This is a suggestion for PvE mining mission content.
Edit: because people can’t read and get triggered at the mention of the word alpha.
Edit: to include some suggestions from the thread so new posters don’t have to read everything.
Background of the idea:
Mining missions need improvement, and are normally done by only a small set of mission runners who are or could be professional miners.
Alphas keep complaining about not being able to fly mining barges.
They say they don’t want to destroy the economy, mining is just fun.
I don’t believe this, but I will take it at face value.
If they are lying, which I think they are, this will not give them what they want but show are are lying. Technically this is a side effect of the idea.
Combing those has lead to this idea.
I say those things lead me to think up this idea, not that this idea is giving alphas barges because they are whining. Read the “How does this effect alphas?” section near the bottom of this post before replying about alphas.
Suggestion: mining agents to rent special ships to pilots who meet standings requirements
These ships would not require any skills to operate, only standings to be able to rent.
Mission ore is distinct from normal ore, these ships will be fitted with new lasers/strip miners that only work on mission ore. i.e. they can’t be used to mine ore into the markets.
These ships will have fixed fittings, they cannot be stripped, refit, or repackaged.
The rental cost should be about the same as the time bonus for the mission, but there would also be a high collateral required which should equal or exceed market value of a similar ship.
Losing the ship would forfeit the collateral, but not fail the mission, you can rent again and try again.
These ships would not be able to be insured, since the NPC owns them, not you.
Each agent should rent three versions of each fit to be fast, big, or strong.
Ship hulls should increase as mission levels increase. Venture>Barge>Exhumer
Modules in these ships would receive bonuses from trained skills, but would not require any skills.
This suggestion only applies to mining missions, I am not suggesting rental ships for security or distro missions.
Advantages:
Try before you buy, both for Alphas and Omegas who haven’t trained into mining hulls.
New mission options for someone who doesn’t really want to be a miner.
More mission miners mean more targets for gankers.
New LP stores for players who aren’t miners.
If you get a storyline mining mission in the middle of your security mission running, you don’t have to go find a mining ship.
This would show that when an alpha says “I don’t want free ISK, I just like mining for fun, give me barges” that they are lying.
Disadvantages:
These ships could be used for hauling ore, but given the cost, I don’t see this being a thing.
New LP stores for players who aren’t miners.
???
Mechanics:
introduction of new “mission” modules, they can only harvest from mission ore/gas/ice. They are always destroyed on ship destruction.
Introduction of a new “fitting locked” toggle behind the scenes. This would remove skill requirements from the ship, but make it them not editable in the fitting tool and disable “strip fitting.” “repackage” and “fit to active ship.”
Renting would be through a mission interface, similar to buying datacores. You can only get “rental missions” if yo have an active mission from the agent.
When you rent the ship (accept the rental mission) you pay the agent (already a game mechanic for datacores) and give collateral (already a game mechanic in missions).
f the ship is destroyed, or after the end of the rental period, the “rental mission” is failed, you lose the collateral, but you can now take another “rental mission.”
I’m not sure what should happen to the ship after the mission expires, I’m open to ideas.
Returning to the agent with the ship in the hanger and not active, allows you to return the ship (complete the rental mission) which would remove the ship and return the collateral.
How does this effect alphas?
You must read this before saying something stupid like “alphas just want more.”
it doesn’t effect them that much
Rented ships can only be used for missions, so it doesn’t effect the mining markets
Mission ore already can’t be used in industry or sold.
Alphas already have access to level 4 missions
Security missions pay better
Distro missions are easier
Alphas can already do the level 4 mining missions (except ice) in a venture
This adds variety, not better ISK farming.
This would make it easier to get LP points and standings from mining only corps
This isn’t really a change for alphas, but a change for all players.
This would encourage alphas to train mining connections (an expensive skill book)
Unless the content sucks, it could encourage alphas to train into these skills for non-mission use.
Barges > Exhumers (subscribing)
Ice mining (subscribing)
Gas cloud harvesting (already available to alphas, but an expensive skill book)
it could end all the “give us barges” whines which always have the “we don’t want to break the game, I just like mining” excuse.
This would give “barges for fun”
This would not give barges that break the game.
This wouldn’t really end the whines, because these are he EvE forums.
Poll
This is a PvE mission suggestion, I know some people here feel that EvE doesn’t need anymore PvE content and that the only content is PvP. It is fine that you feel that way, and I do care that you feel that way. But, if that’s how you really feel it will not add much to this discussion thread. Please just vote in this poll, so your view will be known, and then move on.
If you like the idea, please join the conversation, the poll is not intended to be a discussion killer.
PvP is the only content EvE needs. I vote no.
PvE content is good, let’s talk about it. I vote yes. (Unless I constructively criticize it below.)
Mining missions should just be ignored, what with all of the new mining content added
Alphas should just sub if they want barges
Renting ships is stupid regardless. If alphas want barges, they can be not alphas. You know… pay for the game they play? Either via plex or $ is fine. Nobody mines for fun, unless they’re taking a break from watching grass grow to calm down a bit. They mine because it’s their preferred method of isk generation. If you start putting costs, it will remove their isk advantage and nobody will do it. If you don’t put a cost in, why would an alpha subscribe when they can just do mining missions?
So you are for PvE content, but not my suggestion, that would be the second option in the poll.
Even if you do sub, it’s still a month of training before you can fly an exhumer to know if you like it or not.
Mining missions don’t give any ore that can be sold on the market or used in any way, they don’t pay much in ISK, and these ships couldn’t be used to mine any real ore.
Personally I don’t like mining, I would never train a mining toon. I’m already omega, so the sub isn’t a factor. Distro missions don’t really take any training, anyone can do them, but mining and security both require training skills into them, this would open up more mission options for more players.
Never said the missions couldn’t be done in a venture. This is about adding variety to a mission set that currently sucks.
1 of the 6 points mentioned alphas and did it in a snide joking manner, why is alphas might get something out of it the only thing anyone wants to discuss? Can’t we talk about the idea, and not just the side effect that it might allow alphas something else to do?
It’s called “Alpha hate”, if you even mention an idea that might help an Alpha people will come out of the woodwork to tell you how Alphas are all just cheap bastards who need to pay.
And your poll didn’t do any good as these guys are both known to be members of the “only players make content” crowd, so two strikes against you, your idea is PvE and it doesn’t exclude Alphas.
Mining missions do suck, this might help, but I still wouldn’t do them.
Would anyone like to comment on anything other than alphas? I only added the alpha thing as a STFU to the alphas who are lying and saying they just want to mine for fun, not profit. Since this would be low-ISK making mining content, it wouldn’t effect any of the mining related market stuff, and for ISK LP it would be slower than the security missions they can already run, that part was just about calling ■■■■■■■■ on them if they kept asking for barges.
Um… I think they want to roll a barge to make more isk mining… We have a ship preview thingy. So if you fullscreen it you can imagine your flying it. (i do that sometimes with AT reward ships) Thats about the same benefit level of a nerfed rental… spinning a ship in preview.
How is it a nerfed rental? It would work just as well as a normal ship, but it would be form mission agents and only for missions. It’s not nerfed, just mission specific, like mission ore is.
Yes, if you can fly a ship to do the missions, you fly your ship and make more ISK. If you don’t have a mining ship, because you aren’t a miner, you can still do the missions, maybe just to take a break from security missions. The missions don’t require a rental, it would just be an option for all mining missions.
If you use the rental ship, basically all you are losing is the ISK from the time bonus.
Because ship rental for security missions would be a really bad idea. It might be able to work for distro missions, but it would be easier to exploit. The idea was to not take anything away that is already in game, but to open up new missions and options to people who wouldn’t normally do them, but in a way that couldn’t be exploited. Maybe opening up mining missions to non-miners could lead to them being improved. Tbh mining missions aren’t as mindlessly boring as actual mining.
You clearly don’t know me at all. I mostly do mining, missions, industry, trading and pve sites. Your comment says a lot about you though. Ignoring the argument and attacking the people.
I came up with alphas being able to train pretty much whatever they want upto 5mil sp before ccp did. I’m not unhappy about alphas, but i don’t think they are the answer to ccp’s problems either.
I’m very pro expanding pve. But in the right way. The op’s idea still sounds like mining in a belt with a venture is more worthwhile than these missions. Why would anyone run these mining missions? Oh because it means alphas can fly barges (that’s why everyone is talking about alphas, cause that ship rental seems like the only thing to takeaway from the idea).
The other problem is, do we want people mining alone in isolation? Shouldn’t we want them mining in real belts with other players, mining ore that can be traded on the market? What purpose do mining missions serve?
As for alphas whining about barges; no you cannot multi-box barges for free. Period. End of. The gameplay for a barge ain’t much different to a venture. In fact there is LESS gameplay in a most barges. You aren’t going to ninja mine in a barge.
Well, wasn’t ignoring the argument, I also wasn’t joining the argument. In fact I didn’t see any arguement, I saw two people jump the guy and say “Alphas need to pay.”
I wasn’t attacking anyone either, I was saying “good thinking on the idea, don’t listen to bullies and keep trying.” But as triggered as it’s made you, maybe there is something to it.
In fairness, reading your post again I see the problem mostly was from your bad writing/typo. As you meant “underpaid missions,” which would have been relating to the topic, But you said “under paid missions” which is also bad grammar, but would mean doing missions under paid conditions, i.e. subbed or PLEXed.
Anyway, he said it isn’t about Alphas, it was just what gave him the idea.
My first post had nothing to do with alphas needing to pay. I said if they are going to do something where the pay is crap, why not just mine in a venture anyways?
If you want ISK/h with market ore, than sure it’s more worthwhile, but missions are about standings and LP stores too. Some people do missions, some people do things straight for ISK. It’s like asking why does anyone do missions when they can make more ISK ratting.
So you are opposed to all mining missions? How can we talk about improving mining missions and opening them up to more people if you really just want to get rid of them?
No, you can’t. It’s against the eula, and it has nothing at all to do with this topic. Discussing barges that are not rented and so only useful in the mission are off topic.
Since storyline missions don’t have to be the same type that you are farming, if nothing else this will give an option so that you never have to pass on a storyline mission because you aren’t a miner and level 4 mining missions in a venture really suck.
The idea is to allow more people access to more mission choices without breaking the economy. The missions would still pay like normal missions, you could just pay some ISK to run them in a ship you don’t normally fly, or can’t fly.
