Amalgamate the Missions Board into a unified system wide list where applicable. Discuss the benefits to this?

[Miko]

So now that the board flipping is a thing of the past and the refresh rate for the Missions Board is still locked to a tedious 15 minute cycle, can we not allow for Stations to share a full list of all system wide missions available to the same factions, alongside any station specific exclusive missions influenced by their state.

For example, the 3 stations orbiting Earth each have their own separate missions drafted every 15 minutes, despite all of these Stations being Service economies with the same factions listed on the Missions Board. Why can't the player access the same lists merged into one where applicable system wide?

This would make the missions board seem infinitely richer to the player, allow for better missions stacks the player wishes to work their way through and give the player more convenience should they have a preference towards a particular station to operate from.

As I say, any state influenced missions could still be exclusively drafted to the station seeking particular goods etc, but generic missions, such as assassinations etc could be fully listed in either settlement/station which meets the criteria and the faction contacted for the payment upon completion in either of these.

What do you think?

 

[Richard_Head]

I like to do passenger missions for materials and having 15 mins refresh is too long, sometimes I get back and have to wait for the interval / refresh for new missions to pop up, if it can be shortened to 10 mins that would be ideal (and less waiting).

 

[Lightspeed]

Personally, I would like to be able to sort them by destination, so that I can easily decide whether I can multi-stack missions to the same place.

 

[Jaggid Edje]

Personally, I would like to be able to sort them by destination, so that I can easily decide whether I can multi-stack missions to the same place.

This would be so nice. I do trade missions in a Cutter and stack missions from a group of stations/systems in the area I work out of. It takes a lot of time to sort through to find the ones that are in my loop, a destination sort would make life so much easier.

By the same token, I would love the ability to sort by mission cargo type as well, as the other side of finding delivery missions that are part of my loop is finding the acquisition missions for commodities in good supply at other stations in the loop as well.

edited to replace T9 with Cutter....other thread has T9 on my brain it seems.

 

[Bloodsign]

Personally, I would like to be able to sort them by destination, so that I can easily decide whether I can multi-stack missions to the same place.

Yeah, I was thinking there could be a 2D facsimile of the system with clickable mission-originating stations and bases. So you first pick the location and then see that entity's local mission board.

I also feel like there's no reason why missions can't repopulate immediately when a slot opens up. I'm gonna stack missions one way or another. Might as well keep it realistic AND save me some time.

 

[Jmanis]

I like to do passenger missions for materials and having 15 mins refresh is too long, sometimes I get back and have to wait for the interval / refresh for new missions to pop up, if it can be shortened to 10 mins that would be ideal (and less waiting).

It is 10m already. It got shortened from 15m a long time ago.

Unfortunately op's suggestion can't work, because the limiting factor continues to be the quantity of missions returned, which still caps out around 100-odd.

I posted this a while back: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/overhaul-of-mission-board-ui-and-mission-lists.456902/

Tl;dr the solution is to pre-empt the users preference for missions by faction and broad mission type (trade, combat, specialist, criminal, for example). This is not "filtering" a list of 100 randomly generated missions, rather, generating 20 missions based on a set of preferences. Currently, at minimum 80% of process time is wasted effort because of the 20-mission limit, at worst 95-99% wasted effort when you factor in player preference, equipment and capability.

Mission board efficiency is also seemingly an n-squared process... twice as many missions means the board takes four times longer to load. Imagine OPs suggestion with 10 stations in system :/ Have videos to demonstrate this.

Bottom Line: Mission boards simply cannot deliver more than 100-120-odd missions to the client without causing game-breaking transaction server timeouts or incomplete mission board retrievals... this is what happened during the Beta when FD tried to up the number of missions available.

 

[Bloodsign]

It is 10m already. It got shortened from 15m a long time ago.

Unfortunately op's suggestion can't work, because the limiting factor continues to be the quantity of missions returned, which still caps out around 100-odd.

I posted this a while back: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/overhaul-of-mission-board-ui-and-mission-lists.456902/

Tl;dr the solution is to pre-empt the users preference for missions by faction and broad mission type (trade, combat, specialist, criminal, for example). This is not "filtering" a list of 100 randomly generated missions, rather, generating 20 missions based on a set of preferences. Currently, at minimum 80% of process time is wasted effort because of the 20-mission limit, at worst 95-99% wasted effort when you factor in player preference, equipment and capability.

Mission board efficiency is also seemingly an n-squared process... twice as many missions means the board takes four times longer to load. Imagine OPs suggestion with 10 stations in system :/ Have videos to demonstrate this.

Bottom Line: Mission boards simply cannot deliver more than 100-120-odd missions to the client without causing game-breaking transaction server timeouts or incomplete mission board retrievals... this is what happened during the Beta when FD tried to up the number of missions available.

Thanks for your detailed insights. So we need... more IMPACTFUL missions, not access to more missions.

So here's an idea: under the mission board would be an option for the CMDRs preferred mission type: assorted, combat, trade, etc. You could change the preference to regenerate the entire list to another mission type, but THAT action would have a 15 minute cool down. Accepting a mission would result in another mission of the selected type popping immediately.

It's the best of all worlds: getting to focus on a type of mission, and having more than enough of that type to load up at one location, with the added benefit of making it seem like there's an even larger pool of missions out there, that your "Mission Search" (if you will) is pulling out of.

 

[Crank Larson]

Doesn't make any sense to me. The point is that the missions are being provided by local factions based on local requirements. If you want missions applicable to another station, you need to go there.

The fixing of the board-flipping bug is a good thing. All we need now is more variety of missions, and ideally a UI update to get rid of the annoying wing missions (unless you want to see them).

When I am mission running, I tend to build up a local route of stations and simply travel between them. I'll be picking up missions and completing them all the time, and am not worried about any timers, as by the time I've completed the circuit there will be new missions available.

 

[Jmanis]

Thanks for your detailed insights. So we need... more IMPACTFUL missions, not access to more missions.

So here's an idea: under the mission board would be an option for the CMDRs preferred mission type: assorted, combat, trade, etc. You could change the preference to regenerate the entire list to another mission type, but THAT action would have a 15 minute cool down. Accepting a mission would result in another mission of the selected type popping immediately.

It's the best of all worlds: getting to focus on a type of mission, and having more than enough of that type to load up at one location, with the added benefit of making it seem like there's an even larger pool of missions out there, that your "Mission Search" (if you will) is pulling out of.

I won't segue here into the issues of the Hostile Rep state, other than to link my post talking about how it's basically a god-awful, disincetnivised mess, and the reason we get complaint posts about "No Famine States, can't get <some synthesis material>"

But if FD aren't going to incentivise the Hostile rep state... they need to turn rep into a commodity, where Hostile is a rep "debt" and Allied is rep "credit".

Towards that end, I had another suggestion a while back which was, with a similar suggestion to mission categorisation stuff I posted above... if you didn't like the missions on offer, you could expend reputation to get a new set of missions. A bit like asking an agent to give you work and, after slogging away for a couple hours to find you some good offers, you go "Naw man, they're no good, I only do the primo biowaste runs!".

Of course, there was more to it than that, such as using rep to clear bounties without the need of an IF, clearing notoriety, cashing for mats, or a few other sundry activities.

 

[Konan]

So now that the board flipping is a thing of the past and the refresh rate for the Missions Board is still locked to a tedious 15 minute cycle, can we not allow for Stations to share a full list of all system wide missions available to the same factions, alongside any station specific exclusive missions influenced by their state.

For example, the 3 stations orbiting Earth each have their own separate missions drafted every 15 minutes, despite all of these Stations being Service economies with the same factions listed on the Missions Board. Why can't the player access the same lists merged into one where applicable system wide?

This would make the missions board seem infinitely richer to the player, allow for better missions stacks the player wishes to work their way through and give the player more convenience should they have a preference towards a particular station to operate from.

As I say, any state influenced missions could still be exclusively drafted to the station seeking particular goods etc, but generic missions, such as assassinations etc could be fully listed in either settlement/station which meets the criteria and the faction contacted for the payment upon completion in either of these.

What do you think?

Each station may have the same factions but they dont carry the same commodities. Each station in a system has its own surplus and needs. Systems, factions and stations have their own ecomomic variances going on. This makes them inique. Some dont have many trade missions or pirate missions. Some do. The BGS helps determine this. If you cant find a station offering what you want then move to another system. The game has a detailed galactic map to help you locate stuff. Or you can do like our faction does and manipulate systems by hauling goods and creating trade routes by consistently working a system. Systems are juat like mining hotspots. They can be overworked if they arent balanced out. Learn what your station needs. Watch the demands and surplus amounts. The trade game is much deeper than you think. Same thing with passenger missions. They are determined by system states. If you had your way, stations and systems wouldnt have unique attributes. Theyd be the same and boring.

 

[Bloodsign]

I won't segue here into the issues of the Hostile Rep state, other than to link my post talking about how it's basically a god-awful, disincetnivised mess, and the reason we get complaint posts about "No Famine States, can't get <some synthesis material>"

But if FD aren't going to incentivise the Hostile rep state... they need to turn rep into a commodity, where Hostile is a rep "debt" and Allied is rep "credit".

Towards that end, I had another suggestion a while back which was, with a similar suggestion to mission categorisation stuff I posted above... if you didn't like the missions on offer, you could expend reputation to get a new set of missions. A bit like asking an agent to give you work and, after slogging away for a couple hours to find you some good offers, you go "Naw man, they're no good, I only do the primo biowaste runs!".

Of course, there was more to it than that, such as using rep to clear bounties without the need of an IF, clearing notoriety, cashing for mats, or a few other sundry activities.

In other words, rep as a sort of in house currency? Pretty sweet idea. Then there are benefits to sticking with an allied faction, because even after maxing rep, you can spend it down and Max it again.

 

[Jmanis]

In other words, rep as a sort of in house currency? Pretty sweet idea. Then there are benefits to sticking with an allied faction, because even after maxing rep, you can spend it down and Max it again.

Yep... basically it's calling in a favour... call in too many and you start to tank, but keep returning the favour and you're solid.

 

[Konan]

Rep already has an effect on missions. Factions pay better the more allied you are with them. Depending on some circumstances they may even offer more missions.

 

[Jmanis]

Rep already has an effect on missions. Factions pay better the more allied you are with them. Depending on some circumstances they may even offer more missions.

And frankly, that's a totally inadequate and uninteresting effect, on-par with the current "Naval Career Path" implementation.

 

[Konan]

And frankly, that's totally inadequate.

Thats fair enough to say. Just wanted to say that it does do something. I do like an idea of a favor system for calling the security forces to help a pilot out. I often see my npc pilots stalking me and im in a trade ship not suited for combat. Being able to call in a favor to have security forces stop them or defend me if im interdicted would be cool. Could even use it against other players. The more i think about that it would be awesome!

 

[Miko]

I like to do passenger missions for materials and having 15 mins refresh is too long, sometimes I get back and have to wait for the interval / refresh for new missions to pop up, if it can be shortened to 10 mins that would be ideal (and less waiting).

There's no reason it couldn't even be reduced to every five minutes, especially if FDev don't consider doing what's described in my post.

 

[Miko]

It is 10m already. It got shortened from 15m a long time ago.

Unfortunately op's suggestion can't work, because the limiting factor continues to be the quantity of missions returned, which still caps out around 100-odd.

I posted this a while back: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/overhaul-of-mission-board-ui-and-mission-lists.456902/

Tl;dr the solution is to pre-empt the users preference for missions by faction and broad mission type (trade, combat, specialist, criminal, for example). This is not "filtering" a list of 100 randomly generated missions, rather, generating 20 missions based on a set of preferences. Currently, at minimum 80% of process time is wasted effort because of the 20-mission limit, at worst 95-99% wasted effort when you factor in player preference, equipment and capability.

Mission board efficiency is also seemingly an n-squared process... twice as many missions means the board takes four times longer to load. Imagine OPs suggestion with 10 stations in system :/ Have videos to demonstrate this.

Bottom Line: Mission boards simply cannot deliver more than 100-120-odd missions to the client without causing game-breaking transaction server timeouts or incomplete mission board retrievals... this is what happened during the Beta when FD tried to up the number of missions available.

Well then I guess FDev better get their code fixed. And as for the refresh, it seems to be 15 minutes for me. I was checking it yesterday @ the hour, :15, :30, :45 and back to the hour.

 

[Jmanis]

Well then I guess FDev better get their code fixed. And as for the refresh, it seems to be 15 minutes for me. I was checking it yesterday @ the hour, :15, :30, :45 and back to the hour.

Definitely 10 minutes, on the 10 minutes (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 00) for me, for the last week.

EDIT: I'll dig out the relevant patch notes in a bit.

 

[Miko]

Doesn't make any sense to me. The point is that the missions are being provided by local factions based on local requirements. If you want missions applicable to another station, you need to go there.

The fixing of the board-flipping bug is a good thing. All we need now is more variety of missions, and ideally a UI update to get rid of the annoying wing missions (unless you want to see them).

When I am mission running, I tend to build up a local route of stations and simply travel between them. I'll be picking up missions and completing them all the time, and am not worried about any timers, as by the time I've completed the circuit there will be new missions available.

I was quite specific about "Where applicable" pending the status of each station and economy. Hence my example of the three Service stations near Earth sharing the same local factions and states.

I did mention amalgamating the generic non exclusive missions together, as opposed to what you describe, and then suppliment these with the ones exclusive to that particular station.

But reading another response I realise the code and client simply won't allow for his to work.

 

[Miko]

Each station may have the same factions but they dont carry the same commodities. Each station in a system has its own surplus and needs. Systems, factions and stations have their own ecomomic variances going on. This makes them inique. Some dont have many trade missions or pirate missions. Some do. The BGS helps determine this. If you cant find a station offering what you want then move to another system. The game has a detailed galactic map to help you locate stuff. Or you can do like our faction does and manipulate systems by hauling goods and creating trade routes by consistently working a system. Systems are juat like mining hotspots. They can be overworked if they arent balanced out. Learn what your station needs. Watch the demands and surplus amounts. The trade game is much deeper than you think. Same thing with passenger missions. They are determined by system states. If you had your way, stations and systems wouldnt have unique attributes. Theyd be the same and boring.

No, because I specifically spoke of the generic missions, such as the assassination and pirate killing missions etc, all carried out in different systems. I made reference to station specific missions still being drafted exclusively at that particular station.

There are some mission types from the factions available that could be shared and paid out from the station of preference to you.

There is no reason you cannot imagine delivery missions to be the same, since the faction simply allocates the product as cargo and you're not actually taking them from the market supply count.