Crew member taking 54% of profits instead of 12%

[NecasekO]

Funny thing is that the game does track the cost of any cargo players carry. When you sell something on commodity market it calculates net profit correctly (based on purchase price or the fact the cargo was mined / salvaged at no cost) and NPC payment is calculated from this net profit.

It's just "fetch" missions where this breaks down and NPC gets a share of income instead of net profit.

 

[NotHere]

I never quite understood why they take a percentage in the first place. For non-combat activities that is. It's a bad deal for the commander: the more I make, the more I have to pay them, despite them not doing any more work to earn it than they already were. It's a bad deal for the crew member: when I take time out to material hunting, engineering, or rep/rank grinding -- which makes up a large chunk of my time in game as of late -- they're earning nothing. A flat rate based on their skill level would seem to be the most equitable solution for both sides, even if they're inactive, since what you're really paying for is their time.

Now, for combat activities, the percentage actually makes sense. If you want me to agree to go into a warzone with you, where ships are being destroyed left, right, and center; you're dang right I'm going to be asking for a large share of the booty because of the risk involved. Even if I'm flying escort for a trader, and we're not seeking out combat, I'd still expect to get a percentage of any bounty or "we'll pay you more if you take out these NPCs following you" payouts since that's additional money I've just helped you earn.

So, why not have both? A flat rate (in-game time) that applies no matter what you're doing, and a percentage that applies to any bounties, combat bonds, combat mission payouts (massacre, assassination, take out skimmers, rescue hostages, take out powergrid, steal cargo, etc.), and combat-related follow-on rewards for non-combat missions.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

We are not on the same page, we are not even reading from the same book. Or even in the same universe.

I cannot believe you think the solution to this is to make people go to EDDB, figure out where they're going to purchase the stuff, get the caluclator out, refer to their two crew members percenatges, jot down the numbers, perform the necessary calculation (totally beyond most Elite plyaers, believe me), then decide whether that contract is worth doing or not? Rather than fixing something that's completely idiotic in the game? think you've lost the plot mate, honestly, how can you defend this total ? It';s a total failure of consideration, it's not something they did on purpose to make the game more 'consequential'...

Well, why should I care if some players are lazy enough to just do one or two multiplications? Not everything in this game needs to be a gold mine you know?

 

[Unknown Zombie]

... When you sell something on commodity market it calculates net profit correctly (based on purchase price or the fact the cargo was mined / salvaged at no cost) and NPC payment is calculated from this net profit...

Oh, wow.. Crew members get a cut even if you're running commodities? I thought they just got a cut of mission payouts and bounties.. I haven't used a fighter bay yet but reading that just made sure I'll never even bother.

 

[Andovar]

These take far to much. Even when not active which really p.......s me off

This. ^^

Honestly, if they're sitting back at port doing nothing, why should they get the same cut as when they're actually working for you??
When crew is idle, they should get maybe a 1% or 2% retainer fee, but that's it.

 

[GunnerBill]

I guess it might be argued that it's a "booby trap" but it's not especially harsh.

If the mission pays Cr20m and an NPC gets 12% then I'd expect that they'd get Cr2.4m.
That's not "harsh". It's just business as usual in ED.

Personally, I tend to avoid "fetch" missions at the best of times 'cos you never know how much of a faff they're going to be.
Taking on a wing mission to fetch Palladium seems like a bad-idea sandwich with extra bad-idea and bad-idea sauce.

You forgot the side of "what-could-go-wrong". Very tasty that one.

 

[El_Hefe]

So rather than fix the missions we should ignore them? Is that not throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

We could just bug report it and see if FDev will fix it

 

[sb413197]

They also take money when you sell components or ships. They are thieves. I just hire and fire the expert now.

 

[Stealthie]

Funny thing is that the game does track the cost of any cargo players carry. When you sell something on commodity market it calculates net profit correctly (based on purchase price or the fact the cargo was mined / salvaged at no cost) and NPC payment is calculated from this net profit.

It's just "fetch" missions where this breaks down and NPC gets a share of income instead of net profit.

Not sure about that.

When I find caches of stuff on a planet surface, or mine it myself, I'll take it to a station, flog it and get told I'm making a loss by selling it to the market.

Presumably, all the game's doing is using the galactic average, comparing it to the price at the current station and using that to determine whether or not you're making a "loss".

 

[Stealthie]

So rather than fix the missions we should ignore them? Is that not throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

We could just bug report it and see if FDev will fix it

I guess it depends if FDev consider them to be "broken" or not.

Is a mission "broken" because completing it results in a player bounty?
Is a mission "broken" because it requires a disproportionate amount of time, effort or expense to complete it?
Is a mission "broken" if it requires the player do something illegal?
Is a mission "broken" because an apparently simple mission leads to some challenging combat?

If all these things are broken, FDev must have hired chimps to do the coding.
Seems far more likely that they put some missions in so players have to use their initiative to decide whether they're worthwhile or not.

I thought most ED players were aware the game doesn't hold your hand?

 

[El_Hefe]

I guess it depends if FDev consider them to be "broken" or not.

Is a mission "broken" because completing it results in a player bounty?
Is a mission "broken" because it requires a disproportionate amount of time, effort or expense to complete it?
Is a mission "broken" if it requires the player do something illegal?
Is a mission "broken" because an apparently simple mission leads to some challenging combat?

If all these things are broken, FDev must have hired chimps to do the coding.
Seems far more likely that they put some missions in so players have to use their initiative to decide whether they're worthwhile or not.

I thought most ED players were aware the game doesn't hold your hand?

All that has nothing to do with the specific problem in this thread. You are indeed stretching your reasoning here.

All those missions have one thing in common,they all pay only profit. You crew takes the stated % from the PROFIT!

Theres one mission type that doesnt do that,an outlier. Theres also no warning it does that in game.

Also strawman the hand holding thing all you want,its got zero to do with that and you probably know it.

Its to do with the game being consistent.

 

[Stealthie]

Theres one mission type that doesnt do that,an outlier. Theres also no warning it does that in game.

No, this is quite simply not true.

It is, in fact, completely the opposite of the truth.

Take a long-distance passenger mission and who pays for the repair to your ship's integrity?
Take a combat mission and who pays for the repairs to your ship?
Who pays for any re-buys?
Take on a mission which requires specific modules and who pays for the purchase of those modules?

Every mission in the game works on exactly the same principle; you pay the expenses and your NPC takes a cut of the payment.

The game currently IS consistent.
You're asking for an inconsistency to be introduced to a single mission type.

It's certainly not fair but it's also not fair if the expenses incurred during "fetch" missions get treated differently to the expenses incurred in other missions.

That's why it'd be better to ask for some kind of "standby mode" to be introduced for NPCs.
That way it could be used consistently, by all players, for all mission types.

 

[Suvi Anwar]

...Yeah that's about right. Looks like the OP can't math or missed the fine print that crew members take a cut all profits. In this case the OP is mistaken in thinking that the game calculates the Net Profit and takes the cut from that. Doesn't work that way. The game calculates Gross Profit. In this case represented by the mission reward.

Now if he'd sold that on the commodities market then his math would be right. Since it was a mission however, it's basing it off the reward and not by his expenses.

Next time OP I suggest mining the minerals instead. Much cheaper since you'd only be expending on fuel and 101 credit limpets for prospecting and collecting. At most your expenses would have been around... oh off the top of my head we'll say about 12 limpets and fuel so... about 3k in expenses. Granted the time investment is larger but which is more valuable, your time or the bigger profit?

Decisions decisions....

Actually, it looked like the OP could math just fine, or did you miss the part where the OP said it cost him 15,577,160?
It's the poor mission design and the overzealous requirement to pay NPCs a better wage than most CMDRs make for most of the game.

And one other detail, it does say % of profit, not % of payout.

 

[El_Hefe]

No, this is quite simply not true.

It is, in fact, completely the opposite of the truth.

Take a long-distance passenger mission and who pays for the repair to your ship's integrity?
Take a combat mission and who pays for the repairs to your ship?
Who pays for any re-buys?
Take on a mission which requires specific modules and who pays for the purchase of those modules?

Every mission in the game works on exactly the same principle; you pay the expenses and your NPC takes a cut of the payment.

The game currently IS consistent.
You're asking for an inconsistency to be introduced to a single mission type.

It's certainly not fair but it's also not fair if the expenses incurred during "fetch" missions get treated differently to the expenses incurred in other missions.

That's why it'd be better to ask for some kind of "standby mode" to be introduced for NPCs.
That way it could be used consistently, by all players, for all mission types.

So when you pay for fuel,repairs,restock and rebuy the crew member taxes that cost by a % do they?

 

[Stealthie]

...the overzealous requirement to pay NPCs a better wage than most CMDRs make for most of the game.

Awww, now you're just exaggerating.

Spoiler

[where is it]


Currently I have around Cr2bn in my account.
Soon I'm going to end up working for her.

 

[Stealthie]

So when you pay for fuel,repairs,restock and rebuy the crew member taxes that cost by a % do they?

What on Earth are you on about?
Nobody gets "taxed" on anything.

What happens is that NPCs take a cut of ALL rewards... in a completely consistent manner.

 

[Suvi Anwar]

Awww, now you're just exaggerating.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/MZEaYqv.jpg

[where is it]


Currently I have around Cr2bn in my account.
Soon I'm going to end up working for her.

Just wait till that NPC kicks you to the curb because she can afford more ships than you! [haha]

 

[El_Hefe]

Take a long-distance passenger mission and who pays for the repair to your ship's integrity?
Take a combat mission and who pays for the repairs to your ship?
Who pays for any re-buys?
Take on a mission which requires specific modules and who pays for the purchase of those modules?

Every mission in the game works on exactly the same principle; you pay the expenses and your NPC takes a cut of the payment.

This is from the post i replied to. A cmdr shoulders all those costs. A crew member doesnt take a % of these costs.

Buying the commodities is a cost like the above,a crew member DOES take a % of this one cost but no other.

Every mission in the game bar the fetch missions take a % for crew from profit,fetch missions are the only exception to this,meaning its inconsistent with EVERY other mission type.

I cant make it any simpler.

 

[Stealthie]

This is from the post i replied to. A cmdr shoulders all those costs. A crew member doesnt take a % of these costs.

Buying the commodities is a cost like the above,a crew member DOES take a % of this one cost but no other.

Every mission in the game bar the fetch missions take a % for crew from profit,fetch missions are the only exception to this,meaning its inconsistent with EVERY other mission type.

I cant make it any simpler.

I think you're getting mixed-up.

When you take on a long distance passenger mission, the repair to your ship's integrity is an expense.
When you need repairs after a mission it is an expense.
When you incur a re-buy it is an expense.
When you need to buy a module to complete a mission it is an expense.

You pay all these expenses.
The NPC pays none of them.
And then, at the end of the mission, the NPC takes their cut of the reward.

Likewise, when you have to buy commodities to complete a "fetch" mission it is also an expense.
Just like all other expenses, you pay it.
The NPC has nothing to do with it.
And then, at the end of the mission, the NPC takes their cut of the reward.

Just like they do in every other scenario.

Consistently.

 

[El_Hefe]

Lol,im not getting mixed up at all.

The commodities are an expense to comple the mission like buying a module would be. The crew dont take a % of the cost of the module.

Why should they get a % of the cost of a mission?

But thats what there getting currently. They should get a % of the profit like every other mission in the game.

Going round in circles is boring me,i cant really make it anymore simple if you cant understand.