[Suggestion] Rank wipe

[lbm]

Okay, this is not gonna earn me any forum rep, but ...

What I suggest is that FD actually wipe any Imperial and Federal ranks once they get around to actually do something interesting with the faction progression. At the moment both the Empire and the Federation hand out titles like candy and the titles themselves don't seem to matter much. Sure, you get permits to some systems (containing nothing special) and the ability to purchase faction specific ships but besides that there's really no point in the ranks at the moment. So, my hopes are that FD improves this part of the game, makes it a lot harder (and interesting) to gain new titles, and frankly wipes the titles already given for transporting grain from system A to system B.

Also, maybe the devs could let pilots keep their already given permits and bought ships upon a wipe to avoid forum rioting.

 

[Gorodd]

Don't see it happening to be honest...it would likely create chaos and not all to do with losing the ranks but I suspect from the 'nay sayers' calling it an admission by FD. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[lbm]

Don't see it happening to be honest...it would likely create chaos and not all to do with losing the ranks but I suspect from the 'nay sayers' calling it an admission by FD. Wouldn't you agree?

Sadly I don't have that high hopes for this either, but with the whole thing being pretty much useless at the moment I thought I'd at least suggest something.

What kind of an admission do you mean it would be viewed as though? Maybe it's my English skills acting up here, but do you mean the critics would see it as an admission by FD that they'd botched the ranking part of the game from the start?

 

[Darth Ender]

If ranking in the different militaries were to be overhauled, i would expect that they would make it mutually exclusive when appropriate and some kind of skill "test" to achieve the next level rank so you couldn't just grind up to it. The test could be having to kill a particularly difficult enemy or group of enemy ships without dying. Or it could be based on your performance in an active war zone. Whatever it is, it should not be grindable, you shouldn't be able to progress up the military if you're not awesome at combat.

 

[Jack Schmit]

Yeah I've been getting several ranks with Empire and Federation and I haven't even fired a single shot.

Well except that one time I misfired in a station , sold my weapons after that to prevent such a tragedy again.

 

[inkmmo]

I don't know why ranks are difficult for some players but I assume they would make an outrage about it.

Truth is, there is not much about the ranks except personal SWAG and stations greet me with "Welcome respected ally". But I notice I have access to all missions from Empire sided mini-parties. All those rare missions from 160K to 360K are available to me yet they are still nothing special except offering more money (still vary from kill X to fetch me Y tones of Z).

I remember ranks and medals in Elite 2 were slow to grind and I had to infiltrate and make military photos of so many secret facilities (Empire vs Federation cold war thing). It was interesting and engaging. With current scanners and roaming security vessels, I can imagine it would be much complicated and player could be flagged as "spy" or "enemy of <insert faction name here>" if this spying cameras are found on his ship.

 

[Gertrude]

This is one of the areas of the game I really felt let down in. I really can not understand how you can rep multiple factions past a certain point. I would think that, once you earn the rep for the faction's signature ship, you wouldn't be able to rank up in any other faction (or possibly lose rep with opposing factions). As it is now, repping factions feels very hollow.

 

[inkmmo]

This is one of the areas of the game I really felt let down in. I really can not understand how you can rep multiple factions past a certain point. I would think that, once you earn the rep for the faction's signature ship, you wouldn't be able to rank up in any other faction (or possibly lose rep with opposing factions). As it is now, repping factions feels very hollow.

Unless FD have some ideas for double/triple spy feature in future then I think this is a big issue. I saw on reddit the other day a guy that is allied with all 3 major factions. Seems inappropriate.

And if it suppose to be possible then I expect it should be really hard for player to cater all factions. For example if player is allied with one faction then they should have some demands and player should fulfil them or there should be some (meaningful) consequences for the player from that faction. In other words, once allied with one faction, player should not have free hands to grind same status in another faction and ranks in other faction. If there are some improvements in missions and allied faction asks from player to infiltrate enemy faction then that is entirely different thing - part of the long-term job/mission.

 

[Calico Jack]

Okay, this is not gonna earn me any forum rep, but ...

Repped, because you dared me not to!

Actually, if they do start to do an interesting campaign for ranks, I would really feel like I had missed out.

I know suggesting something borrowed from Call of Duty is second only to suggesting something that works in Eve, but perhaps rather than a wipe, players with existing ranks could be given the option of 'Prestiging', and starting over in return for a bonus ship decal showing them as special forces or something.

 

[xondk]

The idea of wiping ranks does seem a bit much, they could always add an alternative form for ranks, say if there was a civil war within the federation or such, you'd still be ranked with the federation, but it wouldn't really count for anything since it now is split up in two factions(or more) and at best would decide your starting point in the new rank system.

Evolving ranking systems, with what changes that happen in the world would be cool, however the initial rank should remain as well, and be something even people that come into the game late could work on.
Or at least that's my thoughts.

 

[lbm]

Well, first of all thanks for all the input!

As for wiping the ranks I don't really see why there would be that much protesting if FD did just that, _if_ players got to keep their ability to buy "restricted" ships and any already obtained system permits. After all that's pretty much the only benefits one gets from ranking at the moment, which imho is a huge waste of a feature that could be so much more. Also as Calico Jack (tanks for the rep!) points out, I'd feel a bit cheated if FD suddenly implemented some in depth campaign for ranks, and I'd already gained those doing a few mundane missions. If that happens I do hope we're at least given the option to wipe our own ranks.

Some kind of evolving ranking system is another interesting idea. Maybe something like that could give us both an interesting faction specific gameplay _and_ avoid a full rank wipe.

No matter what FD chooses to do though, I really hope that we're not left with ranking as it is today.

 

[Moonlord]

I also vote for wiping ranks. That could be easily tied up with political upheavals inside Empire/Federation, where military looses while trying to coup, and pays consequences for it (if any kind of backstory is even needed).

 

[Kyle_Brennan]

May be it's because I don't have any rank worth mentioning - Alliance have no ranks or perks (yet?) - but I don't think the wipe is a stupid idea at all. At least people should be forced to choose in which faction to keep their rank as soon as that rank actually means something. I'm not against being able to be in good standing with say Alliance and Federation at the same time (that would not have to be wiped) unless they are at war. But being part of two military forces is just weird, unless you do it covertly which I don't think the game would make work:

- "Hey Corporal, where were you when we rounded up those pirates last week?"
- "Uuuh... visiting my cousin?"
- "Didn't know you had relatives living in the Empire."
- "Well ... "

Yeah I've been getting several ranks with Empire and Federation and I haven't even fired a single shot.

[...] and some kind of skill "test" to achieve the next level rank so you couldn't just grind up to it. The test could be having to kill a particularly difficult enemy or group of enemy ships without dying. Or it could be based on your performance in an active war zone. Whatever it is, it should not be grindable, you shouldn't be able to progress up the military if you're not awesome at combat.

Besides the point that "go fly there and do this and you get promoted" is absolutely not how the military works, I agree it should definitely be more meaningful and challenging, and take longer - e.g. completing a certain amount of missions and succeeding in this or that test makes you eligible for a promotion, which then happens a few days later. (Still ridiculous but at least it's not instantly.) The missions do not have to be combat-related every time, but you should be able to handle yourself in combat worthy of your rank. Being part of a factions forces should mean they trust you to do increasingly important missions, and defend their turf and their people. Handing rank out like cookies is utter nonsense.

 

[lbm]

May be it's because I don't have any rank worth mentioning - Alliance have no ranks or perks (yet?) - but I don't think the wipe is a stupid idea at all. At least people should be forced to choose in which faction to keep their rank as soon as that rank actually means something. I'm not against being able to be in good standing with say Alliance and Federation at the same time (that would not have to be wiped) unless they are at war. But being part of two military forces is just weird, unless you do it covertly which I don't think the game would make work:

...

Been thinking about that myself and in my mind it would be more interesting if a rank given by the Empire would annoy the Federation and vice versa. Players that don't want bad rep from one faction or another could always just avoid accepting those missions, or for that matter side with the Alliance.

 

[BlackReign]

Okay, this is not gonna earn me any forum rep, but ...



What I suggest is that FD actually wipe any Imperial and Federal ranks once they get around to actually do something interesting with the faction progression. At the moment both the Empire and the Federation hand out titles like candy and the titles themselves don't seem to matter much. Sure, you get permits to some systems (containing nothing special) and the ability to purchase faction specific ships but besides that there's really no point in the ranks at the moment. So, my hopes are that FD improves this part of the game, makes it a lot harder (and interesting) to gain new titles, and frankly wipes the titles already given for transporting grain from system A to system B.

Also, maybe the devs could let pilots keep their already given permits and bought ships upon a wipe to avoid forum rioting.

And yet you provide no examples as to how to make it better. Nice post.

 

[Flimley]

Too late Mr.
Its a Done deal now.

 

[lbm]

And yet you provide no examples as to how to make it better. Nice post.

Well, for starters let's look at the previous Elite games. Back in those days the missions actually got harder with each rank progression and you went from shipping documents to destroying enemy bases. At the moment we're pretty much just doing regular missions for one of the large factions but instead of getting credits we're handed a rank. Now, I don't know about you or other players but in my mind being awarded the title of baron for shipping a few tons of fish is a wasted potential for something that could really make factions interesting.

So, as for making it better, let's make faction based missions:

1) Harder and with a steep curve
2) Stand out compared to the regular missions
3) Have more of an impact on your relation with the faction in question
4) Hurt your reputation with a rival faction (Empire or Federation)

There's a start for you but feel free to share your own view on ranking.

 

[Lustan]

Game is released. Too late for a wipe.

Add more ranks and add progression to those. Leave the existing ones.

 

[lbm]

Game is released. Too late for a wipe.

Add more ranks and add progression to those. Leave the existing ones.

Well, I don't really see why a wipe would be impossible, or cause much of a fuss for that matter, if people got to keep any benefits they'd already gained.

 

[Kyle_Brennan]

So, as for making it better, let's make faction based missions:

1) Harder and with a steep curve
2) Stand out compared to the regular missions
3) Have more of an impact on your relation with the faction in question
4) Hurt your reputation with a rival faction (Empire or Federation)

Fully agree. Even if the wipe may not happen, the rank system definitely needs to matter more and be more of a challenge.