Finding random combat crew

[saltin]

Hi, I have loved playing both combat and peaceful oriented games and I wanted the raise the attention to a particular point that seemed a bit strange (to me at least).

So then, where/how do we find combat crew replacements? I mean decent ones.. You know the ones that after you take as look at their stats you dont burst out hysterically laughing and sadly shaking your head at the same time

In my games I often use 2 starting officers for combat (usually the medic and who ever has the better stats) so that leaves 2 to 4 spots open for the remaining combat crew + safety extras but it's been so hard to fill the ranks.

What I tried so far:

1) Cadar recruits: apparently the combat factions produce better military.
2)Recruitment from tougher worlds: Harsh environments produce hardened characters.
3)Recruitment from contacts: The hardest choice because you may not have the time,the money or the right contacts to do it. Also choosing this option might mean you don't benefit from the other two unless these contacts are from these worlds/factions.


All A,B and C make perfect sense and add to the richness and intricacies of the game but are they really working at intended? My personal results are very poor, I am still not getting adequate combat replacement recruits.

Which bring us to the last point, the immense difference that exists between the grunt infantry and the high tech skilled specialist: does it really make sense to be able to easily recruit a functional  navigator or pilot but be so hard to find a simple soldier?  It seems to me the roles are reversed.

We dont necessarily need 26/26/26 quickness/fortitude/resilience recruits but the 14/11/12 toons are a bit of a joke. These guys often don't even last a single combat round.

[fallen]

Moved to Tips and Tricks in STF forum.

[resistor]

I'm pretty sure the zone's economy type is also a factor in recruit stats. Luxury Population recruits will probably have less Strength and more useless Charisma than a Mining world recruit, for example.

I've noticed Orbitals often have recruits with high Resilience, but that may be due to the fact that dangerous worlds are more likely to have Orbitals, rather than being from the Orbital itself.

[saltin]

I forgot about enlistment directly from defeated ships, this has the added benefit of getting very high level recruit. I think though they come in automatically with a bad trait? Possibly countered by the lvl 8th talent from the quatermaster.

[resistor]

Apr 23, 2018 14:02:08 GMT -5 saltin said:

I forgot about enlistment directly from defeated ships, this has the added benefit of getting very high level recruit. I think though they come in automatically with a bad trait? Possibly countered by the lvl 8th talent from the quatermaster.

They usually have bad attributes as well, from my experience.

[Cory Trese]

OK, so all Crew everywhere just have "bad attributes" is that the verdict?

[resistor]

Apr 23, 2018 22:40:21 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

OK, so all Crew everywhere just have "bad attributes" is that the verdict?

I wouldn't say "all crew everywhere" have bad attributes. I have run into a few planets where I can get decent combat crew, but I don't think I've found anywhere where I can get crew as good as the starting crew.

[John Robinson]

Apr 23, 2018 22:56:24 GMT -5 resistor said:

Apr 23, 2018 22:40:21 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

OK, so all Crew everywhere just have "bad attributes" is that the verdict?

I wouldn't say "all crew everywhere" have bad attributes. I have run into a few planets where I can get decent combat crew, but I don't think I've found anywhere where I can get crew as good as the starting crew.

resistor "I don't think I've found anywhere where I can get crew as good as the starting crew."

Yup totally agree.

I'm not trying to be a party pooper.   I really am worried about hurting any feelings.

You will never find any crew members in starports, as strong as, the ones you got by default.

It's not a "maybe", it's a fact.  If you can't build what you need from the initial crew.
You might as well "reroll", and start a new captain from the template. 

The wrong conclusion would be to make starting crews weaker. That would make me go bonkers.

It's really exciting to roll up a crew with allot off strong possibilities.

 I do have a few hundred hours of playtime under my belt.  What I said isn't just a point of view.  It's experience.

[Raphaire]

I confirm it too, I recruit a lot with talent bonus recruit to find fighting crew but impossible to get one as good as starting crew.
to that I see some solution.
1- make the bonus talent recruit use is in the same to make a better one : combination with Commander and Military officer.
or
2- with the talent being use we can put some priorities for attribute we search because those talent give us some cunning to find them.

there might another solution but i don't find it.

I'm against make starting crew weaker because even those crew die fairly easily in truth. (only a captain "A" attribute is really hard to see die but probably because have 160hp)

in late game the huge is finding high level crew because in starport there are very low level with better attribute and conscription give high level but low attribute even with quartermaster and find a combat crew in conscription is really hard since we can't board the ship .

for crew recruiting maybe we can add something that crew recruit from contact and spice hall have min level = 1/2 the level of the captain + level bonus from contact ?
like that those new recruit will no longer have a huge low level.

[bobc]

resistor "I don't think I've found anywhere where I can get crew as good as the starting crew."

John Robinson Yup totally agree too.

IIRC, early in the Alpha the attributes for starting crew were improved.  One of the drivers for this was to reduce the number of restarts while the player looked for decent crew stats.  I think the recruit talents do a reasonable job of making up the difference.

[Cory Trese]

This is very interesting. I wonder if you are using some metric that I'm not aware of to judge crew quality.

Statistically, the math just does not agree with this sentiment. Looking at saved games, player data, test outcomes and the math I just cannot get there.

What is the metric by which you are judging Crew quality. Is it ONLY Fortitude scores or something?

[resistor]

Apr 24, 2018 8:43:00 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

This is very interesting. I wonder if you are using some metric that I'm not aware of to judge crew quality.

Statistically, the math just does not agree with this sentiment. Looking at saved games, player data, test outcomes and the math I just cannot get there.

What is the metric by which you are judging Crew quality. Is it ONLY Fortitude scores or something?

For noncombat crew, I judge crew quality to be based primarily on HP.

For combat crew, I judge them based on Attributes in order of most valuable to least valuable; Strength/Quickness (which one is better depends on weapon equipped); Fortitude*; Wisdom; Resilience.

*I won't care about their Fortitude scores if it isn't enough to get HP over 100

[fallen]

Thanks for the feedback. We're working on improving in this area to standardize Attribute gen across all the areas where it is done.

[John Robinson]

Metrics Hmm...

1.) Contact Recruits: Should have better attributes, and skills in key areas.
For example:
Diplomats usually have low Negotiation, and Charisma.
Hired Spies, low in every category. Just use them for card games, and small bonuses.

2.) Soldiers, Pistoleers, Swordsman. Starport recruits have much lower stats than initial crew.
Especially in Quickness / Wisdom that is so important in the new initiative system.
Consistently low hit points.  What?  If you have a fighter with HP = 100 to 108, they are
cannon fodder.  What you hope for is good trait bonuses, which do often occur.
However a pistoleer with a trait that gives 20% +1 electronics, or stealth is not uncommon.

3.) Initial crew will almost always give you one sometimes two strong fighters.
But my most powerful fighters come from looking at every initial crew member stats.
For example I've created my top fighters by promoting a Gunner, or other crew, to officer
then adding a combat job like soldier.

4.) Starting Officers: Really fantastic. Sometimes I get a default doctor with extraordinary fighter stats.

[fallen]

I highly suggest looking closely at the zones where you are recruiting. Seek out zones with high danger, high military, high government, high spice, high economy, high high things. You get what you pay for, where you pay for it.

We're kicking around some ideas about how working closely with contacts could help give other ways to improve the situation.