The rank progression logic has officially beaten me - help please?

[Eagle Eye]

Not sure what the problem is with so many people.

I finished both of mine recently and there's no wizardry to it. i go to a set of never visited systems, preferably with easily reachable High Tech affiliated with the major faction you want to increase your rank in. Do all trade and fetch missions for all minor faction affiliated with the major you are grinding in the area, move on to a new patch after the high payout missions start to be offered as your progress will start to decline after that.

After 2 sets of systems I got my rank up, rinse and repeat.

 

[DidierDrbois]

Well, this is random.

Last night I stuck with it doing one BB mission after another. Must have done further 20. Nothing.

So I decided there's nothing to lose so I deliberately ruined my rep by abandoning two missions. I've done two more to get it back up but no rank progression appeared. Feeling pretty down I parked my ship in Sol to continue the hunt from there tomorrow and, bam! There it was!

A rank progression mission more than appropriate to my Vulture's dauntless fighter stature: deliver 2 algae Really. Algae.

Anyhow, I am now Ensign whatever that is. What's important that today evening, I am crashing a Dropship to the nearest starport wall. Flamboyantly sideways as is required by this incredible vessel.

Two more things: thanks commanders for your moral support, and woo-hoo!

 

[DidierDrbois]

Okay dokay. There's this Clipper wholesale somewhere or other. So I thought well, I knocked the Fed progression on the head, might as well.

I flew to the nearest Empire system, Liaedin. Two Empire-aligned factions there, took 2 missions for each. Neutral with Empire at the time. Completed the missions, nothing, as in absolutely nothing, happened. My rep with neither faction nor the Empire swung either way. OK, so Liaedin is a system 'torn' away from the rest of the Empire, maybe I need to fly a little deeper. Find factions, take missions, complete missions. Zero effect. Nada. Zilch.

This is so infuriatingly random, I'm calling a screw-this and skipping all further rank-required boats. Python hang tight, I'm working on it!

 

[Steve50]

Am I the only one who doesn't give a flying .... of their rank?

Tbh I never even look at mine, maybe if it said "Right on Commander!" When I ranked up in something then I'd take a peek. But really I just play and have fun, don't even know what rank I am now whatsoever.

That said, of course I am ranked "Elite" where it matters, ie:- BBC Model B disk version

 

[Doolittle]

Maybe the new powerplay system has something to do with faction ranking. From other reads FD is revamping a lot of stuff. I'd imagine this will be part of that stuff, or soon to be. They want this game to succeed, and so do we. I'm itching to get back into it, fixing the ranking system would put some leverage on that itch. From hearing others progress it seems to work for some, and sounds like typical authority driven missions then a mundane one that ranks you up. Will be interesting to see how they change the mission structure. I know they want to get out of the USS driven structure and open it up beyond, which is a very good thing. I had thought it would work out OK, but apparently not the way it was implemented. This revamp most likely ties into a lot of the faction mission ranking system.

 

[DidierDrbois]

Am I the only one who doesn't give a flying .... of their rank?

Tbh I never even look at mine, maybe if it said "Right on Commander!" When I ranked up in something then I'd take a peek. But really I just play and have fun, don't even know what rank I am now whatsoever.

That said, of course I am ranked "Elite" where it matters, ie:- BBC Model B disk version

This ain't about the pilots' ranking (which btw I couldn't care less about), it's about faction ranking. Which, as it limits your choice of boat, is crap. I mean, totally fair enough having these rank requirements for ships, but man the progression 'system' is hacking me off!

 

[Pocketcow]

Not sure what the problem is with so many people.

I finished both of mine recently and there's no wizardry to it. i go to a set of never visited systems, preferably with easily reachable High Tech affiliated with the major faction you want to increase your rank in. Do all trade and fetch missions for all minor faction affiliated with the major you are grinding in the area, move on to a new patch after the high payout missions start to be offered as your progress will start to decline after that.

After 2 sets of systems I got my rank up, rinse and repeat.

You know, I just made a post today myself about this very thing and how I did not understand reputation gains and whatnot, but your comment just made me realize that you can use that to tell if your rep with a faction is high, even though it already says "allied" from being allied with the major faction.

So basically, when you start to get high paying missions, you know by default that you are probably done there and time to move on to another system. Thanks a ton. Such a simple solution to a problem we have no way of solving through any other means atm. I realize the whole setup is being overhauled next patch, but that could be weeks.

 

[DidierDrbois]

Maybe the new powerplay system has something to do with faction ranking. From other reads FD is revamping a lot of stuff. I'd imagine this will be part of that stuff, or soon to be. They want this game to succeed, and so do we. I'm itching to get back into it, fixing the ranking system would put some leverage on that itch. From hearing others progress it seems to work for some, and sounds like typical authority driven missions then a mundane one that ranks you up. Will be interesting to see how they change the mission structure. I know they want to get out of the USS driven structure and open it up beyond, which is a very good thing. I had thought it would work out OK, but apparently not the way it was implemented. This revamp most likely ties into a lot of the faction mission ranking system.

Agreed on all fronts, here's to hoping in 1.3!