Mission Ranks

[Edg3]

Are these things one of the worst things to happen between PSO and PSU or what?

[Aaron777]

It has benefits and drawbacks to be sure...

[Edg3]

I definitely like getting meseta (considering it actually matters in PSU... for now) and job points but to me it doesn't seem to be worth the bickering it causes.

[Candor]

i like the meseta and the mp, but i assume this is about the rank system. I think the ranks are fine, it's not just pass or fail, the way it judges is fine to me, wish it would tell me that i missed some monsters and give the option of finishing or not though.

[KiteWolfwood]

If you are one to care about rank then sure it is a good thing. But if you are one that doesn't care about rank then really it doesn't matter. People seem to think Ranking a mission by deaths and such ruins it. But it is the person themselves that ruins it. If you are one that says Ranks ruined PSU then just forget about what rank you got. Just have fun like you would if it was PSO.

[Ffuzzy-Logik]

I think it is a very good thing, since they have finally found a decent penalty for dying. No more stupid drop your meseta and weapons, or EXP loss.

[Candor]

good point, i frankly don't care if anyone dies in a mission. as long as we finish it without having to return to city because noone can revive i enjoy it.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Candor on 2006-11-24 21:23 ]</font>

[Ras]

I don't think it was implemented very well. You can join a mission 1 second after it starts and you won't get an S rank, which is a bit annoying.

[Eliash]

To me it depends on the party (leader). A good party (to me) will not mind if a person dies, unless they do so repeatedly or on purpose, and will try to have fun (void excessive 'offensive' comments). In this type of groups mission points can be something to strive for...to better the group's gameplay as a whole. The downside to the whole mission point system is that unless you play with friends who don't really care about being elite all the time, there will always be problems. With the addition to the boot feature came people who tend to misuse* it, and use mission points as an excuse. IMHO it adds a new aspect to the game, however, it does have a bad side. It brings out the elitism in some people, which usually discourages the casual players.

A simple, yet effective fix to the mission point problem is simple... when a person dies, but is revived either through a scape doll or a moon atomizer there is no change in rank. In addition to make missions more challenging to get S rank, they could time it like they do on the offline mode.

So like I've said before, I think it just matters on the type of group you are in. In a good group it could be a good thing, in a bad one it may be the worst thing ever thought up. I think the addition of S-rank missions will create a big problem between the casual players and the elitists.

*By the word 'misuse' I mean people who abuse their power by booting people with little reason or none at all and try to justify it on mission points. I have no problem with people booting players who deserve it, from behavior to people who just die constantly. I would even go as far as to say I would defend the people who do boot over trivial reasons just because they do have a right to do whatever they see fit, however it doesn't mean I have to think that they are right in doing so.

[Ffuzzy-Logik]

On 2006-11-24 21:30, Eliash wrote:

A simple, yet effective fix to the mission point problem is simple... when a person dies, but is revived either through a scape doll or a moon atomizer there is no change in rank. In addition to make missions more challenging to get S rank, they could time it like they do on the offline mode.

Bad idea. The whole moon thing-you're saying up to sixty (not including Moon Xs or scapes) deaths per run yet still having S possible? Lolno.

Timing missions is a no, as well. While I'd be fine with a few timed missions, having every single mission timed would be utterly stupid. As it is now, you can go afk for a (long) period of time during the run, yet still be able to get an S if you play well.

[MayLee]

Eh, it has it's flaws.

[Eliash]

Well either that or they figure something out for S-ranks because as it stands now missions points are just used as a scapegoat for people to show rude behavior (which most will do even if they changed how ranks are calculated). As for the timing, I can see it being a problem to some people on long stages but I don't agree with you on the afking during a mission and having S-rank. I think most people can dedicate 15-20 minutes to a mission or so, but if it's an emergency then you really won't care about what rank you would get either. Perhaps putting time as an 'extra' modifier would solve this somewhat. For example 1 death = -300 points, however, if you complete the mission under say 15 minutes you get a bonus 300 points (but won't increase your rank past S).

The point with the moon atomizers I'd agree, 60 deaths may be too much, so you can put a limit on how many deaths will not affect a mission rank. Something like 2 or 3 depending on the mission and difficulty level will suffice I would think.

The solutions I gave aren't really ment to be absolute, but more of a guide. They can be discarded in whole, or adopted in part, either way it would be interesting to see something done to reduce the hostility towards other players who are less skilled or unlucky.

Edit: Forgot to mention it would also be nice for the timer to be adjusted by the amount of people in the party. When the amount of player will be calculated could be debated. If it is calculated at the start it opens many opertunities for exploiters, yet at the end it could led to unfair time limits since people may join in at the end and reduce the time limit (as well as exploits with leaving before the mission ends). It is possible that it would take the average number of people during the whole mission round it and use that. Just something to think about.

Edit2: BTW I'm going to log off so if I don't respond you know why. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif Night everyone!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Eliash on 2006-11-24 21:58 ]</font>


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Eliash on 2006-11-24 22:00 ]</font>

[Ffuzzy-Logik]

No.

The ranking system is fine as it is now.

[Ether]

Ranking System sucks on every possible level

1. It discourages people from joining parties in progress. One of the greatest things about PSO was how simple it was to log on, run to the counter, and join an open game. PSU has taken that away, and replaced it with "Oh, I can't join that party, its older than 2 minutes, I won't get A rank" If I'm present for 50% of the party, is it not fair that I get half of the reward, and not C rank which is usually nothing at all?

2. It makes people insanely emo when someone dies. One of the things that ruined FFXI for me was that no one would ever want to help you with anything, because they were afraid they'd die. Well PSU trumps that with no one wanting your help, because they're afraid you're going to die and ruin their S-rank. DIE=KICK does not make for a friendly community

3. It makes the map design boring. Imagine if PSO had a similar system where you got bonus exp for killing every enemy. Now remember how much larger the maps were, and how full of dead ends they were. It'd be really annoying, right? The maps in PSU are ridiculously straight forward, the most you ever have to go is one, some times two rooms off the main path to reach all the enemies. A majority of the maps though, its not even possible to miss enemies, and it makes for boring levels

[Valius]

It would be nice if it didn't cause so much drama.
I think they should add Free Missions where you don't get rank, but they'd be larger so the loss of meseta and job points would be offset by getting more EXP and more chances for drops.