I have to say despite the long period of waiting I'm about to have to go through, I'm really excited for the new CQC update. Outside of Elite, I play CS:GO (Over 1000 hours), and League of Legends quite a bit (over 2500 normal matches) and while I'm not a pro by any means I would classify myself as a competitive gamer. There are a couple of things, or sometimes lack of things, I'm noticing about the update that I want to make sure FDev are aware of in order for this update to be successful, and be meaningful to players in the long run.
Have Separate "Ranks" for player skill and time played
So far, all the interviews I have read state that there is progression through exp you get from the end of the rounds. That exp earns you (probably) levels/ranks which allows new modules to outfit your ship specifically for CQC. This mechanic makes sense, and is a good thing to have for players who really want to play more casually and yet still feel like they have achieved something. I would associate this type of "Rank" for time played.
The problem with only having a rank for time played, is that it is a very linear progression. It tends to feel less rewarding over time, and is capped out once you hit the max level. Sure hitting max level is cool, but ultimately it's something everyone can obtain no matter how good they actually are at the game. What we really need in addition to time based rank is a skill based rank.
Skill based ranks allow players to experience a more jagged progression line. Over time it continues to satisfy competitive players and allows them to feel more accomplished. Players shouldn't receive any modules, in fact all they should really get by raising this rank is harder players to play against (and maybe some cool decals). If FDev really want this mode to be truly competitive this type of ranking is NECESSARY in order for this game type to have lasting appeal to competitive players. And as I hinted on before it also provides matchmaking a way of pairing people together since it can actually group them based on skill, instead of the CoD cluster of a bunch of varying skill levels. Most of all competitive players should still be able to play casually, therefore these skill based ranks should only be built in Ranked queues/game types.
Skill based ranks should be evaluated not only by how many wins or losses, but also overall player performance during the match. So even when you lose a match, or are losing a match, it still encourages players to try their best because it will help them in a long run.
If you look at any of the more popular games that remain in mainstream eSports, which I'll take some of the top ones off what consistently tops twitch charts, you see a common theme between them. CS:GO, League of Legends, and StarCraft2, (possibly dota2 though I have never played it competitively) all have competitive ranks, with their own type of queue modes to progress in this fashion. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make this apart of CQC. It's something a lot of games that have "matchmaking" ignore, and it's why the games that lack the skill based rank fall off of a lot of competitive gamer's radars.
Make CQC worth playing for the open world as well
Now this is still an important point, and is why I wanted to mention it, however it is no where near as important to me as my point above. None the less it should be heard that we really need a cool way to make CQC worth it to players who love the main game. I think the best way to go about this is vanity items. I know FDev are all about their skin store, but exclusive skins for ranking up in CQC could be a really cool way to be rewarded in the normal game. I'm also totally a fan of the decals too, though they are harder to spot for the most part. I would love if there could be Titles CMDRs get for playing in the Arena. And when you met someone in space you would be able to know a little more about them based on the fact that they had these titles, or paint jobs. Or maybe you could even add npc interactions for players based on their reputation in the games, or add it as a criteria for missions where it can open more opportunities for you since you have built a good reputation in the games. Whatever it is ensure that some how, some way players who spend time in CQC have something to show for it in the open world.
TL;DR give players not only a time based ranking (which they have currently talked about), but a skill based one that determines match making of a certain queue. Also give players some sort of vanity for participating in CQC (yes I know there are decals for it) that other players can easily notice in the open world.
Have Separate "Ranks" for player skill and time played
So far, all the interviews I have read state that there is progression through exp you get from the end of the rounds. That exp earns you (probably) levels/ranks which allows new modules to outfit your ship specifically for CQC. This mechanic makes sense, and is a good thing to have for players who really want to play more casually and yet still feel like they have achieved something. I would associate this type of "Rank" for time played.
The problem with only having a rank for time played, is that it is a very linear progression. It tends to feel less rewarding over time, and is capped out once you hit the max level. Sure hitting max level is cool, but ultimately it's something everyone can obtain no matter how good they actually are at the game. What we really need in addition to time based rank is a skill based rank.
Skill based ranks allow players to experience a more jagged progression line. Over time it continues to satisfy competitive players and allows them to feel more accomplished. Players shouldn't receive any modules, in fact all they should really get by raising this rank is harder players to play against (and maybe some cool decals). If FDev really want this mode to be truly competitive this type of ranking is NECESSARY in order for this game type to have lasting appeal to competitive players. And as I hinted on before it also provides matchmaking a way of pairing people together since it can actually group them based on skill, instead of the CoD cluster of a bunch of varying skill levels. Most of all competitive players should still be able to play casually, therefore these skill based ranks should only be built in Ranked queues/game types.
Skill based ranks should be evaluated not only by how many wins or losses, but also overall player performance during the match. So even when you lose a match, or are losing a match, it still encourages players to try their best because it will help them in a long run.
If you look at any of the more popular games that remain in mainstream eSports, which I'll take some of the top ones off what consistently tops twitch charts, you see a common theme between them. CS:GO, League of Legends, and StarCraft2, (possibly dota2 though I have never played it competitively) all have competitive ranks, with their own type of queue modes to progress in this fashion. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make this apart of CQC. It's something a lot of games that have "matchmaking" ignore, and it's why the games that lack the skill based rank fall off of a lot of competitive gamer's radars.
Make CQC worth playing for the open world as well
Now this is still an important point, and is why I wanted to mention it, however it is no where near as important to me as my point above. None the less it should be heard that we really need a cool way to make CQC worth it to players who love the main game. I think the best way to go about this is vanity items. I know FDev are all about their skin store, but exclusive skins for ranking up in CQC could be a really cool way to be rewarded in the normal game. I'm also totally a fan of the decals too, though they are harder to spot for the most part. I would love if there could be Titles CMDRs get for playing in the Arena. And when you met someone in space you would be able to know a little more about them based on the fact that they had these titles, or paint jobs. Or maybe you could even add npc interactions for players based on their reputation in the games, or add it as a criteria for missions where it can open more opportunities for you since you have built a good reputation in the games. Whatever it is ensure that some how, some way players who spend time in CQC have something to show for it in the open world.
TL;DR give players not only a time based ranking (which they have currently talked about), but a skill based one that determines match making of a certain queue. Also give players some sort of vanity for participating in CQC (yes I know there are decals for it) that other players can easily notice in the open world.