Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Loyalty points or "LP" are given out as rewards for completing missions, capturing faction warfare complexes and driving back Sansha's Nation's incursions. They are supposed to give you access to special ships, modules, ammo, equipment, etc... that are unobtainable by other means.

The problem is that there are so many people farming missions, capturing FW plexes and killing Sanshas that the market is flooded with these special items. LP no longer give you access to special items that you can't get anywhere else because you can just buy all these things on the market. At best, they provide you with a slight discount on these items and at worse you can actually buy things on the market for less than the ISK cost in the LP stores. (This is due to drastically cheaper prices in the FW LP stores).


Proposal
I propose the introduction of SERVICES to LP stores across New Eden. These services will be immaterial things that you cannot place on the market. LP will once again reward your loyalty to a specific corporation by giving you access to something(s) that can only be obtained in this way.


Examples

• Locator agents will run multiple simultaneous searches in exchange for LP
• R&D and Industrial corporations will work on your Blueprints for you in exchange for LP
• Stations with medical services will let you install a JC regardless of your standings... in exchange for LP
• Upgrade your med clone for LP instead of ISK
• etc...

There are countless possibilities. The only limitation is that the rewards should be intangible and therefore unable to be put on the market. That is not to say that people will not sell these services... it only means that the buyer must trust the seller to deliver.

Note: There are a few possibilities for the idea regarding NPCs working on your blueprints.
The 1st is that you can unlock an "extra slot" above and beyond what your skills normally allow. This slot is good for one job and costs LP proportional to the length of the job.
The 2nd is that the NPC corporation's staff "consult" on your job, enabling you to install a job that completes as if all affecting skills are at level 5.
The 3rd is that you can use LP to hire a private "team" that is not actually present in that solar system.

This is a complete misconception. If they were infact special items they wouldn't be infinitely and easily farmable, they gain their value from being a bit more involved than dumping a tractor/running a bpc.

While you could increase the use of LP as you say they are already everywhere. While the system itself is well due on overhaul bloating it up doesn't seem to add much value, particularly with the given examples.

You have problems...

Be glad we have a LP store to begin with. Back in the old days the only thing related to 'returning' LP to an agent was a message which offered you useless stuff or a Navy boat that you quite didn't have enough LP for twice a month.

Interesting. I would add to this list of services, a small boost in refining efficiency. It would, of course, have to be balanced so it would provide something slightly better than what is currently achievable without reaching the level that is offered to POS's. Keywords: slightly better. I am aware that highsec refining was just nerfed to offer more incentives for POS's, which is why I'm stating it should never be that good, just a small bit better than what we normally have available.

I'm not really involved in the mining scene, so I'm not sure what the % difference is between NPC and POS refining. But for a small, temporary bump to shorten the distance between them, I don't think would necessarily be game-breaking. Maybe just 1%?

Added to OP. Thanks, that one didn't occur to me.

Medical clones, jump clones, LP store purchases.... these are some of the few real isk sinks we have in the game.