Why do you mode-switch (question to people who actually do that)

[space voyager]

As an answer to OP; only to save time. I never did it for the money, just to fill my mission roster and get to a certain rank faster. Just like I go look for pirates (mission to destroy them) at mining sites. When you destroy the ones that jump in when you arrive you can either
- go elsewhere
- wait for a long time
- SC out and back in or
- quit to main menu and start again (no mode flip needed).

Quitting is fastest... Instance restarted, new pirates arrive.

 

[Gédéon_Lecanard]

You're NOT abusing the system. You are simply playing SMART!

Big difference between overcoming a flawed game mechanic and cheating.

Don't let the clueless "Goodie Two Shoes" try to tell you otherwise.

If they stopped with their Pollyanna approach to this game, they would have twice as much $$ and twice and much rank!

I agree those specific game mechanics definitely leave room for upgrades, but I can see why it's not an easy affair, as it digs deep into the game's fundations. I don't feel guilty, to be clear, but it sure does not feel right. I definitely don't feel like a cheater, it's more of a "am I enjoying that?" situation. In the end, thanks to the exploit, I can enjoy the game.

An exploit that serves as a workaround for a faulty mechanic is still an exploit, but it would be a shame to remove it without creating proper, friendlier mechanics.

 

[The space tyrant]

To refresh missions

 

[rootsrat]

Thanks for the replies all. It seems the trend here is that it's just faster and more convenient. I did suspect that this would be the main case.


(Also, nowhere in my post I have suggested that you should not do that or that it's a bad thing to do.)


So, to carry on then - what would be your idea to make this better? What I've seen so far (also from some other threads on the subject):


- Allow players to request specific types of mission
- Generate many more missions per board for bigger variety (that's already been improved a few patches ago)
- Allow for manual boar refresh via a button


Any other suggestions?

 

[MarkAusten]

Thanks for the replies all. It seems the trend here is that it's just faster and more convenient. I did suspect that this would be the main case.


(Also, nowhere in my post I have suggested that you should not do that or that it's a bad thing to do.)


So, to carry on then - what would be your idea to make this better? What I've seen so far (also from some other threads on the subject):


- Allow players to request specific types of mission
- Generate many more missions per board for bigger variety (that's already been improved a few patches ago)
- Allow for manual boar refresh via a button


Any other suggestions?

How about a shorter board refresh time? It takes a minute or two to log out, log in to a different mode and then display the board, so if the board refreshed after that time, then the logging out and in again would be superfluous.

Although this would probably cause a lot more missions to time out but there could be ways around that.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

How about a shorter board refresh time? It takes a minute or two to log out, log in to a different mode and then display the board, so if the board refreshed after that time, then the logging out and in again would be superfluous.

Although this would probably cause a lot more missions to time out but there could be ways around that.

I'd like the boards to be dynamic - it would be cool to see new missions appearing and old ones disappearing as their own internal timers expire. The ingame RP reason would be that other (NPC) pilots have taken those missions.

 

[Stealthie]

So, to carry on then - what would be your idea to make this better? What I've seen so far (also from some other threads on the subject):


- Allow players to request specific types of mission
- Generate many more missions per board for bigger variety (that's already been improved a few patches ago)
- Allow for manual boar refresh via a button


Any other suggestions?

Absolutely opposed to any sort of system which would allow the player to simply "demand" certain types of mission and receive them.

If I am, say, an electrical engineer, I can't just show up in a fishing village and expect to be provided with enough work to make a living.
I'd either have to be willing to do some kind of fishing-related work or I'd have to go to a place where an electrical engineer might be in demand.

Same thing applies in ED.
I shouldn't just be able to show up at some random system in a passenger ship, look at the mission board, see nothing very appealing and then say "No, sorry. I reject that reality. bring me a different reality where there are heaps of people who want to travel aboard my ship"

As I've said before, that's like an explorer jumping into a new system, finding nothing of interest and being able to keep pressing some kind of "refresh" button until they're presented with a system full of ELWs.

It should be up to the player to figure out how to find the work.
It shouldn't be up to the game to offer the player the work they prefer, in whatever quantities they demand.

 

[Riverside]

Thanks for the replies all. It seems the trend here is that it's just faster and more convenient. I did suspect that this would be the main case.


(Also, nowhere in my post I have suggested that you should not do that or that it's a bad thing to do.)


So, to carry on then - what would be your idea to make this better? What I've seen so far (also from some other threads on the subject):


- Allow players to request specific types of mission
- Generate many more missions per board for bigger variety (that's already been improved a few patches ago)
- Allow for manual boar refresh via a button


Any other suggestions?

I'd like to set a multi-filter for mission type, and a second filter to only show missions with a destination I select. I am not personally concerned with the number of missions available, if there are none matching the criteria so be it.

 

[Stealthie]

I'd like to set a multi-filter for mission type, and a second filter to only show missions with a destination I select. I am not personally concerned with the number of missions available, if there are none matching the criteria so be it.

Gotta say, it'd be great if ED offered a variety of filters which might allow the player to prioritise missions to a specific destination, or within a certain distance etc.
Ideally, it would even ignore factions so you could just look at a mission board and see the total number of cargo missions, the total data delivery missions, the total missions to a given location etc.

 

[Riverside]

Gotta say, it'd be great if ED offered a variety of filters which might allow the player to prioritise missions to a specific destination, or within a certain distance etc.
Ideally, it would even ignore factions so you could just look at a mission board and see the total number of cargo missions, the total data delivery missions, the total missions to a given location etc.

The more filters the better, yes but I self-imposed a limit of two. Mission type and a single destination would be my choice if I could only have two, being able to select 'x Ly from my destination' type stuff would be great

 

[MarkAusten]

I'd like the boards to be dynamic - it would be cool to see new missions appearing and old ones disappearing as their own internal timers expire. The ingame RP reason would be that other (NPC) pilots have taken those missions.

That indeed would be cool, but it would probably play havoc with the network traffic!

 

[Hossi]

There are three improvements that I would like to see:

-For cargo: Bulk mission. They are already in the beta (I think they are called wing missions). If I could take a mission to deliver 10.000t of %cargo% within one week, then I dont even have to check the mission board most of the time. I can just decide: 'I'll do some hauling now'

-For passengers: Turn the concept around. Instead of checking the mission board over and over again looking for someone who wants to go from A to B, let me anounce a trip. Something like: 'At 16:00 GMT I will fly from A to B, ETA is 16:15. I have 45 ECO and 34 buissnes seats, pricess are the following...'. Then i just wait, show up 5 minutes before departure and take in my passengers, mabye I press the 'last minute' button to fill up the last seats.

-For everything else: Mission filter. There is already filter, just expand the options and apply it BEFORE accesing the mission board. So when i'm looking for an assassination mission, I just select 'legal/combat' and get a selction of the missions i'm looking for, instead of hundrets of missions I couldnt even accept even if I wantet to, because I dont have the right ship in the moment.

 

[jonesskill]

Honest question. Why do you mode-hop, when there are alternatives?

As a recent example I can use the Smeaton Orbital Credit-mine. There are so many systems around the destination one that have those high-payout passenger mission available. And yet I see a lot of people sitting in just one station, logging in and out, clearly switching between Solo/Group/Open to refresh the mission board.

Why would you do that, rather than actually play the game and travel between a few surrounding systems or even stations within the same system and gather multiple passenger missions?


::EDIT::

UPDATE:

Thanks for the replies all. It seems the trend here is that it's just faster and more convenient. I did suspect that this would be the main case.


(Also, nowhere in my post I have suggested that you should not do that or that it's a bad thing to do.)


So, to carry on then - what would be your idea to make this better? What I've seen so far (also from some other threads on the subject):


- Allow players to request specific types of mission
- Generate many more missions per board for bigger variety (that's already been improved a few patches ago)
- Allow for manual boar refresh via a button


Any other suggestions?

I do it always when im running missions, because i always want to pick up the maximum missions per trip possible.

I've already suggested a change in how the mission system works - to use more advanced, complex and real math on the generation.

Like this:

The board will generate missions based on how many people live in that system, in this exemple will be 1 mission per 10.000 people. (1/10000.)

When the player click on mission board, he get the screen that show how many missions are avaliable in diferent groups: "Cargo","Combat","Mining", "Planetary".

Let's suppose thaat the system have 20milion people, this will generate aprox. 2000 missions, that will be distribuited on those groups (Considering the base economy and the status of that system)

A "boom" state system will have more missions of "cargo" and "mining" groups, while one system in war will have more system on "combat" and "planetary".
other exemple: a refinary base economy system in war will generate more mission on "combat" and "mining" while "cargo" and "planetary" will have less missions. (2/6, 2/6, 1/6, 1/6)

This is a short exemple; that will generate more acurrate mission boards using system avaliable data, not only RGN.

Nobody like to relog and log on again and again... this only happen because we don't have option!

 

[rootsrat]

I do it always when im running missions, because i always want to pick up the maximum missions per trip possible.

I've already suggested a change in how the mission system works - to use more advanced, complex and real math on the generation.

Like this:

The board will generate missions based on how many people live in that system, in this exemple will be 1 mission per 10.000 people. (1/10000.)

When the player click on mission board, he get the screen that show how many missions are avaliable in diferent groups: "Cargo","Combat","Mining", "Planetary".

Let's suppose thaat the system have 20milion people, this will generate aprox. 2000 missions, that will be distribuited on those groups (Considering the base economy and the status of that system)

A "boom" state system will have more missions of "cargo" and "mining" groups, while one system in war will have more system on "combat" and "planetary".
other exemple: a refinary base economy system in war will generate more mission on "combat" and "mining" while "cargo" and "planetary" will have less missions. (2/6, 2/6, 1/6, 1/6)

This is a short exemple; that will generate more acurrate mission boards using system avaliable data, not only RGN.

Nobody like to relog and log on again and again... this only happen because we don't have option!

The mission generation system does take economy type and system state into consideration when generating missions currently.

Also, 2000 missions... I don't want to know how long I'd need to wait for that to be loaded up

I'm not saying your idea is bad, just that it's not really feasible, considering the current implementation and limitations.

 

[jonesskill]

The mission generation system does take economy type and system state into consideration when generating missions currently.

Also, 2000 missions... I don't want to know how long I'd need to wait for that to be loaded up

I'm not saying your idea is bad, just that it's not really feasible, considering the current implementation and limitations.

Got it, but the missions will not be "generated" when the number are calculated - This is only the first step.
The player will select the group, in this selection he will can see how much missions are avaliable in each group like: "Cargo: 667" ","Combat: 333","Mining: 667", "Planetary:333".
Selecting cargo, will open the sub groups: Data Delivery:334 / Cargo Delivery: 333
After selecting the soub group, you will can chosse the faction: Faction1(StationOwner):2/5, Faction2: 1/5, Faction3: 1/5 Faction4 1/5 Missions: 1/5.
Only after selection the faction the system will really "Generate" the missions (Using the rank of the player and the faction status) - until now we only handle with numbers.