Military Ranking Fix...?

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Hmm, just an idea I had.

If you play the game "as intended", basically, by not gaming the system to stack missions from popular systems(Sothis/Ceos/Quince), military ranking is extremely painfully slow.

Last time I checked, it would take 240~ missions to gain my next Federation rank.
Assuming the average mission time is 15~ minutes, that's 60 hours of pure missions to the next rank. Assuming I do one at a time, it's usually possible to do 2-3 at once in the same if you're lucky. So let's say 30~ hours of pure missions.

So, it would be nice if it were sped up slightly.

But I also see the problem caused by these particular systems that allow you to stack many many very very easy quick missions. This would then making ranking up incredibly easy and outright broken.

So, my solution?
Make ranking up faster, how much faster is entirely up to FD.

But then, make ranking progress slow down the more you repeat the same mission template.
So for example, if you do 1 data delivery, you gain your usual amount towards your rank.
If you do two, your second one only gains 50% of the previous. If you do 3, that one gains 50% of the previous. And so on, within a certain time limit.
Or something like that. Maybe have a limit of how many of one type of mission you can do per rank? Once you exceed it, your rank gains are reduced.

If that makes sense.

This would allow you to then increase the speed of "naturally" ranking up. Which is my preferred way of playing.

I get that this would be highly unpopular with the grinding community, but imagine it this way;

Do you prefer to rank up quickly doing the same mission 1000s of times over?
Or rank up quickly by doing many varied missions?

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[Allchemyst]

Hmmm I'm not certain that the solution would be so simple.

Being an admiral-king (who understands this pain very well), I'm fully in favor of making ranks more accessible, be it solely because some very interesting ships rely on rank, and that ships are different gameplay forms, which in turn shouldn't be so painfully hard-locked...

I honestly don't give a flying * about people having it "easier" than I did ; the current situation is just too much, and I don't wish that pain upon anyone, especially considering the ultimate rewards aren't worth it at all. It's all very comical to see how we humans want better circumstances for future generations, and then complain to the very depths of hell when they actually get to enjoy things better than we did... but anyway...

However, as with many things in this game, "adjusting the amount of grind" would simply be a very small plaster on a very big wound, I think.

I personally would prefer a much smaller amount of very difficult missions (of varying types), a small amount of each leading to either a promotion or a demotion depending on the success/failure rate. - it is not simple-minded obstination that needs to be rewarded, but tactical brilliance and excellence.

Military rank-up missions could be marked as such (meaning most missions for lower factions wouldn't automatically cause a rank increase), and only be available once the pilot is considered "allied" with the power.

Since those would still be civilian ranks, it should still be possible, for more "diplomatic" characters who simply wish to help "everyone, everywhere", to rank up, albeit more slowly as they refuse more destructive missions, in both Empire and Fed civilian navies.

Of course, the best way to do this would still to have a military "career" with a specific narrative, but that's pretty much out of scope.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I'd love a more involved way to rank up.

And I do believe ranks should be dynamic, a bit like PowerPlay rank, only less grindy. Working against a power should lower your rank with them, and so should failing missions. But then these missions should increase your rank far more than they currently do.
There's plenty that can be done.

My idea is basically a bandage for ranking until we get a better system, as the current situation is, well... crap. Lol

 

[StiTch]

I'd love military ranking to have something to do with the military.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I'd love military ranking to have something to do with the military.

I think you're getting a bit too optimistic now.

 

[Sunleader]

Hmm, just an idea I had.

If you play the game "as intended", basically, by not gaming the system to stack missions from popular systems(Sothis/Ceos/Quince), military ranking is extremely painfully slow.

Last time I checked, it would take 240~ missions to gain my next Federation rank.
Assuming the average mission time is 15~ minutes, that's 60 hours of pure missions to the next rank. Assuming I do one at a time, it's usually possible to do 2-3 at once in the same if you're lucky. So let's say 30~ hours of pure missions.

So, it would be nice if it were sped up slightly.

But I also see the problem caused by these particular systems that allow you to stack many many very very easy quick missions. This would then making ranking up incredibly easy and outright broken.

So, my solution?
Make ranking up faster, how much faster is entirely up to FD.

But then, make ranking progress slow down the more you repeat the same mission template.
So for example, if you do 1 data delivery, you gain your usual amount towards your rank.
If you do two, your second one only gains 50% of the previous. If you do 3, that one gains 50% of the previous. And so on, within a certain time limit.
Or something like that. Maybe have a limit of how many of one type of mission you can do per rank? Once you exceed it, your rank gains are reduced.

If that makes sense.

This would allow you to then increase the speed of "naturally" ranking up. Which is my preferred way of playing.

I get that this would be highly unpopular with the grinding community, but imagine it this way;

Do you prefer to rank up quickly doing the same mission 1000s of times over?
Or rank up quickly by doing many varied missions?

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

Aye.
Unfortunately FDEV Demonstrates an sharp lack of experience there.

Anyone experienced in MMOs knows that its a very bad idea to scale Progress Based on the Fastest Players. Because the Fastest Players are Nerds which will run extensive Calculations to find the best possible and most effective method and loopholes and abuse them to the Limits.
Thus often Progressing 10-20 times Faster than any Normal Player will ever manage.


This of course also means that if you take a lazy way and just make Progress so Incredible Slow that with this Method you end up needing the Time they want you to need for it.
The Average Player will be completely left in the Ditch and Face Unfathomable Grinding.



Thats Lazy Game Design by the Books.
Unfortunately an very veeery common Problem on Fdev