Well yes, by rank was what I was thinking. That's how it works for the fleet bank. The lifetime use limit, though, may be overcomplicating things. I think if Cryptic were to do this, their position'd probably that be you'll just have to keep an eye on it yourself.
The only ones my fleet (as rom allied) never lets buy anything are new members, you can start buying at rank 2.... I have worked my way up to being just below the founder in the contribution leaderboards (and in one holding even outrank him). On the one hand there are a-hole fleets outthere who will get your stuff and kick you, on the other side a fleet can't necessarily afford (especially smaller ones) anyone just being able to join, grab stuff and bolt.... we want to see if you'll contribute before giving you access to stores. That being said we have a detailed outline of what the contribution requirements are for advancement.
even in small fleets it only takes one GREEDY member to drain all the resources. with little or no way to track who did what .while you may trust your members its bound to have these problems . so at times it might be necessary to close off access to build up provisions . I personally have not gotten to use provisions i grind for to have someone else use them up .
even when i buy from the stores i try to be considerate to others in my fleet , while others just bleed it dry .
to be honest its one of the fleet systems not designed well .there is no fine tuning in the system to better control this , its either ON or OFF.
Indeed, I've used like 4 provisions from my fleet store and have millions in FC from contributions. It takes lots of DOFFS, dilithium, and material goods to built and provision a fleet....... the FC and dil one spends buying things from the fleet store is in no way a contribution to the fleet, what one contributes to the holdings is what matters.
Regarding provisions, I agree it would be very nice to be able to tell who used what, when.
But considering that even the fleet bank logs aren't a perfect and complete record, and the recent events box still occasionally tells me I've been promoted, I dunno if it will be accurate.
Fleet leaders could use a member management report UI that brings those kinds of metrics to the surface and then allows you to drill down for specific info.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
There is a belief that as a member of a fleet, you have the right to access to goods available in a fleets stores.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
There are players that beg for invites to your fleet store, so that they too can have access to the latest and greatest. There are fleet members who sell access.
For fleets to work, you have to work. Literally and figuratively.
The reality is for active fleet members, building the projects and stocking them with provisions takes time and effort. Not a little effort. Not some effort. It takes a &^%$-load of effort.
So that set of 20+ provisions you'd ultimately like to get for ground and space cost as much or more in fleet resources that the shelf-price indicates. And that's fine for the whiners.
Did they hustle their TRIBBLE day after day filling the 150+ doffs per project? Did they come up with the 650,000 dill to max out a project?
Did they spend their fleet marks on filling doffs? or did they blow it on silly consumables?
I'm happy that I found a fleet that works together; that has structured it's build program for best effect, and that makes it's members works for the betterment of the whole.
That's why we are a T5 starbase, T3 Embassy, and as of tomorrow, a T3 dilithium mine.
We're 80 members strong (140 with alts), and we've accomplished things fleets 3-4 times our size still have been unable to do.
Almost everyone has unfettered access to our resources. Why?
1.) To be a fleet member You have to be active in our events.
2.) You have to donate fairly, not just dump expertise or fleet marks.
3.) You have to be a keener; willing to learn or teach others.
4.) Above all, You have to be a team-player. Ronin need not apply.
Regarding provisions, I agree it would be very nice to be able to tell who used what, when.
But considering that even the fleet bank logs aren't a perfect and complete record, and the recent events box still occasionally tells me I've been promoted, I dunno if it will be accurate.
Fleet leaders could use a member management report UI that brings those kinds of metrics to the surface and then allows you to drill down for specific info.
I think you've nailed down by far the biggest problem with the fleet system- which is that the admin tools available to fleet leaders are limited and, frankly, terrible.
Even the simple roster page doesn't work right- unless you've got it set to display offline members, too, the roster jumps around as people log in an log out- but the highlighted row doesn't change, which means that if it moves while you're in the middle of typing an officer note, you've just blanked out somebody else's o-note.
The kick/promote/demote buttons on the bottom of the roster page are even more dangerous- becaue THEY DON'T AFFECT THE HIGHLIGHTED NAME. They affect a different, seemingly random person. We have to use the right-click context menu to promote people or boot inactives.
The fleet I am in is actually a multi-fleet polity (with its own chat channel that a few of the developers occasionally wander into). Trust me when I say there's no consideration given to the possibility of multiple fleets sharing the same officers and structure. We are writing our own tools to scrape data from the Gateway so we can run things.
This kind of attitude seems to be apart of the welfare, care bear, occupy, something for nothing mentality which is threatening to destroy America. If you want something then you have to earn it.
Oh look, someone just had to bring in idiotic political statements into the thread.
There are many fleets which expect commitments and contributions on your part. At the same time, i believe there are fleets out there which require less contributions to the fleet. This is something that individuals should find if they are not putting enough game time into STO, whether it is because of work/school. It all comes down to finding the right fleet which fits your scheduel and goals.
There are many fleets which expect commitments and contributions on your part.
I pretty much agree. There are a lot Fleets out there that are far from T5 or Emb./Mine Tier 3 to worry about being robbed of their end game Fleet provisions (they have none). But to keep those that contribute isolated from what they "Did" help to generate is a little selfish. I've been with 3 Fleets now (lesson learned), all with the mind-set that everyone who joins will rob you blind in a week if given the chance. No proof, but that's their belief.
I've generated over 300k FC with the first and another 500k with the 2nd. And the 3rd I'm just over 600k sitting in a rank 2 spot of a rank 4/5 bank access. Now I don't really want to buy anything until "we" reach max Tier but it would've been nice to know I could after all I've contributed.
Don't get me wrong, I like the mid-size working towards something group, there's enough there for timezone coverage and you make a few m8's but they seem to be ran by hoarders and control freaks. My last leader left for a two month vacation with no number 2 in place to promote or grant access, not to mention queue up projects.
I read the replies in this thread about how organize everyone else's Fleet is and yet in my experiences, they say the same thing and we still see threads like this one keep popping up. If I had something else to spend my resources on other then Fleets I would in a heartbeat..Bummer:(
There are some nice people out there giving away free access to their maxed-out starbases, embassies and mines. You just need to have your own fleet provisions to spend. This literally eliminates any disadvantages small fleets have, with the exception of fleet ship access.
This means that you have the option of owning your own small fleet, and being the boss of your provisions, if you choose to. Or you might happen to enjoy the process of building up your fleet as a team, and socializing on fleet chat, even if that means that you're dependent on the decisions of the fleet's leadership. It's up to you.
Oh goody, I have to beg the fleet leaders again to get access to a fleet store. This doesn't exactly put me in the mood to donate to 'their' fleet. The only mood it puts me in is the 'log off and stop playing' mood.
Is it my imagination or is every single aspect of a MMO"RPG" designed to hinder roleplaying. I get more grief and competition (ore/spawn thieves) from people in my own faction than the supposed enemy faction.
That's the great thing about the game! Fleets on not the end game!! So go do something else.
Or better yet join another fleet!
I understand the limiting of access. Our fleet is maxed on base & embassy. In 1 1/2 days we will be done with the mine. We have heard the stories of people joining grabbing then leaving. We are a good fleet where everyone pitches in. For that reason we have a probation period & you have to also contribute so much before you can have access. Unlocked does not mean that the stuff does not cost. Projects much be ran and ran to keep up the stores. Heck we have had elite consoles in mines for over a week or more. It is always empty lol.
The solution to your problem is clear. Accept that fact that you do not need Fleet gear and do without it. Alternatively, start your own fleet, get a couple of buddies to help you, and you can have all the access you like.
Also I hear, though I don't know from experience, that some fleets will give you invites and/or access to their stores if you ask or pay a nominal fee. Maybe try that as you need things.
"Go play with your DPS in the corner, I don't care how big it is." ~ Me "There... are... four... lights!" ~Jean Luc Picard
The Fl337 people earned everything in the Fl337 system by committing lots of time, energy, and resources grinding their Fl337's up to Tier 5 and unlocking everything.
SOLO players are free to do the exact same thing themselves, but it'll take longer because they don't know how to make friends and work together with people to get things done faster like the Fl337 people they so despise.
That's a nice sentiment, but what have I earned busting my @ss in the real world so l337 slackers can have all the time in the world to make their star bases and lord them over me?
Teaching people that grouping together is the only way to get ahead is dumb, but makes those groups perfect prey for people who can function on their own.
My GF asked me about what will happen if the world ends and we aren't "doomday preppers" like on the TV show. I reassured her that as long as other groups of people are, we will be fine.
Cryptic and PWE seem to want ALL the money, yet they don't seem to get that the real world needs real people to work most of the time to make that money.
If they really wanted ALL the money, they would make ALL Fl337 goodies available to BOTH groupers and SOLOs and rake in ALL the money since casual gamers make up the majority of their subscribers duh.
The groupers would still have each other, which is supposedly their point. :rolleyes:
Pretty much every day new players join our fleet. I am not the leader of the fleet but I am one of the officers and since I joined this fleet I have found that they are very fun to do STF's with and most members will drop what ever it is they are doing to help you with anything you might need help with.
That is the most rewarding thing I can think of about MMO's, and that is offering to help a player, even outside of your fleet/guild. Nothing gives me more satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment more then realizing I helped someone to have fun while we were both playing in an MMO.
The Fleet/Guild system in STO is very good because it actually gives the fleet some goals, so besides just being a group that chats and plays the game together you are also making your Starbase, Embassy, and Dilithium Mine become better with each contribution each player makes.
I don't mind the fleet system. It's been a big challenge for my fleet to level up our numerous Starbases and holdings, but we're nearly done getting Tier V on all three branches in our main Starbase... our Embassy complete and the Dilthium mine well on the way. We have three Fed faction fleets to house all our members, each at different stages of development and our KDF fleet is nearing Tier V in engineering.
We restrict access to the fleet stores and provisions until someone has been in the fleet for I believe two weeks or has contributed something to the Starbase projects. This is simply because in the past we've had someone come in and use all our provisions before buggering off and leaving everyone else in the lurch. It's a give and take thing, for smaller groups I can understand it being frustrating but for us at the UFP it's been great and will be an enormous achievement when it's complete.
Looking for a dedicated Star Trek community? Visit www.ufplanets.com for details.
Yeah, people in small fleets have been telling that to Cryptic for a year now. :P
Well given the track record, they will get around to it next year. :rolleyes:
No, they already did. They implemented something that would make a significant difference in small fleets' ability to progress. The Dilithium Mine.
(This is what Cryptic believes to be true. Math be damned.)
"Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way." -Gozer, Cryptic PvP Dev
Even with that difference, you still have to grind a ton of dili for it and on top of that we have yet another fleet holding coming out soon. I'm in a small fleet and it's hard enough getting to t3 for us.
1. Get rid of Provisions.
2. Increase the cost of items in fleet credits to compensate.
Some respondents to this thread lack a wide perspective. I was once in a fleet where I was one of the bigger contributers with half a million fleet credits, but had my store privileges revoked. Why? Because STO added a new holding, and the fleet leader wanted to assure that he, his personal friends and all their little alts got their fill of the new items first, regardless of their contribution level. Then after they got their fill, they reversed course and decided they were going to wait until they completed the final tier before adding provision projects again.
"Well, you just joined the wrong fleet." Yes, several times. If it isn't a selfish leader, it's a stupid leader. If it isn't a stupid leader, it's an inactive leader. If it isn't an inactive leader, it's multiple leaders who can't get along and TRIBBLE everything up. But after having the provisions that I personally contributed to yanked from me, I'm done. I pulled out all my characters and formed my own personal fleet. The only projects I do in my fleet are provisioning projects, and the minimums to start provisions. I have no intention of ever building up the tech tiers. If I want an elite fleet item, I'll buy a starbase invite. Under no circumstances will I ever again allow my provisions to be under someone else's control. Unfortunately, this solution to the problem has decreased my social opportunities compared to being in a real fleet.
I've also seen Provisions become a problem as a fleet co-leader. When you invite a new member, you don't know if they have 0 fleet credits or 3 million carried over from a previous fleet. We had a member do the absolute minimum to get store access and then empty out the fleet's provisions with credits earned elsewhere. But you can't prevent that scenario by blocking someone from using fleet credits earned at another fleet. That's too steep a penalty for making a mistake and contributing to what turns out to be a bad fleet. I'd still be in that fleet that did me wrong if I couldn't take my credits with me.
It's Provisions that are the main problem. They create all the opportunities for abuse, because fleet leaders simultaneously have way too much control over provisions and yet not nearly enough tools and information to effectively manage them, even if they have good intentions. It doesn't fit the game world RP-wise either, at least on the Federation side. Starfleet is supposed to be a meritocracy, not an apparatus for cronyism. Also, once all the projects are done, what's to stop a fleet leader from kicking everyone else out and keeping the benefits for himself, and lining his pockets with EC from selling access to the provisions?
Just dump provisions and increase credit costs. Then you have to earn what you buy, and if you sneak into a new fleet with a million credits stored up, at least you're not damaging them by draining their provisions without making a proportionate contribution. Some people are saying that provisions are a small fleet's only advantage, but if you increase credit costs, you'd likely see some movement by players from big fleets to small fleets where it's easier to earn credits, at least temporarily. It still wouldn't be a great system, but it'd be far less easily abused.
I honestly look forward to the day when fleet items become as obsolete as craftable items. That's the real solution.
1. Get rid of Provisions.
2. Increase the cost of items in fleet credits to compensate.
Some respondents to this thread lack a wide perspective.
As do you. Provisions aren't the problem, fleet leadership is the problem.
Again, provisions are one of the few things where large fleets have a disadvantage, because it's harder to manage. As such, it's one of the only things that make small fleets even microscopically attractive.
So provisions should stay. And for everyone having trouble with them, let me just say:
"Give up your big fleets and join smaller fleets."
"Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way." -Gozer, Cryptic PvP Dev
As do you. Provisions aren't the problem, fleet leadership is the problem.
Again, provisions are one of the few things where large fleets have a disadvantage, because it's harder to manage. As such, it's one of the only things that make small fleets even microscopically attractive.
So provisions should stay. And for everyone having trouble with them, let me just say:
"Give up your big fleets and join smaller fleets."
Plus if a fleet has completed all other projects, then provision projects are the only way for members to earn credits.
Removing provisions will essentially impoverish members of top level fleets and restrict them from purchasing fleet items just as much if not more then the current model.
It's not myfault ifyoufeel trolledbymyDisco ball...Sorry'boutit.
My KDF fleet didn't allow me to buy from the store. Since they had me at the lowest ranking. After I contribute to their projects and got enough for the ship I wanted. I asked the Fleet Leader for a promotion. Sure enough like 2 days later I got the promotion. With a big thanks for helping on the projects. I got my ship, and still give them stuff to keep my self in good graces with the fleet. Plus I might buy more stuff later as well.
I agree if you don't chat, stf, or at least help on their projects. Then you don't deserve to buy from their store. It prevents someone from robbing the store/bank and then leave. However if you still do all that, and they don't allow you to buy. Then leave the fleet and find another. That is just wrong.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
Plus if a fleet has completed all other projects, then provision projects are the only way for members to earn credits.
Removing provisions will essentially impoverish members of top level fleets and restrict them from purchasing fleet items just as much if not more then the current model.
You don't have to keep a bad design feature to maintain an influx of currency. The solution is absurdly simple:
Let a maxed out Fleet simply 'buy' Marks and Dilithium indefinitely. It does two things, acts as an FC source and a Dilithium sink.
Comments
even when i buy from the stores i try to be considerate to others in my fleet , while others just bleed it dry .
to be honest its one of the fleet systems not designed well .there is no fine tuning in the system to better control this , its either ON or OFF.
But considering that even the fleet bank logs aren't a perfect and complete record, and the recent events box still occasionally tells me I've been promoted, I dunno if it will be accurate.
Fleet leaders could use a member management report UI that brings those kinds of metrics to the surface and then allows you to drill down for specific info.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
There are players that beg for invites to your fleet store, so that they too can have access to the latest and greatest. There are fleet members who sell access.
For fleets to work, you have to work. Literally and figuratively.
The reality is for active fleet members, building the projects and stocking them with provisions takes time and effort. Not a little effort. Not some effort. It takes a &^%$-load of effort.
So that set of 20+ provisions you'd ultimately like to get for ground and space cost as much or more in fleet resources that the shelf-price indicates. And that's fine for the whiners.
Did they hustle their TRIBBLE day after day filling the 150+ doffs per project? Did they come up with the 650,000 dill to max out a project?
Did they spend their fleet marks on filling doffs? or did they blow it on silly consumables?
I'm happy that I found a fleet that works together; that has structured it's build program for best effect, and that makes it's members works for the betterment of the whole.
That's why we are a T5 starbase, T3 Embassy, and as of tomorrow, a T3 dilithium mine.
We're 80 members strong (140 with alts), and we've accomplished things fleets 3-4 times our size still have been unable to do.
Almost everyone has unfettered access to our resources. Why?
1.) To be a fleet member You have to be active in our events.
2.) You have to donate fairly, not just dump expertise or fleet marks.
3.) You have to be a keener; willing to learn or teach others.
4.) Above all, You have to be a team-player. Ronin need not apply.
That earns you the right to buy.
My Two Bits,
AdmiralThrax
I think you've nailed down by far the biggest problem with the fleet system- which is that the admin tools available to fleet leaders are limited and, frankly, terrible.
Even the simple roster page doesn't work right- unless you've got it set to display offline members, too, the roster jumps around as people log in an log out- but the highlighted row doesn't change, which means that if it moves while you're in the middle of typing an officer note, you've just blanked out somebody else's o-note.
The kick/promote/demote buttons on the bottom of the roster page are even more dangerous- becaue THEY DON'T AFFECT THE HIGHLIGHTED NAME. They affect a different, seemingly random person. We have to use the right-click context menu to promote people or boot inactives.
The fleet I am in is actually a multi-fleet polity (with its own chat channel that a few of the developers occasionally wander into). Trust me when I say there's no consideration given to the possibility of multiple fleets sharing the same officers and structure. We are writing our own tools to scrape data from the Gateway so we can run things.
Oh look, someone just had to bring in idiotic political statements into the thread.
It's the internet, that was going to happen no matter what the topic was.
We're just lucky no one has been called a TRIBBLE yet.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
I pretty much agree. There are a lot Fleets out there that are far from T5 or Emb./Mine Tier 3 to worry about being robbed of their end game Fleet provisions (they have none). But to keep those that contribute isolated from what they "Did" help to generate is a little selfish. I've been with 3 Fleets now (lesson learned), all with the mind-set that everyone who joins will rob you blind in a week if given the chance. No proof, but that's their belief.
I've generated over 300k FC with the first and another 500k with the 2nd. And the 3rd I'm just over 600k sitting in a rank 2 spot of a rank 4/5 bank access. Now I don't really want to buy anything until "we" reach max Tier but it would've been nice to know I could after all I've contributed.
Don't get me wrong, I like the mid-size working towards something group, there's enough there for timezone coverage and you make a few m8's but they seem to be ran by hoarders and control freaks. My last leader left for a two month vacation with no number 2 in place to promote or grant access, not to mention queue up projects.
I read the replies in this thread about how organize everyone else's Fleet is and yet in my experiences, they say the same thing and we still see threads like this one keep popping up. If I had something else to spend my resources on other then Fleets I would in a heartbeat..Bummer:(
This means that you have the option of owning your own small fleet, and being the boss of your provisions, if you choose to. Or you might happen to enjoy the process of building up your fleet as a team, and socializing on fleet chat, even if that means that you're dependent on the decisions of the fleet's leadership. It's up to you.
That's the great thing about the game! Fleets on not the end game!! So go do something else.
Or better yet join another fleet!
I understand the limiting of access. Our fleet is maxed on base & embassy. In 1 1/2 days we will be done with the mine. We have heard the stories of people joining grabbing then leaving. We are a good fleet where everyone pitches in. For that reason we have a probation period & you have to also contribute so much before you can have access. Unlocked does not mean that the stuff does not cost. Projects much be ran and ran to keep up the stores. Heck we have had elite consoles in mines for over a week or more. It is always empty lol.
Also I hear, though I don't know from experience, that some fleets will give you invites and/or access to their stores if you ask or pay a nominal fee. Maybe try that as you need things.
"There... are... four... lights!" ~Jean Luc Picard
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
Oh comeon... We all know that threads are much funnier, when OP's remain to defend their position.
That's a nice sentiment, but what have I earned busting my @ss in the real world so l337 slackers can have all the time in the world to make their star bases and lord them over me?
Teaching people that grouping together is the only way to get ahead is dumb, but makes those groups perfect prey for people who can function on their own.
My GF asked me about what will happen if the world ends and we aren't "doomday preppers" like on the TV show. I reassured her that as long as other groups of people are, we will be fine.
Cryptic and PWE seem to want ALL the money, yet they don't seem to get that the real world needs real people to work most of the time to make that money.
If they really wanted ALL the money, they would make ALL Fl337 goodies available to BOTH groupers and SOLOs and rake in ALL the money since casual gamers make up the majority of their subscribers duh.
The groupers would still have each other, which is supposedly their point. :rolleyes:
DONE!
BUT they should really give a discount to Small Fleets If the system was anything like what it's advertised to be instead of just a Fl33t system.
Yeah, people in small fleets have been telling that to Cryptic for a year now. :P
Well given the track record, they will get around to it next year. :rolleyes:
LMAO this is the internet. Most of the people you deal with online have some sort of social phobia.
That is the most rewarding thing I can think of about MMO's, and that is offering to help a player, even outside of your fleet/guild. Nothing gives me more satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment more then realizing I helped someone to have fun while we were both playing in an MMO.
The Fleet/Guild system in STO is very good because it actually gives the fleet some goals, so besides just being a group that chats and plays the game together you are also making your Starbase, Embassy, and Dilithium Mine become better with each contribution each player makes.
We restrict access to the fleet stores and provisions until someone has been in the fleet for I believe two weeks or has contributed something to the Starbase projects. This is simply because in the past we've had someone come in and use all our provisions before buggering off and leaving everyone else in the lurch. It's a give and take thing, for smaller groups I can understand it being frustrating but for us at the UFP it's been great and will be an enormous achievement when it's complete.
Looking for a dedicated Star Trek community? Visit www.ufplanets.com for details.
No, they already did. They implemented something that would make a significant difference in small fleets' ability to progress. The Dilithium Mine.
(This is what Cryptic believes to be true. Math be damned.)
2. Increase the cost of items in fleet credits to compensate.
Some respondents to this thread lack a wide perspective. I was once in a fleet where I was one of the bigger contributers with half a million fleet credits, but had my store privileges revoked. Why? Because STO added a new holding, and the fleet leader wanted to assure that he, his personal friends and all their little alts got their fill of the new items first, regardless of their contribution level. Then after they got their fill, they reversed course and decided they were going to wait until they completed the final tier before adding provision projects again.
"Well, you just joined the wrong fleet." Yes, several times. If it isn't a selfish leader, it's a stupid leader. If it isn't a stupid leader, it's an inactive leader. If it isn't an inactive leader, it's multiple leaders who can't get along and TRIBBLE everything up. But after having the provisions that I personally contributed to yanked from me, I'm done. I pulled out all my characters and formed my own personal fleet. The only projects I do in my fleet are provisioning projects, and the minimums to start provisions. I have no intention of ever building up the tech tiers. If I want an elite fleet item, I'll buy a starbase invite. Under no circumstances will I ever again allow my provisions to be under someone else's control. Unfortunately, this solution to the problem has decreased my social opportunities compared to being in a real fleet.
I've also seen Provisions become a problem as a fleet co-leader. When you invite a new member, you don't know if they have 0 fleet credits or 3 million carried over from a previous fleet. We had a member do the absolute minimum to get store access and then empty out the fleet's provisions with credits earned elsewhere. But you can't prevent that scenario by blocking someone from using fleet credits earned at another fleet. That's too steep a penalty for making a mistake and contributing to what turns out to be a bad fleet. I'd still be in that fleet that did me wrong if I couldn't take my credits with me.
It's Provisions that are the main problem. They create all the opportunities for abuse, because fleet leaders simultaneously have way too much control over provisions and yet not nearly enough tools and information to effectively manage them, even if they have good intentions. It doesn't fit the game world RP-wise either, at least on the Federation side. Starfleet is supposed to be a meritocracy, not an apparatus for cronyism. Also, once all the projects are done, what's to stop a fleet leader from kicking everyone else out and keeping the benefits for himself, and lining his pockets with EC from selling access to the provisions?
Just dump provisions and increase credit costs. Then you have to earn what you buy, and if you sneak into a new fleet with a million credits stored up, at least you're not damaging them by draining their provisions without making a proportionate contribution. Some people are saying that provisions are a small fleet's only advantage, but if you increase credit costs, you'd likely see some movement by players from big fleets to small fleets where it's easier to earn credits, at least temporarily. It still wouldn't be a great system, but it'd be far less easily abused.
I honestly look forward to the day when fleet items become as obsolete as craftable items. That's the real solution.
As do you. Provisions aren't the problem, fleet leadership is the problem.
Again, provisions are one of the few things where large fleets have a disadvantage, because it's harder to manage. As such, it's one of the only things that make small fleets even microscopically attractive.
So provisions should stay. And for everyone having trouble with them, let me just say:
"Give up your big fleets and join smaller fleets."
Plus if a fleet has completed all other projects, then provision projects are the only way for members to earn credits.
Removing provisions will essentially impoverish members of top level fleets and restrict them from purchasing fleet items just as much if not more then the current model.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
I agree if you don't chat, stf, or at least help on their projects. Then you don't deserve to buy from their store. It prevents someone from robbing the store/bank and then leave. However if you still do all that, and they don't allow you to buy. Then leave the fleet and find another. That is just wrong.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
You don't have to keep a bad design feature to maintain an influx of currency. The solution is absurdly simple:
Let a maxed out Fleet simply 'buy' Marks and Dilithium indefinitely. It does two things, acts as an FC source and a Dilithium sink.