So the new map and round has severely nerfed cargo missions*. Combat missions are once again attractive, which is good for the goal of getting folks to use both mission types to run influence. It is bad, however, for the goal of making Skyrates a sporadic game: when combat missions are worthwhile for normal players, they allow anyone with the time to grind to dominate the charts.

There's a simple solution, and that's capping the number of combat missions that a player can run each day. Where this cap should be placed is something I'm not really sure of. I suggest that the way to reach that conclusion is to frame the discussion in terms of how much grind time a player should be able to get an influence reward for each day, then figuring out about how many combat missions you can complete in that time.


*Distances are shorter and planes are slower, but inf/km is mostly unchanged. A mission now yields less influence than before due to shorter distance, but takes about the same amount of time to complete. The perf line got extra love with the cargo nerf combined with mostly no change in the cargo requirements for missions. The appropriateness of such is outside the scope of this discussion, however. It would be nice if the number of available missions went back up, though, while I'm rambling.

Edited to reflect reality.

Nobody is really taking full advantage of this yet (I'd gander well over half of mine is still from cargo missions). But it is certainly true that combat missions far outweigh cargo missions s'far as an inf/hour figure is concerned. Though I'd much rather have them nerfed a bit in the inf/kill department rather than have a fixed limit applied to them. A 25% across the board nerf to them would go a great ways towards levelling the field. Perhaps more, pending further data.

This is exacerbated by the ridiculousness that is Romeo/Juliet. Having 5 lvl 17 patrols each and being as close as they are makes for an insane amount of influence. There are some other nice options, but this particular pairing is far too good.

Some cargo missions have changed: Wine, Roses, and I Smell Burning have all had their cargo reduced and payout increased. However, every combat mission I've seen has also increased, except Great Crusade (no change) and Stroganoff and Ice Cream (reduced).

Confirmed mission changes.

As someone who uses combat missions to boost combat level and farm combat points, I would suggest making combat missions require more kills per influence, which would address this problem and also mean that I run out of combat missions mid-flight less often.

I'd personally like to see combat missions made more like cargo missions. Give each cargo mission a destination skyland that you have to fly to (like cargo missions) then make the first patrol at that skyland have a 100% chance of spawning a special combat that if you win you get the inf reward.

I like it.

Then they're exactly the same as cargo missions with the added pain of having to be there on landing to collect. A system that scales down payments as more missions are taken seems more reasonable.

Or we can stop letting them stack: have each defeated pirate only count towards the first combat mission active.

Well, I like the idea of a 100% spawn special combat connected to the mission.

No, they're not: they still consume hold space.

I'd like to see these Special-Combat Bounties in addition to the regular combat missions, but that may be outside the scope of this thread.

The idea of combat missions that have you go to a specific place to fight a special combat was discussed recently on the radio. I think it is a stellar idea for giving combat players more interesting things to do. But let's be clear, a feature like that and its connection to influence are logically distinct. We can have BOTH types of combat missions and their influence values can be adjusted as necessary to satisfy people who care about influence while letting everyone else still get the benefit of flying around skytopia hunting notorious pirates and challenging them to duels

Fex

PS) On the topic of using missions to raise difficulty, this illuminates the need for some combat upgrades that boost danger level ("Offensive Decals"). Increased danger level is PRECISELY the sort of thing that combat players want, so it makes sense to have a combat upgrade that does this. It is also hilarious to think about pirates seeing a bumper sticker that offends them and going after someone.

Even more hilarious is the fact they wouldn't go after a player just because they don't have the decals on. I mean cmon. If you can see my decals, you are already in "combat" range.

Plus.. where do these pirates come from anyways? they have sea based platforms or carriers cause they avoid skylands (mostly) especially the most popular ones. I mean the black on the danger map is where pirates swarm. but what are they swarming around? Where are they hiding?

Small skylets, boats, what they could salvage from the 50 or so decommissioned fuel platforms from prior rounds, modified airships, secret airstrips on the major skylands that are protected by bribes and official corruption, hidden fleet platforms and carriers, and much more?

Theres more!? and how do you know all this? Maybe we should have pirate owned areas (like factions have no influence) and have combat missions require you to hunt around these places, take down notorious pirates etc. They will rob you blind on landing and they will definitely trade (ripping you off) high FL required and the sils dont show up on world map until after you unlock them. Spawn each unlock mission as some trust mission.

T&P 5: Raider's hideout!
We have been fighting off pirate attacks for days! One of the sentries marked down the most common vector they were heading in during the attacks and we think we might have found their hideout! Unfortunately no one is brave enough to go out there and find out if he's right or not. If you could go out there and get rid of them these attacks would stop! (kill 100 pirates enroute to or hunting around Bandit Lair)