Level up bonuses

GunnerBill

GunnerBill
Thinking about Fallout3 and Borderlands could you sensibly fit bonuses for levelling up into ED?

I'm not talking about magically making your ship stronger or guns more powerful; bear with me...

In all categories to reflect the experience you have gained a few incremental gains should be available.

Example:

Combat level up:
-You have gained experience which allows you to rig your power coupling for a small percentage better performance

- You can refine your heat management

- You can squeeze an extra few joules out of your reactor.

- Tweak your thrusters

Trading :
- Better rates are available for buy/sell

- Mod your cargo racks for small extra capacity

- be less susceptible to scans...

Exploration:

- Incremental increases in range

- better scanner performance

- better fuel efficiency

- better route planning performance

Etc

Key is small gains to reflect experience gained in your field. Sort of things you might learn talking to other pilots in bars or whilst making deep space field repairs.
 
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Warbrand

Warbrand
I would imagine that faction rank and trade-/combat-/ explorerank should open the path to better paid missions or special equipment (security/ military class).

That would be easy to implement and not disballancing.
 

Witzo

Witzo
I think all improvements to the ship should be made by the player, not automatically with a rank.
A ship system simulator to optimise module setting for a certain task might make for an interesting sub-game.
 
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magnit

magnit
Skills learned should be real life. The road to be a better smuggler should be becoming a better smuggler not in game skewing in one's favour. However reputation and elite rank should open up new career paths for one to explore.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
I see where you're coming from with this, and I agree that improvements via gameplay have a place in the game.

However I think most players would agree that the essential spirit of Elite, what sets it apart from most other games, and just about all MMOs that I can think of, is the fact that the skills that are gained are real-world skills - not meta buffs or perks.

When you become a better pilot, it's because you have genuinely learned to fly better. That's very important because it means a top gun fighter is really that - not just someone who has paid to win or sunk ridiculous amounts of time into the game in order to earn special weapons etc.

Perfect example: Smuggling. Beginning players take a while to come to grips with fast station entry, running silent, efficient docking etc. Master these and the space cops will seldom be a bother. It is skill at flying and tactics that counts - not an artificial bonus.

Nevertheless, I agree that some sort of game-side benefits should accrue to reputation increases etc. and the way to do this is by making opportunities available to the player that cannot be accessed otherwise. The NPC population and factions are the key to this, and I would not be at all surprised if FD have some intentions to expand this facet of the game - maybe a lot sooner than you think ;)
 
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v01i0

v01i0
GunnerBill said:
Thinking about Fallout3 and Borderlands could you sensibly fit bonuses for levelling up into ED?
Click to expand...

Level up bonuses are already implemented in ED:

When I level up I:

  • learn skills that allow me to maneuver my ship more efficiently
  • learn to use the ship weapons more efficiently
  • learn to use the energy management options more efficiently
  • learn to trade more efficiently
  • etc (just to mention few).

See, no need for artificial bonuses?

-v
 
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Crank Larson

Crank Larson
The only way this kind of thing could fit with the Elite "philosophy" is the way that currently ranking in factions gives access to certain items e.g. need to be a Baron to be able to purchase an Imperial Clipper. And this is a good thing. :) I'm afraid I wouldn't appreciate any of the ideas you are suggesting.
 

uncle bulgaria

uncle bulgaria
No no no and no again.

I would support being able to tweak modules, like overclocking a CPU with some sort of penalty (eg uprated power gen at the cost of increased heat and maintenance for example).

With improved ranks you should get access to better paying and more interesting mission content which I hope we'll see in 1.3
 

GunnerBill

GunnerBill
Grrr multiquote fail on phone

Anyway...

I'd agree in game skill is your reward for playing but alone cant reflect actual skills that would be learned if the game were 'real'

Example as a trader you'd surely be able to drive a harder bargain and get better deals with more experience.

As far as I can see there is no mechanic for this type of thing in game yet.
 
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golan

golan
I'm all for making Elite a better, feature-rich game. However, I think that these type of gamey "lvl-ing up" stuff would ruin immersion. Basically, with this suggestion you would get game mechanics that will magically be available after you level up. But what justifies this change? I like your ideas, some would make nice new features, but I don't want any features to be dependent on LVL with a particular faction. If you would have equipment which is only available from a faction if it likes you - that makes sense. But why should your personal skills be dependent on a faction's approval rate?

If you have a better idea of how to integrate with the lore of the game, I would be more willing to listen and support it.
 
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Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
GunnerBill said:
Thanks for the good reply.

I'd agree in game skill is your reward for playing but alone cant reflect actual skills that would be learned if the game were 'real'

Example as a trader you'd surely be able to drive a harder bargain and get better deals with more experience.

As far as I can see there is no mechanic for this type of thing in game yet.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd go along with that. Develop better rep with a local faction, or preferably an individual, and gain a small permanent bonus with that specific faction or NPC. Build a network of merchants at ports you frequent and receive purchase and sales bonuses that undermine the competition. There's a precedent for this already with community goals, and I can't see it undermining the game concept at all.
 

Crank Larson

Crank Larson
GunnerBill said:
Example as a trader you'd surely be able to drive a harder bargain and get better deals with more experience.
Click to expand...

Ok, this I sort of agree with, just not how you originally described how it would work. ;)

I do think that if you constantly trade between two stations/factions, or have a certain level of trading, then you should be able to get some minor benefits (slightly better buy price as you are a good customer, for example). There could be some variations in the trading based on quality, and again when you have built up a relationship with a certain faction/station, you can get better quality goods (hence get a slightly better sell price). These in my view are benefits that you'd gain in the real world, and would be appropriate. Though we'd only be talking a few percent difference to standard pricing.
 

GunnerBill

GunnerBill
v01i0 said:
Level up bonuses are already implemented in ED:

When I level up I:

  • learn skills that allow me to maneuver my ship more efficiently
  • learn to use the ship weapons more efficiently
  • learn to use the energy management options more efficiently
  • learn to trade more efficiently
  • etc (just to mention few).

See, no need for artificial bonuses?

-v
Click to expand...

purplepomegranite said:
Ok, this I sort of agree with, just not how you originally described how it would work. ;)

I do think that if you constantly trade between two stations/factions, or have a certain level of trading, then you should be able to get some minor benefits (slightly better buy price as you are a good customer, for example). There could be some variations in the trading based on quality, and again when you have built up a relationship with a certain faction/station, you can get better quality goods (hence get a slightly better sell price). These in my view are benefits that you'd gain in the real world, and would be appropriate. Though we'd only be talking a few percent difference to standard pricing.
Click to expand...

Exactly - small gains.
 

v01i0

v01i0
GunnerBill said:
Grrr multiquote fail on phone

Anyway...

I'd agree in game skill is your reward for playing but alone cant reflect actual skills that would be learned if the game were 'real'

Example as a trader you'd surely be able to drive a harder bargain and get better deals with more experience.

As far as I can see there is no mechanic for this type of thing in game yet.
Click to expand...

Next major update might bring in something. For example, they mentioned that there will be something for more experienced players @ bulletin board missions.

About experienced traders driving harder bargains.. Well, at the moment it seems as if the business transactions are handled by automated systems, which basically means that there are no chances for negotiations. At the moment your experience as a trader only reflects how capable you are in finding good trade routes (well there is more to it, actually).

-v
 
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