Information Regarding AX Combat Bond Reward Revisions

Redthorne, Hedganian, I appreciate the need for some of the extra pokes on our failing with this. I don't know how much more apologetic I could be from our side, other than to say it truly is noted and your sentiment on the matter is absolutely understood o7

Hedganian, to double up once again, for sure, as you say it wasn't a deliberate attempt to disrespect you all.
Oh no need for any further apologies, Sally. I'm not sore about it, and don't mean to add any more stress to you or the teams. I do believe our messages have been heard. As always, thank you for taking seriously the things our passionate players have to say.
 
I think that's because there are Scouts nearby! Scouts appear to be support for the murderflowers - there they are flying around them and your ship, pecking away at you with caustic missiles and pewpew weapons, whilst you're busy ignoring them whilst shooting at Interceptors. Then too late you notice those Scouts have half-melted your ship, softening you up for the flowers.

I think the Scouts are also shooting the De-con limpets.
...
Guardian Hull Reinforcement Packs are a thing you know. 4 smaller sized ones give close to 20% caustic resistance. It substracts a significant amount over time. At least they let you worry less about melting. o7
 
This game is going down and down each update is just more bugs that are not getting fixed. Your vote for a bug to get it fixed just sucks or are you suggesting the game so broken you CAN'T FIX THEM your only going to do the ones can fix and to hell with the rest they will never find out who voted for what, so we just do some easy ones and it easy life for us.
 
I'd be happy with the scenario completing. 3 times last night I joined the fight at Ryan Port in Putas and the progression bar filled up but the scenario didn't end
Are you saying that the progress bar bug isn't yet fixed? (in terms of: session does not complete, or get stuck in the middle)
because I understood that the new update should have that bug fixed.

This is the most annoying thing for me.

Besides that, I would second the argument from @SpaceGhostC2C
regarding payout depending on induced damage, but consider this: I am constantly boosting my Krait with 4 gauss cannons to the next cyclops like an idiot, in order to get at least one last pew with my long range beam laser before it plops, because since they're that easy and fast to kill, we barely have a chance to get there before someone else kills them, which is only a matter of seconds by now.

This is everything else than satisfying, because I also don't do it for the payout (yet it's nice to see the credits achieved - not that I need it, I just like collecting the munney 🙃 )
rather than the challenge killing an Interceptor with precision (as opposed to the all-flashy plasma weapons where you don't even see the hearts anymore)

I think it was a mistake to let cyclops get insta-killed with pure overpower. But I only say that because of my gauss-cannon style and the problem just described.
I mean, it sure feels satisfying to kill a cyclops at a snap, if you're the one.
 
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Are you saying that the progress bar isn't yet fixed? (in terms of: session does not complete, or get stuck in the middle)
This is the most annoying thing for me.

Besides that, I would second the argument from @SpaceGhostC2C
regarding payout depending on induced damage, but consider this: I am constantly boosting my Krait with 4 gauss cannons to the next cyclops like an idiot, in order to get at least a last pew with my long range beam laser before it plops, because since they're that easy and fast to kill, we barely have a chance to get there before someone else kills them, which is only a matter of seconds by now.

This is everything else than satisfying, because I also don't do it for the money (yet it's nice to see the credits achieved - not that I need it, I just like collecting the munney 🙃 )
rather than the challenge killing an Interceptor with precision (as opposed to the all-flashy plasma weapons where you don't even see the hearts anymore)

I think it was a mistake to let cyclops get insta-killed with pure overpower. But I only say that because of my gauss-cannon style and the problem just described.
I mean, it sure feels satisfying to kill a cyclops at a snap, if you're the one.
The session not completing, so I guess it's still broken. 4 occasions last night and only once did it complete
 
Redthorne, Hedganian, I appreciate the need for some of the extra pokes on our failing with this. I don't know how much more apologetic I could be from our side, other than to say it truly is noted and your sentiment on the matter is absolutely understood o7

Hedganian, to double up once again, for sure, as you say it wasn't a deliberate attempt to disrespect you all.
Give me 6 free Enhanced Guardian Shard Cannons Sally and we can call it quits! 😄
 
Well if you saw a CMDR "Gene Hunt, The" , than that was me in my alt account, in the battleconda doing a Brave Sir Robin from the two Hydras which appeared after myself and my team mate completed the initial planet base mission :D

I mean, one of those blighters had already melted Invincible 10... Reminds me I have to rename the new ship the Invincible 11 ;)
If it was planet side then it wasn't me, I was at Ryan Port in Putas, although I did still see a CMDR(name escapes me) who's Anaconda lasted about 30 seconds against a couple of Hydras
 
@sallymorganmoore I am fine with the price balance but is there any chance at all of changing the having to get the final hit on thargoids to count for missions if not in a wing? I find it quite hard to get into a wing so these missions are essentially impossible as I just don't have the time to do them.

does it matter from a balance point of view if a player is in a wing or just helping a random player ?
thanks.
 
Greetings Commanders,

Along with Update 14.02, as many of you are aware, there came some changes to AX combat bond reward values.

We're aware that this information was not provided as either update notes, nor did it come with prior warning ahead of the release, for which we truly apologise.
This was a genuine oversight and it was never our intention to cause disrespect to those of you engaged in current efforts around the Galaxy.​

With that being said, the design team would like to share with you some further insight into reasoning behind the value adjustments to combat bond rewards for Thargoid defeats.




Values before and after Update 14.02.

Thargoid TypePre-Update 14.02Post Update 14.02
Scout (Marauder)80k65k
Scout (Other variants)80k75k
Cyclops8mil6.5mil
Basilisk24mil20mil
Hydra60mil50mil
Medusa40mil34mil
Orthrus30mil25mil

Balancing Choices.

Factors which deemed it sensible to make the above amendments to AX combat bond rewards, grew from tweaks and changes made to overall AX scenarios and factors, such as:
  • Thargoids now being found in greater numbers, in wider reaches.
  • Scenarios have AX Military which are armed with AX weapons to help take Thargoids on.
  • Commanders are acquiring better AX weapons, for example being gimbled and those with enhanced damage.
  • Commanders received an new, improved AX Scanner.
  • Commanders are now able to outfit more AX weapons with the latest Experimental Weapon Stabiliser (5 or 6 weapons instead of 4).
Therefore, with all of the above adding up, some balancing of rewards made sense.
The newer reward values do remain higher than what they were at launch (approximately 3.2 times greater), when Thargoids were considered, arguably, at their hardest to defeat compared to now.




The Goal.

From all of the above considered, the overall goal with adjustments made to AX combat bond rewards as part of 14.02 was to prevent the potential of inflated credit bloat, without it feeling unjust to Commanders without equal payoff in other areas.

Another example of bringing balance to these alterations, is that Massacre Missions now reward more materials than regular missions do, as a way to offset the reduction in rewards, with an additional view to help with the engineering grind a little.

Examples:

Mission TypeReward 1Reward 2
MASSACRE MISSION: Eliminate 1 Medusa Interceptor (Threat Level 7, and not a team mission)Modified Embedded Firmware: 8 Units [Rarity Grade: 5]6,881,263 CR
REGULAR MISSION: Emergency Bulk Supply: 720 Units of RoboticsModified Embedded Firmware: 4 Units [Rarity Grade: 5]1,763,101 CR
MASSACRE MISSION: Eliminate 1 Basilisk InterceptorExquisite Focus Crystals: 6 Units [Rarity Grade: 5]2,634,541 CR
REGULAR MISSION: Emergency Bulk Supply Contract: 124 Units of TritiumExquisite Focus Crystals: 3 Units [Rarity Grade: 5]13,070,675 CR




Thanks for your time and thoughts around this, Commanders.

Again, we absolutely sensed and completely understood the frustration many of you expressed and once again extend our apologies with having not communicated these changes in more depth with you.

o7
Thanks for this confirmation.
While the difference in bonds is very little in the grand scheme of things (and I personally have made way more credits fighting thargoids over the past year than I could ever know what to do with), I think the missions and CZs might still need some adjustments if they are to correctly compensate for this, and if missions are significantly impactful to the war over raw kills. I'll explain in more detail:

The missions now revised do give great rewards; seeing 8 or 10 units of G5 materials for wing missions. But the requirements to fulfill these missions are still not balanced right with the spawn rates in CZs.
The missions come from stations currently under attack, and I've seen entire mission boards full of 4 to 7 Basilisk or Medusa, or 1 or 2 Hydra, and then usually one mission at the bottom for a single of something. But at that same station --which might be a port or ground base-- the CZ instance seems to spawn almost 100% cyclops. Very occasionally we see one Basilisk in an entire scenario which might have 15 or more total interceptors (all cyclops).
So there's no way to fulfill these missions.
In fact we found that simply leaving the CZ instance and dropping anywhere in normal space in an invaded system will spawn a variety of interceptor variants at reasonable spawn rates. So if I want to see anything other than cyclops I would drop to open space or maybe a HAZ RES, instead of fighting in the CZ.
Does that illustrate the problem?

Then I move to a different system where a Coriolis station is under attack and the CZ seems to be a different intensity level, but there's no marking of this anywhere in game. In this scenario higher level interceptors do seem to spawn at a more reasonable rate and I was able to complete a couple of missions. But then the board started showing me all scout missions.

As I see it there are still 2 problems:
CZs at stations don't have indication of their intensity level --and can we also get some confirmation of if intensity levels impact spawn rates of different variants?--
And secondly, the mission requirements are still such that even when higher interceptors do spawn we don't get enough to fulfill the missions that are available.

Solutions: Could we get a confirmation/description of how intensity levels impact spawn rates (I'm sorry that's breaking the 4th wall, but...) and if they are impacted can we get an indication of what intensity level station CZs are?
And the missions requirements are still probably too high. I'd be perfectly happy with the "Kill 1 medusa" wing missions we used to get back in the pre-war incursions which would pay 5 units of G5 mats.
But either way these things need to meet in the middle. Requirements down, or spawn rates up and/or some way to choose instances that will spawn what we need. (although, if the mission comes from a station we would think that station's scenario would spawn the needed interceptors)

To be absolutely clear, my concern isn't really how much I'm being paid, in credits and mats, but how I'm able to influence the war effort. I presume that clearing CZs and fulfilling missions has a much bigger impact than simply killing thargoids at all in the system. But when CZs don't spawn what we need to fulfill the missions I'm left either not taking the missions or going outside the CZ instance to try to fulfill the mission. Either seems to be not correct as the game is designed.
So if this is working as intended I think we need some combination of explanation and adjustment.

Thanks!
 
Only because of the one thing this game is missing: Taxes.

Anybody parked in Federation, Empire, Alliance, etc. space should have to pay 15% of their income to taxes each month. That would make things not only more realistic, but a great deal more interesting.
Taxes are legalised, one sided robbery, since day one. I despise them and I refuse.
 
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Guardian Hull Reinforcement Packs are a thing you know. 4 smaller sized ones give close to 20% caustic resistance. It substracts a significant amount over time. At least they let you worry less about melting. o7

Oh they actually give caustic protection? Huh, did not know that. That alt account of mine had been laying around with hardly anything. About 3 weeks ago I decided to use him because he's in the Bubble and my main account is in Colonia.

So I had to go through a lot of the early grind just to build the character up to a decent state of readiness for goid combat.

I'll consider getting those unlocked tonight then. Thanks for the heads-up!
 

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
[Modhat on] Just a polite reminder (this time) that both derailing threads and discussing politics are against the forum rules.
 
Just now I'm in Altman Ring in Aowicha, starport under attack. The whole CZ, and I'm there from the beginning, passed with scouts only. Then progress bar reached 100% and nothing happened, scouts are coming and coming, it's already 15-20 minutes after progress bar reached 100%. Is it really important how much they pay for interceptor? When there's no interceptors? Not a single one. Is it really important to have experimental weapon stabiliser and 5-6 special weapons, and enhanced xeno-scanner? For what? To fight 100 scouts?
or 1000? or 1000000? Should I say it was a waste of time - not only my time , but four other cmdrs?
Now I lost my will to comment anything, to ask questions, to read answers and apologies - and to play the game. Maybe will be better tomorrow.
 
Just now I'm in Altman Ring in Aowicha, starport under attack. The whole CZ, and I'm there from the beginning, passed with scouts only. Then progress bar reached 100% and nothing happened, scouts are coming and coming, it's already 15-20 minutes after progress bar reached 100%. Is it really important how much they pay for interceptor? When there's no interceptors? Not a single one. Is it really important to have experimental weapon stabiliser and 5-6 special weapons, and enhanced xeno-scanner? For what? To fight 100 scouts?
or 1000? or 1000000? Should I say it was a waste of time - not only my time , but four other cmdrs?
Now I lost my will to comment anything, to ask questions, to read answers and apologies - and to play the game. Maybe will be better tomorrow.

yep, that's what I'm talking about - the progress bar bug. As long as that bug is not fixed, it's not worth even discussing the payout decrease

As even the workaround of leaving the instance is still not known by most commanders, which keep hunting scouts forever, it's a huge time eater and this is what's most annoying.
Keeping relogging or/and idle-supercruising for up to half an hour or sometimes more, effectively not playing.

If the bug is really so hard to fix (and I would absolutely understand that, no insult here), FDev could at least make the session longer (or as I learned, scenario seems the correct term) and let more Interceptors spawn while server-side obsoleting the session so that a rejoin to this session would not be possible anyway.

You can't even choose to intentionally switch a session/server to join when starting the game, which also would be a really nice option to mitigate that problem
 
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I understand the reasoning but I’ve yet to find a ship that can equip more then 4 AX weapons that I find preferable to my FAS so I’m not really benefiting from the increased weapons limit!!

New scanner is great though. I mean, I did get to the point where I could eyeball Shard shots pretty well but it’s nice to have the proper targeting!!
 
Can you guys at least make the kills count for missions even if you aren't the last one to get the final shot in? Then I'd be ok with this. As it stands i had to kill four hydra just to get ONE listed as killed in my missions. Really not fair! @sallymorganmoore
 
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