The Elite Dangerous ingame reputation system thread

[Eli Jack]

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I can confirm it. I decided to go for Elite in Exploration. Started as allied in FED and Empire. Haven't run into one ship (player or NPC), so why the frack is my rep going down? Explorers are going to be punished now? Is the guy who dreamed this up still getting paid?

Think I will finish what I started and make Elite in exploration, take a screen shot, then play something else. Doesn't make sense to loose rep unless you do something to lose it. If Explorers are going to be punished for having fun exploring, well not too many other reasons for me to keep playing. I could give 2 shakes of a lamb's tail about the silly power play. What's the point of knocking explorers? Basically says "we don't really care how hard players worked to get their rep, we are just going to, ,them out if it if they explore.

Reputation at Start of run to SAG A:

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


Current Reputation (halfway to SAG A):

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


What a load of compost. I'll be Neutral by the time I get back. Don't care to grind that stuff again.

Fellow explorer here. I don't think your rep goes as low as neutral, I believe it locks at friendly.

After losing a load of hull/module percentages, damn you red wine , I decided to get back to the closest inhabited system and repair.

I turned in about 150 systems to Cartography and saw that there was a donate for station repairs mission on the BB.
I donated 4,500 cr and I was once again allied with the Empire after being downgraded to friendly.

I suspect the cartography helped but I don't think it will take long to gain the rep lost through exploring.

Heh, but what do I know? I'm just a drunken bum careering around the void.

 

[r3per]

Fellow explorer here. I don't think your rep goes as low as neutral, I believe it locks at friendly.

After losing a load of hull/module percentages, damn you red wine , I decided to get back to the closest inhabited system and repair.

I turned in about 150 systems to Cartography and saw that there was a donate for station repairs mission on the BB.
I donated 4,500 cr and I was once again allied with the Empire after being downgraded to friendly.

I suspect the cartography helped but I don't think it will take long to gain the rep lost through exploring.

Heh, but what do I know? I'm just a drunken bum careering around the void.

Guess my point is: Why the heck should I have to earn something back, that I did nothing to lose? Exploration is touted by them as being a major aspect of the game - so in their minds a good marketing plan is to punish those that want to engage in one of the 3 roles that you can earn Elite in? Just ZERO thought went into this, or they just simply don't give a squak. I should not be neg-repped for exploring. Take away rep that took me many hours to earn for nothing - POOR FORM!

 

[CMDR Ellegon]

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What a load of compost. I'll be Neutral by the time I get back. Don't care to grind that stuff again.

I am not sure that you read anything about the "reputation decay". You will drop down to "Friendly", no further. The discussion here really was if you drop to the high or low end of friendly. My observation is high end, some other people believe it is low end.

 

[Astronut57]

I haven't yet found a reason for reputation.

Repairs cost less if you're allied.

 

[AsukaZ]

I'm sure I read something official somewhere that said rep decay stops just under the 'Allied' threshold, and that it wouldn't take many missions to get allied again. I haven't really worried about it so I can't say for sure either way.

 

[Krow]

With the release of PowerPlay and it's merit decay, I believe FD have revealed their hand in that players will be punished for not logging in each week to work on whatever faction/rank they choose. While I believe some sort of decay is relevant, I do think the current faction system is brutal.
It just feels like baiting for server numbers.

Considering the shear number of minor factions it should not be so difficult to maintain healthy relations. Especially when you consider how much work goes into achieving it.

I do also believe this game is still largely in development. You can say "it shouldn't be" and "it's not beta" but that doesn't change the fact it is still being patched and developed. I want desperately to believe that the bugs are still being ironed out, faction and economics are still being balanced.... and the best is yet to come.

 

[r3per]

I am not sure that you read anything about the "reputation decay". You will drop down to "Friendly", no further. The discussion here really was if you drop to the high or low end of friendly. My observation is high end, some other people believe it is low end.

No never heard about rep decay - didn't think exploring would give you neg rep. Why should it drop me at all for exploring. What ever the reason they give is COMPLETE MANURE! You don't punish folks for exploring. If power play needs rep nerfs, then neg the folks that have a faction. I have none, I shouldn't be loosing any rep at all.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

So, OP, did you report it as a bug?

 

[Coolgroove]

Reputation decay mechanic changes

More threads with negative reaction to reputation decay appeared. I think there is a need to discuss a way to make this mechanic less annoying/disappointing and less punishing players for not playing (or not punishing at all).

If you would like to discuss how you like/don't like reputation decay - Please remember there is a thread for that (here), and keep this thread on topic (changes!).

1st option. "Keep it as it is"

Spoiler

Reputation decay mechanic as it is now. You OK with it, or you even like it.

2nd option. "Make it slower"

Spoiler

Make reputation decay dependent on how many minor factions player is allied with.

- If player allied with 10 or less minor factions (aligned with a certain major faction) reputation decay takes 20 days

- If player allied with 11-20 minor factions decay takes 30 days (slows down)

- If player allied with 21-30 minor factions decay takes 40 days (slows down)

- If player allied with 31-49 minor factions decay takes 60 days (slows down)

- If player allied with 50+ minor factions reputation decay is canceled. No decay anymore. Player became too famous for that to happen.

3rd option. Change it to "when online only"

Spoiler

Make reputation decay only when player is online. Same "decay ticks" as it is now. No offline reputation decay.

4th option. Change it to "when online only" and make it slower.

Spoiler

Changes from 2nd option. But only when online, like 3rd option.

5th option. No reputation decay. Different solution.

Spoiler

No reputation decay. Another mechanic based on player choices and consequences.

Everytime player gain reputation with one of the major factions, he/she will loose half of that reputation with each of other two major factions. But not to below friendly level.

Or your ideas of better solution for "Allied with all major factions". Or any combinations of ideas above.


Please select what you would like more and tell why.

My choice:
Obviously - 5th option. Because it depends only on player choices in game. And this will help to get rid of "red arrows - you lost rep - welcome" everytime I login.

Reputation decay from "Hostile" to "Unfriendly" is OK, but from "Allied" to "Friendly" is not, IMO.

 

[Kzak]

6th option: Grace period before the decay begins (10-30 days?), starting when user logs out of the game. After the grace period expires, reputation decay as normal. If the user logs in before the grace period expires, the grace period is reset and starts from scratch when user logs off again.

 

[Coolgroove]

6th option: Grace period before the decay begins (10-30 days?), starting when user logs out of the game. After the grace period expires, reputation decay as normal. If the user logs in before the grace period expires, the grace period is reset and starts from scratch when user logs off again.

So basically, if player logs in every 10-30 days he/she will be "Allied" with all Major factions as long as he/she keeps doing it - right?
If so, I don't think it is a viable solution, because the point of the decay mechanic is not to be able to easy maintain "Allied" status with all major factions at once (Why....? - please see here). And with your solution - everything will be the same - galaxy full of pilots allied with all major factions at once.

 

[BoldyBald]

There should be an option to freeze your commander into liquid carbonite. So you don't lose reputation when you go on vacation or are really busy with your work.

I never really got into those reality time-based missions neither.. make the times shorter, but pause-able when you log out. But that's just my take on it.

 

[BoldyBald]

Another option for you! Introduce thresholds.. The argument for the decay was when you get too much bad reputation with a faction.

What about creating border values at extremely unfriendly and barely allied? You can get unhostile and you won't drop below allied with a faction you done intensive work for.

 

[scbfromnc]

No reputation decay. Every time player get reputation with one of major factions, he/she will lose half of that reputation with each of other two. Still, it will stop on a "Friendly" level.

This way, a problem with "allied with all three" will be solved. And this mechanic based on how players play and consequences of their choices. Which is a LOT better than decay.

I like this idea a lot! Just don't understand FD's desire to make things less fun for their CUSTOMERS.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I get it why there is a need to not be able to be allied with all three major factions at once. And I get the logic to implement "decay" solution - they forget, want only active allies, etc...

There are two things I still don't quite get with being Allied to a superpower.

Firstly, why every minor faction belonging to them must suddenly follow the line of the superpower and become Allied to one's self once you do reach the critical moment. It's particularly odd with allies who have never met you personally on any terms, and with the new bounty rules it also has some clash with apparently allied factuons who nevertheless will shoot you down if you are caught being Wanted in their space.

Secondly, apart from mission availability (which is more of an afterthought than a direct benefit), what exactly is the benefit of being Allied to a superpower, as opposed to being Allied to a minor faction? Last month I became Allied to the Empire, but I didn't feel any different compared to being merely Friendly?

Once I understand these fully, I may find myself why I might want to feel annoyed about rep decay for these superpowers. As it happens, having been out of game for a good 20 days and coming back into the game, my Empire global rep has indeed slipped to Friendly then stopped at that level, and yet I feel no different to how I was when I was Allied or even when I was Friendly beforehand. I still have my military rank, I still have my relations with the minor factions. I still have my TPF rankings, and after a bout of metal and mineral mining the trade aspect has improved significantly. I'm good with it.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

I have adjusted to being "Lawn Mulch" as my reputation.

It's appropriate, once you look at the time, money, and effort some people put into the lawn...

It's a deliberate credit and time sink. Treat it appropriately, as you would with any RL obsession. Just Walk Away. And, use meds.

 

[Rich Bramwell]

So here's a question - WHY are you so interested in rep? Status? Gains? Safety? None of those matter. Whether you're friendly, neutral, or allied, it's all basically the same. There are no financial effects, you can still dock at their stations, there are no gains other than ship purchase with military rank in Empire. More security scans perhaps, but that is just a nuisance. The military rank means nothing - it's just there to 'achieve'.

So....stop worrying about your rep, and play the game. Where you play is where your rep is.

Where I work - if a customer does not spend money at my store, he has no rep. If he spends and disappears, it goes with him. Hey, just like real life!

That's all good and well but my aim was to get my hands on the largest Federal ship coming soon....the Federal Corvette. I was just working for the Feds at Fed stations moving thousands of tons of goods to their stations that they required, before the patch I was not required to do missions to ''keep up'' my rep with the Feds because I delivered so much cargo with my Anaconda that just that action was enough to get ''Allied'' with the Feds, which was not my intention in the first place but when I heard that I would require at least one of the ''new'' 3 Admiral ranks in the Feds, the sheer amount of credits to buy one and being ''Allied'' with the Feds in the first place to be able to buy it from them......then that means I ''Have to'' do missions for them to ''maintain'' a relationship that I had not cheated on in some time. I am neutral with both Empire and the Alliance as I have never worked for them in any way over the last 6 months so why am I getting penalized for staying loyal to one power whilst ''Not'' joining in the Power-Play shenanigans....???? It makes no sense to me.

 

[Katkon]

I've never understood all the fuss about reputation decay. Perhaps it's because I always seemed to gain plenty of rep just from playing the game. It seemed to take minimal effort to become both friendly and allied, ad there also appear to be few appreciable differences in associated benefits. Why does reputation matter so much to you guys? What am I missing?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

To me, major faction rep is like tennis rankings. If you don't win back the appropriate ATP or WTA ranking points each year, your rank goes down.

I don't see the benefits of being Allied to a major faction either. In fact, it's a potential drawback, as you have no idea who your real minor faction friends are.

 

[Rich Bramwell]

It does matter, and it doesn't also, it is a small thing for me to do roughly 10 small donation/collect missions to maintain my rep with the Feds so I can buy what I wanted when I heard about it...The Federal Corvette. But to me that is not my point I am trying to make, to me it is like they have moved the goalposts and that in itself is annoying but I can understand that you cannot be friendly with ''All powers'' at once, especially if you ''pledge'' to a sub-faction of one of these powers......However, like I stated above, I have been a lone wolf from the start and have traded at fed stations for most of my playing time, some independents too, but as I was mainly working for the Feds in Fed space I became Allied with them by just trading vast amounts of cargo that they desired. So to find out that the same stations I am working for now require ''Extra'' missions just to ''keep them sweet'' I find very annoying, not game breaking, the lack of content to spend my credits on did that in itself, but just the fact that I was loyal, am loyal to the same stations, and am getting told I do not do enough already to ''maintain'' my relationship just was the straw that saw me leave until the game had something to offer me again.