It was a rhetorical question but your response doesn’t even answer it...
Should Frontier adjust the rankings of ascent to ELITE?
- Thread starter jj.justme
- Start date
You would instantly bar every player from casual up to semi-serious from achieving things in game because they don't live on the game like some young men with relatively no responsibility in life can. We are talking about a vidya game for living out our fantasies of being a spaceship pilot. Not a hierarchy worth spending your every waking moment on competing with other men to climb, which is what it would be just like it was when PVP was Ranked that way in WoW.
Hard. Pass.
Nope, i don't think so. I was a backer and i'm still only elite in 1, but i don't begrudge people 'levelling' now faster than we used to. It's my own fault for not following the meta grind and exploit, but each to their own i guess. Beyond a certain point what are you grinding for anyway? Most of the big ships are rubbish anyway! (ok i know that's not strictly true but they're not what i enjoy).
I know ED isn't entirely a MMORPG in the usual sense but that accelerated progress in the post=release phase is a staple of such games - people who join 1 or 2 years late (or in this case 4+?(i forget)) have to have some chance to get on vaguely level terms or why spend the money? I think it keeps a game alive more than anything, and having 'the knowledge' gives you certain advantages even if your current ship might not immediately show it in a blatant fashion!
I know ED isn't entirely a MMORPG in the usual sense but that accelerated progress in the post=release phase is a staple of such games - people who join 1 or 2 years late (or in this case 4+?(i forget)) have to have some chance to get on vaguely level terms or why spend the money? I think it keeps a game alive more than anything, and having 'the knowledge' gives you certain advantages even if your current ship might not immediately show it in a blatant fashion!
You are right, I am not a novice player in the game but, I see no sense that by doing 15 sessions of new mining or, going 10000 light years, reach the cap of game ranks.
I can do that myself, and anyone who truly is a rookie in the game.
And that's what makes no sense to me.
Someone else has said in a post: This is because the rise in rank goes in relation to the millions won, and not the trade properly done.
Until it’s more than an ego massage they’re ultimately meaningless.
Exploration and Trade ranks are so easy to get now, it really doesn't stand for anything anymore. New players are Elite and filthy rich before they have even learned to fly properly.
That also means that triple Elite players are usually combat players since their playstyle helps with combat rank while Exploration and Trade ranks are easy to get. If you are an explorer for example that's much, much harder and you get nothing on the fly, since you can scan systems all the time no matter the ship, but you can't really fight in an exploration vessel.
I think there has to be some balancing. Exploration and Trade ranking would need to require much, much higher payouts to rank up in order to make it a bit more meaningful again to carry around a high rank.
That also means that triple Elite players are usually combat players since their playstyle helps with combat rank while Exploration and Trade ranks are easy to get. If you are an explorer for example that's much, much harder and you get nothing on the fly, since you can scan systems all the time no matter the ship, but you can't really fight in an exploration vessel.
I think there has to be some balancing. Exploration and Trade ranking would need to require much, much higher payouts to rank up in order to make it a bit more meaningful again to carry around a high rank.
You can raise the bar in about 11% when I'm tripple Elite. 
Then lower the bar for CQC so just trying to find a match makes you Elite, so I can be quadruple Elite!
Then lower the bar for CQC so just trying to find a match makes you Elite, so I can be quadruple Elite!
No. Leave them the way they are.
Triple Elite is the new Elite imo.
I get the problem with fast ranking in some areas, in fact each elite ranking has got pretty much one each. I think that's OK though because if you like to explore pew-pew is probably relatively difficult. And if you're the kind of player who prefers pew-pew chances are exploring, even accelerated, is a real test of patience.
The Elite Pilot Federation is only granting Triple Elite to those pilots willing to do what's necessary, against their own feelings then. That's above and beyond and Triple Elite is worth calling Elite, imo because it's pretty tough.
I get the problem with fast ranking in some areas, in fact each elite ranking has got pretty much one each. I think that's OK though because if you like to explore pew-pew is probably relatively difficult. And if you're the kind of player who prefers pew-pew chances are exploring, even accelerated, is a real test of patience.
The Elite Pilot Federation is only granting Triple Elite to those pilots willing to do what's necessary, against their own feelings then. That's above and beyond and Triple Elite is worth calling Elite, imo because it's pretty tough.
Last edited:
Yea. That's also how i read the OP: I did it, now make sure that others can't do it, too.
Leave as is, players who want to shoot through the ranks can do and it is still doable by casual players.
I would actually create an opt in new ranking on top for commanders who are triple Elite based simply on money. Rank commanders based on their total assets when they become triple Elite and only money gained in open after that counts. If a player switches to solo any outstanding cargo, bounty vouchers or mission rewards automatically reduce their triple Elite balance. The leaderboard would also show whether a commander is online or not and their last visited system. Kills made on commanders opted in to the ranking would not confer bounties or wanted status. This might create a competitive leaderboard and opportunity for pvp.
I would actually create an opt in new ranking on top for commanders who are triple Elite based simply on money. Rank commanders based on their total assets when they become triple Elite and only money gained in open after that counts. If a player switches to solo any outstanding cargo, bounty vouchers or mission rewards automatically reduce their triple Elite balance. The leaderboard would also show whether a commander is online or not and their last visited system. Kills made on commanders opted in to the ranking would not confer bounties or wanted status. This might create a competitive leaderboard and opportunity for pvp.
Yes, but only for those who want it.
Elite means nothing. You get access to an outfitting convenience store and 2.5% off all prices everywhere, that's it. Oh, and you get harder NPC interdictions. So I don't care if everyone can reach Elite in any one area fast.
If Elite would actually mean something, I'd certainly favor trade Elite being set to 10 billion, and exploration to at least 1 billion. To put the current elite ranks into perspective: That 1 billion trade Elite we have barely allows you to fully combat fit either the Anaconda or Corvette and still have some rebuy left. Doing the same with a Cutter may even require 1.5 to 2 billion. It's a joke.
If Elite would actually mean something, I'd certainly favor trade Elite being set to 10 billion, and exploration to at least 1 billion. To put the current elite ranks into perspective: That 1 billion trade Elite we have barely allows you to fully combat fit either the Anaconda or Corvette and still have some rebuy left. Doing the same with a Cutter may even require 1.5 to 2 billion. It's a joke.
Getting Elite (1984) loaded on the ZX Specrum using the Lenslok anti piracy device was harder than ranking up to Elite in ED
I respect your opinion and that of the partner but like I said to him, you have not understood anything of my intention to write this post.
Really what I mean is that at least in the ranges of trade and exploration, the Elite range is easily achievable when it should be a range in which you really see the dedicated and not achievable effort in less than 1 month and with 15 mining raids.
Again, it is not a question of complicating things to the new (I really do not think they have the most complicated options that those who started to play from day one, rather the opposite) but that truly when you finally reach the Elite range , you feel like you've got something really big.
I have not felt the same going up to Elite in trade in a month, as I felt when I did it with my main account after two years of pure trade between stations.
Don't make this a misguided idea that I want to complicate things for people who enter new games. For nothing is my intention and I do not admit it.
Last edited:
The funny thing is that Lenslok protected games could be pirated and the pirate copies bypassed the Lenslok protection completely . Not sure of the exact details of how it was done, but I believe it involved a plugin peripheral, possibly a Currah micro-source.
(Removes eyepatch and puts parrot back in cage) That brings back memories from waaay back. Just like the cassette that contained the President's speech in 'Escape from New York' was the cheapest brand available.
It's 12.5 off regular prices and access at all if you didn't have it as a backer. That's pretty significant as a one stop shop. Especially compared to my experiences hopping around LYR space assembling ships.
Objectively, I suppose the trade rank should be revised.
The thresholds were set back when data-delivery missions paid a couple of thousand credits and missions that paid more than a million credits were super-rare.
If being "Elite" is to have the same value, I guess Trade should probably have it's thresholds multiplied by 10.
OTOH, who really cares?
Even with the thresholds as they are, gaining an Elite rank means you've played for long enough to have decided you enjoy the game and you're probably going to keep playing.
I doubt anybody has ever reached Elite in any/all disciplines and thought "Okay, I've finished this game. Time to move on".
The thresholds were set back when data-delivery missions paid a couple of thousand credits and missions that paid more than a million credits were super-rare.
If being "Elite" is to have the same value, I guess Trade should probably have it's thresholds multiplied by 10.
OTOH, who really cares?
Even with the thresholds as they are, gaining an Elite rank means you've played for long enough to have decided you enjoy the game and you're probably going to keep playing.
I doubt anybody has ever reached Elite in any/all disciplines and thought "Okay, I've finished this game. Time to move on".
Last edited:
I'm not saying I played Elite a lot but I didn't need the lenslok to start the game.
I just recognised all the patterns automatically.