Update/cancel missions if BGS state changes

[Screemonster]

At present, the mission server can lag behind the BGS slightly, resulting in impossible missions. Most notably, delivery and data missions to factions that have retreated in the time between the cmdr taking the mission and their arrival at the destination, but also situations like wartime massacre missions when the war is over.

I suggest that upon arrival at the destination system, when the open missions are checked for updates such as time bonuses and so on, add a validity check to make sure the conditions that allowed the mission to be completed still exist - is the target faction still present in the system, if it's a massacre mission are the factions still at war, is the megaship still there in the case of a "disable the megaship turrets" mission, has a target facility changed hands so it's no longer owned by the target faction, and so on.
If the relevant conditions are not met, then the mission should be updated in a way that allows it to be completed, or else abandoned gracefully.

• Delivery missions, source/return, mining and passenger missions, if the mission target has retreated from the system, should be redirected to another station where the faction is present, your ship can land, and the station has the appropriate services (passenger lounge or mission board) to complete the mission. If no such station exists, the mission giver switches to the controlling faction of the original station and you continue as normal. ("Suchandsuch Corporation have ceased operations in this system, our representatives will handle any outstanding affairs")
• Completed massacre missions against no-longer-valid targets can be turned in for a reward as normal. Incomplete ones should be automatically abandoned with no penalty.
• If a settlement or installation changing hands matters, update the mission accordingly with a popup box - inform them of the new controlling faction and allow them to either call it off or continue at their discretion.
• If a megaship has moved, update the mission to tell them where it's moved to.

 

[Ezren]

I think that having some kind of trigger kick off when a major state change happens would be a good idea. Some of these could be complex to implement, like the Megaship example, but it would all require the game to recognize missions that could be affected by these state changes.

Although, BGS stuff is probably the topic I have the least experience with in this game.

 

[M00ka]

I can understand your frustration OP, but have to ask: how often does this happen? I play a lot, at least 4-6 hours a day, and I primarily run missions and I have never had the situation you described. Maybe I am lucky I am in a stable system or something but I can honestly say I haven't seen it - not doubting the situation exists just that I have not seen it myself.

 

[Screemonster]

I can understand your frustration OP, but have to ask: how often does this happen? I play a lot, at least 4-6 hours a day, and I primarily run missions and I have never had the situation you described. Maybe I am lucky I am in a stable system or something but I can honestly say I haven't seen it - not doubting the situation exists just that I have not seen it myself.

Well, I just fielded a question from a new player earlier today about it since they had a couple of missions they couldn't turn in and couldn't figure out why, I'm sure I saw the same thing from another player last week, and the massacre missions... I've seen them on the boards after the conclusion of a war so often I opened an issue about it.

edit: it might also be down to the time of day - when I'm on my days off or I'm on nights, my free time frequently falls directly across the tick.

 

[M00ka]

Well, I just fielded a question from a new player earlier today about it since they had a couple of missions they couldn't turn in and couldn't figure out why, I'm sure I saw the same thing from another player last week, and the massacre missions... I've seen them on the boards after the conclusion of a war so often I opened an issue about it.

edit: it might also be down to the time of day - when I'm on my days off or I'm on nights, my free time frequently falls directly across the tick.

Fair enough, as I stated I wasn't doubting you, just had never experienced the situation myself. Will admit I don't do passenger missions and might do one or two massacre missions a week if I am lucky. And even then I only take those that I can complete in a session, so under 25 or so. Maybe that is why I haven't seen this issue, as I tend to complete all my missions within a hour or so of taking them.

As for massacre missions, are you sure they are tied solely to civil wars and the such. I just checked my mission board and whilst there are two minor factions in a civil war there are three factions that aren't involved in the war, haven't been in conflict with each other for weeks yet they all have a handful of massacre missions each. I just always assumed that 'internal conflict' was part and parcel of any faction, hence massacre missions, assassinations and the like.

 

[Screemonster]

Well, there's wartime massacre missions that specifically direct you to conflict zones, and there's pirate/civilian/passenger massacre missions that send you to another system to kill stuff. The latter can happen pretty much any time, but the former can't be completed if the conflict zones disappear.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I can understand your frustration OP, but have to ask: how often does this happen? I play a lot, at least 4-6 hours a day, and I primarily run missions and I have never had the situation you described. Maybe I am lucky I am in a stable system or something but I can honestly say I haven't seen it - not doubting the situation exists just that I have not seen it myself.

If your playtime doesn't cross either the political BGS tick or the Powerplay/Megaship tick, and you always finish missions on the day you take them, then it can't happen to you.

There's a bunch of isolated bug reports in the tracker from people who got hit by the "faction retreated between taking and completed the mission" case - none of which are likely to get as far as Confirmed.

 

[Screemonster]

If your playtime doesn't cross either the political BGS tick or the Powerplay/Megaship tick, and you always finish missions on the day you take them, then it can't happen to you.

There's a bunch of isolated bug reports in the tracker from people who got hit by the "faction retreated between taking and completed the mission" case - none of which are likely to get as far as Confirmed.

Faction state ones like retreats pulling the rug happen more often than the megaship ones for sure, but I suspect that's due to the tick happening daily instead of weekly, and more importantly happening during active play, often relatively seamlessly, instead of during the weekly downtime. Things can get odd over the BGS tick when the station boards are reporting the new figures while the right hand panel is still showing the old ones.

 

[Nicky the Hutt]

This happens to me very frequently. The mission generation lags behind the BGS. Being sent to CZ's against a faction that is no longer at war.

It's not rare, those states are supposed to change frequently by design otherwise the BGS wouldn't be as engaging.

 

[Misty_Dark]

This happens to me very frequently. The mission generation lags behind the BGS. Being sent to CZ's against a faction that is no longer at war.

It's not rare, those states are supposed to change frequently by design otherwise the BGS wouldn't be as engaging.

also, do not forget how we can get these missions during the cease fire period aswell, so there are still CZ, and everyone there is just chilling and hanging out... making it pretty hard to complete these...