Should FDev have the guts to upset players in order to improve the overall quality of the game

[Captain Willard]

I had emp and fed maxed before ED upped the ranks to adm and king, was just a short hop then for me. I kinda unnerstood how it worked. It had to be more to it than the elite rankings, in time everyone would have those. All this speculation and ideas fail as no one knows what ED's ideas were ever. Big plans may await, soon will we see. weedhopper

 

[w3bbo]

I don't see why anything needs a reset. Simply add new targets to reach. New high tier ranks. This will keep the old timers interested in achieving something new, newbies a long time goal and give the game overall greater longevity. I would personally like to see a 'mercenary/privateer' power rank but doubt that will ever happen .

 

[to_boldy_go]

I think so.

The game, for me, is permanently stuck in easy mode. Nothing I do changes that.

I'd love it if they made system security rating and government really matter. Currently the difference is so tiny it's not noticeable.


This would upset a lot of people. But not me.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

I totally agree. Way too easy and this will kill the game.

Also many daft things I dont like such as low rebuys (kills off use of small ships - if you die a lot get better in small ships!) And ranks. Why can i have two ranks?

These I presume are due to mostly harmless conda pilots (even cutters) complaining 30 million rebuy.... but if you die so easily then fly small and learn how to fight. And rank? I want easy access... you should have to pick a side. Up one imperial rank and feds down rank you one.

Or rename it to

Elite easy game for occasional players and whiners!

I want it to be dangerous

 

[to_boldy_go]

I don't see why anything needs a reset. Simply add new targets to reach. New high tier ranks. This will keep the old timers interested in achieving something new, newbies a long time goal and give the game overall greater longevity. I would personally like to see a 'mercenary/privateer' power rank but doubt that will ever happen .

How about a PvP rank? You only score if you kill a player subject to certain rules - ships scored and rank etc so you cant just kill lots if noobs in sidies (or they count negative - kill griefing - have a rank of "coward" for those lol) but instead players with decent ships and rank (judged as mix of pvp and normal combat rank). It would need a status symbol like a wanted label telling you if a reasonable target or not (you can defend no penalty)

This enhances pvp and discourages griefing - a good thing as i am fed up with the pvp pve debate and a safer environment for traders/explorers not doing powerplay or cgs to benefit a superpower and no bounty should generally be safe except legit piracy (but pirates should be wanted and banned from most civilised stations/ports but instead in weaker ships from pirate bases).

If open was well balanced and better game play most players could be tempted back into it. And all benefit from that

 

[Vorxian]

Makes sense that Imperial / Federal factions are opposed. I'm not saying at war with each other.. but in regards to certain favors and citizenship preference. A lot of background sim and gameplay / roleplay can be had if you could be only one or the other.

So if I logged on one day and a message box popped up saying..

Commander Vorxian, times have changed. You must choose your loyalty to either the Federation or the Empire. I'd just bite the lump in my throat and choose.

Wouldn't break anything for me, neither would it upset me. I'd happily choose, and it would actually make more sense.

Be interesting as well, for if I chose Federation, but flew a Cutter or federation ranked ships... that the Empire would have issues with that and shoot me on site.. Conversely as well if I were to choose Empire, but flew a drop ship.

 

[CMDR MERANGO]

That's kind of a rhetorical question though, isn't it ?
No matter what changes or additional content they come up with, it will upset segments of the player base.
Quite normal and expected, both on the developer and the player side of things.
"Guts" doesn't come into it, it will happen anyway.
Ultimately the developer has to call the shots, and i wouldn't want it any other way. I didn't pay them money for me to make the decisions, and i don't want development "by popular vote".
I, as a player, then have the choice of "take it or leave it".
None of that means that a developer should be tone deaf to feedback, or that the players shouldn't criticize planned or finalized changes.
The one thing to remember (on the dev's side), when considering any sort of radical changes, is of course: "Could this hurt us in the wallet, and how bad ?"
Because "we're making the game we want to play" is no more than marketing spin, no dev/publisher can or will ignore the reality of life and, more importantly, economics.

This

Enough said.

CMIV

 

[Kayweg]

I honestly think we've already gone beyond the point of no return unless they ditch rank locking of faction ships and maybe the Sol permit or give us multiple characters. The problem is paint jobs and ship kits. People have paid real money for them and many players have a mixed fleet. It's not going to go down very well to tell people that suddenly they can't use things they've bought from the FD shop because of 'lore' reasons. I've include the Sol permit because even though it's not something that people buy, a lot of people will have a perfectly reasonable desire to see Earth and the Solar system in game.

As someone who doesn't buy cosmetics, this had completely slipped my mind.
You are of course right, that pretty much makes it a non-starter.

 

[SkipRat]

OP - Devs upset some players no matter what they do. I think what you might be saying is whether FD should be willing to upset players who don't want what you want in order that you get what you want. I know you said no particular mechanics, but since you think there is something wrong currently, you must have an opinion on what you want to see changed.

Therefore, ill just whip this old infographic of mine out just to remind people that what you want isn't always what others want:

http://i.imgur.com/fgHr2bl.jpg

I have plenty I feel is wrong with the game, but this thread is not about that. It is about what the OP was referring too.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Weird OP. FD has routinely done stuff that upsets plenty of players.

 

[SkipRat]

Certainly would be great to see a more developed Super Power and Military Career path, where there were both benefits, and consequences of Rank.

Mercenary behavior permitted but the more you entrench yourself to one side, for the benefits, the more the consequence of not supporting them the next time.

Those with Dual ranks will just time themselves having to make a decision to pick a side and see their rank and benefits there of on the other side degrade with each choice.

Ideally I would see all ships available to all Cmdrs, be it at a mark up for non aligned Cmdrs, and a discount to aligned Cmdrs, and the Ranks and medals and such offering other rewards, such as Sidegrade modules, the Engineers that require Super Power Naval Ranks, Decals, Liveries, special missions, special material brokers.

Mega ships would make perfect Fleet Hubs

Imagine the Indefatigable Class Dreadnought Megaship which only allowed those with Federal Rank to dock (ala Engineer bases) flanked by 4 Farragut Battle Cruisers as a POI when you could dock, get offered Military Missions, access to the Federal Navy Engineer work shop etc etc.

And this is exactly what I mean, ideas like this. Yes there are consequences to players choices, you may lose some things, but what you might game may far out strip what you have lost.

Remember, it is a long term project and the game is nothing but place holders at the moment.

 

[SkipRat]

I find that I could completely live with people being salty over the removal of RNGineers. Wouldn't upset me at all, mind you.

But they'd have to replace it with something that actually resembles crafting, instead of the slot machine they're using now.

Like a Karma based engineers, were you earn your right to buy their products... But also means other engineers will hate you...

Karma - Pirates get their own engineers when you get enough hard earned rep with them

Same for bounty hunters, Feds, Alliance and Imps.... even inde engineers can react differently to differently aligned players.

No grinding for bits to make em from, you just literally buy them from the engineer.... you do your missions for them, sometimes undermining others, you get the appropriate Fed rank or whatever, you earn their trust, you make ya choices, you live with the consequences.

But will FDex have the guts to implement and incorporate such a thing into the new karma system... Which IMO, is their make or break moment for the game.