You are certanly entitled to you feelings and opinons, and thats fine.
I am a fleet leader of a Beta fleet in an armada. My fleet allows contributions of all of the categories. There are many alpha fleet members moving up the leaderboards of contributions but we are always needing everything but fleetmarks. I am fine with people contributing whatever but I can see where it would be a problem for otherfleets, as one of the quicker ways to contribute doffs is by spending fleet credits. If the internal fleet members cant turn in fleet marks for credits, they will run out of credits to buy doffs to contribute, and then things get hella expensive for a small fleet.
If you want to take advantage of another fleets fleet mark contributions, please at least contribute some doffs as well.
As I stated earlier, in a post you obviously did not read, I do not view Beta and Gamma Fleets as Flark Dumpsters. My chars have a combined 20,000 Fleet Marks. Which I do nothing at all with. Because of the four for one return which contributors get for turning those in. Which I feel strongly should be left to the actual Fleet members. Not me.
I'm not interested in taking away a lesser fleet's members ability to generate fleet credits for themselves. As to the 'Hella Expensive" remark, Where the hella were you when my Fleet was grinding daily for everything prior to the arrival of the Armada System?
If a Beta or Gamma fleet needs150 Mk III Photons to advance a project and I happen to have a spare 5 million EC laying around doing nothing, I am delighted to donate. But whenever someone restricts my ability to donate to their projects, what I hear them saying is "Dude? We got this, okay?"
But somehow Dilthium contributions never, ever get restricted. Ain't that odd? I think so. So, if you're gonna restrict what I can give your Beta or Gamma Fleet, you are in effect telling me you are a bunch of whales who do not need or want my help.
So I am not going to help.
Truth is, there are far too many Fleets in this game and it is far too easy to form one and most fleets are viewed as a shopping mall rather than a guild in the traditional meaning of the word as it applies to MMO's. The Armada System took a very bad idea and made it a whole lot worse. It encourages people to freeload off of more successful Fleets.
If you don't view them as "flark dumpsters," why do you care if they don't let you dump flarks?
You're throwing a hissy fit because your neighbors are locking their garbage bins. Why is that, if you're not trying to foist your garbage on them?
I never had Fleet controls, so that explains why some projects are greyed out. Usually I go for a fleet mark dump first. Since that offers the best amount of fleet credits. IF not, I usually donate other stuff. I usually don't do the doffs since they cost too much. I never do Dil since its not worth it. I usually donate enough to get the tailor outfit. Since the rest of the stuff I don't care about. This way I don't "raid" their stuff for other fleet mates that want from the fleet store. So I donate basically for not much in return. Only time I really wanted something was to get the T5 K'tinga. And my main KDF has been using it since. And I told my fleet leader what I was after. So they allowed it.
I think they should offer a match bonus or something. To make donating more desirable.
This is a perfect example of why fleets restrict donating flarks. Many people donate flarks and run. Dil? not so much.
If Cryptic cared more about fleets, they could offer one or more of the fixes discussed here.
- Force people to donate other stuff before they can become flark dumpsters
- Shift the value of flarks down, and dil WAY up
Then we'd get less flark dumpsters and more dil ... deers
Do you blame them, that is the best return on your donation. Of course others will do this. No different than others selling items way high for a fast return on their EC or Dil in the exchanges. I see it no different. I'm after a fast return on my Fleet Marks. So I can get my outfit and move on.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
I never had Fleet controls, so that explains why some projects are greyed out. Usually I go for a fleet mark dump first. Since that offers the best amount of fleet credits. IF not, I usually donate other stuff. I usually don't do the doffs since they cost too much. I never do Dil since its not worth it. I usually donate enough to get the tailor outfit. Since the rest of the stuff I don't care about. This way I don't "raid" their stuff for other fleet mates that want from the fleet store. So I donate basically for not much in return. Only time I really wanted something was to get the T5 K'tinga. And my main KDF has been using it since. And I told my fleet leader what I was after. So they allowed it.
I think they should offer a match bonus or something. To make donating more desirable.
This is a perfect example of why fleets restrict donating flarks. Many people donate flarks and run. Dil? not so much.
If Cryptic cared more about fleets, they could offer one or more of the fixes discussed here.
- Force people to donate other stuff before they can become flark dumpsters
- Shift the value of flarks down, and dil WAY up
Then we'd get less flark dumpsters and more dil ... deers
Do you blame them, that is the best return on your donation. Of course others will do this. No different than others selling items way high for a fast return on their EC or Dil in the exchanges. I see it no different. I'm after a fast return on my Fleet Marks. So I can get my outfit and move on.
I'm not blaming them, much, though being Lawful Good I don't just dump and run myself -- if I get to donate flarks, I balance that by also donating dil or commodities.
I'm explaining why fleets in armadas do not volunteer to allow outsiders to dump and run.
If you don't view them as "flark dumpsters," why do you care if they don't let you dump flarks?
You're throwing a hissy fit because your neighbors are locking their garbage bins. Why is that, if you're not trying to foist your garbage on them?
Dumping flarks is not help.
I can see presenting facts has only confused you. Fleet leaders lock out contributions to everything except Dilthium.
Hmmm... I wonder why this is? If you don't want me to contribute or help, lock out everything. All of it.
As to 'foisting garbage', I'll pass. You seem to have this covered pretty well. You look like an expert in the field, too.
Perhaps I can learn something from your talent for attempting to throw shade where none is needed.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
I can see presenting facts has only confused you. Fleet leaders lock out contributions to everything except Dilthium.
Hmmm... I wonder why this is? If you don't want me to contribute or help, lock out everything. All of it.
Why should I? If I ask for help, you are free to not give it to me of course. But why should I need to accept anything you consider help which wouldn't help me, which may actually harm me?
So whoever thinks that this part shouldn't be, don't donate to other fleets who restrict donations, that's fine. If you're forming an armada, you're free to set the rules, that's fine, too. But don't treat it as some kind of moral problem if people from a smaller fleet want their share, too. Some people in this thread claimed fleets doing so as "leeches", but they aren't. You're still free to consider donating dilithium or whatever if you think it's worth it. If you don't think so, again, that's fine. But there is no obligation whatsoever on part of these fleets to let you do what you want.
I understand that if you consider fleets and as an extension armadas as "a place where I can get goodies", that may be a problem. But not everybody thinks that way. Fleets are for people gathering together and having fun together. If they ask for donations you can still ignore it, but don't be too astonished if they put their own interests ahead of yours. They're not existing for your convenience. Armadas also offer other benefits apart from being able to have more projects to donate to.
In the end, fleets and armadas are social groups which can - within limits - set their own rules. If you don't like it: tough. But that's your problem, and your problem alone.
Edit: repaired broken quote tag
Post edited by xyquarze on
My mother was an epohh and my father smelled of tulaberries
My Temporal Recruit has donated a few hundred thousand Dilithium to Armada Fleets. Needed to up my Fleet Credits to purchase those extra Trait, R&D, and Doff Slots. Though I tend to stay away from the Vanity Dilithium dumps.
'But to be logical is not to be right', and 'nothing' on God's earth could ever 'make it' right!'
Judge Dan Haywood
'As l speak now, the words are forming in my head.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
I understand that if you consider fleets and as an extension armadas as "a place where I can get goodies", that may be a problem. But not everybody thinks that way. Fleets are for people gathering together and having fun together. If they ask for donations you can still ignore it, but don't be too astonished if they put their own interests ahead of yours. They're not existing for your convenience. Armadas also offer other benefits apart from being able to have more projects to donate to.
In the end, fleets and armadas are social groups which can - within limits - set their own rules. If you don't like it: tough. But that's your problem, and your problem alone.
This, especially, the last part, is really all that needs to be said on the subject. Everything else may to a certain extent also be useful to discuss, it is, ultimately, pointless to discuss it here instead of within your own armada/fleet though.
It's fleet/armada policy. Some people may not like it, but there are reasons for doing things the way they're done. Whether those reasons are legitimate/acceptable/useful/harmful ones is up to each fleet and armada to decide.
Just because one may or may not agree with the weight given to specific considerations in the final decision in certain cases, doesn't mean that it's bad that the options are at least available.
If anyone does have a problem with this, they should really ask themselves why you would want to take away the option of fleets to decide their own policy. If this is not the case and having the options available is not a problem, then why don't you just accept that it's fleet policy, hence pointless to endlessly debate it here?
Thank you @thunderfoot006 for you feeling the same way i do and saying something. Glad to know im not the only one with those feelings.
I'll also voice this...it's very irritating. Why would you sign up to join an armada if you're not going to let other people help you? I guess I get what @davefenestrator is saying, but the here's the problem I see with that: When I see projects open in armada fleets where only the fleet marks are locked out, I monitor the situation for a while. And I notice the fleet marks aren't getting filled by the fleet's own members either. So what good does it do to lock it out?
Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.
-Captain James T. Kirk
I understand that if you consider fleets and as an extension armadas as "a place where I can get goodies", that may be a problem. But not everybody thinks that way. Fleets are for people gathering together and having fun together. If they ask for donations you can still ignore it, but don't be too astonished if they put their own interests ahead of yours. They're not existing for your convenience. Armadas also offer other benefits apart from being able to have more projects to donate to.
I'd say most players consider fleets to exist just for the goodies. That's an inevitable result of having fleet goodies. Many players would never even consider joining a fleet if it wasn't for the goodies.
Obviously, fleet goodies exist to encourage those players into joining fleets, but that unfortunately means fleets stop being a purely social construct. Because if a player doesn't want to socialize, making them join a fleet to get stuff doesn't change that.
And in the end, the standard MMO guild system just isn't well suited to organizing collaborative projects between self-interested parties. The holding system framing development as "donation" rather than "investment" like it should makes it worse. And the Armada system takes it all up to eleven. It's all too dependent on altruism to work "fairly" from an economic point of view.
Treating armadas as "flark dumpsters" may be a moral problem, but that is the economically rational decision. As is those fleets refusing to be someone else's dumpsters by locking mark contributions.
I'd say most players consider fleets to exist just for the goodies. That's an inevitable result of having fleet goodies. Many players would never even consider joining a fleet if it wasn't for the goodies.
Obviously, fleet goodies exist to encourage those players into joining fleets, but that unfortunately means fleets stop being a purely social construct. Because if a player doesn't want to socialize, making them join a fleet to get stuff doesn't change that.
And in the end, the standard MMO guild system just isn't well suited to organizing collaborative projects between self-interested parties. The holding system framing development as "donation" rather than "investment" like it should makes it worse. And the Armada system takes it all up to eleven. It's all too dependent on altruism to work "fairly" from an economic point of view.
Treating armadas as "flark dumpsters" may be a moral problem, but that is the economically rational decision. As is those fleets refusing to be someone else's dumpsters by locking mark contributions.
I didn't want to say that a "goodie only" oriented approach is bad in and on itself. But it isn't the only one. And also being able to contribute to/get help in contributing by other fleets isn't the only advantage of joining an armada. It may again have social reasons, it may be for the dil and xp bonuses, etc. And that needs to be accepted.
It is also absolutely okay to say "if you don't allow me to donate fleetmarks, I will not help you with carrying the heavy stuff". I can easily understand that, up to a certain degree I am even playing that way myself with other armada fleets. But people should not do this with a moral outrage, as if those fleets were "leeching" or similar. At this point the would-be donators are just as insistant on fleet mark donations as the fleets they're accusing are. And yes, bot approaches are selfish, which to a certain degree is healthy. And in my opinion, even more so for the weaker party. Which could be a player who cannot get his marks dumped in his own fleet, maybe due to bad timing with the guys who start projects. But it could also be a newish fleet of newish people, whose players won't get anywhere if overrun by those who collected their fleetmarks.
I even guess, as some have suggested, an agreement could be reached in combining fleet marks with other donations. But the UI cannot enforce that. And if I were a leader of a restricting fleet, I wouldn't worry too much about those arguing here, because a lot of the "don't want my marks, don't get anything else then" sounds a lot like there wouldn't have been a useful amount of "anything else" in the first place.
My mother was an epohh and my father smelled of tulaberries
I'd say most players consider fleets to exist just for the goodies. That's an inevitable result of having fleet goodies. Many players would never even consider joining a fleet if it wasn't for the goodies.
Obviously, fleet goodies exist to encourage those players into joining fleets, but that unfortunately means fleets stop being a purely social construct. Because if a player doesn't want to socialize, making them join a fleet to get stuff doesn't change that.
And in the end, the standard MMO guild system just isn't well suited to organizing collaborative projects between self-interested parties. The holding system framing development as "donation" rather than "investment" like it should makes it worse. And the Armada system takes it all up to eleven. It's all too dependent on altruism to work "fairly" from an economic point of view.
Treating armadas as "flark dumpsters" may be a moral problem, but that is the economically rational decision. As is those fleets refusing to be someone else's dumpsters by locking mark contributions.
I didn't want to say that a "goodie only" oriented approach is bad in and on itself. But it isn't the only one. And also being able to contribute to/get help in contributing by other fleets isn't the only advantage of joining an armada. It may again have social reasons, it may be for the dil and xp bonuses, etc. And that needs to be accepted.
It is also absolutely okay to say "if you don't allow me to donate fleetmarks, I will not help you with carrying the heavy stuff". I can easily understand that, up to a certain degree I am even playing that way myself with other armada fleets. But people should not do this with a moral outrage, as if those fleets were "leeching" or similar. At this point the would-be donators are just as insistant on fleet mark donations as the fleets they're accusing are. And yes, bot approaches are selfish, which to a certain degree is healthy. And in my opinion, even more so for the weaker party. Which could be a player who cannot get his marks dumped in his own fleet, maybe due to bad timing with the guys who start projects. But it could also be a newish fleet of newish people, whose players won't get anywhere if overrun by those who collected their fleetmarks.
I even guess, as some have suggested, an agreement could be reached in combining fleet marks with other donations. But the UI cannot enforce that. And if I were a leader of a restricting fleet, I wouldn't worry too much about those arguing here, because a lot of the "don't want my marks, don't get anything else then" sounds a lot like there wouldn't have been a useful amount of "anything else" in the first place.
Goodie only approach is not bad in and of itself, but the game systems don't support it. STO has copied the same guild system seemingly every MMO has, which works just fine for organizing raid groups and such (what the model was originally designed for), but fails utterly in resource management gameplay.
Players are selfish. It's inevitable. But the system doesn't account for that at all. The fleet holding system expects altruism, for players to willingly give their hard-earned (or bought with real money) resources to build a property to which they don't get an interest in return. Someone else's property.
If fleet members trust that someone to let them use his property after they've built it, things work -- sort of -- as long as the ratio of altruists to freeloaders is high enough to actually get anything done. But with armadas that's not even a question, you can't use an armada holding at all. So armada projects are dumpsters and/or charity cases. Neither is a particularly enviable position. It's the system's fault, not the players'.
And no, I don't believe the mark dumpers would have "anything else" to give either.
I strongly agree with the last few posts, and find the moral outrage expressed by some amusing.
Fleets are within their rights to decide which project contributions they wish to open up to outsiders and which they wish to have open only to their members. Cryptic has created a situation where flarks are arguably the easiest requirements to earn, have no other use, and are the most rewarding to donate, whereas other requirements (dilithium, doffs, etc), have many other uses/value. Open flark slots are therefore in hot demand.
In this regard, as many fleets operate promotion systems based upon contributions, and there is no way to measure contributions made to other fleets in the armada, it is not unreasonable for fleets to limit inward flark donations, to allow newer/poorer members within the fleet at least some chance to earn fleet credits and promotions.
Newer/poorer members are often never going to be able to muster the doffs/dil/commodities needed to earn the FC required to buy the consoles and goodies they want. This is one way of making it a little bit easier for them.
For those established players who really want to dump marks, but just can't find any open slots in their fleet/armada, I have two suggestions.
1) Work something out with your fleet leader, whereby they open up a project or two when you are online. You can then dump marks in it to your hearts content. If you are feeling generous you might even help out with some of the other commodities!
2) Work something out with your fleet leader, where you leave the fleet temporarily to dump marks elsewhere via nop public service or something, and then rejoin afterward. Simple.
If my Fleet needs something, and I have it to spare, it goes there.
If my Fleet doesn't need it, I check the Armada.
In either case, if I donate Fleet Marks or Expertise, I then fill the <Holding> Provisions on that project using the proceeds.
Mostly, the <Holding> Provisions are my "reward" for making the Fleet Mark contibutions available. Since <Holding> Provisions are simply a cost to the donor, with absolutely no reward whatsoever, it seems like a good idea. Otherwise, if a Fleet doesn't allow Fleet Mark contributions... I don't donate Fleet Marks or <Holding> Provisons.
It's really too bad <Holding> Provisions don't award dilithium, say 100 dilithium ore per Provision, a much lower rate than the 1:1 ration when contributing dilithium for Fleet Credits, but still something to give a reason to make them. Hmmm, or maybe 50 refined dilithium per tier or subtier of the next Holding they introduce; that'd be a good way to sell a new Holding and get the Provisions filled more often. Bah, enough getting sidetracked...
In the end, it's the Fleet's call if they want your Fleet Marks, and your call whether you donate anything else. If you want to donate Fleet Marks somewhere, and your Fleet and Armada are full or locked out, offer to donate in Zone or a Service channel or sell them in Zone or a Trade channel. If you really want to dump Fleet Marks for your own benefit, fill projects in your own Fleet 20 hrs from when you plan to be on next... at least then you're also contributing other resources.
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
Comments
You're throwing a hissy fit because your neighbors are locking their garbage bins. Why is that, if you're not trying to foist your garbage on them?
Dumping flarks is not help.
I dumped some flarks this morning, i had to keep the bathroom door closed afterward.
Do you blame them, that is the best return on your donation. Of course others will do this. No different than others selling items way high for a fast return on their EC or Dil in the exchanges. I see it no different. I'm after a fast return on my Fleet Marks. So I can get my outfit and move on.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
I'm not blaming them, much, though being Lawful Good I don't just dump and run myself -- if I get to donate flarks, I balance that by also donating dil or commodities.
I'm explaining why fleets in armadas do not volunteer to allow outsiders to dump and run.
Hmmm... I wonder why this is? If you don't want me to contribute or help, lock out everything. All of it.
As to 'foisting garbage', I'll pass. You seem to have this covered pretty well. You look like an expert in the field, too.
Perhaps I can learn something from your talent for attempting to throw shade where none is needed.
Why should I? If I ask for help, you are free to not give it to me of course. But why should I need to accept anything you consider help which wouldn't help me, which may actually harm me?
So whoever thinks that this part shouldn't be, don't donate to other fleets who restrict donations, that's fine. If you're forming an armada, you're free to set the rules, that's fine, too. But don't treat it as some kind of moral problem if people from a smaller fleet want their share, too. Some people in this thread claimed fleets doing so as "leeches", but they aren't. You're still free to consider donating dilithium or whatever if you think it's worth it. If you don't think so, again, that's fine. But there is no obligation whatsoever on part of these fleets to let you do what you want.
I understand that if you consider fleets and as an extension armadas as "a place where I can get goodies", that may be a problem. But not everybody thinks that way. Fleets are for people gathering together and having fun together. If they ask for donations you can still ignore it, but don't be too astonished if they put their own interests ahead of yours. They're not existing for your convenience. Armadas also offer other benefits apart from being able to have more projects to donate to.
In the end, fleets and armadas are social groups which can - within limits - set their own rules. If you don't like it: tough. But that's your problem, and your problem alone.
Edit: repaired broken quote tag
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
This, especially, the last part, is really all that needs to be said on the subject. Everything else may to a certain extent also be useful to discuss, it is, ultimately, pointless to discuss it here instead of within your own armada/fleet though.
It's fleet/armada policy. Some people may not like it, but there are reasons for doing things the way they're done. Whether those reasons are legitimate/acceptable/useful/harmful ones is up to each fleet and armada to decide.
Just because one may or may not agree with the weight given to specific considerations in the final decision in certain cases, doesn't mean that it's bad that the options are at least available.
If anyone does have a problem with this, they should really ask themselves why you would want to take away the option of fleets to decide their own policy. If this is not the case and having the options available is not a problem, then why don't you just accept that it's fleet policy, hence pointless to endlessly debate it here?
Edit: grammar
I'll also voice this...it's very irritating. Why would you sign up to join an armada if you're not going to let other people help you? I guess I get what @davefenestrator is saying, but the here's the problem I see with that: When I see projects open in armada fleets where only the fleet marks are locked out, I monitor the situation for a while. And I notice the fleet marks aren't getting filled by the fleet's own members either. So what good does it do to lock it out?
Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.
-Captain James T. Kirk
I'd say most players consider fleets to exist just for the goodies. That's an inevitable result of having fleet goodies. Many players would never even consider joining a fleet if it wasn't for the goodies.
Obviously, fleet goodies exist to encourage those players into joining fleets, but that unfortunately means fleets stop being a purely social construct. Because if a player doesn't want to socialize, making them join a fleet to get stuff doesn't change that.
And in the end, the standard MMO guild system just isn't well suited to organizing collaborative projects between self-interested parties. The holding system framing development as "donation" rather than "investment" like it should makes it worse. And the Armada system takes it all up to eleven. It's all too dependent on altruism to work "fairly" from an economic point of view.
Treating armadas as "flark dumpsters" may be a moral problem, but that is the economically rational decision. As is those fleets refusing to be someone else's dumpsters by locking mark contributions.
I didn't want to say that a "goodie only" oriented approach is bad in and on itself. But it isn't the only one. And also being able to contribute to/get help in contributing by other fleets isn't the only advantage of joining an armada. It may again have social reasons, it may be for the dil and xp bonuses, etc. And that needs to be accepted.
It is also absolutely okay to say "if you don't allow me to donate fleetmarks, I will not help you with carrying the heavy stuff". I can easily understand that, up to a certain degree I am even playing that way myself with other armada fleets. But people should not do this with a moral outrage, as if those fleets were "leeching" or similar. At this point the would-be donators are just as insistant on fleet mark donations as the fleets they're accusing are. And yes, bot approaches are selfish, which to a certain degree is healthy. And in my opinion, even more so for the weaker party. Which could be a player who cannot get his marks dumped in his own fleet, maybe due to bad timing with the guys who start projects. But it could also be a newish fleet of newish people, whose players won't get anywhere if overrun by those who collected their fleetmarks.
I even guess, as some have suggested, an agreement could be reached in combining fleet marks with other donations. But the UI cannot enforce that. And if I were a leader of a restricting fleet, I wouldn't worry too much about those arguing here, because a lot of the "don't want my marks, don't get anything else then" sounds a lot like there wouldn't have been a useful amount of "anything else" in the first place.
Goodie only approach is not bad in and of itself, but the game systems don't support it. STO has copied the same guild system seemingly every MMO has, which works just fine for organizing raid groups and such (what the model was originally designed for), but fails utterly in resource management gameplay.
Players are selfish. It's inevitable. But the system doesn't account for that at all. The fleet holding system expects altruism, for players to willingly give their hard-earned (or bought with real money) resources to build a property to which they don't get an interest in return. Someone else's property.
If fleet members trust that someone to let them use his property after they've built it, things work -- sort of -- as long as the ratio of altruists to freeloaders is high enough to actually get anything done. But with armadas that's not even a question, you can't use an armada holding at all. So armada projects are dumpsters and/or charity cases. Neither is a particularly enviable position. It's the system's fault, not the players'.
And no, I don't believe the mark dumpers would have "anything else" to give either.
I strongly agree with the last few posts, and find the moral outrage expressed by some amusing.
Fleets are within their rights to decide which project contributions they wish to open up to outsiders and which they wish to have open only to their members. Cryptic has created a situation where flarks are arguably the easiest requirements to earn, have no other use, and are the most rewarding to donate, whereas other requirements (dilithium, doffs, etc), have many other uses/value. Open flark slots are therefore in hot demand.
In this regard, as many fleets operate promotion systems based upon contributions, and there is no way to measure contributions made to other fleets in the armada, it is not unreasonable for fleets to limit inward flark donations, to allow newer/poorer members within the fleet at least some chance to earn fleet credits and promotions.
Newer/poorer members are often never going to be able to muster the doffs/dil/commodities needed to earn the FC required to buy the consoles and goodies they want. This is one way of making it a little bit easier for them.
For those established players who really want to dump marks, but just can't find any open slots in their fleet/armada, I have two suggestions.
1) Work something out with your fleet leader, whereby they open up a project or two when you are online. You can then dump marks in it to your hearts content. If you are feeling generous you might even help out with some of the other commodities!
2) Work something out with your fleet leader, where you leave the fleet temporarily to dump marks elsewhere via nop public service or something, and then rejoin afterward. Simple.
Mostly, the <Holding> Provisions are my "reward" for making the Fleet Mark contibutions available. Since <Holding> Provisions are simply a cost to the donor, with absolutely no reward whatsoever, it seems like a good idea. Otherwise, if a Fleet doesn't allow Fleet Mark contributions... I don't donate Fleet Marks or <Holding> Provisons.
It's really too bad <Holding> Provisions don't award dilithium, say 100 dilithium ore per Provision, a much lower rate than the 1:1 ration when contributing dilithium for Fleet Credits, but still something to give a reason to make them. Hmmm, or maybe 50 refined dilithium per tier or subtier of the next Holding they introduce; that'd be a good way to sell a new Holding and get the Provisions filled more often. Bah, enough getting sidetracked...
In the end, it's the Fleet's call if they want your Fleet Marks, and your call whether you donate anything else. If you want to donate Fleet Marks somewhere, and your Fleet and Armada are full or locked out, offer to donate in Zone or a Service channel or sell them in Zone or a Trade channel. If you really want to dump Fleet Marks for your own benefit, fill projects in your own Fleet 20 hrs from when you plan to be on next... at least then you're also contributing other resources.