Q: Can players post jobs in game?

[Arowx]

Say a player is doing a milk run when something urgent or higher risk/reward pops up but the milk run is not completed could they leave that job in a station for someone else to complete and take the higher risk job on.

Or if you want to set a bounty on someone.

Or setup a death race from system A to Z open to all players who make the start line and take the job on.

Or setup a cargo run for someone who you suspect is a pirate but with a tracked cargo.

 

[Penthux]

Say a player is doing a milk run when something urgent or higher risk/reward pops up but the milk run is not completed could they leave that job in a station for someone else to complete and take the higher risk job on.

Or if you want to set a bounty on someone.

Or setup a death race from system A to Z open to all players who make the start line and take the job on.

Or setup a cargo run for someone who you suspect is a pirate but with a tracked cargo.

Does any of this count towards the 'elite' rating?

 

[synchromesh]

Say a player is doing a milk run when something urgent or higher risk/reward pops up but the milk run is not completed could they leave that job in a station for someone else to complete and take the higher risk job on.

Or if you want to set a bounty on someone.

Or setup a death race from system A to Z open to all players who make the start line and take the job on.

Or setup a cargo run for someone who you suspect is a pirate but with a tracked cargo.

Love the idea of it

 

[Arowx]

Does any of this count towards the 'elite' rating?

If it's a job successfully completed by someone then there is no reason for it not to.

But what if a player takes on all the jobs on the job board and re-posts them with reduced prices then takes upon completion siphons off the profits.

 

[Alien]

If it's a job successfully completed by someone then there is no reason for it not to.

But what if a player takes on all the jobs on the job board and re-posts them with reduced prices then takes upon completion siphons off the profits.

You are talking about sub-contracting the work. The only problem you'd have with that is the deadline. So for example, you accept a contract to deliver a cargo to a planet in a far off system. If YOU left now, you'd just make it in time. If you wait to find someone else to take it, they might not make it in time, and by then, neither would you.

I think this is an interesting idea, and possibly something for a future expansion. It might cause more problems than it would solve, and I think players would simply not bother with it as it would be easier to do it yourself.

If Frontier comment on this, I think it'll be to say it's not something they have planned at the moment.

 

[Arowx]

You are talking about sub-contracting the work. The only problem you'd have with that is the deadline. So for example, you accept a contract to deliver a cargo to a planet in a far off system. If YOU left now, you'd just make it in time. If you wait to find someone else to take it, they might not make it in time, and by then, neither would you.

I think this is an interesting idea, and possibly something for a future expansion. It might cause more problems than it would solve, and I think players would simply not bother with it as it would be easier to do it yourself.

If Frontier comment on this, I think it'll be to say it's not something they have planned at the moment.

It would only require the ability for a player to post jobs as well as accept jobs.

If they can't find someone to do the job for less they can still take the job on.

Also it could also allow groups of players to take on larger jobs, they could accept a job above their own tonnage but sub-contract or re-job the remaining tonnage and divide up the price.

 

[Nagual]

It's an interesting idea, there could be preset list of type of jobs with subsets within, destinations, targets, cargos etc. Cash would probably be taken from your account and held in an escrow account pending completion or something like that perhaps.

Although as far as bounties go, so far the only way the player can do so is within a set time limit after being attacked.

 

[Digibull]

I like the idea as it'll make things feel a lot more dynamic plus it can also add the role playing aspect as well, however, I'd feel that the game engine would need to be slightly involved as far as posting the financial rewards go and physical limits to the amount post able (I'm thinking spammage and placing impossible jobs with meager rewards). Such as taking the value of cargo and distance traveled and calculating it for you.

Also, regarding being able to place a bounty, that player in that other system looked at me funny... I'm gonna put a bounty on him! Oh and this guy because I don't like his hair. Exaggerated points I'm sure but I'd guess you know where I'm taking this

With some control over this it would be definitely something that adds to the game's dynamic.

[Edit] Just saw Nagual's post. Ignore me, clearly some sort of 'aggression tag' would be the way to police the player raised bounties.

 

[EidLeWeise]

Of course you could always do some kind of general hail saying that you need a job done? Rather than going through official channels.... I do prefer the idea of posting our own jobs though

 

[Evilroco]

Although as far as bounties go, so far the only way the player can do so is within a set time limit after being attacked.

that sounds good ,If you could post a bounty with value limits set by the targets criminal status it would add great aspects to game play ,a bit "western style" where aggrieved merchants added to state bounties.
It would add more risk to pirating pvp and if only aggrieved parties could add to bounty (the player or alliance if applicable) the chance of misuse would be reduced.

 

[SlimExpert]

If I became an asteroid mining magnet, with hundreds of mines owned and operated by me. it might be nice to hire a fleet of players / NPC's to move the ores / refined product to market for sale.

I am not sure about bounties for other players though! That might get a little too personal, IMHO.

I don't see it happening myself, but maybe there are some good places for, certainly hiring co-op players makes a lot of sense, but that is different, I think.

SlimExpert

 

[deMangler]

Dunno if there is a planned in-game mechanism for supporting it, like ability to post on local BBS's.
This is a thing friends can arrange anyway.
I would like to see some kind of in-game, slow (simulated hyperspacing message pods) e-mail, and fast local BBS system though. I think a local BBS might help those that want to herd in the same place, while providing some local colour for those passing through. Help differentiate systems with player content. I like it.

 

[Memnoch]

If job postings are allowed they would have to find a way to structure it so that free text fields are not needed. If free text was allowed it would be fillled with ads and abuse etc.

 

[ZeeWolf]

Job posting of some sort must factor in at some point. It feels like something you would expect in an Elite game. Frontier and FE were largely about taking on odd jobs from the BBS, so one would expect a multi-player version of Elite would include it even if its further down the line.

I was wondering if it would be possible to allow other players to borrow your ships. Maybe a temporary time limited pass or something from the owner. This might open up all kinds of emergent professions. You could ferry ships around for other players (As some people do with pleasure yachts) and try to undercut the automated services, obviously at the risk of loosing the vessel. Maybe you could eventually set up a ship rental service.

Also might be nice to lend a friend a ship to fly a mission.

 

[Certain Death]

I really like the idea of this.

A couple of things come to mind:
1. Can 'Alliances' take jobs? This may have been previously answered, but as one of the previous posters said sharing the load or for that matter the attack would be excellent from the role-playing point of view.
2. Extending this players could put out missions to help complete/halt events e.g. a player or alliance maybe trying to destabilise a local government/system etc. but they need a little more weight so call in some mercs

I would rather there was free text - I don't believe it will be abused by most and so long as there is a reporting system to FD repeat offenders of spam etc. can be handled

 

[ZeeWolf]

Spamming might not be so desirable if it cost a few credits to post a job. Even less so if posting jobs meant passing the offered reward over to a simple escrow system or something until the post expired or you agree to hand over payment. Life on the Frontier is tough so I could imagine commanders taking the law into their own hands in the case of a contract dispute!

 

[Certain Death]

Spamming might not be so desirable if it cost a few credits to post a job. Even less so if posting jobs meant passing the offered reward over to a simple escrow system or something until the post expired or you agree to hand over payment. Life on the Frontier is tough so I could imagine commanders taking the law into their own hands in the case of a contract dispute!

+1 All good ideas Zeewolf, I sincerely hope that FD look into this properly. Perhaps one of your DDFers might raise it? (I am a mere Beta backer so do not have access to the hallowed DDF Halls!)