Anybody found a way how to override combat rank deterioration?

[kurush]

If I remember correctly, after about 1 hour the game starts to drop your combat rank fast. Did anybody manage to find a way to disable this feature? Having a keyboard macro that generates up and down events in the sector map comes into my mind. If anybody tried something similar, please share your experiences...
EDIT:This is for TC

[Deadbeat_Spinn]

Which X game are you refering to?

[kurush]

Which X game are you refering to?

X3:TC. I just had my rank dropped from XTREME to 60% Hero when leaving a destroyer on "Kill Cap. Ships" in Kha'ak 926 Got about 4K additional kills though.

[gandy|UKCS|]

if you have a very high combat rank it will take in lots of game days to drop.

I did no combat for 4 in game days and my combat rank dropped from ( Battle master ) 36% to 16% if i remember correctly.

[kurush]

if you have a very high combat rank it will take in lots of game days to drop.

It is not days, it is not touching the keyboard and it was just about 8 hours of game/real time (see above for details).

[Al]

Why not just mod the game to do what you want?

[kurush]

Why not just mod the game to do what you want?

Because this game is vanilla only and is also probably a year old by now. I am trying to find out what technical means do we have to trick this stupid part of ES software. Even if I wanted to, I am not sure if this part can be modded out. Looks like a hard-code to me...

EDIT: Let's see if Pg-Up - 10 sec delay - Pg-Down - ...repeat... assigned to a joystick button will do the trick...

[perkint]

It could be modded. Scripts can access your ranks and change them (I think) but if you fancy that solution, you'll need to skip over to the S&M forum.

Supposedly if you jam the J key down (or any other) the game interprets this as key presses so you have no period of no input. No rank drop.

You call it a "stupid part of ES software" - personally I like it. Play the game, don't leave it! Also, your attempt to prevent the drop by ordering an M2 to fight - only player ship affects combat rank.

Tim

[mrbadger]

if you have a very high combat rank it will take in lots of game days to drop.

I did no combat for 4 in game days and my combat rank dropped from ( Battle master ) 36% to 16% if i remember correctly.

That only happens on SETA. if you play the game without leaving it unnattended for an hour in normal time, or six minutes on max seta, your combat rank will drop.

Just not fighting has no effect on combat rank.

[kurush]

I think I can hack in a script that maxes out my rank myself without help. Doing it on a vanilla game that is 1 year old and also has a bunch of PALCs cloned via the drone bug would be kinda silly, don't you think? And trying to do this only for the rank drop because of this idle would be tricky.

Scripts will kill the purpose of the whole operation I am undertaking - mining Kha'ak sectors for A/B/G/Kyons and assembling a huge fleet of Kha'ak fighters. .

Anyway, I think I found a solution: a macro assigned to my Saitek joystick doing some keypresses. Let's see if it is that easy... Whoever came up with this rank drop idea is a control-freak, imho.

[kurush]

That only happens on SETA. if you play the game without leaving it unnattended for an hour in normal time, or six minutes on max seta, your combat rank will drop.

Nah, it happens always when you don't touch the controls for some time. I think it is a bit more than 6-7 min but I may be mistaken. I didn't use SETA during that drop from XTREME to Hero 60% for a simple reason that destroyers are useless on SETA because turrets are not firing. This is my observation from X3:R times where I also felt a victim of the same poorly implemented feature. What suxx is that once you are on Hero, Kyons no longer drop. I need to get back to legend to continue the operation.
EDIT: sure, it can be 6 min on seta and 1 hour if no seta.

[mrbadger]

Nah, it happens always when you don't touch the controls for some time. I think it is a bit more than 6-7 min but I may be mistaken.

If you don't touch the keyboard in 'normal time' it's an hour. I said this

SETA just speeds it up.

The solution is, don't leave the game unnattended.

[kurush]

The solution is, don't leave the game unnattended.

Nah, the solution is put in some key press simulator which I did. Your solution is essentially just to live with the problem That's not the way problems are solved.
And it looks like there are still Kyon drops on Hero, so I'm in game.

[Nanook]

... Your solution is essentially just to live with the problem That's not the way problems are solved. ...

And it's just your perception that it's a 'problem'.

[kurush]

And it's just your perception that it's a 'problem'.

Yep, a perception of a problem is highly subjective. Considering that I ran into this problem without even trying to use the seta exploit makes me perceive it as a problem.
But at least I know now what to do about it and what to tell any newby who comes here crying that seta dropped his rank . (and no, it would not be "swallow it as it is" )

[Nanook]

I believe you should advise the new player to actually play the game and not let it play by itself, SETA or no SETA. That way, they can get the maximum enjoyment out of all the game's features before getting bored enough to let it play by itself while they did something else.

[kurush]

to actually play the game and not let it play by itself

Big problem with this game is that many features require awful amount of R/L time. Like R/E and building a fleet of Hyperions/Ks/Tyrs and the such. Or, the HUB mission. Without having it run for itself you would not be able try all these features and your enjoyment of the game would be limited. Just one of the design flaws It might make sense to max out your fight rank first but it is a matter of preference (imho).
Right now I aim to run it 24/7 with some fleet building operations going.

[Nanook]

I disagree. If one, for example, starts the Hub plot early on, there's all the other plots, corp missions, and other stuff to do to keep one busy in the meantime. If you want to let the game play by itself, that's your choice. But calling the current mission/plot structure a 'design flaw' and advising new players to let the game play itself will rob them of much of the gaming experience. And possibly get them frustrated, as well, as they incur major losses to their assets while the game runs unattended. All in all, not good for them.

[kurush]

Let me disagree as well. I started the HUB mission early enough and it took about 3 months calendar time to get it done. And I built a lot of fabs for it which took probably a couple of days total just watching that rotating stupidity for each (another design flaw, er..., enjoyment ). I finished all plots except Duke's which is severely broken and I just barely got my HQ then. Now there is absolutely nothing to do while I am building my fleet. Even on SETA, a fleet of Tyrs will take probably a day of real life. And I want some Arans as wel.. And Ks. I'd go capping but 2.5 wiped out my good marines on some Xenon cap (hey, I want some Qs as well ). While the new bunch is in training the only thing I was able to came up with is mining Kha'aks for their guns...
The only reason to build more factories is to park cash which threatens to run over 2bil from time to time.

[perkint]

In general, I do not like the idea of leaving the game running whilst away, with or without SETA. Various reasons (I think the designers did not want to you, hence the penalty, your PC consumes power during this time, etc) but there is always the old (*significant*) point of it's a single player game.

Having said that, I do really get tempted to SETA whilst away for two of the reasons kurush just mentioned - building (RE & production) at the PHQ and the Hub. The timescales involved in those (OK - good planning, construction & timing can help with the Hub, but not the PHQ) is enough that I cannot bring myself to venture into avenues I would otherwise like to.

I just can't see my game lasting long enough to RE and build an Aran

Still haven't done it tho, 'cos (personally) I don't like the idea. But my will power is not as strong as it was...

Tim