All CGs should have a default Top 10 reward.

[DemiserofD]

All Community Goals have a top 10, but most have no reason to bother getting there. Only a rare few have specific rewards for top 10; most just give a tiny amount of additional credits, which is almost always insignificant in comparison to the amount of effort players need to put in. For example, in the last CG, it took about 2.6 hours of mining to get in the top 10%, or 11 hours to get in the top 10 - but the reward was only about 33% larger.

With this in mind, I'd like to suggest that all top 10 winners get an upgradeable decal.

These would be similar to the rank decals(Harmless->Elite), only better, due to their greater rarity.

1. For getting in the top 10 a single time, you would be rewarded with a single star beneath the decal, and the decal would come in reflective bronze paint.
2. For getting in the top 10 3 times, you would get a second star, and the decal would come in reflective silver.
3. For 10 times, you would get a third star, and the decal would come in reflective gold.
4. For 25 times, you would get a fourth star, and the decal would come in refractive diamond.
5. And for 50 times, you would get a fifth star, and the decal would be molten, glowing, scintillating iridescent.

Obviously very few people would get the highest rank, but this is for the long-term. In five years or so, someone would be bragging about getting the very first Iridescent 5-star.

I think this would be a nice encouragement for players to fight over getting into the top 10. Some might only want it once, while some might want to go for higher decals. Either way, it means top 10 is always at least somewhat meaningful.

And why not offer players another simple, easy reason to compete and play the game?

 

[zimms]

I don't really care. Why focus on such a small number of players?

I don't fully agree with excluding 25% of participants all the time from the actual rewards either to be honest.

 

[Astaran]

I don't really care. Why focus on such a small number of players?

I don't fully agree with excluding 25% of participants all the time from the actual rewards either to be honest.

I'm not against his idea per se. Some sort of unique "collectable" is always something nice to have. Just like those unique paintjobs FDev hands out for winning Stellar Screenshots competition.

Edit: That being said, most CGs are an unholy amount of "grind" that require almost the time investment of another full-time job next to your RL job. I'm not really sure if any sane person with a real-life could really find the time needed to do a trade or combat CG for an entire week non-stop just to win and defend Top10 spot for such a decal

 

[Bigmaec]

I don't really care. Why focus on such a small number of players?

I don't fully agree with excluding 25% of participants all the time from the actual rewards either to be honest.

This. I'd rather see the global rewards for everyone participating, instead of just 75%. Would remove a lot of grind.

Extra decals would make every CG a grindfest like the last one.

 

[DemiserofD]

This. I'd rather see the global rewards for everyone participating, instead of just 75%. Would remove a lot of grind.

Extra decals would make every CG a grindfest like the last one.

It's just a decal. If you don't want it, don't grind. But the people who like grinding like to have a reason to grind.

 

[Astaran]

It's just a decal. If you don't want it, don't grind. But the people who like grinding like to have a reason to grind.

The Golconda CG decal is still my favorite decal and I put it on every single ship I fly. IIRC everyone involved in this CG received one in the end. Maybe there could be different "tiers" of such a decal. General Participation (aka signed up and did at least one run) -> Top 75% -> Top 50% -> Top 25% -> Top 10% -> Top10 and maybe some sort of "laurel" if you were on the winning side of the CG

Edit: On the other hand, this pretty much contradicts the very idea of this thread and a "special decal"

 

[DemiserofD]

I don't really care. Why focus on such a small number of players?

I don't fully agree with excluding 25% of participants all the time from the actual rewards either to be honest.

Why have a top 10 list at all? Because it inspires far more than just the top 10. It pushes Community goals to be more competitive. And the more competitive they become, the more effort everyone puts into them, because the more successful they become.

In the last Community goal, for example, one side made it about three-quarters of the way to a tier. Just a little bit further, and it would have been close enough to inspire significant additional effort to push it over that final threshold and get the bonus reward.

 

[zimms]

Why have a top 10 list at all? Because it inspires far more than just the top 10. It pushes Community goals to be more competitive. And the more competitive they become, the more effort everyone puts into them, because the more successful they become.

[...]

... and the more pressure they create, and the more FOMO gets added, the more toxic they will become.

I thought CGs were about working together towards a common, global goal/reward. Now it's just about selfish personal rewards (not completely, but that's the direction they are going).

People would still try to go for top 10 just for bragging rights or to achieve a personal goal.

 

[DemiserofD]

The Golconda CG decal is still my favorite decal and I put it on every single ship I fly. IIRC everyone involved in this CG received one in the end. Maybe there could be different "tiers" of such a decal. General Participation (aka signed up and did at least one run) -> Top 75% -> Top 50% -> Top 25% -> Top 10% -> Top10 and maybe some sort of "laurel" if you were on the winning side of the CG

Edit: On the other hand, this pretty much contradicts the very idea of this thread and a "special decal"

A decal that anyone can get isn't worth much. The reason your golconda decal is worth more to you, is because it's rare, and because it has nostalgic value to you. If anyone could get it, just by signing up for any CG, then it would be worth a lot less.

On the one hand, this decal would be a lot harder to get. On the flip side, it would be available constantly. Overall, I'd like to think the two balance out.

... and the more pressure they create, and the more FOMO gets added, the more toxic they will become.

I thought CGs were about working together towards a common, global goal/reward. Now it's just about selfish personal rewards (not completely, but that's the direction they are going).

People would still try to go for top 10 just for bragging rights or to achieve a personal goal.

Well, what they realized was that, if everyone benefits from the rewards, the people have no incentive to participate, and every incentive to let everyone else participate for them.

This is a game, not real life, so the same altruistic motivations that apply irl need to be supplemented by personal reward, or the whole concept just breaks down, like it did near the end, before they canceled Community goals for a few years.

Adding a reward like this would give Perpetual life to community goals, as the less participation there was, the more incentive there would be to go for rewards like this, since they would become easier to acquire. This, in turn, drives participation at lower tiers, reversing loss of players. A perfect cycle.

 

[Commdor]

I'm not against his idea per se. Some sort of unique "collectable" is always something nice to have. Just like those unique paintjobs FDev hands out for winning Stellar Screenshots competition.

The problem is Fdev doesn't make enough unique stuff to begin with. We had this epic storyline about the NMLA for an entire year and we got no NMLA decal, the most obvious of ship cosmetics that should have been made.

In fact, we don't have decals for a lot of worthy groups and events: Aegis, Salvation, the Galactic Summit, Jupiter Division, ACT, Marlinist Colonies, Far God cult, Torval Mining. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Aegis, Salvation and the Far God cult at least have official logos, but it's baffling they have not been made into decals.

If the devs aren't going to bother making basic bits of art like that, no way are we getting special Top 10 rewards for every single CG. The idea's a non-starter.

 

[DemiserofD]

The problem is Fdev doesn't make enough unique stuff to begin with. We had this epic storyline about the NMLA for an entire year and we got no NMLA decal, the most obvious of ship cosmetics that should have been made.

In fact, we don't have decals for a lot of worthy groups and events: Aegis, Salvation, the Galactic Summit, Jupiter Division, ACT, Marlinist Colonies, Far God cult, Torval Mining. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Aegis, Salvation and the Far God cult at least have official logos, but it's baffling they have not been made into decals.

If the devs aren't going to bother making basic bits of art like that, no way are we getting special Top 10 rewards for every single CG. The idea's a non-starter.

Why not do ALL of that? It'd make perfect sense. I'd love to have gotten a Torval Mining decal for being top 10 in the last CG, and I can't imagine making decals takes too terribly long.

 

[Eeka]

I vote for fixing things first such as the game overall fps or my god damn crew sunglasses and then think about adding new stuff. You'll not want a top10 reward that cannot be delivered because you can't add experimentals properly it doesnt work as expected

 

[Astaran]

The problem is Fdev doesn't make enough unique stuff to begin with. We had this epic storyline about the NMLA for an entire year and we got no NMLA decal, the most obvious of ship cosmetics that should have been made.

In fact, we don't have decals for a lot of worthy groups and events: Aegis, Salvation, the Galactic Summit, Jupiter Division, ACT, Marlinist Colonies, Far God cult, Torval Mining. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Aegis, Salvation and the Far God cult at least have official logos, but it's baffling they have not been made into decals.

If the devs aren't going to bother making basic bits of art like that, no way are we getting special Top 10 rewards for every single CG. The idea's a non-starter.

Well, we didn't even get anything for participating in the Odyssey alpha either. I mean, we paid extra money for Alpha access, because we actually love and care about Elite. We wanted to give much needed feedback for Odyssey (which proved to be spot on and 150% accurate, mind you) and yet...not even a little decal or anything (a crashed and burning Cobra Mk IV anyone? )


That being said, FDev did provide an awesome free decal for participation in the player hosted AXI "CG" roughly 1 1/2(?) years ago (right before official CGs returned). Then there's the Golconda decal and the Witch Head Nebula decal...if memory serves me right there was also a CG decal one year ago, but that was the time my father died, so I was pre-occupied with different things and I did not pay much attention to Elite.

All in all, I think that (small) collectable cosmetics as CG rewards are (at least for me) much more interesting than any double engineered modules

 

[Deleted member 254248]

For example, in the last CG, it took about 2.6 hours of mining to get in the top 10%, or 11 hours to get in the top 10

Heh. I played Elite for a total of 65 hours in the week of a CG to get into the Top 10 of the one I was aiming for. The Colonia Bridge Phase 3 someone played for almost double that.

11 hours...heh.

 

[Cmdr Microponto]

Maybe frontier doesn't wanna separate ppl, between who can and who can't play for so long.... therefore being 'inclusive' and treating everyone equally.....
Having more credits as reward than the other ranks I think its ok, because u can earn credits doing other things.....

I rather see exclusive rewards to someone that (for example) takes his fleet carrier to beagle point... that can be made by anyone that really wants it, but only a few have the B**ls to do it.... I guess those sort of things (at the same distance for everyone) should be rewarded... and not stuff that just a few can do...

my 2 cents

 

[Mersozz]

I would like a double engineered module for those who finish in the bottom tier.

Because that is what the Dude would want.

 

[Danieros]

Personally, I think a beacon in-game with the top 10 and the CG context like the Colonia Bridge Project should be a standard.

It leaves a mark in the game for every CG for historic purposes, and along with it the top10 of that CG.