I've got an idea that I'd much like to share. I call it my way of play.
Exhibit A: Do missions for fun. RP a troop transport and you get entrance to Alaska if you really want high-end ones.
Exhibit B: Do missions, and to and from destinations if something requires your attention, then tend to it.
The problem with everybody here is that they all are just looking for PvP in the end. Why does nobody do missions? They're camping locations/systems looking for something to kill or escort or assassinate. The authorities? Camping places, scanning people, killing people. Pirates? Pirating, scanning people (demanding cargo if you're really good), and killing people. Traders... Well... Fall victim to the previous two examples.
Now take me for example, I take missions, RP a crazy paranoid troop transport saying the Nomad infected Admiralty is try to get rid of me by placing me on crazy assignments.
As well, I RP a bounty hunter, go to and fro taking loads of Bretonian/Kusari pirates to the opposite BH stations because they pay well (likely being used as pilots/privateers in exchange for pardons). This is how a Bounty Hunter should be RP'd in my opinion. In reality, it's not, "Take teh bountiz on peepz and i pay u gudd nao, k?" It's them - Capturing people - And getting paid per head at the corresponding bases. They're pirate control in a way, not spec ops assassins only employed to cap somebody to get into formation. Do you honestly think that when a BH says a rumor about, "I've captured 400 pirates since then" that they're really all *special* assignments? I think not. She'd be dead by the time she got specially assigned that many missions; because I'm sure she's not the only good hunter, and there are certainly better ones. The difference between Hunters and the Navy is that its the Navy's job to get assigned places repeatedly instead of a BH occasionally getting assigned a 50K job which would equal about ten heads. Really saves them time, you see?
So - in a nut shell: Stop floating about looking for PvP, do missions for FUN not, "O i want moniez!" and just have fun in general. Shooting NPCs is actually more fun than you remember. Because I'm sure the last time most of you did one (mission) was just, "Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, OMFG YA NAVY REP!" PvP seeking ensues.
' Wrote:...
So - in a nut shell: Stop floating about looking for PvP, do missions for FUN not, "O i want moniez!" and just have fun in general.
...
There's wisdom here.
But anyway, Magoo. I think what Asymptotic proposed is something to promote a little variety to our ambiance. Something to replace the continuous line of supply traders coming to and fro. And I can relate to that. It would be fun to have people engaged in really "making a living" in different ways.
I completely understand the criticism about PvP whoring. But you can't get rid of it. Too bad. I don't like it either. Deal with it.
On a less harsh note, missions that pay would discourage camping, encourage RP, move conflicting parties around, and maybe they'd fight each other! Look at that!
Mining's key just because it has the potential to be very interesting. Here's why: Ships exist with powerful weaponry and large cargo space. Opposing factions might try to oust each other from mining in a certain field, which would make sense because the enemy essentially uses the resources gained to fight with bigger ships. In essence, factions would be fighting over ore fields. Much more RP and involving than trading could ever be, ever!
It also adds a new dynamic because there'd be an emphasis on smaller ships in these conflicts over ore. Can't really get around asteroids in a battlecruiser.
EDIT: Players as well could have a source of income that is tied to their actual roleplay experience, so there isn't a rift between "pretending to RP in a trader" and "RPing my characters"
Asymptotic, I wholeheartedly agree with you in raising the overall "mineable" materials prices, so it wouldn't affect trading, but would make mining something of a viable activity. I can't see any problem with that, you just would need to make a study as to what sort of changes it would take so it would become an option, not a replacement to trading. Actually, I think trading should still be slightly more profitable, so people would still move around more.
As for missions, I too agree. There should be high level missions available at the Core systems. Not sure how easy or difficult it is to implement and what sort of balance issues could rise from that. If the level of the ships is determined within the mission's parameters it shouldn't be a problem, if it's determined by the overall level of the NPCs in the area, then I fear it may not come to terms (we can't have the same level of NPCs you find in the Border Worlds in New York, for example).
All in all, I say you have a good point here. Perhaps you should work on studying these matters and then making an official proposal at the correct forums after you've done so. I, for myself, would like to see something like this implemented if possible.
I myself prefer the current location of higher-paying missions. It forces people out of their little bubbles convieniently marked with a "New" in front of the name. If they were at Core systems, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see people rack up ninety hours of gameplay to then buy a battleship. This would also make New York insufferably busy as opposed to rediculously busy.
Now, the other Core systems like New Berlin for instance, those already pay about as much commonly as New York's high-end payments. So if Core system payments were upgraded by, judging by what Asymptotic says, alot - then New York would be paying like, 200K for missions, New Berlin would be paying about 500K or so, and I just really don't think the military/police have that kind of money to throw around for some extra help. Example:
"Go to the mission waypoint and kill... Six Stilletos!"
"Uh oh! More at the next waypoint! Three more Stilletos and two Weapons Platforms that you don't need to kill and are just for defense!"
"WHOO! Thank you. So much. Our military was way overclocked with the non-existant war going on, so we couldn't spare three Valkyres of our several thousand (no doubt) to take out nine Bundschuh. So I present to you... Half a million credits! All for you! Don't even worry about it. Sure, we could have made about fifty ships with this, but you EARNED it." - (Example based in New Berlin)
Whereas 50K is a perfectly reasonable price for a military to give to an intrepid freelancer or a bonus to a normal Naval pilot's salary. The outer-ish worlds like the Omicrons are reasonable as well. The Order has very few pilots, so it will reward highly for help against the hundreds of BHs encroaching on its territory. In addition, a BH mission at say, FP11 will also pay highly because the Hunters are all crazy psycho for those artifacts and will pay highly to eliminate any resistance. Besides that, the BHs are *really* rich, so they have the resources to throw that at you... And they're a private organization, not a military, so that further justifies greater payments. They aren't bound by budgets and the like. The Core wants the artifacts, they will have them. The Core wants some help, they ask, "How much do you require?"
Quote:I myself prefer the current location of higher-paying missions. It forces people out of their little bubbles convieniently marked with a "New" in front of the name.
I agree with magoo here, there are very few reasons for "a common person" to go outside the core systems, and the high paying missions are one of them. Personally i go the the Border Worlds because i like OC/Corsair/Zoner RP.
But lets say im just a greedy bastard who wants to get a battlecruiser (and dont cares about what RP is) to pwn random people and show off my uberness with my other bastard friends, why would i get out of Liberty if the navy will pay me 200k for killing a couple of Rogue wings and perhaps a GB? (you can not put a number of bigger ships in liberty or the LSF would already have deployed their cap-ships to wipe them out)
And for the mining, yes it should be upgraded somehow, it would be nice to see people from time to time "harvesting" silver in Colorado or Diamonds in the Omega systems. Good to populate new systems, and good to give pirates more targets besides traders. and good to give escorts work to protect the miners from the pirates.
See? everybody wins with mining.
@ Asymp - So they'd be sending a lone pilot to go kill a dozen Sabres? That's still both suicidal and a waste of resources. They could dispatch a gunboat and a wing of fighters to annihilate the Advanced (or whatever) Hessians and still have save probably 480K (twenty lost to fuel and repairs).
I don't think the problem is in the payments, as I said, the problem is with the players.
While doing missions keep in mind the loot from said 700k mission may push you over 1 million profit. As a Harvester my main enemies are NPCs in fact I was thinking for my BHG to post mission count as part of his resume. 147 completed missions.
Mineing..........Yes it needs a serious buff. There are two or three exstensive topics on buffing mineing on the developers thread.
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