I was thinking about OA's latest video, and it seems most people who don't like the standard payouts of missions feel this way because it takes them too long / too much work to buy the ship(s) of their dreams. But why do we have to buy all our ships? Let me give you some alternatives.
Most professional pilots / ship captains don't own the ships they pilot. They work for a corporation that provides the jet / boat. Isn't it strange that there is no employment system in ED where new pilots can pick up work piloting ships other than their own? If a pilot is a "Dealer" (just a random example), why not offer them jobs where they can pilot a bigger ship like a Type-7, and once they prove themselves (perhaps by being allied with the faction that's employing them), let them fly a Type-9 or even a Conda if they'd like. I realize this isn't the same as owning a ship, as outfitting and such would need to be thought out. Perhaps one is "loaned" a bigger ship, and if you want to outfit it, you'll need to cover those costs yourself. But at least you have a big ship to make more money in (I did quite well in a bare-bone D-rated Conda when I first could afford one). If you do lose a "loaned" ship, there would be no rebuy and you also lose your job with that faction.
Another type of job could be if you're a renowned explorer (an invite from Felicity is counts in my book), then scientific factions would start asking you to pilot their wonderful exploration ships to go "out there" and explore. These are just some of the "jobs" that could be offered pilots new and old!
And then there are other ways to get ships. Luke Skywalker was given his X-Wing as part of volunteering for a dangerous combat mission. Perhaps new players could be given a Vulture for doing the same. Again, lose it and that's that (no rebuy on "gift" ships). Oh, and when Luke succeeded brilliantly in his mission, I bet he could have had his pick of ships as a reward. Han Solo won his ship in a game of chance. I suppose Frontier needs to avoid gambling in ED, but perhaps ships could be rewards for specific hard missions or accomplishments. In ROTJ, the team has a swanky Imperial shuttle. Where did they get this? They stole it! Wouldn't that be cool, if we could somehow steal ships (at great risk). Said ship would likely be always wanted in the system it was stolen from, but the bubble is big
Anyway, I guess my point is that it's kinda weird that ships in ED are all treated like personally-owned cars IRL. I think it's a mistake to inflate mission rewards so that we can own a dozen top-of-the-line ships like we're all Donald Trump after a week's worth of "work". That's why I'm suggesting some alternatives. Please understand that word, "alternatives", because I'm not suggesting we take away the ability to buy our own ships. I'm just thinking of ways to allow newer players to enjoy the some of the better gameplay in Elite without having to grind for months to get there.
Thoughts?
Most professional pilots / ship captains don't own the ships they pilot. They work for a corporation that provides the jet / boat. Isn't it strange that there is no employment system in ED where new pilots can pick up work piloting ships other than their own? If a pilot is a "Dealer" (just a random example), why not offer them jobs where they can pilot a bigger ship like a Type-7, and once they prove themselves (perhaps by being allied with the faction that's employing them), let them fly a Type-9 or even a Conda if they'd like. I realize this isn't the same as owning a ship, as outfitting and such would need to be thought out. Perhaps one is "loaned" a bigger ship, and if you want to outfit it, you'll need to cover those costs yourself. But at least you have a big ship to make more money in (I did quite well in a bare-bone D-rated Conda when I first could afford one). If you do lose a "loaned" ship, there would be no rebuy and you also lose your job with that faction.
Another type of job could be if you're a renowned explorer (an invite from Felicity is counts in my book), then scientific factions would start asking you to pilot their wonderful exploration ships to go "out there" and explore. These are just some of the "jobs" that could be offered pilots new and old!
And then there are other ways to get ships. Luke Skywalker was given his X-Wing as part of volunteering for a dangerous combat mission. Perhaps new players could be given a Vulture for doing the same. Again, lose it and that's that (no rebuy on "gift" ships). Oh, and when Luke succeeded brilliantly in his mission, I bet he could have had his pick of ships as a reward. Han Solo won his ship in a game of chance. I suppose Frontier needs to avoid gambling in ED, but perhaps ships could be rewards for specific hard missions or accomplishments. In ROTJ, the team has a swanky Imperial shuttle. Where did they get this? They stole it! Wouldn't that be cool, if we could somehow steal ships (at great risk). Said ship would likely be always wanted in the system it was stolen from, but the bubble is big
Anyway, I guess my point is that it's kinda weird that ships in ED are all treated like personally-owned cars IRL. I think it's a mistake to inflate mission rewards so that we can own a dozen top-of-the-line ships like we're all Donald Trump after a week's worth of "work". That's why I'm suggesting some alternatives. Please understand that word, "alternatives", because I'm not suggesting we take away the ability to buy our own ships. I'm just thinking of ways to allow newer players to enjoy the some of the better gameplay in Elite without having to grind for months to get there.
Thoughts?
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