37 replies to this topic

[Lily from animove]

So my faction in the forum is gone.
I guess this is because of the 7day contract that ran out and I am the unit leader.

Yet I wonder what does that mean for unit members, would they be inable to participate in CW until the leader goes online ingame and makes a new contract?
Imagine the leader is away for some days unplanned or for technical reasons his MOW doesn't works.

that truly would suck, we need at least a possibility to make contracts via website.







also, pls bring back clan loyalists who can attack IS planets and defend clanworlds vs IS only.

Edited by Lily from animove, 19 December 2014 - 04:02 AM.

[Steinar Bergstol]

I do believe that is what it means, yes. My unitleader took a few days to log on after CW dropped, and until he signed a contract I was unable to participate.

[Karl Streiger]

would be enough to make extend a contract before it ran out.
alternative to have a second in command - that can make it happen.

[NextGame]

AS were unemployed for like 10 minutes yesterday when our contract an out, it was terrible, we couldn't do anything!

So yes, theres definitely a requirement for units to have an active leadership otherwise their members don't get to play (unless they quit unit and take their own contract)

Edited by NextGame, 19 December 2014 - 05:39 AM.

[slide]

Give some of your sub ordinates the ability to sign contracts, problem solved (under rank management)

[Lily from animove]

NextGame, on 19 December 2014 - 05:38 AM, said:

AS were unemployed for like 10 minutes yesterday when our contract an out, it was terrible, we couldn't do anything!

So yes, theres definitely a requirement for units to have an active leadership otherwise their members don't get to play (unless they quit unit and take their own contract)

but then they cna not rejoin currently because contracts are invalid with the Units contracts lenght. It's kind of a design flaw here.

A leader could choose to extend a contract.
Or he should be able to select a new contract before the other runs out.
Or also be able to choose on the website.

In some case when your leader is having a job and such, but still palys daily, the contract could end like 10 minutes after he leaves for the job and may return 10hours later. Meaning anyone else is kinda excluded form CW.

Edited by Lily from animove, 19 December 2014 - 06:36 AM.

[oldradagast]

Steinar Bergstol, on 19 December 2014 - 04:53 AM, said:

I do believe that is what it means, yes. My unitleader took a few days to log on after CW dropped, and until he signed a contract I was unable to participate.

Some of us have brought up this problem as something that needs to be addressed.

Units should not have their ability to participate in CW warfare determined by the attentiveness of the unit leader. Sure, large groups may have very dedicated unit leaders that keep everything up to date, but very small ones - which are all over the place - are not that fortunate. That, and even the leader of a large unit could be struck by misfortune unexpectedly and sideline his whole unit.

No, there should be a system in place to handle this - ideas include:

1) Allow for every player to pick a default faction. So, if a faction reset happens on units, which already happened once, they default to their chosen faction and can keep playing at least until the unit leader resets the unit.

2) Allow for "rolling contracts" - basically, if the current unit contract expires and no new one is chosen, players have the option to just repeat the last chosen option without the unit leader being needed to make that decision. Again, once the leader returns, his choice will override the members of the unit, but at least until that happens, they can keep playing in CW.

3) Create a more meaningful unit structure. For example, if a contract expires and no new one is chosen within X hours, several secondary members of the unit (give them some fancy title) chosen by the leader can pick the contract. This isn't perfect unless the unit leader is REQUIRED to pick others to act in his place, since without that requirement, if nobody is designated to act in place of the leader, the unit will still be locked out if the leader is not around when the contract expires.

It sounds like this last option may already exist in some form in game, but without requiring other people to be listed as optional authorities, it won't accomplish much since most leaders will just forget to assign those roles.

Any or all of the above options - and probably a few I didn't think of - would work, but something does need to be done about this, IMHO.

Edited by oldradagast, 19 December 2014 - 07:02 AM.

[Lily from animove]

they could also "keep" the contract until a member logs in that is allowed to choose a faction. This ways members wouldn't drop into an "empty hole".

Edited by Lily from animove, 19 December 2014 - 07:06 AM.

[Durant Carlyle]

The solution to this problem is already in the game...

slide, on 19 December 2014 - 05:44 AM, said:

Give some of your sub ordinates the ability to sign contracts, problem solved (under rank management)

...right here. The unit leader just needs to create a rank or two with contract authorization, and then give it to some active players.

[oldradagast]

Durant Carlyle, on 19 December 2014 - 07:15 AM, said:

The solution to this problem is already in the game...


...right here. The unit leader just needs to create a rank or two with contract authorization, and then give it to some active players.

True, but it really should be a requirement to designate at least one other authority to act when the leader is not around. Otherwise, as option, many people may not notice it.

[Straith]

I'd think the easy answer is to provide day to day contract extensions with no bonuses until the unit leader or delegate signs a new contract.

[Voivode]

Game has tools for this already, it's your responsibility to use them.

[MoonUnitBeta]

Yes, we would need a lot of options:
1) Website access to Inner Sphere map and Unit details and control.
2) The ability to auto-renew old contracts after 2 days of not choosing anything.
3) The ability to allow officers to renew old contracts. (maybe seeing a list of past contracts, and clicking one of them and renew it)

[Cerlin]

As a co you can give the rights to sign contracts to as many members as you want. I say give it too your vets if you feel this is an issue.

[oldradagast]

Voivode, on 19 December 2014 - 07:32 AM, said:

Game has tools for this already, it's your responsibility to use them.

Except, as stated before, the unit members have zero ability to get their leader to use them.

The ability to delegate authority is useless if the person in charge doesn't know it exists or has no interest in using it.

[Sandpit]

You guys do realize that a unit (not a faction btw) allows its leader to set up more than one general of the army position right?

Units are player formed groups. if you're unhappy with your unit then join another one that you enjoy playing with more? PGI isn't responsible for organizing and running your player run unit.

[Mordin Ashe]

Well Lily, you are always welcome at CGBI.
Just saying.

[oldradagast]

Sandpit, on 19 December 2014 - 09:16 AM, said:

You guys do realize that a unit (not a faction btw) allows its leader to set up more than one general of the army position right?

Units are player formed groups. if you're unhappy with your unit then join another one that you enjoy playing with more? PGI isn't responsible for organizing and running your player run unit.

Nobody suggested that PGI run their unit - try reading what was actually written before posting your usual performances. They just wanted more ways to make sure they can keep playing CW and have suggested some ways to improve the system.

Yes, there's an option for leaders to designate seconds. Clearly, that option is not being used as well as it should be, hence the suggested feature request.

Edited by oldradagast, 19 December 2014 - 09:25 AM.

[Sandpit]

oldradagast, on 19 December 2014 - 09:21 AM, said:

Yes, there's an option for leaders to designate seconds. Clearly, that option is not being used as well as it should be, hence the suggested feature request.

Which is what I opened my post with,

Youe unit leader can appoint as many as they want ot have access to this stuff. PGI has already implemented a mechanic to do what youre' asking. It's up to players to do that and/or join units that do this.

[Lily from animove]

Sandpit, on 19 December 2014 - 09:16 AM, said:

You guys do realize that a unit (not a faction btw) allows its leader to set up more than one general of the army position right?

Units are player formed groups. if you're unhappy with your unit then join another one that you enjoy playing with more? PGI isn't responsible for organizing and running your player run unit.

even those co-leaders could be temprarly not online. the system has the gap that the contract runs off and someone has to come online at the moment. This is not really a good system, unless you give everyone the right to do that, but then hope the newbies don't accidently permanently pledge to the wrong faction.

Maybe a better system is that contract do never run out but have a minimum term.

So when you make a 7 day contract, and 7 days are over, the contract stays but quitting the contract after the minimum term does not cost anything. This would be a safe system where no one traps in a hole of factionlessness ever.