All these mining updates and patches. So combat updates when?

[[PS4 Pro - PC] earthtone99]

I’ve noticed, as have others, when you kill an NPC and get a message saying something like 492,000cr bounty awarded. You actually only get 350k when you turn it in.

So there’s some sort of payout cap, and it’s really damned annoying. Combat payouts on NPC’s should be unrestricted, as this cap limits potential and decreases the effort applied at taking down the 492,000cr ship.

 

[zimms]

I’ve noticed, as have others, when you kill an NPC and get a message saying something like 492,000cr bounty awarded. You actually only get 350k when you turn it in.

So there’s some sort of payout cap, and it’s really damned annoying. Combat payouts on NPC’s should be unrestricted, as this cap limits potential and decreases the effort applied at taking down the 492,000cr ship.

I guess you have an NPC crew? They take a cut of everything you earn.

Bounties do give you the advertised amount.

 

[[PS4 Pro - PC] earthtone99]

I guess you have an NPC crew? They take a cut of everything you earn.

Bounties do give you the advertised amount.

Nope, surprisingly I do not use crew at all and I used the in system Bounty seller, not the Interstellar Factor which also takes 25%.

I’ve tested and confirmed this with a few other commanders that noted this recently, there’s definitely a 350k cr cap.

 

[Vandaahl]

How about a tea bag limpet controller, when the shield is down, this limpe... I'll get my coat.

 

[Techmonkey]

How about a tea bag limpet controller, when the shield is down, this limpe... I'll get my coat.

I see you are a man of culture as well.

 

[GunnerBill]

You try buying yourself a fully A rated Corvette or a fleet carrier off of nothing but bounty hunting and then come back to me. I've played this game for 3 years and coming up on 3000 hours and have 28 ships and 6 billion in assets. Imagine if all I could earn after 3000 hours of gameplay was the measly payouts from combat. I would literally never play this game again if that was the case.

This.

Madness really considering it’s the only in-game occupation that can result in material loss.

 

[StewartScott]

Why FD can't have 'PvP only live missions' is beyond me, where players of different powers could be pitted live against each other, one player is assigned to destroy something the other accepts the same mission to protect it, then perhaps wings could form on each side for any 'protracted' missions and resulting battles, perhaps allowing other PvP minded players to even team up on hard mission objectives together vs other player teams, but FD apparently is better at spread sheet type gaming play than anything else and that's a crying shame, because this game needs a real workable PvP option without having solo play involved or affecting it as it is now with 'PP', which is only yet another 'time-gate' type game play to get shiney's and 'PP' is really a joke as it is implemented now. PvP missions are 'doable' I would think, and don't say solo play is just more popular than PvP gaming, just look at Steam numbers the most popular and played games are 'all PVP' games, FD can and should do 'way better' for their PvP player base IMO it would bring even more players to this game in the end.

 

[mikekim]

Why FD can't have 'PvP only live missions' is beyond me, where players of different powers could be pitted live against each other, one player is assigned to destroy something the other accepts the same mission to protect it, then perhaps wings could form on each side for any 'protracted' missions and resulting battles, perhaps allowing other PvP minded players to even team up on hard mission objectives together vs other player teams, but FD apparently is better at spread sheet type gaming play than anything else and that's a crying shame, because this game needs a real workable PvP option without having solo play involved or affecting it as it is now with 'PP' which is only yet another 'time-gate' type play and 'PP' is a joke as it is implemented now. PvP missions are 'doable' and don't say solo play is just more popular than PvP gaming please, just look at Steam numbers the most popular and played games are 'all PVP' games, FD can and should do 'way better' for their PvP player base IMO.

probably because the way this game works with instancing, you could never guarantee that the players participating in the event would be in the same instance..

 

[StewartScott]

probably because the way this game works with instancing, you could never guarantee that the players participating in the event would be in the same instance..

I hadn't though of that but 'your right', FD could get imaginative with PvP for open players 'and do something' though instead of 'doing nothing' which I believe is the OP spot on point.

 

[Clarion-Z]

I hadn't though of that but 'your right', FD could get imaginative with PvP for open players 'and do something' though instead of 'doing nothing' which I believe is the OP spot on point.

This "open only" mentality is getting bit stupid, honestly. People do realise that console players will have to pay extra to play in open. Sure it's not fdevs fault, but at least they're keeping it fair for everyone and letting everyone enjoy the same content.
Except that one time when there was an open only event

And as for increasing payouts for anything, can't we just ask for "I win" button? It kinda seems like the only way to satisfy people

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

This "open only" mentality is getting bit stupid, honestly. People do realise that console players will have to pay extra to play in open. Sure it's not fdevs fault, but at least they're keeping it fair for everyone and letting everyone enjoy the same content.
Except that one time when there was an open only event

And as for increasing payouts for anything, can't we just ask for "I win" button? It kinda seems like the only way to satisfy people

Nowhere in his comment did he mention anything about open only, just PvP content for players in open.

And no, you're completely missing the mark here. We simply want higher payouts for all activities and just better, deeper content in general. People are discontent with this game because it is devoid of meaningful content.

 

[Jmanis]

$22 Million for 30 ships isn't bad...

lol... seriously? Have you done one of these?

It took about 10 or 15 minutes.

Do you recon it would take longer than the 5-6 mins of mining to earn that?

30 ships, that's about 5-6 USS spawns, 7 if you're unlucky.

Let's go with 3 minutes of fighting in each one, and 2-3 minutes travel time between each, because of the ridiculous spawn mechanics. 3 minutes travel time on the way back.
At best (and this is a very, very optimistic best):
(3 x 5) + (2 x 5) = 25 minutes
At worst:
(3 x 5) + (3 x 6) = 33 minutes

Not a shade on some of the other earnings in the game, but nobody does a single massacre mission for money. They cross-stack at known mission board edge-cases where you'll guarantee a single target type in a single system, and make =~ 150m in that same time.

But that's dumpster-bin mechanics, and regardless, it's a bit disingenuous in a game touted for it's "procedural generation" and "emergent gameplay" for the best-earning activities to revolve around farming a single location for X hours.

Frankly, I'd completely rework massacres.

• Remove CZ Massacres and just buff bond payout. You can still have "Massacre Deserters" though.
• Rework Pirate Massacres and comparable activities so they aren't "kill X targets" and instead function more like assassinations; dump out into a USS like they currently are, and that mission will succeed once you clear out that USS.
• Cut the payout to about 10-20% of payouts

"What? Cut? But this is about buffing payouts?"... as I keep saying elsewhere. The answer isn't just adding some 0's to combat payouts... the whole in-game economy is in the toilet and needs a complete revamp, so what's actually needed is a rebalance rather than a straight-up buff... save the 150m+ payouts for 30 minutes effort for wiping whole wings of fully engineered vessels, not the seal-clubbing that massacre missions currently are.

 

[Xious]

Time goes by slower for me

 

[Clarion-Z]

And no, you're completely missing the mark here. We simply want higher payouts for all activities and just better, deeper content in general. People are discontent with this game because it is devoid of meaningful content.

Higher payouts do take away the content.
Want some meaningful PvP or more risk in general? Near infinite credits for everyone makes sure that losing a ship means nothing
Powerplay cargo transit? It's more about who has the energy do it more, since paying for it means nothing.
Gradually upgrading your ship? Just buy the one you want straight up. You probably have the credits after one hour of gameplay
Upkeep on carrier? Sure people complain about it, but most carriers probably have months or years worth of credits in there already. It's not even a slight issue.

So more credits for everything, it's like "i win" button. It's already super easy to get anything credits can buy in the game. Why on earth would we need more?

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

Higher payouts do take away the content.
Want some meaningful PvP or more risk in general? Near infinite credits for everyone makes sure that losing a ship means nothing
Powerplay cargo transit? It's more about who has the energy do it more, since paying for it means nothing.
Gradually upgrading your ship? Just buy the one you want straight up. You probably have the credits after one hour of gameplay
Upkeep on carrier? Sure people complain about it, but most carriers probably have months or years worth of credits in there already. It's not even a slight issue.

So more credits for everything, it's like "i win" button. It's already super easy to get anything credits can buy in the game. Why on earth would we need more?

You must enjoy games that are just non stop grind. And way to overexaggerate.

Again, you've completely missed the mark and have no clue what you're talking about.

 

[Clarion-Z]

You must enjoy games that are just non stop grind. And way to overexaggerate.

Again, you've completely missed the mark and have no clue what you're talking about.

Ok, I'll try once more. Oversimplified version:
In elite, only way to lose is to run out of credits.
You want more credits to be handed for simple things.
Therefore taking away the only way to lose.
And then people complain that there's no challenge.

I reckon that is clear enough? Either way I'm done with this particular thread.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

Ok, I'll try once more. Oversimplified version:
In elite, only way to lose is to run out of credits.
You want more credits to be handed for simple things.
Therefore taking away the only way to lose.
And then people complain that there's no challenge.

I reckon that is clear enough? Either way I'm done with this particular thread.

I still understand you, and you're still over exaggerating.

If you understood what everyone is asking for in this game, you wouldn't be saying something as ridiculous as this. We are not asking for infinite money.
The rate credits were being earned before the nerf, is the rate that all activities should be paying out when you reach the end game. Every MMO I've ever played has economies that work this way except Elite.

 

[Nikephorus Phocas]

We simply want higher payouts for all activities and just better, deeper content in general.

I can certainly agree with higher payouts to come more in line with mining at this rate. My personal opinion is mining should still be the higher payout just because it's a borning af grind however I think for example, bounty hunting, the highest I see at a CNB is around 300k. As you pointed out you'll never accumulate the money for a FC for example at that rate. While I don't mind the grind I also want to do other things as well and it be meaningful or at least monetarily meaningful.

 

[Pristine_Bump]

I still understand you, and you're still over exaggerating.

If you understood what everyone bus asking for in this game, you wouldn't be saying something as ridiculous as this. We are not asking for infinite money.
The rate credits were being earned before the nerf, is the rate that all activities should be paying out when you reach the end game. Every MMO I've ever played has economies that work this way except Elite.

PM

 

[Zannry]

I enjoy combat. It was my first elite rank and I bought my FC from combat funds alone. I'll share what works for me. Not a comprehensive list.

Combat for fun: Stack up to 20 non-wing pirate assassination missions. 30-40 minutes game time. 2-3 million in bounties payout plus 40-45 Million in payouts unless you go for grade 5 material payouts. 4-5 Million if you take mats.

Combat for materials: Stack a mix of massacre pirate missions (15 targets 8.8 Million) and pirate assassination missions. Equip collectors. Hit mission signal sources and kill and collect abundant grade 3-5 materials. 40-50 minutes game time. a 4:1 assassination mission to massacre mission ration is a good balance to making some credits while taking the material payouts. 2-3 Million in bounties and 30 million in mission rewards with the material payout

Combat for leisure: Head to your closes High/Haz rez or compromised navigation beacons. Scan, shoot and repeat. 3-5 Million in bounties over an hour. Longer if you collect materials.

Combat for challenge: Fly an eagle fitted with enforcer cannons for an elite pirate assassination missions. Payout is tops out at 350 K for the bounty and 2.7 million for the mission. The reward is out flying, out shooting and killing an NPC vette before it realizes its lost and tries to escape. Alternatively, stack elite wing assassination missions and bring your best ship.

Combat for the tactician: Thargoid interceptor combat is more mechanical than purely skill (heresy). Once you know the mechanics of a particular interceptors behavior and can exploit the flaws in it's limited attack options and AI. Payout 2-15 Million anywhere from 10 minutes to well over an hour and a crap load of materials spent on synthesis. If you like researching an opponent, formulating a strategy to maximize your advantages and mitigating the opponents strengths and then execute that plan Xeno combat is for you.

Combat for profit: Stack pirate massacre missions. Wing or non-wing can be easily done solo. Wing massacre missions don't add difficulty and have a 7 day timer to complete. Due to a wrist injury I can't play more than an hour at a time in combat without pain so I tend to focus on the 15 kills for 8.7 Million, or 30 kills for 17.6 million missions. Grab 1-2 per faction you are allied with so that the total kills needed to complete the missions for that faction is 30. That way 1 pirate kill contributes 1/30th towards the completion of all missions. in 47 Arietis for example I can do this with 7 of 8 factions. I can stack between 7-14 massacre missions and still take an additional 6 -13 massacre missions. In an action packed hour. Maybe a little over you can earn between 150-160 million between bounty payouts and mission rewards if you take the credit payouts.

I tend to avoid CZ's even with massacre stacking as the time to kill is much higher.