Station rent for rich commanders

[Faded Glory]

Well obviously....but I was referring to the concept of docking fees, which is ostensibly the same thing.

Well, not really. Docking fees were a running cost for using your ship, what the OP wants is to penalize rich players for not using their ships.

If FD were to introduce a docking fee that you paid for entering a starport then fine, but making it a daily charge in a game where time rolls on regardless of the player (it didn't in the older games), would be just another penalty for not spending one's life playing ED. Not something I support.

And as grimreaper points out, some of us 'rich' players who have ranked up nicely and are allied with factions might actually find such charges to be far less onerous than the 'poor' starting out players struggling to gain credits, rank and reputation.

Of course, I think the OP only wants such charges to be applied to others, and I see no examples of fun gameplay in his post, just suggestions that players might log in to find out their ship(s) had been sold to pay rent. Great fun...

 

[Jesters09]

They should tax poor players for being lazy

 

[Nerwan]

I've been playing since beta, and as lifetime pass owner, I prefer to play the game slowly rather than grinding for credits

Yes, I kind of got that without you needing to say.. so you wish to punish others who've made cash because they played a different way to you.. it's pretty transparent ;-)

 

[GJ51]

Sure, why not?

Isn't FD/ED all about changing the rules mid-stream so as to render everything you've sunk your time and effort into previously, worthless?

It would sure be consistent with past practice and guaranteed to force even more uninstalls.

Sure, why not?

 

[m0rl0ck]

With all the billionaires in the game owning multiple ship(s), why not start charging these rich players’ rent to store their ship(s).

Rent could be measured on:

• The type of ship being stored.
• How wealthy the system is.
• The type of station the ship is stored in.
• The current state of the station.
• Module storage being used.
• The commander’s reputation.
• How many credits a commander has in their account.
• Etc.

If the commanders credit rating goes slightly below a set level for being charged rent and has paid rent in the past, put a discount on the amount of rent that the commander pays.

If the commanders credit rating goes too low and the stations rent exceeds the amount of credits a player can pay, send a warning that the commander needs to move their ship(s) or their ship(s) will be turned into credits if not moved within the timeframe given.

If the commander does not move their ship(s) in time, convert the price of the ship to credits or add an extended period if the commander is in the process of moving their ship(s), displaying a new warning, informing the commander to start moving their most expensive ship first.

Selling your ships to the station can also extend the rent time, depending on the value of the ship being sold.

Discounts could be added if bulk ships are stored in the same station and the reputation the commander has with the faction leader.

Depending on your reputation with the station’s faction leader, you could be provided with free rent, although this option could backfire if the system is taken over by another faction or the commander gains a bad reputation with the faction leader.

Rent can be paid either weekly, monthly or yearly, and if the player has paid monthly, but has not been online during the monthly period, rent is stopped until the player has played for more than a week when logged as being online by the server.

Rent can be paid both remotely when rent is due through a notification system or through the stations contact panel, and transfer of ship to a location provided by the station administration can also be provided at a cost with a reduced transfer price through the contacts panel and notification system.

No. Try again.

 

[Strangepork]

With all the billionaires in the game owning multiple ship(s), why not start charging these rich players’ rent to store their ship(s).

Rent could be measured on:

• The type of ship being stored.
• How wealthy the system is.
• The type of station the ship is stored in.
• The current state of the station.
• Module storage being used.
• The commander’s reputation.
• How many credits a commander has in their account.
• Etc.

If the commanders credit rating goes slightly below a set level for being charged rent and has paid rent in the past, put a discount on the amount of rent that the commander pays.

If the commanders credit rating goes too low and the stations rent exceeds the amount of credits a player can pay, send a warning that the commander needs to move their ship(s) or their ship(s) will be turned into credits if not moved within the timeframe given.

If the commander does not move their ship(s) in time, convert the price of the ship to credits or add an extended period if the commander is in the process of moving their ship(s), displaying a new warning, informing the commander to start moving their most expensive ship first.

Selling your ships to the station can also extend the rent time, depending on the value of the ship being sold.

Discounts could be added if bulk ships are stored in the same station and the reputation the commander has with the faction leader.

Depending on your reputation with the station’s faction leader, you could be provided with free rent, although this option could backfire if the system is taken over by another faction or the commander gains a bad reputation with the faction leader.

Rent can be paid either weekly, monthly or yearly, and if the player has paid monthly, but has not been online during the monthly period, rent is stopped until the player has played for more than a week when logged as being online by the server.

Rent can be paid both remotely when rent is due through a notification system or through the stations contact panel, and transfer of ship to a location provided by the station administration can also be provided at a cost with a reduced transfer price through the contacts panel and notification system.

Personally speaking, as one of those rich Commanders, I dislike the idea intensely. Why don't we meet up somewhere, maybe in an anarchy system near you to discuss the matter further.

 

[GJ51]

No. Try again.

+1 Rep

Only post I've seen without a rant against Engineers.

Well done.

 

[wilkie79]

To all those not liking this idea, it is fine to not like an idea that has not been implemented, but this idea could also be a what if idea.

What if it was implemented, stations that have many ships docked at the same station, created discounts for purchasing modules at the stations for the commander, or adding newer modules to purchase from the station.

What if the money raised from paying rent can also offset the insurance cost of rebuys to zero, depending on how much time the ship had been parked at the station.

What if rent collected also created a boost effect to the station.

What if rent collected also increased the security around the station from low to high. Not only around the station but also the system.

What if you gain loyalty points from the faction your ships are docked at, and these loyalty points can be exchanged for stuff like free modules or commoditise that you can sell for a profit.

If you can think of any more what ifs, add them, rather than thinking of the negative impacts extra funding can add to a station, just by charging rent.

 

[ThomasWJames]

I'm poor in the game still but I wouldn't disagree with it if I did have more than one ship. Shouldn't be much, maybe something you can make up in a mission or two so you're not losing much but could be like a goal to keep up with maintenance costs. I also think we should be charged just to dock. Again shouldn't be much, maybe like 50-100 credits.

 

[grimreaper]

what if- YOU worked for the faction where you dock to increase the security?
what if- you read the responses to your post?
what if- you and your group (if you have one) WORK for your own planetary station and charge players to dock there... your infrastructure would collapse in days if not hours and you would be by yourself charging yourself rent to dock at your own station on a planet nobody cares to land on.

 

[bookmite]

To all those not liking this idea, it is fine to not like an idea that has not been implemented, but this idea could also be a what if idea.

What if it was implemented, stations that have many ships docked at the same station, created discounts for purchasing modules at the stations for the commander, or adding newer modules to purchase from the station.

What if the money raised from paying rent can also offset the insurance cost of rebuys to zero, depending on how much time the ship had been parked at the station.

What if rent collected also created a boost effect to the station.

What if rent collected also increased the security around the station from low to high. Not only around the station but also the system.

What if you gain loyalty points from the faction your ships are docked at, and these loyalty points can be exchanged for stuff like free modules or commoditise that you can sell for a profit.

If you can think of any more what ifs, add them, rather than thinking of the negative impacts extra funding can add to a station, just by charging rent.

Why in the name of everything holy in ed would anyone want to increase security in a system? a far more realistic way of getting me to part with credits would be the ability to bribe the Feds to turn their ship the other way as you enter the dock with slaves or narcs, ...your thinking baffles me Cmdr [wacky] Currently the only way to increase a factions influence is by killing the opposing factions ships...not by trading, deliveries, data missions etc, ...go to the cz 's and kill all the tax collectors

 

[Marc_Hicks]

So the mechanic is that without me doing anything I lose money at the end of the week, which if I've forgotten about or go on holiday means I lose my ships?

Please remind me why this adds engagement to my gameplay?

By all means, sort out the credit surplus. But not like this. This 110% does nothing for anyone's experience.

Who said anything about losing your ship? I certainly didn't. I'm also not talking about an exhorbitant fee either. You'd have to be gone years for it to bleed you dry.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, not really. Docking fees were a running cost for using your ship, what the OP wants is to penalize rich players for not using their ships.

If FD were to introduce a docking fee that you paid for entering a starport then fine, but making it a daily charge in a game where time rolls on regardless of the player (it didn't in the older games), would be just another penalty for not spending one's life playing ED. Not something I support.

And as grimreaper points out, some of us 'rich' players who have ranked up nicely and are allied with factions might actually find such charges to be far less onerous than the 'poor' starting out players struggling to gain credits, rank and reputation.

Of course, I think the OP only wants such charges to be applied to others, and I see no examples of fun gameplay in his post, just suggestions that players might log in to find out their ship(s) had been sold to pay rent. Great fun...

....and you noticed my idea was more nuanced? Based on ship size rather than raw cost, & with in built ways for clever players to get their docking fees down very low. Gives even more reason to pursue allied status with factions & rank up with powers.

 

[StiTch]

Who said anything about losing your ship? I certainly didn't. I'm also not talking about an exhorbitant fee either. You'd have to be gone years for it to bleed you dry.

Uhm...OP?

If the commander does not move their ship(s) in time, convert the price of the ship to credits

And you've still failed to answer one thing: what does this bring to my gameplay? Stop worrying about how relatively little the amount may seem to you, and please remind me why it should be a mechanic in a game.

I've said we need a way of taking care of this credit surplus. I am not of the disagreement credits are earned too easily. But the magic vanishing of your cash every week, and the consequential removal of your ships on failure, is still bringing absolutely nothing to the game. That, as you say, the CMDR doesn't even notice it coming out their wallet just makes it even more lunatic to me. Why do I want a money draining mechanic I can't engage in and will penalise me if I've forgotten about it?

 

[wilkie79]

How rent would be paid is down to Frontier to decide and maybe not all stations will charge you rent, just a select few.

I do like the idea of a docking fee, suggested by other commanders'.

Maybe this could be related to:
• Your rep with a faction/power/major faction
• The size of your ship
• The type of station you wish to leave you ship at
• The current state of the system

Maybe the rent mechanic could be added to the docking fee mechanic in order to get a cheaper ship, like a rental ship that is fully equipped for your needs.

 

[Faded Glory]

....and you noticed my idea was more nuanced? Based on ship size rather than raw cost, & with in built ways for clever players to get their docking fees down very low. Gives even more reason to pursue allied status with factions & rank up with powers.

Marc, we're responding to the OP's suggestion...

Docking fees would be no issue at all, they'd have to be astronomical to impact most people's gameplay, and just like fuel and repair costs, they are unlikely to be made too onerous if they were introduced. But the OP isn't suggesting a docking fee, they are suggesting that players be charged for acquiring assets in game that they are not currently using. Should we be charged for the materials and data we are holding?

As I said in my previous post, in the old games, where players were charged a daily docking fee (4 or 5 credits a day if I remember correctly), in most cases that resolved to a fee for entering the station, it was a cost for using your ship. You rarely stayed in a station more than a few minutes, and when you logged off, time stopped. That cost was way less than fuel costs. Again, from the OP, I don't think this is what they are suggesting, quite the opposite, they are proposing that the ships we own but are not using become a credit sink.

Regarding clever ways of keeping costs down, the chances are that if a player has chosen a specific system to be their home base, then they will likely be allied to the faction(s) there, at least they will be after a pretty short time since it's likely they will be picking up lots of missions from the location where they have all their ships. I certainly know that is so in my case.

 

[Arry]

How rent would be paid is down to Frontier to decide and maybe not all stations will charge you rent, just a select few.

I do like the idea of a docking fee, suggested by other commanders'.

Maybe this could be related to:
• Your rep with a faction/power/major faction
• The size of your ship
• The type of station you wish to leave you ship at
• The current state of the system

Maybe the rent mechanic could be added to the docking fee mechanic in order to get a cheaper ship, like a rental ship that is fully equipped for your needs.

You should not tie-in anything to your reputation to a major power, because you are only Allied if you play all of the time. Once you take a day or two away from the game you become friendly again. The play your own way, went out the window, when they brought out reputation decline for not playing. Now we have a choice; play as we like, or play to keep major power reputation at its already achieved, maximum level.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Maybe in the future, your money could buy you a station or parking lot for yourself and you could become more richer by charging other commanders rent.

You really aren't getting it. Many players are exceedingly wealthy in the game due to spamming multiple exploits. You are suggesting making the game punish everyone who didn't exploit billions.

Charging rent for ships is one of the stupidest changes possible to make to the game. It's on a par with selling modules at a loss.

If you want to get some more realistic economics in the game, there are far more immersion breaking things than free rent. Biowaste being the most valuable commodity in the universe, for example.

 

[VAN LORD]

Maybe this could be related to:
• Your rep with a faction/power/major faction
• The size of your ship
• The type of station you wish to leave you ship at
• The current state of the system

This is much better.

I don't mind paying rent for storage of my ships in the territory, where I am NOT the owner.
However, there should be the alternative in which the pilot could own a hangar (warehouse for ship components and commodity) and not lose any credits, but the price for the purchase of the vault - should be high.
Or build your own hangar on the planet's surface (in subsequent updates, for a chance).

In addition, if in any case you will have to pay, simple storage is not enough, we need the exposition of the ships, with illumination of the case, stylish interior and so on (saloon with GALNET news holo-projector and lots of holo-posters), you know, what would be worth to pay for. Perhaps, an empty room in which could apply the decoration elements for personalization, as in "Planet coaster" (just an idea).

 

[Spatial]

Great idea and hoping Frontier seriously look at this.

 

[c00ky1970]

I think a docking fee is a good way to have a credit sink in game.

You only pay when you dock, if you don't play for 3 weeks it doesn't matter as it is only levied on docking.

BUT, The challenge is that starting players with 1000Cr might find even 10Cr fee difficult to meet.

So do you say Sidey's have zero docking fees as it's covered off by Pilots Fed membership, that way as long as you are in a sidey you don't incur docking fees? Or do you say only medium and large pad ships have a docking fee associated.

Is it a flat fee, or a percentage of ships value, or percentage of transactions made whilst docked (kind of a sales/mission collection tax)?

The question then is for these Billionaires, whatever you levy it doesn't matter, for those that are just Millionaires again it may not affect them if the charges are equivalent to a few percentage points on any transaction. Then for start ups these charges amy also be unoticeably small if it is a percentage, or become more challenging if there is a minimum fee regardless.

You could double or triple fuel price instead, more people may fuel scoop, but even tripling fuel costs wouldnt break the bank of players, even start ups?