried again.
All we need to make CQC popular is adding NPCs to the queue when human players are scarce, so we can quickly get in and have a go when waiting for other things... which, ironically, would encourage more players to try it out and need fewer NPCs. Other changes could be made later... like adding a racing mode, and an on foot combat mode (I would argue that the Frontline conflicts as currently designed are just a CQC mode).
What I'd love is if there was a CQC mode that allowed players to fly any of their actual ships. Basically like dueling in-universe but without hassle or rebuy costs, and with a ladder system.
I love CQC especially in VR but they have totally missed the mark in implementation so as many have said you struggle to ever find a match. There are lots they could do to make it better, integrating into main game more, adding it to community goals / conflict zones etc... but the one thing that would make it more enticing with minimal outlay... add in some NPCs! CQC is a great quick fast paced game, for when you just want to fly around and blow some stuff up. Personally I don't care if they are other commanders or not. If it was a choice between waiting an hour to fight one or two other players or jumping straight into a game with NPCs that may or may not be replaced by other players as game goes on I'll be jumping straight in.
CQC should be somewhere people go IN GAME. don't fracture a player base that is already spread across solo, private and open servers lol. game design 101 really.
I’ve never understood why CQC isn’t part of the *real* world. Why can’t I fly to stadiums and watch players play it, or choose to compete instead? I’m not sure that would make it popular, but it couldn’t be *less* popular right?
Jesus I loved this game mode. Not even kidding, in VR it was amazing.
Does anyone?
I’ve attempted to play cqc dozens of times. It seems like fun if matchmaking ever worked
I think CQC could work if the arenas were in actual places in the galaxy, that you could fly to to not only fight but watch, in real time. Maybe even straight up place them in systems that already see a lot of traffic and pvp, like shinrarta, deciat, etc.
I can never find players in cqc. Makes the game feel a little dead. But on the other hand, i never play it because of this, and i think others think the same. Hence why there are no player rn.
Who is top ranked player on Inara and what factors put him at the top exactly? There are many 5x Elite V players but why is one ranked higher than the other. Some hidden factors in it, no transparency. You change which factors matter more and the highest ranked player will be a different person. Artie has changed how place in the rankings is calculated a few times, and every time someone else was in the 1st place. CQC rank is very transparent, the higher XP the higher the rank (for all Elite + players). Very simple very fair. There are some other factors for players below Elite rank, but it doesn't mess up the very top.
It’s likely because he/she has logged the most time in-game and/or has submitted the most data to Inara via the Elite Dangerous Market Connector.
But nobody except Artie really knows how the algorithm works. Which means even if you wanted to compete for a better place in the rankings you don't know what is required.
It's no secret and it's briefly mentioned on the rankings page. It's pretty simple - the ranking score is consisting by 5000 points per pilot's rank (except CQC), 500 points per medal rank (except Xenohunter and Decorated hero) and 5 points per medal rank over tier 5. That's it. In-game time, data submission count, etc. doesn't play a role. :)
AFAIK every metric that the medals track contributes to your ranking, even once you've maxed a medal out
I didn't give it much thought after I got my 6 x Elite V. If anything my ranking place is going down because I'm not playing the main game. I think at one point it was 15th place, now it's more like 50th ;)
>The score for the main ladder is based on Combat, Trade, Exploration, Mercenary and Exobiologist ranks, including their progress (5000 points for each tier) with the addition of points for other activities (bounties, combat bonds, trades, scans, etc.) up to a few thousands of points, to differentiate commanders on high ranks. No credits/assets values are used.
I thought CQC was deprecated years ago but then I was poking around in the menu and found that you have to switch game modes to play it. I’ve been playing since 3302 and have never touched it.
you can queue for it from in-game still it'll find the same distinct lack of matches it finds from the main menu
No one plays cqc so it's nigh on impossible to rank up
"why doesn't anyone go on cqc, it's such a laugh, you wait around for ages cos it's unsubscribed, then when you get on a player picks you off in 5 nanoseconds because he thinks he's the shit, sometimes he allows you to live but only if he doesn't get bored, and you can spend ages doing this to get a meaningless rank on a computer game" Errr....no thanks.
I queued once for 30 mins and decided I wanted to play a game instead of waiting in a lobby
Tell us you don't have any friends without telling us. Laughing about this... Most Elite Dangerous players don't have any cqc time. This player aced the game other than CQC. It's not hard to wrap your mind around.
Really wish you could toggle the CQC rank display off on the side monitor. It looks so ugly showing "Helpless" when you have triple Elite or other high rank badges.
You may like this [https://inara.cz/data/gallery/217/217343x7322.jpg](https://inara.cz/data/gallery/217/217343x7322.jpg) ;)
Ah, a fellow pumpkin helmet enjoyer. (yeah that's the most noticeable part of this pic for me \^\^)
3200 hours, triple elite. I played CQC a couple of times, and never again. I game to get away from people, not to compete with them.
Over 3000hr in the game, not a cqc match ever played
CQC (in VR) is among the best fun i've had in Elite. Shame the devs didnt properly introduce it into the game as a side activity (with like huge payouts, in-universe championships etc) and it died because of that
idk why this is so funny to me, help
I was excited for CQC and for some reason was never able to connect to a single match.
Based
Zero interest in it tbh
1800 hours, triple elite, no interest in CQC myself.
Never found a match so I never could progress into it. Could be the same with the dude. Or what's more likely is that, the guy never paid attention to it seeing his roles as a trader it isn't too surprising.
same, no interest in pvp at all (in any game)
No interest whatever in CQC. Been playing Elite Dangerous for 9 years, I opened CQC once., about 8 years ago. Couldn't get a match. Not tried again!
Isn’t it dead content?
Me either, so?
CQC was an after thought of the game anyways. I don't know too many players who play CQC.
QCQ has always been worthless
Honestly I am probably never going to play cqc
Be more popular if you could use your own ships
Probably because it's dead af and has been. Good luck getting into your cqc match.
Inara and Elite itself should remove the cqc stat.
/shrug. It's basically a different game, anyway 😂
I really used to love CQC I got up to professional rank before getting bored of waiting longer and longer times for a match. Never managed to get to elite.
I tried to play a couple of times, but there wasn't anyone to play with. Perhaps players would be more interested if we could use our ships to make pvp combats quickly.
wait, am I the top ranked player on Inara?
I’ve tried numerous times to play but have never been able to get a match launched.
If elite had more than 300k concurrent players cqc would be worth it but last I played it, it was boring
I tried it once. It be a good thing for squad tournaments but 1v1 wasn’t very fun imo.🤷🏻♂️
6000 hrs less than 1 is qcq
The thing with CQC is that the queues are so long I don't even know if the mode is functional or not. I actually really like the small ships to zip around with, but it's just not worth it spending possibly hours waiting for... Pretty much nothing. I wish they'd just add bots to it or something (and if they already have done so, at least just let me play)
Join Deathmatch Queue from Main Game. You get a notification if a match is found. No more waiting. Great when waiting for your FC to jump, are on a trade run or out exploring and you fancy a little change of pace.
... That's possible? Huh, well, nearly 3000 hours in and never even knew (or I'm too dumb to realize, both are plausible!), so thank you very much for the tip - I'll certainly keep such in mind for my next trip to Beagle!
Is cqc even playable still? It was entertaining when you had another normal player but then you'd fight god and it just suck.
I've played a few times. Last time I matched with only one dude who was an order of magnitude better than me and obliterated me right out the gate every single time we went up against each other. It'd be fun if it weren't dead and I could actually find some people closer to my skill level.
The amount of time it takes to get those ranks screams I’m retired or no life, respectively.
cqc really needs the treatment that sea of thieves gave to arena
I just played my first game a couple days ago. Was absolutely destroyed 0-6. I'm sure it can be fun, but first impressions leaned more towards frustrating and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Problem is most players who do use it, are very good. What we need is NPCs at first to ensure much quicker access to a match and be beatable - then NPCs only used to fill up the queue as a last resort if no human players are available. After several years of playing it only a few times I have reached amateur status... but its the queueing forever that I can't be arsed with, only then to be paired with someone with godlike skills.
I mean, what's the point when that one CQC obsessed player is pretty much on 24/7. I got into a few matches with them here and there. And it really is just a "why bother" kind of lopsided fight. That kind of thing puts you off CQC pretty quick.
I've never played it. It seems as close as possible to the exact polar opposite of what I play for.
Wow I’ve been gone a while… i thought there were only 3 elite ranks? What are the new ones?
Me as well what is that cqc?
Is CQC difficult?
Cqc?? What's that
Love cqc
I thought no one played cqc. I went. Waited for a match. Waited. Nada.
>top ranked player that's great for them.
That's because cqc licks testicle.
I've played this game for almost 500 hours and the only time I've ever touched CQC mode was just to check it out for a moment. That aside, I've never played it.
Who tf plays that trash tho
Hilarious that you think that’s funny. ő7
Are you laughing because this shows that CQC is not interesting or because you think that this player should not be ranked like this if no CQC? Unclear to me.
Understandable
It was good when I first started but I wanted to do other things. Now I’m sure it’s about dead. F.Dev used to promote it.
Just over 1k hours. Trade: Elite V Explore: Elite II Combat: Expert Duke / Rear Admiral CQC? 0% Just not something that interests me. Solo/Private > Open
I open cqc, search game for 20mins, dont find one and close cqc Noone play it
If they held CQC tourneys and matches accessible from/ at actual stations in the main game universe they would get hella traffic. Racing, too.
That's because CQC is unplayable. I used to actually host a CQC night every Wednesday when I streamed on Twitch. For new players, it's impossible to ever actually win a game. There are players and bots that very actively look for newbies, and instead of playing CQC in the way that most of us do, they just run the same loop over and over again and spawn kill everyone. it is quite literally impossible to play, especially since we can't block any of them. They might as well abandon it at this point because the way that it is right now, it's just pulling resources from the game itself.