Admin Notice: Rule Update

[Mímir]

I think it is somewhat disappointing that the full-scale trial didn't last for longer.

There were quite a few added benefits with the former trial, such as now having the ability to shut foul-mouthed base-hugging traders and smugglers up (after stating demands you could lower the shields to less than 50% before such a person can manage to dock). It was quite refreshing, actually.

Other positive things might have surfaced too, had we given it a better shot. Perhaps next time when announcing a trial of something, put a definite deadline on it? That way no QQ can sway the original decision to run the trial, and there would be time to collect enough data to evaluate the effects of the trial properly. Sometimes when the door is left slightly open to QQ, it will get out of hand. IMO its better to just put the foot down and say "deal with it for 2 weeks, we'll take listen to what the community has discovered then and make a fair decision based on that".

But agreed that traders need a win-condition, but it shouldn't be a given. Perhaps it is fair the way it is now, but admins please dont be swayed as fast again. You shouldn't always have a chance to walk free in a solo 5k'er - had we run the full-scale trial for longer, traders would start to join forces, get escorts and so on. Things might be different if players had the time to settle down and try things out in a less QQ-intense atmosphere.


Off-topic-ish:

Really the "a transport only lasts 30 seconds vs. a cruiser in tests" is more of a Conneticut-thing - the "real" test would be to judge the survivability-rate for traders in transports using tactics (forming convoys and using escorts/scouts etc.). Official trading/mining factions have the benefit of numbers and coordination, which in many situations is the key to success. A lot of pirates/unlawfuls are un-organized and can be outsmarted/outbested by a small group of coordinated players.

I'm not saying that a lot of people aren't "trading smart", but it is far from the majority (because it takes time and costs credits, and thus affects the overall profit), and especially for corporate ID'd 5K'ers I would like to see more convoy/scout/escort stuff. It's important that the Admins don't cave in again, because the new rule changes promoted varied use of the transport classes, instead of the 5K'er always being the best choice for profit-maximizing, solo or not.

I'd like it more if it was like Eve, where the blockade-runners (small-ish, fast transports with cloaking devices) are the best choice for certain routes, and jump-freighters and conventional freighters are optimal for other routes.

In this context it is also quite interesting that large parts of the "trader-side" always ask for more guns and armor on their 4-5K transports as a solution to all balancing issues, when different and more innovative mechanics could be introduced instead to further the gameplay of the trading-minigame. I don't hear anyone asking if its possible for the devs to create a 2K transport with a reduced signature radius, or a medium transport with improved countermeasures of some sort. I'd like a game that was balanced so that some smaller ships on some risky routes are equally profitable as the 5K'er on "safe routes". If there was more diversity in the trading-minigame, I think more people would find it enjoyable, rather than just see it as a chore (prolonged by evil pirate players who must also be bad people in real life).

tl;dr: Don't go back to where we were, promote variety in trading through transport classes with individual benefits/drawbacks.

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