[X3:TC] Combat Missions just Ruin your Reputation

[SpaghettiCat]

I don't understand what is the point in doing any combat mission. The mission briefing doesn't tell you what race you'll be attacking, and, as part of completing the mission, you reputation with the race of the ship you killed will fall multiple levels, whereas your reputation with the race that ordered the mission will only increase by a little bit.

So why on Earth should anyone ever take on combat missions?

If the game told me what race I'll be ruining my reputation with at least I could pick my enemies, whose reputation I don't care about.

[Alan Phipps]

This type of vanilla-safe mod for both TC and AP might help. Check the thread for newer versions or improved versions.

[SpaghettiCat]

This type of vanilla-safe mod for both TC and AP might help. Check the thread for newer versions or improved versions.

Thank you, much appreciated. The stock mission briefings are so shrot, if the game was real life I would never accept the mission with so little information.

[Timsup2nothin]

I take it we're talking about the "destroy this convoy" combat missions...yeah, very hard on rep. I don't know that it is absolutely true, but my experience is that if you are in, for example, Split space and a Split gives you the mission , and the target convoy is in Split space also, then the targets will be Boron. Same holds for Boron targeting Split, Paranids targeting Argon, and Argon targeting Paranid. Those are the only terms under which I will take the mission, and they have to be paying a ton. Like I recently took a three ship convoy at a million credits per ship. That plus the bonus of capping two out of the three freighters made tanking my Boron rep worthwhile. Still annoying but...

You can also cut down the rep loss substantially if you just destroy the ships. Those targets are always loaded up with fighter drones and snuffing all of them out will really drive you under. My recent fragging of the Boron convoy I forgot to turn off my mosquitoes and turret gunners and they managed to demolish about fifteen drones, which really hurt.

[Fulgrymm]

I'd stick with station defense missions instead, the targets there are pirates and Yaki.

[jlehtone]

I take it we're talking about the "destroy this convoy" combat missions...yeah, very hard on rep.

Couple percent, at most. Those are TS-class ships. Low rep point value.

They are TS no matter what you combat rep is. More importantly, you can one-hit kill a TS without firing a shot; Gnats ahead, ramming speed! "Traffic accidents" have low rep impact.


Station Defense is a risk too -- if you wan't to trade with Yaki.


Is it only in AP that Assassination brief shows mark's race? "Pirates Pirate stole my daughter."
Assassinating a Capital is a definitive rep hit, but next to nothing once you are already in the negative.

On the other hand the bad rep is more challenging than the X2/X3R they love you, if you kill them.

The stock mission briefings are so shrot, if the game was real life I would never accept the mission with so little information.

Agreed. IMHO, the use of Reload button is more than justified to emulate "realistic" briefing.