Player Features and Ideas Discussion

You do missions, perform tasks, or otherwise act in a way that makes a faction approve of you.

In exchange for your service, you are given the use of a ship better than the typical replacement vessel.
(Non transferable, and does not reprocess above the original replacement ship's value)

For each level of replacement ship, comparable to the level of mission agents you could access, you are given use of a better vessel.
No tech 2 ships for this, but some factions may have either navy or pirate options.

EDIT: Thanks to a perhaps unintended suggestion from Paranoid Loyd, I am modifying this slightly.
The ships described below would all have canned fittings, which could not be modified.
( So yes, fittings would be not just included, but locked in place)
SECOND EDIT: It should help to point out that these ships do not compare well to player built items.
They have a more practical comparison to the NPC ships which get plowed through in missions and ratting already.
Most know how to fit against them, and how to beat them as a result.

Level 1: Entry level
Same ship as all start with.

Level 2: Upgrade level 1
You have a frigate appropriate for the faction's race you impressed.

Level 3: Upgrade level 2
Option 1: You can use a faction frigate, be it pirate or navy.
Option 2: You can have a cruiser appropriate for the faction's race you impressed.

Level 4: Upgrade level 3
Option 1: You can use a faction cruiser, be it pirate or navy.
Option 2: You can have a battleship appropriate for the faction's race you impressed.

Expected advantage:
Mission runners may become willing to risk exposure in higher risk areas, such as low or null, with greater frequency.
This could include deliberate forays for non mission purposes, such as PvP.

The level 1 ship is the one we currently get, based on your pilot's race origin.
That is 4 different ships, but limited to one possible per pilot.

For each successive level, depending on balance, we could either have a designated ship for each option type, or possibly multiple options to choose from based off what is earned.

Ship selection is specifically a balance consideration.

This idea is not about specific ships, especially since balance may dictate that a reduced power variant of the typical ship may be called for.
(IE: the noob ship, as compared to other T1 frigates)

Wait, just tossing faction ships at mission runners?

That's dumb.

No.

This is not an upgrade to the ship you are using.

The ship replacement program, that pops a fresh ship into your hangar when you dock up in a pod... THAT is what is being upgraded.

For reference, hard stripes is a military expression. It refers to soldiers who trained as infantry being rewarded by always having a base rank minimum as sergeant, with promotions improving off of that level.

This is a replacement ship upgrade, not an improvement to your existing ship.
It just means that if you dock your pod, and have nothing else in the hangar, you get better than the usual noob ship.

If you want the option to use the replacement ship rather than your other local ships, is a possible option for this.

Giving out free ships will certainly affect the sales of the ships you no longer buy at least, and would also impact faction ship sales if they are an enhanced varient.

I understand the drive of the OP to reward service to a faction but this already comes from LP and faction gear as far as I'm concerned.

It may help to keep in mind, that these ships would be significantly below the level which the pilot would be capable of flying.

Yes, A level 4 mission runner could get an unfitted T1 BS.
Or, possibly, an unfitted faction cruiser.
Neither of which are practical for a level 4 mission, especially with no fittings.
BUT: They give a much better recovery posture for players wanting to get back into action faster, than the noob frigate

Balance depending: a reduced capability version, specifically to minimize market impact.

A main point, being that the market will always have more desirable ships to offer.

Alright, explain to me then, in what way this would be good for the game in general.
Both from a gameplay and economical point of view.
What are the pros, cons and mechanics that you would use to implement it.

I can just about live with noobships condensing out of the quantum foam as if by magic but the idea of anything even slightly more useful appearing the same way (even leaving aside the effect this would have on various markets) does not appeal to me in the slightest .

Not supported.

Gameplay:
Ship replacement is a proven obstacle, in both player morale as well as ISK requirements.
Even if a player could afford to immediately replace a lost ship, the sense of loss involved causes many to end a play session with negative views.
Being able to jump right back into the action, even if just to vent and rage nuke some hostile NPC ships, seems more likely to occur if the player is not held back by considerations in other areas.

Additionally, the mission runner faction system is prone to affecting a segment of the player base quite often associated with non pvp aspects.
If this segment, (even by perception alone), could be seen as becoming more active in other areas of the game as a result, I believe a majority would be pleased.
Joe Mission-runner might decide to blow off some time between missions, and take that free ship and be reckless with it. Reckless by shooting at other players in low or null sec, so that precious security and or faction rating is less at risk.

I would like to see that, and think many others would as well

Wow, just wow. OP has no clue how this game works.