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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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Various Mission Improvements.
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cApAc aMaRu
Burning Sword
#1 - 2012-07-25 08:39:50 UTC
Grinding isn't fun or interesting.

Even less so when you do the Amarr Circle Agents to get standings, and get nothing. So you petition it, and the GM doesn't know what you are talking about.

Circle Agents, and Data Centers need to be looked at and updated for the modern age.


Circle agents should be adapted into the Epic Arc system.

If they must be 'one time only' [which i think is quite outdated and silly] then they should be logged into your Epic Journal so you can SEE that you have done it without having to petition. They shouldinstead be on an Epic Arc style cycle so that you can only perform them every 3 or 6 months, but you get the standings each time.


Data centers are also silly.

Collecting random drop missions? Who thought that was a good idea? They aren't good missions, and they aren't a good isk > standing conversion tool, so why do they exist in this state?

Data centers should provide the tools to hunt down NPCs with tags. Perhaps the existing map mechanics or scouting and probing mechanics could be used to track NPCs carrying the required tags so data center missions could actually be about tracking and taking down criminals rather than buying junk off the market.


While I'm on the topic of standings, and data centers, why can't we buy standings with LP? Why can't I BUY Amarr standings with my Ministry of War LP?

From a role-playing perspective it makes sense that you could levy your goodwill with a corporation into political clout with its empire.

From a gaming perspective it makes a lot more sense than using LP to buy things from the LP store to sell for ISK to buy tags to give to an agent to get standing!


TL;DR

Add Circle Agents to Epic Arc Journal

Make Data Centers about hunting criminals instead of buying tags off the market.

Add the option to buy standings using LP.
Obsidiana
Atrament Inc.
#2 - 2012-07-27 03:24:51 UTC
There was talk of bribing higher agents to let you use them, but it was abandoned ages ago. If you want to reach a better agent faster, team up with someone and train social skills (no pun intended). The barrier of entry into L3s is incredibly low and L4s can be reached in 24hs if you skip looting and just blitz. Also, once you get faction standings up, all L4s for that faction open up to you. Honestly, I think it is too easy to get into L4s these days.

That said, I agree with the folly of one-time-use agents. If anything they should be like story line agents, but factor in standings and take a lot longer to build up toward (high standings = shorter waits). In the time it takes to reach them, writers could have a new one ready.
cApAc aMaRu
Burning Sword
#3 - 2012-07-27 08:25:21 UTC
I have access to plenty of lvl 4s, but I want to help bump up the corps average. I did all 3 sets of Amarr career agents, I did the circle agents for nothing because its an ancient outdated waste of time. I'd do data centers if it was about actually doing something instead of buying tags off the market.

I really think LP for standings should be implement ASAP though. It just makes sense.
Obsidiana
Atrament Inc.
#4 - 2012-07-27 18:41:52 UTC
Player corp NPC standings. I feel your pain there. It's a hard, but for me it is hard to get everyone focused on one goal. I wish there was a way to boost it with a skill if you were a CEO or designated as a diplomat.
cApAc aMaRu
Burning Sword
#5 - 2012-07-27 18:45:32 UTC
Obsidiana wrote:
Player corp NPC standings. I feel your pain there. It's a hard, but for me it is hard to get everyone focused on one goal. I wish there was a way to boost it with a skill if you were a CEO or designated as a diplomat.


Well if you have any specific ideas feel free to post them here.
Obsidiana
Atrament Inc.
#6 - 2012-07-27 20:42:35 UTC
1. CCP Needs to Fix Corp Standings

CCP has always had to include a disclaimer that effective standings do not affect corp standings. In other words: "It should work that way, but it's complicated so we aren't doing it." That needs to be changed. Yes, it’s complicated, but it can and should be done.

2. NPC Diplomacy

To expand upon my previous statement, I would have (by default) the CEO's standings weighed more heavily that the rest of the corp. If the CEO is in really bad standings, or doesn't want to take the time to raise them (i.e. industrial alt), then he could designate a “diplomat” to take on the role. The diplomat (who might need existing or new skills) would then take point in relations with NPCs.

The advantage here is that a CEO has more control over standings. They can either take charge or delegate.

By weighted, the diplomat could count double that of a regular player. I don’t like that smaller corps would benefit more from this, so that’s just one idea. Fact is that the fewer the players, the easier to gain corp standings (a one man corp being the best). As this discourages cooperation, CCP should have a problem with this, but I don’t have a solution either.

3. True Corp Standings Skill

Furthermore, I think there should be a corp mng (or social) skill that boosts corp standing directly. Considering how hard it is to raise the standings, and how high they have to be for jump clones and POSs, the help is needed. On top of that, the diminishing returns take effect at the higher levels. Even if it was just %3 per level, it would help. The level could be adjusted based on how effective it was.


Signs of a problem

When jump clones were first introduced, individual standings could not be used to gain access to them. Corp standings had to be used. Raising corp standings was too hard for such an in demand feature. Rather than fix standings or make them easier to gain, it was easier to scrap the notion and use personal standings. It’s another admission of guilt in my eyes.