Zugg
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Posted - 2004.01.29 14:01:00 -
[1]
"Note: from a game design perspective the agent system is not intended to pay off as much as mining ISK wise."
I can understand it is not suppose to make as much as mining does. However what I do not understand is WHY it pays so little.
I can go out and mine for an hour or so and make between 3-5 million mining in empire space depending on what is left over in the belts.
Right before this patch the most I seen for a cash payment and reward combined was around 300k. The average cash only being 150-200k for an eq of 41 level 3 agent. Figuring five missions and hour (12 minute missions compared to your 18 miute estimate) that is 750k-1.5 million an hour.
Last night I visited just two belts to play with some NPC pirates. In ten minutes I took in about 200k in bounties (2 butchers, 5 Manslayers, and 2 Enslavers.) So even ust blastign NPC pirates and not even picking up loot pays more than running missions.
So why is it agent missions have to be the worst income? It takes roughly 50 days of training to aquire social 5, connections 5, and negoiations 5. Where is the pay off for that invested time? Why does training 2 skills like mining and astrogeology take 30 days make close to three times the cash?
You hinted at the fact the main reward to running missions was standings. Yet what real benefit is there to having high standings? The only tangible benefits are not being shot at and the refining (which only takes a standing of about 6 to max.) It definitely is not better missions or better rewards. The increase for level 3 agents for better standings is barely even noticeable. You can not say level 4 or 5 agents because they do not work yet. Even when they do your going to @#$% our standings over again like all the other new agents changes (level 2 had standing rollovers, level 3 introduced max increases per level, and the last agent changes halved all the prior work.)
Now I also understand certain item rewards are worth a whole lot of ISK. However you can not really count those rare mission rewards because not everyone gets them. Implants are a good example. I have done an average of 5 missions a day for the last five months and I have only received 1 implant. I had to fork over millions to buy the four I have despite all the effort I put into my agents.
Prior to Castor during all those missions I ran I always wondered why I bothered I was not getting anywhere with them except getting farther behind in cash I could have accumilated mining. Most other players felt the same way until there was a tangible goal like implants.
Post Castor patch I actually stopped wondering why I was bothering to do them. I got decent amounts of pay for missions and actually made some decent money selling skills. Loads of players who never bothered doing missions suddenly gained interest.
Now after yesterdays patch I am back to wondering why I even bother with them again. Every aspect of missions received a nerf. Travel time was increased, tech II tools lost their megacyte and zydrine, the cash rewards were greatly cut, and even standing increases were cut.
The mission career has probably been treated the worst since the start of the game. When are those people doing them going get a break? We thought we had got cut a break last month only to have it yanked away. Right now the only thing that puts us ahead or pre-castor is no 15 minute timer and the removal of the refferal system, and research agent (a complaint session on them is expected when half the players do not get a blueprint.)
The Dark Seraphs...like Hells Angels, but less hairy |