VIP Store Purchase: "Before the Exile" Career Boosts

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Akkamaddi
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VIP Store Purchase: "Before the Exile" Career Boosts

Post by Akkamaddi »

Since VIP store purchases are a thing today, four ideas for boosts related to careers before the captain was exiled, giving a small career boost. These are strongest at lower levels, but still useful at higher levels.



Before the Exile: Rockhound
VIP: 20
Single Purchase

Before your Exile, you already had a background in geology and mining. While the government of the Core tried to wipe these memories along with other parts of your history, the processing of the Exile has become hurried and sloppy, and so some useful memories resurface. This knowledge could have been an academic or industrial background, where your knowledge would have been seen as a threat to the Core. Or, you could have been a fringe asteroid grinder, avoiding the Core, making a living learning to push any equipment you could acquire.

Your exceptional knowledge lets you push any equipment you equip a little beyond its specifications. You know the common equipment on a hardware and software level. You have an instinct for when random noise is actually something of value, and you can tweak the transform algorithms to filter out something that is likely only Ore.

For each asteroid mining scanner that you equip in your ship systems, you can push them just a bit further and get a +1 bonus to your base scan rating. This is obviously a great advantage when using basic equipment, but advanced Rigal scanners have such advanced AI that the bonus is minimal. This only affects true asteroid mining scanners. The bonus does not affect mining lasers, Christmas boosters, or Babylon PODs. This limits the bonus to +3 BSR when the captain is able to equip three scanners.



Before the Exile: Combat Experience
VIP: 20
Single Purchase

Before your Exile, you already had ship to ship combat experience. While the government of the Core tried to wipe these memories along with other parts of your history, the processing of the Exile has become hurried and sloppy, and so some useful memories resurface. This background could have been as a soldier for the Core, a security guard for one of the mega-conglomerates, or even as a privateer. We are all given a fresh start as an Exile, so it is not our place to judge. What you knew made you a threat to the Core, and some of that knowledge remains.

You have skill piloting, either to catch an interloper or avoid authorities, and can push your ship’s thrusters. You get a flat +1 Speed bonus to any ship you pilot.

Your history with seeking conflict or avoiding detection in the Core lets you push any combat scanners you equip a little beyond their specifications. You know the common equipment on a hardware and software level. You have an instinct for when random noise is actually a distant target, and you have a better intuition for tapping in to undocumented communication bands.

For every combat scanner you equip in your ship systems, you can push them just a bit further and get a +1 bonus target resolution. This is obviously a great advantage when using basic equipment, but advanced Predator or Syband scanners have such advanced AI that the bonus is minimal. This only affects combat target scanners. The bonus does not affect targeting devices (damage boosters), Christmas boosters, or a Coalition Target Scanner. This limits the bonus to +3 target hits when the captain is able to equip three scanners.



Before the Exile: Salvage Scrapper
VIP: 20
Single purchased

Before your Exile, you already had a background in ship recovery and salvage. While the government of the Core tried to wipe these memories along with other parts of your history, the processing of the Exile has become hurried and sloppy, and so some useful memories resurface. This knowledge could have been an industrial background, or, you could have been a fringe scrapper, avoiding the core, making a living learning to push any equipment you could acquire. It seems you found something the Core wanted hidden, and you became a threat.

Your history with salvage lets you push any salvage scanners you equip a little beyond their specifications. You know the common equipment hardware and software. You have an instinct for when random noise is actually a distant target of value, and you can tweak the reconstruction of distant scan echoes.

For every salvage scanner you equip in your ship systems, including any Wide Spectrum System scan enhancer model, you can tweak the filters and gain +2 hours scan time. While being very valuable to a pilot using beginning equipment, this has a maximum benefit of +6 hours with three devices equipped.

Further, you can push any Scan Limit Expander equipped to a flat +1 target hit bonus. Again, while valuable with beginning equipment, the more advanced models show a diminishing return effect.

This skill does not affect Christmas boosters, Wreck Extenders, or any other equipment that is equipped as a ship special or POD.

Lastly, if the ship is salvaged to completion, you have a chance to find a little extra in the wreckage. At the screen indicating that the ship is completely salvaged and only unsalvagable debris remains, you know to skim over the scan logs to possibly find a little more loot. In effect, on the “salvage complete” window (not for an abandon stop or out of fuel stop, only completion), below the normal text window, you get a new, second window “A quick reanalysis of the scan results may find additional scraps.” with a salvage laser result/loot window. There is a 50% chance that this window will contain 1-10 units of loot appropriate for the COMBAT loot table appropriate for that ship’s faction. This is essentially a combat loot pull rather than a salvage loot pull, as you have found a hidden stash the combat pilot missed. The Wreck Salvage Association does not recognize this debris for standing. A combat loot booster pod or the critical combat loot captain upgrade WILL affect this window’s loot pull. This pull is NOT subject to a “rescan” or Combat Loot Probe use. Note that even a successful chance of a combat loot pull could result in an empty pull; loot is not guaranteed.



Before the Exile: Transportation and Haulage
VIP: 20
Single purchased

Before your Exile, you already had a background in transportation of commercial, sensitive, or covert goods and passengers. While the government of the Core tried to wipe these memories along with other parts of your history, the processing of the Exile has become hurried and sloppy, and so some useful memories resurface. This background could have been as a respected commercial pilot, transporter of diplomats and moguls, or even as a talented smuggler. We are all given a fresh start as an Exile, so it is not our place to judge. Eventually, you may have become too curious or too loose with your talk, or you became the patsy for the wrong assignment, and you were deemed a threat to the Core.

When transporting goods or people, you have an instinctive eye for finding those who need immediate service, and who will pay a little extra. At the end of any successful haul for goods (Ashar, Wesbec, or Pirate) or people (Union), at the window pop up saying the mission is complete and credits and XP are allocated, there is a 10% chance of a second window below that. This window notifies you that the contractor appreciates service both swift and discrete, and has left a little extra at the office and left you a good endorsement on your contract, though the name might be fake. For that haul, you get +100% credits paid, and +10% XP and faction standing.

Further, tricks to calibrate your sensors for “smooth and safe travel” really pay off. You have two chances to find a “Cache Discovered” result for every haul, rather than the normal one chance. Other pilots appreciate you cleaning the space lanes, while you get loot to sell or trade.
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Akkamaddi
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Re: VIP Store Purchase: "Before the Exile" Career Boosts

Post by Akkamaddi »

These may work better as a captain upgrade, or both, as the strongest benefit is at low levels. Someone relying on VIP points to purchase them may be a high enough level to see less of a benefit, though they could still be useful. Just a thought.
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Darakhoranon
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Re: VIP Store Purchase: "Before the Exile" Career Boosts

Post by Darakhoranon »

I agree with Akkamaddi, these upgrades would be most (or even almost only) useful for low level pilots, i.e. those less likely to get them.

Still, they (or something like them) would definitely add some much needed atmosphere to CE.

I think the idea for Transportation/Haulage (small chance for increased rewards) would work best here. It would have to be applied to the different professions/career paths (e.g. x% chance for increased yield when mining, or x% chance for increase yield when salvaging), but that shouldn't add too much extra complexity. That way, you'd still get a bonus for the early levels, but it would also remain useful later on.
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