Currently, your career isn't all that important. There is little consequence or opportunities created beyond hitting elite. Let's change that.
Proposal:
Actions performed in a system are stored with each faction. I'd use the term "notoriety", but don't want it to be confused with the existing implementation.
If you're a bounty hunter and kill 100 pirates in a system, you get 100 "bounty hunter" points with each faction in the system. If you sell 100 million in commodities, you get 100 trader points. If you mine 100 tonnes, you get miner points.
The data is stored with each minor faction. This does not need to be made visible to the player. Just store the data. Your score for the system is the sum of all points for the factions in the system. Also store the timestamp of when the last point was earned.
The points decay at a rate of 10% per 24 hours. If you don't earn more points, you lose 10%. If you earn more points, you don't lose any.
Also store points directly on a players session. Whatever points you have in the local system are stored on your player. When you jump, you lose 10% per Ly, and the points from the new system are added to the score. This way, your reputation follows you and slowly dies out the further you go. This needs to be stored on the session per system. So if you run loops between systems, you're not just increasing the score. I think wings should have some sort of shared score.
While I don't know the game code, I do think the above logic is similar to what we see in game currently. Just adding more properties to track.
Consequences and Opportunities:
Since your actions are stored, you can spawn new threats based on the player. For example, someone that mines a lot would be known as a miner. Pirates would go after them because they have reputation of having cargo. Same with traders. This can scale based on the player. Other miners would follow them around. They're a celebrity. At some point, it should be nearly impossible to get any work done.
On the other side of the coin: You're a celebrity miner. This would spawn high paying missions. "You're the best miner in the system. Please go get us 10 tonnes of water and we'll pay 25 million"
A bounty hunter would face bigger threats. "Boss ships". They'd also receive massacre missions.
Then we have the criminal element. Pirates and murderers would be harassed by the cops. Even in low security systems. The cops could try to frame a criminal in an effort to get them out of the system. At a certain point, it would be constant and overwhelming.
The criminals would also receive missions that pay well.
So if you're in a system and everyone knows you as a murderer or bounty hunter, you'll be treated as such - even if not wanted or you don't have bounties to turn in. As you jump further away, your reputation is lowered. Over time, you lose your reputation. Having a reputation creates both risk and opportunity. Everyone knows Batman. The super villains all want to kill him. The people in need all ask for his help. Everyone knows the Joker. The cops want him out of their area. But if you need someone dead, he's your guy.
Why:
This logic would add a dynamic feeling to the world. Much more so than the current minor faction reputation system. You can work and maintain a reputation while dealing with the benefits and consequences. Everything scales with the player but in a logical method.
A well known bounty hunter could drop into a haz res they frequent. Some pirate scrub in an eagle would see him and leave. This logic exists currently for players holding a lot of bounty vouchers. On the other hand, pirates that feel embolden by their exploits would want to kill him just to make a name for themselves. A 10 million credit bounty for a prismatic shielded anaconda in a wing with 3 gunships. They'd have much higher bounties, better ships, etc. The player's actions cause different enemies. If they can't handle it, they can go to another system, get help, etc. Their actions also provide a chance for better pay or other benefits.
A murderer or pirate would run away the weaker targets. This would bring in stronger targets to fill the void. They'd also have a much stronger security impact even if not wanted.
People running passenger loops would have to deal with mass murders. They also get job offers that pay more.
This would also let you track leader boards for the different careers in a system.
Proposal:
Actions performed in a system are stored with each faction. I'd use the term "notoriety", but don't want it to be confused with the existing implementation.
If you're a bounty hunter and kill 100 pirates in a system, you get 100 "bounty hunter" points with each faction in the system. If you sell 100 million in commodities, you get 100 trader points. If you mine 100 tonnes, you get miner points.
The data is stored with each minor faction. This does not need to be made visible to the player. Just store the data. Your score for the system is the sum of all points for the factions in the system. Also store the timestamp of when the last point was earned.
The points decay at a rate of 10% per 24 hours. If you don't earn more points, you lose 10%. If you earn more points, you don't lose any.
Also store points directly on a players session. Whatever points you have in the local system are stored on your player. When you jump, you lose 10% per Ly, and the points from the new system are added to the score. This way, your reputation follows you and slowly dies out the further you go. This needs to be stored on the session per system. So if you run loops between systems, you're not just increasing the score. I think wings should have some sort of shared score.
While I don't know the game code, I do think the above logic is similar to what we see in game currently. Just adding more properties to track.
Consequences and Opportunities:
Since your actions are stored, you can spawn new threats based on the player. For example, someone that mines a lot would be known as a miner. Pirates would go after them because they have reputation of having cargo. Same with traders. This can scale based on the player. Other miners would follow them around. They're a celebrity. At some point, it should be nearly impossible to get any work done.
On the other side of the coin: You're a celebrity miner. This would spawn high paying missions. "You're the best miner in the system. Please go get us 10 tonnes of water and we'll pay 25 million"
A bounty hunter would face bigger threats. "Boss ships". They'd also receive massacre missions.
Then we have the criminal element. Pirates and murderers would be harassed by the cops. Even in low security systems. The cops could try to frame a criminal in an effort to get them out of the system. At a certain point, it would be constant and overwhelming.
The criminals would also receive missions that pay well.
So if you're in a system and everyone knows you as a murderer or bounty hunter, you'll be treated as such - even if not wanted or you don't have bounties to turn in. As you jump further away, your reputation is lowered. Over time, you lose your reputation. Having a reputation creates both risk and opportunity. Everyone knows Batman. The super villains all want to kill him. The people in need all ask for his help. Everyone knows the Joker. The cops want him out of their area. But if you need someone dead, he's your guy.
Why:
This logic would add a dynamic feeling to the world. Much more so than the current minor faction reputation system. You can work and maintain a reputation while dealing with the benefits and consequences. Everything scales with the player but in a logical method.
A well known bounty hunter could drop into a haz res they frequent. Some pirate scrub in an eagle would see him and leave. This logic exists currently for players holding a lot of bounty vouchers. On the other hand, pirates that feel embolden by their exploits would want to kill him just to make a name for themselves. A 10 million credit bounty for a prismatic shielded anaconda in a wing with 3 gunships. They'd have much higher bounties, better ships, etc. The player's actions cause different enemies. If they can't handle it, they can go to another system, get help, etc. Their actions also provide a chance for better pay or other benefits.
A murderer or pirate would run away the weaker targets. This would bring in stronger targets to fill the void. They'd also have a much stronger security impact even if not wanted.
People running passenger loops would have to deal with mass murders. They also get job offers that pay more.
This would also let you track leader boards for the different careers in a system.
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