Please change how the insurance/loan mechanic works.

[Bacalao]

IMHO it would be better to do away with insurance altogether. You buy the ship and always have it, if you die you re-spawn with the same ship and modules.

Think about it - more people would play in 'Open'. More people would go in for PVP combat. Their would be epic battles. People who want to fly an Anaconda or Type 9 or whatever would still have to put in the effort to get it.

IMHO, no, then we fly absolutely risk free? Remove any sense of anything, just hit that reset and boom! Everything is shiny and new? On the contrary I think if you lose a ship for a while you ought to have an increased insurance cost, say increase it by 1% for each death up to a max of 20%, with 1% decaying every x-amount(say, hour, or two hours, but not ridiculously long) of game time back down to the standard 5%.

Alternatively they could garnish your income for a period of time while still providing 5% insurance, then of course if you die again the garnishment goes up.

The consequences add a huge amount of immersion and danger to the game. Consequence free is boring, it takes the bit of depth we have and throws it in the gutter. The little bit of Open I have played the risk factor comes entirely from losing your ship AND the cost of it. Take that away and you take away the thrill, sure everyone could play open, and you'd take half the fun of it away.

 

[CrustyGoth]

I'm crestfallen as I had my vinyl collection of rare electro folk dancing white labels in the hold and my collection of vintage rubbers.

Erm... as in things for erasing pencil or the things you had to wash out before you could reuse? Enquiring minds need to know!

 

[NapalmJunkie]

Always have insurance! Thought I could take on an NPC pirate 'Conda in my tradeConda... cost me 10m in rebuy and lost cargo. I was annoyed with myself for getting blown up, but before I even purchased my 'Conda in the first place I made damn sure I had at least 20m in petty cash.

 

[lonewarrior]

IMHO it would be better to do away with insurance altogether. You buy the ship and always have it, if you die you re-spawn with the same ship and modules.

Think about it - more people would play in 'Open'. More people would go in for PVP combat. There would be epic battles. People who want to fly an Anaconda or Type 9 or whatever would still have to put in the effort to get it.

Possibly the worst idea for this game I've ever heard

 

[DaveB]

OP, there is no need to change anything. I was "following the rules" - I had 3x insurance plus enough to trade a full hold of decently paying goods in my python too.. Three bad tactical decisions waving byebye to ship+cargo and I ended up with a loan and one more screwup and I'd be sidey'd. So I flogged my uprated modules going back to a stock python with minimal guns and traded my way back to having insurance covered and able to uprate a few modules again. It happens to all of us, the trick is to make the decision to "rebuild" while you still can and before that final mistake puts you back at square one.

 

[Sapyx]

Just after I upgraded from Cobra to Asp, I frequently took off without insurance. One time, I'd upgraded the frame shift drive and thrusters at the same time and found I had virtually zero cash left - so I used what little cash remained to fill the hold with cheap-but profitable pieces of cargo to maximize my ROI. When I launched, I had 7 credits in the bank. I accepted the risk: that if I lost the ship, I'd lose the Cr10 million I'd invested in the ship and be bumped back down into my Cobra. Needless to say, I was playing in Solo but even that is by no means risk-free, especially when flying a defenceless ship that can't run away from everything (the Cobra had spoiled me, there).

The only change I would implement to "insurance" is to make it more like real-world 21st century insurance polices: you buy it in advance. Or at least, give us the option to buy a zero-excess policy. That way, we can never be tempted to "spend my insurance money", since we've already spent the money on the insurance policy. The whole point of buying insurance is to buy "peace of mind" and protection from risk - in advance. Right now, we can't do that.

It would be up to us to keep your insurance up-to-date to cover newly installed modules. Otherwise, your insurance claim would only give you back whatever ship/modules we had installed when we bought the policy.

 

[Kyuubey]

IMHO it would be better to do away with insurance altogether. You buy the ship and always have it, if you die you re-spawn with the same ship and modules.

Think about it - more people would play in 'Open'. More people would go in for PVP combat. There would be epic battles. People who want to fly an Anaconda or Type 9 or whatever would still have to put in the effort to get it.

Rather then remove insurance, why not just put a cap on the cost based on ship size. For example, a small ships rebuy at most would cost 500k, medium sized ships 1 mil, and large ships 3 mil. The numbers can be tweaked but you get the point. There's still a cost for dying, just not enough to loose days to weeks of work over one death.

 

[Darth Ender]

This thread is just too funny.

The OP states right off the bat that he was flying around without enough to cover insurance. After that nothing else matters. His mistake, his screw up, his having to deal with the consequences. Do not care how long it took you to get there, how hard it will be to get back. Absolutely do not care. A conscious decision was made, player got cocky and didn't think they would be in any danger of dying, game proved him wrong. It's too bad the moderators dont lock threads based on lack of common sense.

ps. Wonder if he cried to customer service and they just gave him his money back anyway. Seems to be the way things work around here.

 

[Ginrikuzuma]

I have no pity for OP either. Never fly without insurance.

Failing that never do anything combat related once you are on a loan.

If anything at all I also feel loans need to be looked at however I would make it more harsh.

My suggestion.
1) Let us grab a loan whenever we want not just when we are low on cash and at the insurance screen.
2) Put an moderately high interest rate on said loan.
3) Let the Pilot's Federation take a larger cut of your profits.
and
4) Have the Federation send out loan sharks should either A) you fail to payback your loan in X amount of time or B) Your loan debt grows to 250% what you originally asked for.

Should you be killed when you have a loan, your docked ship assets are claimed to pay up the loan or you are left back in a sidewinder.

 

[deathmagnet]

Same response as always

Insurance is fine the way it is.

If you lost your ship it is because either:

Were impatient

Weren't willing to sacrifice

Weren't careful

Made bad decisions

Can't take responsibility for your own actions

Once again, insurance is fine and has already been changed twice to accommodate those that fall in any of the above categories. Instead of asking the devs to change the game, play within the games mechanics. Insurance is not bugged or broken. Leave it be.

 

[Kyuubey]

I have no pity for OP either. Never fly without insurance.

Failing that never do anything combat related once you are on a loan.

If anything at all I also feel loans need to be looked at however I would make it more harsh.

My suggestion.
1) Let us grab a loan whenever we want not just when we are low on cash and at the insurance screen.
2) Put an moderately high interest rate on said loan.
3) Let the Pilot's Federation take a larger cut of your profits.
and
4) Have the Federation send out loan sharks should either A) you fail to payback your loan in X amount of time or B) Your loan debt grows to 250% what you originally asked for.

Should you be killed when you have a loan, your docked ship assets are claimed to pay up the loan or you are left back in a sidewinder.

Another idea would be to increase the cost of insurance for wanted commanders. If a commander is in a stations top 5 wanted list, maybe their insurance would drop all coverage. This would add a considerable amount of risk for pirates and player killers.

 

[dayrth]

Erm... as in things for erasing pencil or the things you had to wash out before you could reuse? Enquiring minds need to know!

No we don't. We really don't.

 

[Krepose Gavayne]

But for a game, it is extremely demoralizing to be taken so far back and have over 8 months of gameplay wiped out so quickly.

That's the nature of some games. Proof that ED is a galaxy-scaled game of Snakes & Ladders (with a really, REALLY large board; a mile wide and an inch deep).

Personally, I think it is currently too easy to screw up and then get right back in the same vehicle we just totalled. Of course, if I ever find myself in a jam like that my views might do a one-eighty in less time than it takes to scream "Ohhhh NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!", but that's how it is. If we choose to play the game we choose to live (and die) with it.

 

[bootsam]

I got interdicted like mad last night. My first time playing since I lost 10M Cr worth of T9 and cargo on Sunday. Fortunately this time I upped my shield generator and escaped each time. Dont leave the station without enough cash for insurance AND cargo. X2. Thats my advice and one thats been spelt out time and time again. I learnt this the hard way back in LHS 3447 in an A Class Sidey. Fortunately at the beginning of my career. It really needs to be made clear to a lot of players this. The destruction of your ship can happen to anyone at anytime. Be prepared and dont lose out.

 

[Krait_79]

Enough safety nets already. I also don't understand why people feel they can only enjoy the game if they have the biggest ship!

 

[Von Shadow]

The current mechanicism is ridiculously simple .... a single figure thats on your status screen .... why make it more complex? Its all so simple and you knew you were taking a risk.

People are just not patient .... i'm in a rush to rebuy my Python after i sold it to buy my conda ..... i have enough to buy the python right now ... but i wouldn't have enough to cover my insurance on either ship ..... therefore i'm not buying the python .... end of...
Its just about the only bit of the game where you can 'lose' something .... people want that removing?
There HAS to be punishment somewhere

 

[bootsam]

Enough safety nets already. I also don't understand why people feel they can only enjoy the game if they have the biggest ship!

Please tell that to the guy in the M3 BMW up my chuff on the M25 this morning. btw I was on a Bike doing 75ish with the flow of traffic.

 

[serolrom]

Well I don't like the insurance concept here.

Where have you seen you crash your car and afterwards you get an insurance??? You always have to insure it upfront, and keep it insured according to the value you want, up to a quantity that is a fraction of the value.

Ships should be given the value they deserve. Currently you just crash it and get another at a great discount just because some nice guys give you an insurance value afterwards. Up to a Cobra I feel like I'm just flying for free. I am maybe missing something here.

 

[CMDR RAY-ZOR'SHARP]

I've just had an extremely unfortunate day today. I've lost 80 Million Credits within 20 minutes by having my ship constantly destroyed by AI ships.

The Scenario:
It's taken me just over 8 months to grind enough to buy the Python and put some decent modules into it and was running fine up till now. Then all of a sudden today, I come up against a wing of 3 ships who managed to take down my shield and destroy the my ship within 60 seconds. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough for insurance and a loan was taken out. I leave spaceport and drop back into the resource site and almost immediately get whaled on by an Imperial Clipper. Obviously I couldn't rebuy the ship or take another loan so its back to square 1 with the sidewinder.
What is worse: It has put me back at LHS3447 which is so far into my enemy's powerplay territory, that it would be virtually impossible to make it out and back into friendly powerplay territory alive. So what is the point ?

To be honest, I doubt I would get back into the grind until Elite Dangerous Horizons gets released.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a whinge about coming up against OP AI ships or how I was able to get taken out so easily when I was normally able to win previous such battles. But for a game, it is extremely demoralizing to be taken so far back and have over 8 months of gameplay wiped out so quickly.

Perhaps the Devs might take this into consideration and alter the insurance/loan mechanic. Introduce a staged loan system where instead of having a 2.5m credit limit, increase it to 10m and alter the loan repayments accordingly.
For Example:
1m credit loan will mean repayments of 20% of your earnings
2m credit loan will mean repayments of 30% of your earnings
3m credit loan will mean repayments of 40% of your earnings
4m credit loan will mean repayments of 50% of your earnings
5m credit loan will mean repayments of 70% of your earnings
8m credit loan will mean repayments of 90% of your earnings
10m credit loan will mean repayments of 100% of your earnings

At least this way, it gives players who have only just recently purchased bigger ships (and don't have the insurance money) to get more than 1 chance at continuing the game if they get destroyed.
Also, if they want to keep the current loan structure the way it is, at least offer the sidewinder at the system you last landed at.... not 500ly away in your enemy's powerplay territory with a ship that doesn't stand a chance of surviving.

If the Developers want to get more people involved in the game, they need to find ways of keeping their current player based interested and active.
Like I said, because of this particular situation I doubt I would ever get back into ED until Horizons comes out. It makes me wonder how many other players have been in similar situations and have slowed their gameplay because of it.

The only thing that needs to change is players taking liberties with their hard earned progress and whining about it when it all goes pear shaped.

To help out these unfortunate chancers Fdev's should supply a free cuddle cushion to soak up their tears.

 

[Von Shadow]

Well I don't like the insurance concept here.

Where have you seen you crash your car and afterwards you get an insurance??? You always have to insure it upfront, and keep it insured according to the value you want, up to a quantity that is a fraction of the value.

Ships should be given the value they deserve. Currently you just crash it and get another at a great discount just because some nice guys give you an insurance value afterwards. Up to a Cobra I feel like I'm just flying for free. I am maybe missing something here.

Ok ... using the word 'insurance' is wrong.... the Rebuy figure is the 'excess' or i think its called 'deductible' in the US of the insurance policy.

I think its even in the manual (but yeah ... who reads the manual, right?!):

Should you purchase a ship, then this too is covered by a lesser insurance policy – should it be destroyed, you will need to pay a premium excess for it and all modules fitted.
Although the premium excess fees are only small fractions of the ship and modules’ actual worth, the resulting bill can still become significant, potentially more than you can afford.
In such circumstances you have a number of options. Assuming you have enough to cover the hull cost (which includes all mandatory modules), you can choose not to pay for optional modules, reducing the cost

Part of the ship purchase price includes insurance .... when you crash/die/lose ship you're basically just paying the 5% excess on the policy.
Hence why its 'cheap' you're just paying 5% of the current value of replacement
If anything you should get charged more and more % the more claims you make (like REAL insurance would)