[Suggestion] billion Cr exploit fix and simultaneous Exploration Upgrade

[Calaban]

This is a completely hypothetical solution to the broken economy and player account misbalances resultant from Quince and Sothis exploitation... as well as simultaneously re-energizing the exploration aspect of the game. But most players will. not. like. it.

GALNET news: Thargoids hack all Nav beacons, Cartographic Databases, and Pilots Federation accounts!
The Thargoid scans of ship, systems, nav data and computers now seem to have had a dark purpose:
All system map data, galaxy map jump routes data, player Credit account data has been DESTROYED!! The human bubble is in chaos as all interstellar jump path data is LOST and now needs to be replotted by intrepid independent pilots. All credits in accounts have been lost as well, but fortunately all ship ownership registries remain intact. Many pilots are stranded deep in space and need to survey their ways home.

What this means is an exploration and bank account Wipe.

And an opening of exploration mechanics as dreamed of in developer discussion exploration goals. [unplotted interstellar jumps need to be mini jumped "traced out" to program established jump data- such jump data can be sold/traded as exploration commodities, or kept privately if so desired].

Many players will be that their "first" status would be deleted... but I think they would be more satisfied having to explore anew the reach outwards, now with more mechanics other than "simply travel there", they would actually have to explore... and figure OUT the jump routes to unexplored systems.

Sure, I know this would be a bombshell that will offend many players out there, but hey, sometimes you need to just flip the table- and I for one would actually embrace it- it never felt right to just point and click our way to the galactic core.

 

[Cmdr_Benkai]

You do realise we can see stars and work out how far away they are right?

 

[VR Jay Le Chardon]

I like the idea of where this is going, kind of, but it definitely needs some work and changes. To start with it needs splitting into two aspects, a credit wipe and a nav data reset. The unilateral credit wipe is a no-no as there are only so many exploited multi-multi billionaires who would suffer as intended, however new players / casual players who have taken longer to get their ships and modules will be hit harder by this. To counter the unintended consequences of this credit wipe lets adjust the scope of the credit wipe, lets say:

In a shock move, after liaising with AEGIS, the Pilots Federation has commandeered vast amounts of credits from its members!

A spokesperson at Jameson Memorial revealed today that in an effort to sustain the war effort against the thargoid incursion and to enable the Pilots Federation to sustain the insurance scheme it offers its members with a 95% indemnity on all ships lost, and to sustain the work of AEGIS they have raided its wealthiest CMDR's coiffeurs. Thus at the time of writing no CMDR will have more than 1BN (or other number of) credits in their account. Those who had more than 1BN at the turn of midnight universal galactic time this morning have had all bar 1BN credits transferred from their account to the central reserves used for Pilots Federation operations. Commanders with less than 1BN credits in their accounts are unaffected by this, thus ensuring no pilot will be left destitute, as 1BN credits can still buy any ship you can imagine, but humanity as a whole needs this.

The spokesperson concluded that since drastic times call for drastic measures, and humanity has never faced a greater threat than the current Thargoid incursion, this is the right thing to do.

This then gives you a narrative point for the Pilots Federation and AEGIS to be collaborating financially, so when the Thargoid Nav'Hack happens, we can use some of those funds to supply each commander with a free set of discovery scanners to help rebuild the navigational database. I'd suggest to avoid the torrents of tears that the Nav'Hack only affects inhabited systems so exploation outside of the bubble(s) remains unaffected, and upon (re)scanning the bodies the first discovered by tag is reinstated as it originally was, but a new tag - "cartographed by" or "recharted by" with the CMDR name of the person who rediscovers it post nav-hack.

 

[Biohazard Crow]

To wipe credits in that way would cause so many players to up and quit the game, Is the game not quiet enough for you as it is? Theres hardly anybody...and when you find someone they hardly talk. money "Exploits" like Quince and Sothis are needed within the game to a certain extent, Understandable some people work, some go to school all for a different amount of hours of the day, some nights, some days but point is MOST people dont have the time this game demands to sink into its money grinds, I for one and by no means a "Billionaire" Ive squeezed out my Deadly Rank, My Tycoon and my Pathfinder so i have enough legit hours to comment, Understandably we shouldnt be seeing "Mostly Harmless" Cutters and i can see why a Beta backer who had grinded every penny out would be annoyed, But should i be annoyed because i bought bread today that is cheaper tomorrow? These money runs have helped me get myself into a Corvette and stay relevant, because of my Vette i can enjoy fighting Thargoids, Bounty Hunting, Conflict Zones etc. without it i can honestly say my interest for the game wouldnt be what it is.

What is needed is a mass credit balancing, not a wipe. Ships are being added that cost more and more and more yet we have no other ways of making "Legitimate" money, whatever that may be.

 

[Ben Sevil]

This is unconstitutional.

 

[kingbankai]

Or we can not worry about it. Have missions pay out higher. And then get more content like player factions, NPC wings, personal planet bases with mobile engineers after unlocked.

 

[Gunnet]

I have almost a billion credits worth of unmodded (or unremarkably modded) modules in storage. Checkmate, thargoids

Now, I've never done Quince or Sothis, but it highlights a flaw in any plan to make credits scarce again by simply wiping bank accounts.

 

[Alexandr]

I like your concerning regarding financial inbalance having place to the time. And this is something that developers must care the first. If one can say about possibility that people quite the game after hypothetical economical wipe than one should also say about all the people who come to game and left and never return because of this inbalance. And the number of the second group is much more bigger. And big is the scale of number of users who quite the game because of facing it's some defects.
So your idea is not so bad at the last.
But as decision it can't be used many times. If the development process goes with bugs and exploits taking place eventually then developers must do something with this. If hypothetically all bugs eliminated and there is no possibility for illegal ways then developers must try hard to solve the problems of past. If they cannot find a decisions then only one thing should be done is wipe of all the accounts.
But the situation must be solved either way.
But even after global wipe we can't be sure that developers didn't make an exclusions and some accounts didn't remain untouched.
So the better decision will be of two parts: 1) make possibility for all players of easy obtaining every ship within not long period of time and not much effort; 2) build game less dependent from in-game money. Regarding 1): let's face the truth - there are many users who leave the game even not getting a Cobra. At the moment there are still too much grinding elements in ED. But first and foremost it's a game and it shouldn't be a katorga.
Regarding 2): there must be more elements based on real efforts. For example: -big ships shouldn't be purchasable but only obtainable by the command work of big group of people; -real skills in PVP; etc.

 

[kingbankai]

1) make possibility for all players of easy obtaining every ship within not long period of time and not much effort; 2) build game less dependent from in-game money. Regarding 1): let's face the truth - there are many users who leave the game even not getting a Cobra. At the moment there are still too much grinding elements in ED. But first and foremost it's a game and it shouldn't be a katorga.
Regarding 2): there must be more elements based on real efforts. For example: -big ships shouldn't be purchasable but only obtainable by the command work of big group of people; -real skills in PVP; etc.

You really want to be the only person playing this game...

Most people who play are in their own private group or in solo. If they want to take advantage of the fact that someone is paying them to scan the same beacon 20 times then good for them.

And I will quote my arch nemesis and say "Everyone wants an easy button so I will set fire to this kitten."