3 Weeks WASTED

[AgamemnonWhen]

Shame, but...

It's the old chestnut about balancing risk & reward (like so much in life!): I stopped doing ANY passenger missions that fail you for getting scanned because I'm not confident enough in my ship or flying ability to be able to avoid being scanned. It means that I miss out on some really juicy high-paying missions, but I don't waste my precious in-game time losing out on them either.

At the end of the day, it all balances out... I might need to graft a bit, taking many more lower-payout missions; but I'd rather do that than risk all my (limited) playtime on a few big risks. At the end of the day, it's probably a pretty similar CR/hour income.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Like those "high risk" VIP sightseeing missions where absolutely nothing happens? Those missions that pay between 4 and 20 Mcr for something that takes between one and 1.5 hours? Those missions that can be stacked without adding risk?

Mission rewards aren't always about risk. I get mission that pay 1.4 Mcr for one single haul of 24t stuff to a 14 ly away station - ranked mostly harmless. I get missions that offer a higher pay just because the destination station is 500 Kls away from entry point.

A lot of missions offer an - almost - guaranteed payday. Making VIP explorer missions, that require the player to spend weeks to accomplish those missions, harder than most much, much easier and faster missions is not really a good thing.

Thats not true, these explo missions arent hard. The OP left out the part where he failed already, either by being scanned earlier, overheating or emergency exiting SC. When you get scanned once your missions wont instantly fail. And since noone scans you in the deep, and not crashing into stars is super easy, there is no real risk if you fly decently.

For the rest I am not saying its balanced to other missions, just giving a reason why it is like this. I personally dont like "I have grinded a lot so deserve a reward" gameplay, making it a guaranteed reward would take all the fun out to me. But to each his own, clearly many want this game to have even less risk. From making missions unfailable, crewmembers immortal, remove insurance: I have seen it all proposed just this week.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

…
surely he should be saying "sorry stuff off mate" if someone offers him a ride in a slow ship....... as much as the orca / beluga have the luxury cabins,…

You are aware that the Orca is one of the fastest ships in the game?
Smuggling with style. Why would a criminal mastermind want to fly around in tiny little ship without any luxury?

 

[Ian Skippy]

Nobody would do those long range explorer VIP missions as a way to grind credits. Those missions are among the most ineffective ways to get credits in the game.

Not for explorers, it outpays non-passenger exploration by an insane margin. Regardless, I dont think you should be guaranteed 200 million credits and elite status in one three-week jump marathon with zero risk. You disagree, fine.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

You are aware that the Orca is one of the fastest ships in the game?
Smuggling with style. Why would a criminal mastermind want to fly around in tiny little ship without any luxury?

i have an orca..... yes its nippy but my understanding is, design wise (law wise?) is that ships are scanned relative to their size, and this is a design choice to try to give smaller ships meaning. (I accept using slow ship and orca as an example was a poor choice tho I should have said big / distinct )

therefore if 2 ships fly into a station, an orca and a cobra, the orca will by design be deemed higher priority than the cobra.

further more, whilst a small ship running silent may help dodge the mark 1 eyeball, i would suggest a ship which is big and hard to miss, running silent would look MORE suspicious than not, therefore silent running on a ship one would thing should make it more likely to be scanned than less.

prioritising big ships makes sense i spose. you can do more illegal stuff in a big ship than a little one, so if you have to let a ship go in unscanned, best make it the one which can do least amount of criminal activity.

(hypothetically if customs could only search 1 vehicle out of a Ford Focus and an 18wheeler lorry, it probably makes sense to pick the lorry)

 

[Bortas]

Not for explorers, it outpays non-passenger exploration by an insane margin. Regardless, I dont think you should be guaranteed 200 million credits and elite status in one three-week jump marathon with zero risk. You disagree, fine.

You hardly have enough time left to actually explore when doing a long range jump-fest mission, unless you are a 24/7 player... not to mention the increased risk of failing the mission through accidental hull-damage - the more systems/planets/whatever you explore, the higher the chance of making a mistake.

 

[kpmop]

Thats not true, these explo missions arent hard. The OP left out the part where he failed already, either by being scanned earlier, overheating or emergency exiting SC. When you get scanned once your missions wont instantly fail. And since noone scans you in the deep, and not crashing into stars is super easy, there is no real risk if you fly decently.

For the rest I am not saying its balanced to other missions, just giving a reason why it is like this. I personally dont like "I have grinded a lot so deserve a reward" gameplay, making it a guaranteed reward would take all the fun out to me. But to each his own, clearly many want this game to have even less risk. From making missions unfailable, crewmembers immortal, remove insurance: I have seen it all proposed just this week.

I may have imagined it*, but I'm pretty sure I've had a passenger mission fail due to one scan - not most, you usually get 2 or 3 screw ups before they jump in the escape pods, but I'm pretty sure that least one has been an insta-fail. I don't think missions should be un-failable, but some of them are a bit harsh.

And what's wrong with immortal crewmembers?! Heh, I hope they make 2.3 multi-crew mortal too

edit* it's possible I missed something like an earlier scan, but I don't think so

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

Thats not true, these explo missions arent hard.

I guess that depends on the definition of "hard".
Having to jump a thousand times is something different than having to jump less than 50 times. Those long range missions require a lot of dedication or effort or what ever you want to call it. Invested time maybe.

…
For the rest I am not saying its balanced to other missions, just giving a reason why it is like this. …

There is no real reason for long range exploration missions to fail on scan, because other missions don't have that fail on scan mechanic. If every VIP mission was that way I would agree with you.

Why have long range missions a higher risk to fail (yes the risk is still very low) compared to other VIP missions? That's, in my opinion, the problem. Other passenger missions easier - they don't require the extra steps for avoiding scans. What makes long range exploration missions require an added risk?

I understand your overall point and in general I agree with you, but it should make sense. Punishing already very "tedious"/time consuming missions by adding the option that they fail on scan doesn't really make that much sense to me.

- - - Updated - - -

I may have imagined it*, but I'm pretty sure I've had a passenger mission fail due to one scan …
edit* it's possible I missed something like an earlier scan, but I don't think so

Maybe you didn't buy that 2t of performance enhancers resulting in the passenger not being satisfied enough to ignore the scan.

 

[tomalus]

Dont pickup "dont like to be scanned" and "criminal" passangers. Theyre not worth the hassle. Yesterday a dude that didnt want to be scanned ordered me to kil 3 ships that were following him, of course those ships SCAN you before opening fire, so I failed a mission because ships he ordered to kill scanned me.

EDIT: Uf I wasnt aware ALL long range missions are SECRETIVE (avoid scans). In that case if youre in it just for money and rank gain, avoid long range, they pay awfully low for the time&risk invested. Sightseeing missions pay much much more avoid criminals and secretive passangers.

 

[Flavourless]

3 weeks?

I don't know how much you play, but 187MCr is about 8 hours of play doing the local VIP sightseeing missions with PAX that don't care about being scanned.
The long range missions are not worth it, they pay about 10% of the going rate.

 

[Snarfbuckle]

Dont pickup "dont like to be scanned" and "criminal" passangers. Theyre not worth the hassle. Yesterday a dude that didnt want to be scanned ordered me to kil 3 ships that were following him, of course those ships SCAN you before opening fire, so I failed a mission because ships he ordered to kill scanned me.

That sounds like damn sloppy mission design.

- Luxury passengers ordering 2 tonnes of household appliances while out in the black (you would think a luxury cabin should have everything)
- Wanted passengers WANT you to get close to ships and KILL them (Should not the scan rule temporary be rescinded for that action)
- Passengers ordering us to change route on the fly even though my contract clearly say fly from A to B (Can a customer REALLY break contract and REFUSE to pay me...)
- If you do not comply with these INSANE demands they leave the ship with no repercussions and we do not get paid AT ALL? (And it's not like we FAIL the main mission, we fail a minor SECONDARY objective not stipulated in the contract)

 

[Heavenly-Hammer]

That sounds like damn sloppy mission design.

actually, that's just the burden of knowledge.

opening fire on a ship stops the scanning process. if he had shot them before their scans completed, his mission would have remained on course. apparently Tomalus didn't know and his mission failed as a result.

 

[kpmop]

actually, that's just the burden of knowledge.

opening fire on a ship stops the scanning process. if he had shot them before their scans completed, his mission would have remained on course. apparently Tomalus didn't know and his mission failed as a result.

Open fire on a security ship outside a station? sounds reasonable, what could possibly go wrong?!

hitting boost a couple of times is probably safer, though obviously try and avoid the big station shaped thing...

 

[deckroid]

\THIS IS RIDICULOUS

I whole heatedly agree. By what right does a video game have to ruin your 3 weeks of excruciating hard work of Long Distance Scan Resistant Passenger Missions? Dashing this CMDR's dream of riches, fame, status and rank. For shame, Elite Dangerous. For shame.

 

[Lightspeed]

I may have imagined it*, but I'm pretty sure I've had a passenger mission fail due to one scan - not most, you usually get 2 or 3 screw ups before they jump in the escape pods, but I'm pretty sure that least one has been an insta-fail. I don't think missions should be un-failable, but some of them are a bit harsh.

And what's wrong with immortal crewmembers?! Heh, I hope they make 2.3 multi-crew mortal too

edit* it's possible I missed something like an earlier scan, but I don't think so

Yes, I had an instant fail and instant death after one scan...... I foolishly thought I would oblige this guy with 3 units of liquor he needed to keep him happy and casually approached the slot of a station selling the stuff ..... 'scan detected' .... a moment's hesitation in deciding boost in or boost away? ..... mission failed .... kaboom !

My fault entirely .... that's what I like about this game ... it punishes you when you get casual or hesitate.

 

[CitizenLee]

I spent 3 weeks wasted once... from what little I remember it was a good 3 weeks

 

[askavir]

"Failed a mission because I failed to avoid the things that make the mission fail"

"Game Is Broken"

 

[Deleted member 115407]

Just bad RNG luck
Silent running is pointless.

Is it? I use silent running to smuggle in my Cobra III all the time, and it works without fail.

 

[mp4x]

Dropping heatsinks works too. I use it every time, and never get scanned. Silent running when I scan tourist locations - never scanned. As you said, it works flawlessly

I specifically select [smuggle] transport/sightseeing jobs with anti-scan passengers - it's more fun and a role I like to play

Technique:
Drop out of supercruise, circle around to line your ship up with the letterbox, from about 10k out.
Full speed ahead, request docking at 7.5k, drop heatsink at 6k which will release just outside the grill.
Nothing wil target you.
Win.

Is it? I use silent running to smuggle in my Cobra III all the time, and it works without fail.

 

[fruitbat]

If the AI already has eyes on you before you engage silent running it won't help as silent running doesn't make you invisible to eyes. However if you engage silent running before then and actually give just a seconds consideration to where the ai ships are before you approach the station, ie not flying straight in front of them it will help in your approach as you won't appear on there scanner so they won't turn to investigate you.

Tbh, I've done loads of smuggling in a cutter, and just a little bit of thought about your approach means in my experience that I never get scanned, without even using silent running....