The Elite Dangerous ingame reputation system thread

[CMDR Stevieweevie]

I am in full agreement with the TC. I'm a relatively new player having picked up when it released on Steam. Since then I've managed to get in close to 280hrs and happy with my Python.

My issue with ED was initially that I was bewildered by it and literally didn't know what to do in the game. Things have changed a lot, but I feel that as a gamer I'm quite patient and will happily work or grind toward progress if I like the sound of the outcome. Many people aren't like that.

I was really looking forward to PP and read a lot on it and watched on 'tube some of the known players describing it's content. Following its release though I can say I'm honestly very disappointed.

Connection issues are one thing, but it's the fact there are so many bugs in it. I haven't played a game with this many little glitches in it in recent memory.

It's all very well these people who say it doesn't affect them, but the truth is I don't care and bully for you, it's an issue to me. Integrity, mission payouts, RES sites, impossible assignments, spastic docking computer, garbled bulletin boards, nonsensical supercruise chatter invites etc etc. These are bugs, some big and some small, that I have encountered in the 6 or so hours of playing this. Why? Why weren't these sorted in the beta, isn't that what it's for?

So I completely agree, it's stupid this was pushed out in this state and it's disheartening to find out this is normal practice for this game.

 

[CaptainSodom]

Unfortunately, while i disagree with reputation decay, the merit decay is a necessity. It is the chosen method on determining how much effort players of different powers have put into the progress of their power recently. (And awarding nominations accordingly, not to mention the weekly payout. )

Their decay is essential for this mechanic to work.

Decay is not a necessity, nor essential. That is the way the devs have implemented Merit/Reputation decay, but there's no reason they couldn't change the decay system to encourage casuals to participate in PowerPlay, while still keeping existing PP mechanics intact.

Reference for this, given that the devs have previously stated that reputation decay only goes to Friendly/Unfriendly?

It takes "at most (if you're right at the extremes of reputation) around 20 days," here from Sandro himself.

I shouldn't have used the word "zero" in the context in OP, though, fixed.

 

[Genus]

Could not agree with you more Titus.

The SDLC and Community Management aspects of the games evolution, if not already, should be under severe scrutiny post 1.3. It's almost as if nothing was learnt from the debacle of the first two updates.

 

[Max Torps]

Could not agree with you more Titus.

The SDLC and Community Management aspects of the games evolution, if not already, should be under severe scrutiny post 1.3. It's almost as if nothing was learnt from the debacle of the first two updates.

I've already written to FD around the latter aspect. I won't be writing again. The organisation is not mature and in my opinion, judging by the response, there is insufficient appetite to improve in a reasonable time frame.

 

[Ben Ryder]

I'd go as far as there reputation decay has kept FD around a 210 share price for a while, even after Mac release, Xbox signing and loads of other good stuff.

 

[dominathan]

What if Merits over a certain value were taxed at 50%, but any below had a much lower rate? Set the value to something that could keep more casual players in the middle ranks (instead of always at the bottom), while the hardcore still work just as hard for the top stuff. I haven't really played enough of it, but so far, my power needs me to trade items that barely pay anything.

 

[KaizoMK]

Decay is necessary. If it wasn't there, someone could amass the 10k merit threshold & quite happily rake in 50m CR each week by doing nothing at all. Not to mention nothing would get done (preparing,expanding,fortifying) because once everyone got to the magic 10k limit there would be no incentive to do so. As for the rate of decay, lets see what percentage it actually is before making judgements.

This is an important point - this sort of reward should demand some sort of upkeep, and I'd be okay with putting in a hard week of work, and then only getting the rewards until I slacked off - I wouldn't even be terribly upset if I stopped doing it for weeks and lost it all.

However, what's the point of rep decay?

 

[Dr Roly]

I'm happy about Powerplay being there to cater to the hardcore gamers of ED - and I'm a casual gamer these days. If you're a triple Elite with billions of credits and every ship in the game, Powerplay gives some new direction to the game, a new set of goals to aim for. I genuinely think there should be plenty of mechanisms for rewarding players who put a lot of time into the game.
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However, I think FD would do well to develop Powerplay so that any casual, time-limited players who want to participate in Powerplay can do so in a meaningful way. I know this game is not about making you a big fish, but to a gamer like me (1 or 2 hours per day if lucky) Powerplay is more like being Plankton in the ocean, swimming against the current.

 

[Ruskodisco]

I am not really fond of their current marketing strategy, even though i know everyone is a critic in this case;
but i just want to chime in one thought for this thread. In my opinion i believe the most exciting part of elite dangerous is the future prospect of the planetary landing expansion and other expansions such as ship interiors and space station interiors. And im sure thats a huge selling point for this game for alot of people. Its why i beta backed ED, i also know im one singular individual too, and i understand that everyone has something that they want in this game-but surely im not alone in being excited in "space gta" but its the #1 thing they have been quiet about and have not said anything. Not asking for a date, just a "we are working on it" or "its in R&D".
But correct me if im wrong but its been over half a year maybe even more (i lost track) since they have said a word about it.

remember this video?
[video=youtube;8yd-m9AR7mY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yd-m9AR7mY&ab_channel=FrontierDevelopments[/video]

 

[Genus]

I've already written to FD around the latter aspect. I won't be writing again.

I think if you wrote to Brookes or Lewis, you should absolutely write to Braben instead...

 

[Space Guru]

The fact that decay of any kind exists keeps me out of PowerPlay. I don't need that stress in my life. This is like... interstellar Farmville. If you don't check on your space cows, they'll die!

Screw that. What a lame game mechanic.

 

[KaizoMK]

The fact that decay of any kind exists keeps me out of PowerPlay. I don't need that stress in my life. This is like... interstellar Farmville. If you don't check on your space cows, they'll die!

Screw that. What a lame game mechanic.

While I'm not a hardcore player, I can see why this type of mechanic might appeal to such a player. And while I don't like it, there's almost assuredly a way to reconcile it for both hardcore and casual players. I would say that there should be two reward systems - one with the 50m/week if you grind your balls off, another with permanent progress and appropriate rewards.

 

[Rall]

I'd like to see Merit decay scaled with playtime, the less the play time the slower decay.

It should be scaled in a way that rewards consistency of effort, it would take a casual player longer to get to the higher ranks but it should still be possible.

This doesn't affect me in any way, I've already enough for rank 3, and should be 4 by the end of the cycle.

 

[Greyhawk]

Just out of interest - if you are out exploring I guess you get hit with this as well?

I was 2k ly out when this update hit so I have no idea about the chaos that's happening in civvy space with stations randomly shooting people down, people becoming millionaires overnight, Lakon's shares falling after people compare the Diamondback (Skoda) with a Ferrari (Courier) and so on.

I cant get back either due to the wonderful BBC Micros FD now use as servers deciding to randomly kick me out of a jump. I was hoping to get half way back today. Well that's not going to happen.

 

[Surly_Badger]

I'm trying to think of games that don't disproportionately reward dedicated players, if only in terms of skill-gained through time in-game. Farmville? World of Warcraft?
Maybe tiddly-winks?

 

[Ronin77]

Just out of interest - if you are out exploring I guess you get hit with this as well?

I was 2k ly out when this update hit so I have no idea about the chaos that's happening in civvy space with stations randomly shooting people down, people becoming millionaires overnight, Lakon's shares falling after people compare the Diamondback (Skoda) with a Ferrari (Courier) and so on.

I cant get back either due to the wonderful BBC Micros FD now use as servers deciding to randomly kick me out of a jump. I was hoping to get half way back today. Well that's not going to happen.

Don't be in a hurry to get back, its chaos with bugs popping everywhere.
Preceding 3 months i ended up Wanted only once by my own fault.
Now i am wanted 6 ways from Sunday for such mundane things as speeding inside the dock.
Hangered my Python and running around in a basic Sidewinder, since i dont want to lose my 150+million ship/modules over a speeding fine.
Bring back 1.2 and put the powerplay on the back burner until the bugs get fixed is my suggestion.
Very disappointed if this is the way the game is going.

 

[Greyhawk]

Ignoring beta testers is kind of an industry standard. In fact I'd go as far as to say its become "Best Practice". Literally every game I have played for the last ten years has had exactly the same outcome from beta test.

- Beta tester : "Yeah we reported this bug on day 2 of the beta".
- Regular player : "What happened?"
- Beta tester : "We were ignored. But hey, they took 4 months to code in the free cat companion..."

 

[fieval]

Personally I would prefer that they delay the Planetary Landings etc and bed down the economy and missions.
And rather than messing with fuel and integrity settings to slow people down/ force them into smaller ships, they should make the newly released ships much more expensive (but with a performance improvement over older ships).
A DB Explorer with a 4 LY jump range improvement over a similar kitted Asp, and with a few more equipment slots but costing 3 X as much... I believe someone who loves the Exploration role would pay up.
After all, economics takes a back seat to new toys that improve a role you are keen on (well from a personal point of view anyway).

 

[lycan6under]

I have to agree with this.i have defended FD cause they ve been good so far but since powerplay came out the game is so buggy that for the first time since launch i have actually considered to stop playing it

 

[Rall]

I'm trying to think of games that don't disproportionately reward dedicated players, if only in terms of skill-gained through time in-game. Farmville? World of Warcraft?
Maybe tiddly-winks?

Rewarding dedication is fine, now compare these two scenarios.

Player 1 plays for 4 hours per week. They dedicate that play time to working for there chosen powers, they can earn a max of 80 merits per week. 100% of there playtime in ED is focused on Powerplay.

Player 2 plays League of Legends with ED open on a different computer, averaging 6 hours daily. The player sits idle in a station with a trade ship, collecting packages every 30 minutes. At the end of the day playing LoL the player does one 20 minute trip to deliver 120 merits and fortifies at nearest system. With the same actual focused playtime this player makes 840 merits in one week.

What I'd like, is merit decay scaled based on total playtime, in such a way that player 1 can reach the same rank as player 2. It will take much longer for player 1 in real world weeks, but the rank acquirable vs total playtime should be the same.

I haven't got time to work out the scaling math unfortunately, and we don't yet know the rate of decay so it may be this is actaully a non issue. We won't find out till the end of the first cycle.