CQC is known and acknowledged by FDev as the most neglected system in Elite. I've never had the chance to participate in a CQC match, but not for lack of trying. It seems like a nice way to make a few credits without any real risk, but that's about it which is one (of the many) reason why it isn't doing well currently. Below I've listed four changes that would (hopefully) revitalize CQC by making it easier to use and have a more meaningful purpose in the game.
1.) Allow Queuing in Regular Play: Currently CQC is hidden off in the launch menu as a separate function apart from "Open Play" "Private Group" and "Solo Play"; not only that it is hidden at the bottom of these. The simple fact that it is disconnected from the game in this way makes it less appealing and less likely to be used. One solution would be to allow players to queue for CQC while flying around in Open, Private group, or Solo in a similar way that MMOs like Guild Wars 2 or Star Wars: The Old Republic do. A prompt would be given in game when a match is found and the player would be taken to said match.
2.) Include a Progression System: Other than credits and "unlocking" new CQC fighters there's no real reward for participating in CQC. Adding a more meaningful progression system with unlocks for things outside of CQC would help motivate players to participate. A few examples of things that could be part of this system: bobble heads, ship skins, decals, name plates, modules, weapons, or passive bonuses. Progression could be based on the credits earned or the number of kills made over a player's CQC career. Another way would be to have players earn CQC "tokens" that could be used to purchase rewards. CQC rewards should be exclusive and desirable.
3.) Make CQC Part of the Galaxy: Following the same line as CQC being independent of the main game, it should have an impact on the background simulator. In some systems, instead of a civil war, a CQC tournament could be held with "Champions" fighting to increase influence and win control of systems. CQC missions should be included in the mission board to "Kill X number of ships in CQC." Players should be able to [Choose Faction] in CQC like in a combat zone and increase the influence of their chosen faction, or the CQC "tokens" mentioned above could be turned in to specific factions like Combat Vouchers to increase influence (with a limit to avoid exploitation). If possible, matches should be visible to any ships that drop into one of the various competition locations (or simply have NPCs fighting matches for ambience).
4.) Make AI for CQC Matches: Players should be able to queue for two different types of CQC: Open and PvP. Open CQC should have a mix of NPC and player participants in even numbers (same number of players and NPCs on each team). PvP matches would have no AI, and the rewards for competing in a PvP match would be greater than those of an Open match.
I understand that these are significant changes and would require quite a bit of work to implement; I just hope that CQC can have its potential realized.
1.) Allow Queuing in Regular Play: Currently CQC is hidden off in the launch menu as a separate function apart from "Open Play" "Private Group" and "Solo Play"; not only that it is hidden at the bottom of these. The simple fact that it is disconnected from the game in this way makes it less appealing and less likely to be used. One solution would be to allow players to queue for CQC while flying around in Open, Private group, or Solo in a similar way that MMOs like Guild Wars 2 or Star Wars: The Old Republic do. A prompt would be given in game when a match is found and the player would be taken to said match.
2.) Include a Progression System: Other than credits and "unlocking" new CQC fighters there's no real reward for participating in CQC. Adding a more meaningful progression system with unlocks for things outside of CQC would help motivate players to participate. A few examples of things that could be part of this system: bobble heads, ship skins, decals, name plates, modules, weapons, or passive bonuses. Progression could be based on the credits earned or the number of kills made over a player's CQC career. Another way would be to have players earn CQC "tokens" that could be used to purchase rewards. CQC rewards should be exclusive and desirable.
3.) Make CQC Part of the Galaxy: Following the same line as CQC being independent of the main game, it should have an impact on the background simulator. In some systems, instead of a civil war, a CQC tournament could be held with "Champions" fighting to increase influence and win control of systems. CQC missions should be included in the mission board to "Kill X number of ships in CQC." Players should be able to [Choose Faction] in CQC like in a combat zone and increase the influence of their chosen faction, or the CQC "tokens" mentioned above could be turned in to specific factions like Combat Vouchers to increase influence (with a limit to avoid exploitation). If possible, matches should be visible to any ships that drop into one of the various competition locations (or simply have NPCs fighting matches for ambience).
4.) Make AI for CQC Matches: Players should be able to queue for two different types of CQC: Open and PvP. Open CQC should have a mix of NPC and player participants in even numbers (same number of players and NPCs on each team). PvP matches would have no AI, and the rewards for competing in a PvP match would be greater than those of an Open match.
I understand that these are significant changes and would require quite a bit of work to implement; I just hope that CQC can have its potential realized.
