Professions, Roles and Ships

[Tarman]

I'm really not keen on adding RPG-like elements such as "class" bonuses. I'm all for laying out good options to make a self-selected "career" worth playing but much less cool with "I am a Level 23 Trader". I'd rather achieve this goal via other methods such as the upcoming moves towards fleshing out the game loops.

I'm also not saying I'm against bonuses whatsoever, but they should be more tied to BGS operation (factions and governments, loyalty and rep, success rate) based on your previous play choices and results rather than any kind of global character class progression system.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

I'd like to see a way to set a destination, and "ask" the mission boards for missions near that destination.

ETS2 has some nice mission filtering options like sorting by start location or destination or type of mission (erm... not mission, job).

There again, in ETS2 you do only tend to do one mission at a time and aren't hammering the board for new missions non-stop

 

[GunnerBill]

I'd like to see a way to set a destination, and "ask" the mission boards for missions near that destination.

Basically, rather than me going out and saying "Hey guys, I have a ship with a cargo rack, who has cargo that needs hauling?" I can say "Hey guys, I'm going out near xxxx, anyone have any business out that way?" Those can even pay less, with the rationale that since the customer isn't asking upfront, it's probably a lower priority for them. It would add a lot of interest to the whole "mission runner" side of things though.

Would also kind of be cool to expand on the "mission offers pop up randomly when you're in a RES" thing they have, and have missions pop up when you're mining, bulk trading, or smuggling - offering to buy your non-mission cargo at a specific destination for a bonus price.

I'd like to see more mission destination endpoints that aren't stations. If you're doing something shady, maybe you'll drop your cargo off with a cargoship in USS, and you'll even see them deploy collector limpets to pick it all up. If they can get a working planetary navigation system in place, you can have missions where you drop off cargo at POI-like randomly generated mini-bases or mining facilities instead of a full-on starport. Can also work for passenger missions.

That could also make for more interesting multi-part missions. For example: you're supposed to haul some cargo to a POI mining base, but when you get there it's been destroyed. If you sort through the materials strewn about though, you can scan a datapoint that gives you, say, some recorded intercepted communications of the attackers. If you take that to a science or military outpost or something to get decoded, and you find out what faction did it. Then you'd get to choose which faction to support from there - get some revenge on the attackers, or turn on your original employers for the delivery mission. Since both of these minor factions invested a good bit in this operation, the reward (aside from credits) would be a larger-than-normal influence bump. Something like that would add in a lot more flavor to both missions and playing the BGS.

Oddly thought of that (missions to where you are going) myself recently! +1 for actually firing it to the board `

Other ideas also good.

 

[Skip Rockbounder]

As far as I am aware you can be sent on... (I could be wrong as I have spent some time in the black and try not to read too much while I'm away in case I feel I'm missing out)
A mission to Kill
A mission to Spy (scan and be shot at)
A mission to mine
A mission to get trade goods
A mission to take 'paperwork'
A mission to take passengers
and missions for just about anything else... Except

A mission to Explore and bring back data (the exception being the CG wheelie bin to empty all and anything into it)



Ho hum! I could do with the galactic survey arm contacting me and asking me to go to 'SIGNI_1291*' and return with a DSS of every body present

*Fictional system

 

[Sylveria]

As far as I am aware you can be sent on... (I could be wrong as I have spent some time in the black and try not to read too much while I'm away in case I feel I'm missing out)
A mission to Kill
A mission to Spy (scan and be shot at)
A mission to mine
A mission to get trade goods
A mission to take 'paperwork'
A mission to take passengers
and missions for just about anything else... Except

A mission to Explore and bring back data (the exception being the CG wheelie bin to empty all and anything into it)



Ho hum! I could do with the galactic survey arm contacting me and asking me to go to 'SIGNI_1291*' and return with a DSS of every body present

*Fictional system

I think the "missioning system" as it stands will fit better into place if they can get the professions really defined- which is the purpose of this thread.

Looking for ideas to truly define them, rather than keeping it all vague- which is what we currently have.

I don't think it's too difficult to imagine professions- as most games have "classes" or something similar. This game (so far) only has one profession... "pilot".

 

[GunnerBill]

Mission boards could be subdivided by profession.

For example with the mining profession missions could offer the ability to test new and improved mining hardware, lasers, refineries etc.

Or look for rare minerals acting on tip-offs to locations.

Your reward for completing the mission sequence could be to gain access to the improved equipment. A bit like PP I know but more realistic than just signing up for a few weeks and delivering pamphlets etc.

 

[Sylveria]

Mission boards could be subdivided by profession.

^ Exactly this.

 

[sibullski]

I think the "missioning system" as it stands will fit better into place if they can get the professions really defined- which is the purpose of this thread.

Looking for ideas to truly define them, rather than keeping it all vague- which is what we currently have.

I don't think it's too difficult to imagine professions- as most games have "classes" or something similar. This game (so far) only has one profession... "pilot".

very correct you are. For me personally looking at the nametags in the store makes me think that the professions will recieve more depth. They have passenger nameplates, pirate nameplates etc. I mean i think part of the reason they released these specific nametags was because frontier intends on putting more depth into these professions.

 

[Schmack]

I'd like to see mining get a lot more love. I like mining but it's not lucrative and too tedious, almost like it's being discouraged.

I see the roles this way:

Bounty Hunter
Trader
Explorer

Everything is a subset of those.

Bounty Hunter - combat pilot, combat missions, bounty missions, attack missions, etc...

Trader - Haulage, passengers (same thing, different commodity), mining (same as trading, when the money changes hands), collecting loose items (salvage), smuggling (still trading).

Explorer - Sightseeing (since you aren't trading between stations), actual exploring, data collection missions, etc... (needs some love, trip to Colonia netted me 10% of Pioneer (was already at pioneer) however 3 sightseeing trips, one jump each, nets the same thing).

There are legal and illegal elements of all three of these. So you decide if you want to walk on the wild side or not.

Then there's PvP. We won't talk about that.

 

[Sylveria]

I'd like to see mining get a lot more love. I like mining but it's not lucrative and too tedious, almost like it's being discouraged.

Totally agree. Then again, I think once the professions are more clearly defined, it's a bit easier for FD to focus on them.

Bounty Hunter - combat pilot, combat missions, bounty missions, attack missions, etc...

Wouldn't the top category be "Combat Pilot" then Bounty Hunter as a subset? Kind of like a mercenary is capable of doing many types of missions, for example.

Then there's PvP. We won't talk about that.

No need. There's PvP variants of the Professions in general- as well as PvE variants.

 

[Schmack]

Totally agree. Then again, I think once the professions are more clearly defined, it's a bit easier for FD to focus on them.



Wouldn't the top category be "Combat Pilot" then Bounty Hunter as a subset? Kind of like a mercenary is capable of doing many types of missions, for example.

Yes, I thought about it afterward only there's no role of "combat pilot". There is a role of explorer and trader. I don't see anyone having the role of conflict zone pilot, or pirate hunter pilot. More people identify with bounty hunting than the others, so it's fitting to be a lead role even if the actual mechanic involved is combat pilot in nature.

No need. There's PvP variants of the Professions in general- as well as PvE variants.

Not much in the way of PvP mining or trading or exploring. PvP is just combat. You can sell what you steal, but it then becomes trade.

 

[rrobes]

Soldier of fortune, opportunist.

As long as the pay is good and the criminal element is not involved, I will take it, unless it's detrimental to my wing.

I do support certain factions but friendly to allied w/ all the superpowers.

 

[Strangepork]

You only need an imperial courier for every role in the game.

Trader?

 

[Sylveria]

Anyone else? I'm sure there are others who have ideas as to how to help give this more depth.

 

[Sylveria]

With the current questions/concerns of "criminal" gameplay, I'd be somewhat curious as to the viability of defining professions would have on the game.

I really do believe that if FD defined a profession framework it would resolve a lot of the balance issues with mission types, if done properly.

"Classes" aren't really viable for this game, but professions really could be.

 

[Chris Simon]

With the current questions/concerns of "criminal" gameplay, I'd be somewhat curious as to the viability of defining professions would have on the game.

I really do believe that if FD defined a profession framework it would resolve a lot of the balance issues with mission types, if done properly.

True. Though I think that "defining professions" somewhat goes against the whole feel of Elite.

 

[Sylveria]

True. Though I think that "defining professions" somewhat goes against the whole feel of Elite.

How so? As long as people aren't "required" to choose a profession (i.e., it's completely optional) then freedom of choice is unhindered.

 

[Chris Simon]

How so? As long as people aren't "required" to choose a profession (i.e., it's completely optional) then freedom of choice is unhindered.

Yes, of course. I wasn't imagining a RPG style character creation.
"Welcome commander, please choose your role - Merchant, Bounty Hunter or Pirate"

And in one of my suggestions years ago I DID suggest making police work a thing. The ability to join system security and effectively play a cop.
So I guess I'm with you on this one.

 

[Sylveria]

Yes, of course. I wasn't imagining a RPG style character creation.
"Welcome commander, please choose your role - Merchant, Bounty Hunter or Pirate"

And in one of my suggestions years ago I DID suggest making police work a thing. The ability to join system security and effectively play a cop.
So I guess I'm with you on this one.

I totally agree on the cop thing, too- I also suggested the inclusion of a police "faction" as well as a "piracy" type faction, etc. So many options are available for expansion with such a system, indeed!

All they need to do is define a framework for it, completely optional (like PP is currently) and tie it into the mission system. Choosing a profession could offer a base passive reward to the chosen profession so it's made meaningful and engaging. Piracy could then have more definitive advantages outside of pure cargo value- say a cash bonus over the value of the cargo, etc. (just a small example) which could increase profits and so forth. Bounty Hunters could make a cash bonus on top of the mission rewards, Explorers for scanning objects, etc.