Horizons Faction Rep Time Walls have Killed the Fun

[Blackcompany]

Logged in today. Was interested in trying passenger missions, as I have heard good things about them. Figured it would be neat to get paid toting passengers to interesting tourist beacons I myself would like to see.

So, get Voice Attack up. Change Sound to Headset. Set up the HOTAS. Get comfy. Log in.

Check mission board.

Total number of Passenger Missions in station: 10 or so.

Total number available to me: 0.

Turns out, passenger missions too are locked behind Faction Rep.

Braben once said in an interview he thinks there are things out there we are missing. That we dont get out and explore enough. And he's right.

Because for some reason, the entire game is built to PUNISH US for moving around the galaxy. If we want to receive decent compensation for anything, we have to instead spend all of our time grinding rep in one small area, for a couple of small factions.

It is, actually sheer idiocy to do this.

But alas, that's it for me. I've absolutely nothing positive left to say about this game. Not about RNGineers and the godawful, immersion wrecking material, RNG material gathering that was copy pasted from ten year old fantasy MMO's where it was merely annoying into a simulator where it was BOTH annoying, AND completely nonsensical. Not about the endless rep grind, that for anyone with a life means grinding the same rep over and over since someone with no respect for my time decidied I should LOSE rep for not playing their (mostly unfun) spreadsheet simulator.

Its a pity, really. We've got the most amazing flight model space games have ever seen. Now all we need is an actual, FUN game to put it in.

 

[Chris Simon]

1) Language, please
2) ALL missions are locked behind rep and always were
3) If you move around the galaxy, you always have enough exploration data to get allied with the faction you need to be allied with.
4) You don't lose rep with minor factions over time.
5) Bye, see you next update.

 

[ridinroun]

This leads to a question I have. What good does the trade rank and other ranks do for you? I have the impression that only the faction reps are what counts.

 

[Chris Simon]

This leads to a question I have. What good does the trade rank and other ranks do for you? I have the impression that only the faction reps are what counts.

No, higher trade and explo rank will spawn you better paying missions.
They are not LOCKED by your rank (so hey, OP, something for you), meaning if you find a mission that needs higher trading or exploration rank, you CAN do it, but they won't spawn frequently.
Whereas higher ranks will make sure you will get only the best missions possible.

That's why you needed to become Tycoon before you could effectively earn hundreds of millions in Sothis/Ceos/Robigo/Aditi thingmagicky runs

 

[Mike Reacher]

Six months err, ten months grinding to get friendly with Federation, friendly with about 3 minor faction, still not allowed to do missions for quite a few factions as not ranked enough.
I am a pensioner so I play a minimum of 5 hours a day when I'm not babysitting 150 klm away.

35 hours a week! I am 70 now. I will be 170 by the time I get to elite!
Some places must be rigged, locked down, somehow slower to rank up than you guys who are elite, master etc.
Grinding obviously works in some systems but not everywhere. That has to be a nasty put in place by FD.

 

[Chris Simon]

Six months err, ten months grinding to get friendly with Federation, friendly with about 3 minor faction, still not allowed to do missions for quite a few factions as not ranked enough.
I am a pensioner so I play a minimum of 5 hours a day when I'm not babysitting 150 klm away.

35 hours a week! I am 70 now. I will be 170 by the time I get to elite!
Some places must be rigged, locked down, somehow slower to rank up than you guys who are elite, master etc.
Grinding obviously works in some systems but not everywhere. That has to be a nasty put in place by FD.

Umm. I was allied with the Empire the day I started playing. I just did a bit of bounty hunting and couple of missions.

And minor factions? It takes three missions to get them to cordial, another ten to friendly, or if you have a system data worth a million (50 systems, or so), you can drop them at the station and you're allied right away.

 

[GG7]

Umm. I was allied with the Empire the day I started playing. I just did a bit of bounty hunting and couple of missions.

And minor factions? It takes three missions to get them to cordial, another ten to friendly, or if you have a system data worth a million (50 systems, or so), you can drop them at the station and you're allied right away.

I need to point out that the ranking system in the early days of ED were FAR EASIER to get through than they are now. Those who started playing back at the beginning had a much easier road to hoe than players starting more recently.

I was around for both and remember the transition. Ranks I achieved early on took a fraction of the time more recent ranking efforts have taken.

The same goes for CR.

So... I wouldn't be so quick to hand out advice to newer players as if we had anywhere close to the same level of difficulty in these areas that they are facing. That is simply disingenuous, and not at all a fair comparison.

 

[Mike Reacher]

Umm. I was allied with the Empire the day I started playing. I just did a bit of bounty hunting and couple of missions.

And minor factions? It takes three missions to get them to cordial, another ten to friendly, or if you have a system data worth a million (50 systems, or so), you can drop them at the station and you're allied right away.

I trade, and do missions that I'm capable of. (No mining. Never got good at it) I try skimmer killing from time to time but in all the months prior, I only found 2 skimmers to kill. Oh yeah. Did a recovery mission a couple months ago and 3 skimmer attacked. Got them. In 10 months that is 5 skimmers total. (Pretty poor average)

For some reason mission data ranges from Rep up to about 200,000 credits. With the majority about between 20,000 and 50,000. Not great!
I looked at the Sothis/Ceos systems when a lot of people were saying that was the way to go, but my money in Frey/ Anali/ Liedelos systems seem to point to bigger trade dividends.

Novice, Entrepreneur, trailblazer. Not big for all the hours I have put in.

 

[Chris Simon]

I need to point out that the ranking system in the early days of ED were FAR EASIER to get through than they are now. Those who started playing back at the beginning had a much easier road to hoe than players starting more recently.

I was around for both and remember the transition. Ranks I achieved early on took a fraction of the time more recent ranking efforts have taken.

The same goes for CR.

So... I wouldn't be so quick to hand out advice to newer players as if we had anywhere close to the same level of difficulty in these areas that they are facing. That is simply disingenuous, and not at all a fair comparison.

I cleared my save when Engineers hit. I don't think anything changed in that regard in these few months.

 

[GG7]

I cleared my save when Engineers hit. I don't think anything changed in that regard in these few months.

Hundreds of thousands would tend to disagree.

 

[Killerpenguin5]

1) Language, please
2) ALL missions are locked behind rep and always were
3) If you move around the galaxy, you always have enough exploration data to get allied with the faction you need to be allied with.
4) You don't lose rep with minor factions over time.
5) Bye, see you next update.

     off Please.

 

[Kneejo]

Now all we need is an actual, FUN game to put it in.

Fun and happiness, they are things that YOU create by doing the things you do the way you do it. Don't blame anyone else for that. It's your choice not to have fun, and it's your choice not to be happy. It's selfish to blame others for that. Grow up, man! (THIS IS MY OPINION OBVIOUSLY)