Gallente Experimental Missions Flaw (CSM)

Stats

• Raised by: Z0D
• Submission Date: 28 March 2010
• Issue ID: tbd

Summary of the Problem

In a hasty move, the Gallente faction has received experimental storyline missions. The experimental state of the missions was admitted in a dev blog (see also relevant threads). While the story line team initially was ecstatic about their idea of weaving FW backstory into Gallente PvE content, it has turned out to be a terrible failure. Innocent mission runners post to F&I and other boards inquiring about these "odd" missions.

Details

The experimental mission have several issues:

1. as commonly happens for agents, some agent seem to give those storyline missions quite often;
2. they exist for all level of missions, thus sending even new players in low-sec; sometime even as first storyline mission;
3. they are storyline and not regular missions, so refusing them is more costly in terms of standing;
4. they send the players to a very few systems, system that are known to any interested party, making gate-camping very easy;
5. it is hard to complete them in a ship fitted to pass gate-camps; and some of the target systems do not have stations in them;
6. they are issued regardless of the distance from the storyline agent issuing them; some people were required to do a journey of 30-35 jumps using the shortest route. Agents in the Solitude region issue them while their target area is the FW region along the Caldari/Gallente border);
7. they create a serious problem to people trying to rise Gallente standing. Gallente storyline agents in Amarr, Caldari and Minmatar space issue them;
8. these missions are experimental and limited to Gallente - what a huge mis-balance;
9. as with other PvE content, unfortunately, this has been developed halfway and then forgotten. CCP Big Dumb Object admits that these missions were done on the spur of the moment, without any testing, without any consideration for the consequences; he speak of doing them for all the other factions but then these missions appear to have been forgotten.

Solution

The quick solution is to shut down these missions immediately.

The mission design should then be completed thoroughly, including tests on SiSi ! And implemented for all factions to avoid imbalance !

Pros

• The PvE community is no longer upset with a "feature" which is imbalanced, too difficult, and badly integrated into the PvE content
• Solution allows completion of the feature, with appropriate elaboration to all factions

Cons

• Some may call that imbalance is good and that not all factions should be the same. And Gallente lost the first season of FW after all. But it appears bad design how PvE pilots are involved into PvP (FW) content. That is not to say PvEs should be shown ways how to PvP, but these storyline missions are not the solution.

Relevant Forum Threads

• Remove the new experimental Gallente PVP storylines, official AH thread

• Storyline mission bug? - on Missions & Complexes, observe in particular CCP Jasonitas' post
• CCP Big Dump Object's dev blog on the issue, paragraph "Going to California"

Votes

Passed 9/0