Money making balance

[Thyrzul]

I am mechanically rewarded for playing FL as a 3D space shooter. That's all that really matters in terms of the mission running vs trading/mining.

Not really. Champ's comment got me thinking about it.

Before missions were profitable we had trading as the sole truly independent source of cash, mining falling back as semi-independent (you can do it solo but it's less profitable). Both involving vulnerable ships travelling through several choke points until their destination, and thus the Trader-Pirate-Police-Rebel-Military food chain was there to shake up the activity of many factions of many different kinds. It also had some feedback mechanisms, as for the occasional consumable replenishment the source of cash was still the bottom of the food chain.

Now we have another independent source of cash for those at the top of said food chain, well equipped to deal with mission targets, and since it's profitable, they'll stick to missions, and leave the trading-induced food chain completely. The result is that the middle elements of the trading-induced food chain - pirates, police, perhaps rebels too - will receive less activity, because their sources of activity are dependent of preceding chain elements, but may not possess the hardware required for mission grinding.

Maybe your own enjoyment is all that really matters for you, but on the larger scale missions becoming profitable has an effect on all of us, and not necessarily a positive effect.

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