FDev, please consider doing something about the Elite exploration rank

[DukeIronHand]

Poor mechanic?
Whew...we got a lot more irons on this fire then Exploration rank.

 

[Strangepork]

The "creation" of the Road to Riches and the release of the PS4 version of the game have almost been simultaneous, and as a result you can now find people with a few hours of gameplay and who never even left the bubble (or very nearly) who are Elite in exploration.

Now, make no mistake, I am not saying that the RtR is an exploit. It's obviously not, the planets are there, and to scan them is perfectly legitimate, so no objection there.

What I am saying is that there's obviously something very broken in the criterion used to assign the Elite exploration rank. It just cannot be simply a matter of how much you cashed in. There should be other criteria to meet (I would suggest, for example, a minimum distance away from the bubble, a minimum distance travelled on an SRV, as well as a minimum number of astronomical objects scanned...but there could be more perhaps).

I understand that the trade rank is based on money, and I understand that the Combat rank grows in proportion of the rank of the ships you destroy (both make sense). But the exploration one? As it stands it's totally broken. Doing the RtR gives you Elite exploration, but going to Beagle Point and back (without sufficient scanning on the way) does not? That makes no sense -- both gameplay-wise and lore-wise.

So please, when you go back to the re-hauling of core mechanics (or before? that would be awesome!), please do something about this.

Yep, its way too easy now. Either change the rewards or double the Elite rank unlock amount. Its ruining the première feature of the game.

 

[DukeIronHand]

Premiere feature? Exploration?
Perhaps we can focus on getting the servers to work and work well.
Sorry. I'll show myself out...

 

[Hanerib]

i had something like 250 mil. profits from exploration, around 8000 jumps, around 18000 distance from start, over 6000 visited systems and about 3000 scans last week when i decided to grind the remaining 10% with passenger missions. Then i did my first planetary scan mission. I dont know if there's really any lesson to be learned with this story.. just got a bit addicted when i first left the bubble in a sidewinder.

 

[h347h]

Premiere feature? Exploration?
Perhaps we can focus on getting the servers to work and work well.
Sorry. I'll show myself out...

My question is if it is the servers or the people hosting the instance.

 

[NW3]

The "creation" of the Road to Riches and the release of the PS4 version of the game have almost been simultaneous, and as a result you can now find people with a few hours of gameplay and who never even left the bubble (or very nearly) who are Elite in exploration.

Now, make no mistake, I am not saying that the RtR is an exploit. It's obviously not, the planets are there, and to scan them is perfectly legitimate, so no objection there.

What I am saying is that there's obviously something very broken in the criterion used to assign the Elite exploration rank. It just cannot be simply a matter of how much you cashed in. There should be other criteria to meet (I would suggest, for example, a minimum distance away from the bubble, a minimum distance travelled on an SRV, as well as a minimum number of astronomical objects scanned...but there could be more perhaps).

I understand that the trade rank is based on money, and I understand that the Combat rank grows in proportion of the rank of the ships you destroy (both make sense). But the exploration one? As it stands it's totally broken. Doing the RtR gives you Elite exploration, but going to Beagle Point and back (without sufficient scanning on the way) does not? That makes no sense -- both gameplay-wise and lore-wise.

So please, when you go back to the re-hauling of core mechanics (or before? that would be awesome!), please do something about this.

FD continues to make ranking up easier. Back before passenger missions, I went to Beagle Point and back, scanning every system along the way, and still did not earn Elite Exploration status.

 

[Zenith]

Maybe there should be a distance component to the rank.
Unlock each rank in turn with the credits AND the total travelled distance?

Aimless - 0
Mostly Aimless - 100KCr, 500ly
Scout - 500KCr, 1000ly
Surveyor - 1.5MCr, 2000ly
Trailblazer - 5MCr, 4000ly
Pathfinder - 10MCr, 8000ly
Ranger - 50MCr, 16000ly
Pioneer - 150MCr, 32000ly
Elite - 300MCr, 64000ly

 

[knowles2]

I always thought it was a bit silly for the ranks not to have a list of criteria added to the.

May be visit Beagle point an other famous locations, a few of the nebula, have at least a few named planets outside of the bubble. Having visited each of the famous star types and have a first discovered on them, same with planets. Pristine ring


Same for others, combat should involve having defeated all ships, defeated NPCs at all levels, defeated a capital ship on your own, defeated an ambushed.

Trading should have involve in trading all rares for example, having traded and bargain through all of the products or at least a certain range.

 

[groanbartlet]

I think FGM is a bad idea, as a 46 year old man I can't say that I'm ever likely to be affected by it though.

Not with that attitude you wont

 

[wrmiller]

I always thought it was a bit silly for the ranks not to have a list of criteria added to the.

May be visit Beagle point an other famous locations, a few of the nebula, have at least a few named planets outside of the bubble.


Same for others, combat should involve having defeated all ships, defeated NPCs at all levels, defeated a capital ship on your own, defeated an ambushed.

The only way they could implement something like that fairly would be to reset everyone to zero, and let everyone start over with the new criteria. I suspect the folks who got their badges the easy(er) ways are certainly not going to like that at all. Nor the ones that actually think their badges are indicative of something.

Me personally I could care less. Wait, actually, just zero me out. That way I can go back to non-engineered ships for mission running and not have to deal with engineered Deadly and Elite pirates, and the Engineers themselves.

Works for me...

 

[DukeIronHand]

Well, well.
Now that you say that your idea would have tremendous impact and my thought about "who cares about rank" my be semi-false.
Missions and mission payouts are determined by your ranks in the three catagories.

Guess my view is slightly skewed at the current time. Currently grinding Imperial rank for ships...after an earlier, not so successful, grind for Fed rank. And I have been running Fed missions for 7 months - only grinding for a day or two -and am still an Ensign. Guess when people talk about "increasing this or that" I see things thru my eyes and experiences.

 

[CMDR ANCALAGON]

I have no complaints or issues with what stratagies other players may or may not have used to earn any of their ranks, as the only one that matters is the one that I have chosen. If I earn my elite rank in exploration by scanning systems way out in the black, meeting someone with an elite rank that never left the bubble won't cheapen the value that I place on mine.

So, with that context in mind, I have always thought that it seemed a bit off that exploration ranks are based solely on credits earned from exploration. Just as combat rank is driven and weighted by kills of different ranks, with no consideration for money earned, exploration should be based on systems scanned weighted by rarity and distance from starting point. I also think it would make sense for scanns performed within 1000ly of starting point to not count towards rank.

If technical reasons make measuring credits easier, then adjust the exploration payouts to be weighted by rarity and distance from starting point so as to achieve the same objective.

 

[Gortron]

The "creation" of the Road to Riches and the release of the PS4 version of the game have almost been simultaneous, and as a result you can now find people with a few hours of gameplay and who never even left the bubble (or very nearly) who are Elite in exploration.

Now, make no mistake, I am not saying that the RtR is an exploit. It's obviously not, the planets are there, and to scan them is perfectly legitimate, so no objection there.

What I am saying is that there's obviously something very broken in the criterion used to assign the Elite exploration rank. It just cannot be simply a matter of how much you cashed in. There should be other criteria to meet (I would suggest, for example, a minimum distance away from the bubble, a minimum distance travelled on an SRV, as well as a minimum number of astronomical objects scanned...but there could be more perhaps).

I understand that the trade rank is based on money, and I understand that the Combat rank grows in proportion of the rank of the ships you destroy (both make sense). But the exploration one? As it stands it's totally broken. Doing the RtR gives you Elite exploration, but going to Beagle Point and back (without sufficient scanning on the way) does not? That makes no sense -- both gameplay-wise and lore-wise.

So please, when you go back to the re-hauling of core mechanics (or before? that would be awesome!), please do something about this.

Yeah stuff like this is a bit reductionist. I got Elite in exploration from doing passenger missions before they adjusted it and honestly nearly sent a ticket asking to be put back a rank (I couldn't bare to lose Jameson Memorial though). I'm quite into exploration but getting loads more % for shipping passengers a few jumps than a trip to Colonia and back just ruins actual exploration. I didn't realise you got loads of credits from scanning Earth likes etc in the bubble, I had assumed you don't so never bothered other then when needed.

 

[LP Garnell]

Yep, its way too easy now. Either change the rewards or double the Elite rank unlock amount. Its ruining the première feature of the game.

It was doubled for cartographic data.

 

[LP Garnell]

Yet another one is gather some tourists. 5 million to go look at something 1100lyrs away is just TOO much advancement for Exploration.

I don't disagree fundamentally , but that would get you 1 million in exploration "points" (5:1). Meaning, for ex, as Pioneer going to Elite, you'd typically get a 1% increase in rank.

 

[Kaocraft]

He didn't say it affects his game did he? He said that it's a poor mechanic. It's not an unreasonable thing to point out that something is a bad idea even if it doesn't directly affect the person concerned.

I think FGM is a bad idea, as a 46 year old man I can't say that I'm ever likely to be affected by it though.

You're making all the good points right now. Well I can't do anything about it but in my world you've got about 4+ virtual reps at the moment.

 

[Kaocraft]

The only way they could implement something like that fairly would be to reset everyone to zero, and let everyone start over with the new criteria. I suspect the folks who got their badges the easy(er) ways are certainly not going to like that at all. Nor the ones that actually think their badges are indicative of something.

Me personally I could care less. Wait, actually, just zero me out. That way I can go back to non-engineered ships for mission running and not have to deal with engineered Deadly and Elite pirates, and the Engineers themselves.

Works for me...

Doesn't need to be fair. If we're assuming that Elite has a long shelf-life then it makes sense to tweak the balance of the game in such a way that new players have the best experience possible. Sometimes the best experience involves getting more for less effort, but sometimes the best experience involves getting a meaningful feedback loop between effort and positive reinforcement. The exploration rank progression is broken at the moment: it doesn't meaningfully reflect on your efforts and so the rank progression isn't going to make you feel as good as it would if it were better balanced. It's worth fixing this for the sake of the integrity of the game as a whole; nevermind whatever progression people have already made in the current broken system. Everyone else has the option of resetting their save or buying a second account if they want to experience the altered progression system. No reason to hold the game hostage against the ranks of an existing playerbase.

 

[Red Anders]

Poor mechanic?
Whew...we got a lot more irons on this fire then Exploration rank.

As I said earlier I think the way that exploration credits are awarded is bunk. Not the amount you notice, I'm fine with the amount. So do you actually have anything to contribute, or are you just going to maintain your usual course and quack on without giving the slightest impression that you can read a post without assuming (incorrectly in this case) that it's asking for something to be nerfed?

 

[Zambrick]

I would like any kind of visual proof you can provide. I doubt this is even possible unless those people have played for 100 to 200 hours straight. I also would like to know where you get your numbers and how can you possibly know if everyone is Elite? Have you asked every singe person and took a poll.

This is just another post by someone who is making assumptions based off of no tangible proof.

 

[rrobes]

Extended exploration is an acquired taste. I couldn't wait to end it as my eyeballs were being burned out going for elite. The other two were much more appealing.

Exploration shortcut? I won't criticize anyone for using one.