Holiday Mode

[Jmanis]

OK, so this might be a bit left-field. The current mechanics are the current mechanics, like them or not. And under the current mechanics, there's penalties for not playing constantly. Things like Rank Decay in Powerplay, reputation decay for not logging in, losing bounties etc etc..

I've been chipping away at powerplay,, got a total of 5000ish merits to my name now, I'm allied with the empire and various factions, I'm hostile to the factions I want to be hostile to, and I've got a sizeable bounty on my head which I'm pretty happy with.

Now I have a work trip for a month. I won't have reliable internet access, or a machine to play Elite on, so basically all this is going to be trashed when I get back, because frankly, life trumps games.

So, I reckon there should be a "holiday mode" in our account settings. You set it, and it freezes any time effects on your account, until you next log in. Once you log in, holiday mode can't be set for another month (that way, you can't exploit it to not decay every time you log out).

 

[Jedirogue]

OK, so this might be a bit left-field. The current mechanics are the current mechanics, like them or not. And under the current mechanics, there's penalties for not playing constantly. Things like Rank Decay in Powerplay, reputation decay for not logging in, losing bounties etc etc..

I've been chipping away at powerplay,, got a total of 5000ish merits to my name now, I'm allied with the empire and various factions, I'm hostile to the factions I want to be hostile to, and I've got a sizeable bounty on my head which I'm pretty happy with.

Now I have a work trip for a month. I won't have reliable internet access, or a machine to play Elite on, so basically all this is going to be trashed when I get back, because frankly, life trumps games.

So, I reckon there should be a "holiday mode" in our account settings. You set it, and it freezes any time effects on your account, until you next log in. Once you log in, holiday mode can't be set for another month (that way, you can't exploit it to not decay every time you log out).

I am in exactly the same situation as you. Being able to suspend merit and ranking decay should be an option. I would suggest a minimum of two weeks. If you suspend then start playing again before the suspension expires you can't earn merits or rank, although your suggestion would work equally well.

Guess we will just have to restart the grind when we return.

 

[Psycho Romeo]

OK, so this might be a bit left-field. The current mechanics are the current mechanics, like them or not. And under the current mechanics, there's penalties for not playing constantly. Things like Rank Decay in Powerplay, reputation decay for not logging in, losing bounties etc etc..

I've been chipping away at powerplay,, got a total of 5000ish merits to my name now, I'm allied with the empire and various factions, I'm hostile to the factions I want to be hostile to, and I've got a sizeable bounty on my head which I'm pretty happy with.

Now I have a work trip for a month. I won't have reliable internet access, or a machine to play Elite on, so basically all this is going to be trashed when I get back, because frankly, life trumps games.

So, I reckon there should be a "holiday mode" in our account settings. You set it, and it freezes any time effects on your account, until you next log in. Once you log in, holiday mode can't be set for another month (that way, you can't exploit it to not decay every time you log out).

This probably should be moved to suggestions. I ultimately think that the galaxy should leave you behind if you fail to keep up.

However, I think it's also a good idea to start to severely slow down the decay of everything after the second week of not logging in though.

 

[Cryptonomica]

Or alternatively, just get rid of the decay mechanics...

 

[Psycho Romeo]

Or alternatively, just get rid of the decay mechanics...

Surely you jest! 'tis a silly notion.

 

[Mereidos]

Or alternatively, just get rid of the decay mechanics...

HERESY! We shan't stand by idly while you dare desecrate the holy word of our galaxy's creator (FD)! *grab pitchfork*

 

[Soopyyy]

Yeah, the decay is bloody pointless...

 

[Psycho Romeo]

Yeah, the decay is bloody pointless...

...Why? I don't think so at all.

 

[Fyrd Judge]

Can't see how this will be fair on others. Some have two accounts, what if one of those players stopped merit farming on one account, then asked to save it because they were going on holiday, only to start farming on their other account. If FD suspended accounts it would be open to abuse.

 

[Maxulic]

OK, so this might be a bit left-field. The current mechanics are the current mechanics, like them or not. And under the current mechanics, there's penalties for not playing constantly. Things like Rank Decay in Powerplay, reputation decay for not logging in, losing bounties etc etc..

I've been chipping away at powerplay,, got a total of 5000ish merits to my name now, I'm allied with the empire and various factions, I'm hostile to the factions I want to be hostile to, and I've got a sizeable bounty on my head which I'm pretty happy with.

Now I have a work trip for a month. I won't have reliable internet access, or a machine to play Elite on, so basically all this is going to be trashed when I get back, because frankly, life trumps games.

So, I reckon there should be a "holiday mode" in our account settings. You set it, and it freezes any time effects on your account, until you next log in. Once you log in, holiday mode can't be set for another month (that way, you can't exploit it to not decay every time you log out).

You didn't get the memo? E: D is a second full time job and you don't get vacations.

Now back to work, slacker!

 

[Frop]

...Why? I don't think so at all.

The current implementations are far from ideal though.

 

[Jmanis]

I ultimately think that the galaxy should leave you behind if you fail to keep up.

So, by not playing, I'm already
- Failing to support my chosen power, causing them to weaken
- Not earning any credits whatsoever
- Not gaining any factional reputation or elite ranking
- Not supporting local factions who I may be trying to bring into power in a system, and may well be pushed back down by the time I return.
- Not, well, doing anything.

These are "passive penalties"; the things that happen when you *don't* play I don't see how this isn't already being left behind enough. Active penalties take things you've accrued away over time. I find it completely unfair to consider that players should be penalised for having lives outside of what is entertainment, not a job. People have day-jobs, get sick, go on holidays, and otherwise have activities that can take them away from their "normal" environment for lengthy periods. If Elite were a ladder-tournament style game then sure, you shouldn't be able to "hold a rank position" just by going away for a while. But Elite isn't one of those games. Rank 5 in PP can be reasonably achieved over a few months. To have that taken away because you, say, had a planned hospital trip for a month, you would lose all that. Way to alienate your players right there. And again, this isn't some premier league sport. This is just entertainment. You're sorely mistaken if you think this is otherwise

It's a tried and true mechanic throughout good MMO's that players are rewarded through playing, rather than penalising players who don't. A small gap in gameplay can completely eliminate any sense of progression that was had, and that's almost always a sign of poor gameplay.

I can go back to my GW2 account and my character will still have it's items, still have it's gold and skillpoints. New content may be out there which I haven't done, level caps may have gone up and I'm comparatively weak. But my character will be in the state I left it.

I can go back to my EVE account. All my items will be there, my character will still have their skills, they'll still be regarded highly by the NPC factions they ranked with, they'll still have the same player-friends list I had. Anchored structures may have been destroyed, but they're part of that competitive environment of EVE. Rank within Powerplay is not part of a competitive environment (it was in Beta, and that aspect was removed).

Can't see how this will be fair on others. Some have two accounts, what if one of those players stopped merit farming on one account, then asked to save it because they were going on holiday, only to start farming on their other account. If FD suspended accounts it would be open to abuse.

Fair. So don't pay PP rank-based wages either, and don't count any of the merits . Even if you go on holiday one day before the end of a cycle, or have active CGs, lets cut all that off when you're "On holiday". You shouldn't be getting *anything* in holiday mode.

 

[Commander Starcloak]

Would rep if I could.

I have a two week holiday coming up very soon - something that was planned and booked over a year ago. I'm concerned about the effect that will have.

 

[Mephane]

I'd rather FD spend the time to redesign powerplay ranks and merits, and scrap merit decay and reputation decay altogether, than a holiday mode which is typically known from crappy pay-to-win browser games...

 

[Whiterose]

Me also. Cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, so wont have access for 11 days. I will just get my rank back up when I have access. Merit decay does need sorting.

 

[SteveLaw]

They could add one to the store...

 

[tarragon]

Remember FD mantra of letting people play they way the want to play and not taking away their freedom of doing things . Powerplay merit(rank) decay is the embodiment of this idea. Senior game designer who came up with this is likely secretly addicted to some Zynga crack and in deep denial.

 

[CMDR Mansoul]

Or a simple solution: make decay only happen when you are actually in the game. It is also easy to implement. Apply some small decay every hour on the hour of gameplay.

 

[Jmanis]

I'd rather FD spend the time to redesign powerplay ranks and merits, and scrap merit decay and reputation decay altogether, than a holiday mode which is typically known from crappy pay-to-win browser games...

Sure, take away the reason for a "holiday mode". I wouldn't argue with that in the slightest. I'd take exception to the lack of an alternative, but if someone had one, then sure.

At the moment I'm sitting here two weeks out from my trip, having had confirmation of it today, and wondering "So, what's the point of doing anything else powerplay-related?". Fortunately loyalty is a bit more important than rewards, but it's a bit of a kick in the guts to know that anything I do now is, ultimately, fruitless for my own standing within the power.

- - - Updated - - -

Or a simple solution: make decay only happen when you are actually in the game. It is also easy to implement. Apply some small decay every hour on the hour of gameplay.

As mentioned before though, that'd easily be exploitable. Hit Rank 5, go away for a couple weeks, come back to hundreds of millions of wages for zero effort.

 

[Kramster]

I'd rather FD spend the time to redesign powerplay ranks and merits, and scrap merit decay and reputation decay altogether, than a holiday mode which is typically known from crappy pay-to-win browser games...

Pre 1.3 I foolishly convinced myself that FD were going to finally bring some logic and order to the existing major faction rep/rank system.
I thought that they would:

make it impossible to hold ranks in more than one navy
Make missions have a greater effect on your rep with other factions when working for another
Add more in depth missions for factions increasing their influence in a similar way to how PP does with powers.
Provide special missions that allow commanders to recover from bad reputation states and get out of the 'reputation trap'
Add the ability for factions to influence the galaxy/background sim in a more meaningful way allowing us to influence their expansion (sort of the way PP does)
Build on the existing 'community goals' to interact with faction influence and systems

I did not expect them to totally ignore the existing 'place holder' system and add a superficial meta game that doesn't seem to add anything to the core game.
I did not expect them to get lazy and employ decay systems to bandage the short comings of the existing major faction system.

It may come to pass that these will all be brought together at a later date but, with FD not telling us if/when/how PP and the core game will eventually form one system, none of us has any idea and in the meantime the game seems to be haemorrhaging players.