Hacking Contracts

Kestrel

So first I will display my hand:

I love the new hacking changes. Thank you thank you thank you for these! They're so much fun! I have not been finding them too difficult at all; I've been really enjoying the challenge of having to explore, talk to other players in-game, cooperate and problem-solve to figure things out. I think this has been a really positive change for the playerbase, in line with other recent implementations like xenozoology and performance, encouraging players to work together, often as a faction.

However, it's clear that not everyone feels the same way. I'm of the opinion that it'd be a real shame if the exploration aspect were made much simpler, but I know that staff likes to listen to player feedback and it has me concerned.

So, in the interest of getting a proper gauge of the playerbase's sentiments, vote below. Is it indeed the case that everyone but me hates it? Or is it just a few complainers making themselves most loudly heard above the rest?

(Based on Discussion being had over on the Unofficial Starmourn Discord.)

Sammy

are just fine, and I enjoy the challenge

I've been enjoying what I got, and only needed outside details once through the wiki to complete. (Probably needs updating and filling out more if you're going to employ more of these things)

The only quibble I really have with the system is the brokers being a teensy bit elusive. I'd imagine in scenarios like this, all parties are told of meeting points and times in advance, and it should be reflected a little in the play style.

I don't even care if it's an upgrade you have to buy using Fray credits, I don't even know what they buy yet anyway, but knowing a handoff location or dead drop location in advance seems more in tune with the concept of espionage then blindly bumbling around, hoping you see someone you recognise as an informant.

Jerom

I only have two complaints about the new changes : 

1-I think the corporations where we need to CONTRACTS RETRIEVE should be more obviously identified. That time I got Vitus Pharmceuticals only to find out it was some nameless lab in Sabiak really annoyed me. Couldn't find any written mention of Vitus Pharmceuticals anywhere.

2-The progress in hacking rank is waaaaaay too slow. At Guru level (19), completing a contract gives 0.01% and it can only be done every 12 RL hours. Way too little for something that gives no other reward. There's no other skill to learn past Guru, no mark reward, nothing.


Aside from that, they're good fun. I don't mind the brokers being sneaky, but I'm also biased since BEASTs (and Nanoseers) have an easy way to detect them.

Ilyos

Jerom said:

I only have two complaints about the new changes : 

1-I think the corporations where we need to CONTRACTS RETRIEVE should be more obviously identified. That time I got Vitus Pharmceuticals only to find out it was some nameless lab in Sabiak really annoyed me. Couldn't find any written mention of Vitus Pharmceuticals anywhere.

2-The progress in hacking rank is waaaaaay too slow. At Guru level (19), completing a contract gives 0.01% and it can only be done every 12 RL hours. Way too little for something that gives no other reward. There's no other skill to learn past Guru, no mark reward, nothing.


Aside from that, they're good fun. I don't mind the brokers being sneaky, but I'm also biased since BEASTs (and Nanoseers) have an easy way to detect them.

Rewards will be unveiled Soon™

eel

are just fine, and I enjoy the challenge

Speaking as a Nanoseer with scan, it's trivial to find an information broker just by wandering around one faction's cities via PTP and a highlight on "information broker" - I can't speak for other classes.

However, if maybe a broker spawned in the same area as where you had retrieved the item for the contract, that would make a lot of sense. It's honestly what I thought would happen, I did not expect that they would essentially just be random spawns.

Regarding figuring out the corporations, probing the mobs helps. That's been the only way to figure it out that I've found.

I've really been enjoying this update so far, it's nice to have a goal for hacking that is beyond leveling up for its own sake. I hope the rewards include fun vanity items!

ArquenTavas

are way too difficult, and need some adjustments so that RNG elements are easier to find

Loving the way contracts work for the most part. Only issue I'm having is locating brokers. Think there needs to be some clue to finding them.

Izrith

Don't know.
I can't do them because you have to have a high hacking rank to even start on them, which I find dumb.
Wake me up when there are low level ones. They don't have to pay out a lot, just be a way to level the ability without endless grind on the same terminals.

Albion

Izrith said:

Don't know.
I can't do them because you have to have a high hacking rank to even start on them, which I find dumb.
Wake me up when there are low level ones. They don't have to pay out a lot, just be a way to level the ability without endless grind on the same terminals.

It's just level 9 hacking. Getting to level 75 for pvp or like 18 for captaincy to reach Destroyer for ship combat takes much more time.

Ilyos

The reasoning behind putting them at a moderately 'mid-to-high' level is that the organization behind them wouldn't just contact anyone. It's not a place where you prove your skills so much as it is a place where you apply them. There will be other low level activities to come.

Xiru

Ilyos said:

The reasoning behind putting them at a moderately 'mid-to-high' level is that the organization behind them wouldn't just contact anyone. It's not a place where you prove your skills so much as it is a place where you apply them. There will be other low level activities to come.

RP justification for skills/abilities/activities is beautiful. 

Xiru

Albion said:

Izrith said:

Don't know.
I can't do them because you have to have a high hacking rank to even start on them, which I find dumb.
Wake me up when there are low level ones. They don't have to pay out a lot, just be a way to level the ability without endless grind on the same terminals.

It's just level 9 hacking. Getting to level 75 for pvp or like 18 for captaincy to reach Destroyer for ship combat takes much more time.

Hell, I went from 6 to 8 just trying to get a bird.

Sairys

are way too difficult, and need some adjustments so that RNG elements are easier to find

Locating the brokers adds a weird faux difficulty to the experience, particularly when it seems plausible you could be hunting them for a while.
Even though it took me a decent while to realise I was looking in the wrong place for the thing I needed to retrieve, tracking the broker down was the only really frustrating aspect and I gave up trying a couple of times.

I think part of it was that because someone could have conceivably beaten me to a broker that spawned in the zone I was checking I didn't feel like I was necessarily progressing towards locating one, whereas once I actually had the contract any difficulty locating the targets was just ruling out possibilities.