Elite Dangerous has once again become the battleground between griefers and everybody else, this time with real-life stakes.
A few weeks ago, the Elite community banded together to come to the aid of CMDR DoveEnigma13, a 39-year-old player dying of cancer. In his honor, players and Frontier announced what they called The Enigma Expedition, a month-long, open expedition throughout Colonia. Hundreds of players signed up to join in the journey, including DoveEnigma13 and his young daughter on what was likely be their last journey together in the game. Frontier even chipped in a huge megaship to anchor the event.
But midway through the expedition, griefers showed up to bomb and disable that ship. Because of course they did. Oh, and there’s a contingent of nihilists on the forums providing them cover. Because of course they are.
Fortunately, Elite has a decent and upstanding community on the whole, which is currently rallying around the Enigma megaship and ferrying repair supplies, in fact more supplies than were necessary, meaning the ship should be fine going forward once the expedition reaches it.
“We’ve received more than enough meta-alloys to stabilise the ship, and the surplus will allow us to safeguard against any further sabotage attempts. We’re hugely grateful to the pilots who came to our aid. Their efforts are a testament the compassion of the galactic community.”
Frontier is taking heavy flack on the forums; the studio has apologized for the vulnerability in the megaship that allowed the griefers an opportunity to attack it, but says that the “great work of [the] incredible community” will ensure the company doesn’t need to “correct that mistake.” In fact, it’s not clear that Frontier is doing anything: No mention is made in the official statement about disciplining griefers involved in the attack, in spite of the apparent EULA violations, though the company offers vague warnings about exploiting.
Elite is sadly no stranger to griefers ruining events; you’ll recall the storyline event that saw the unplanned death of a major plot character at the hands of griefers last year.
