Pilot stats stays on 99.9%

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:54 am

Hi, I think it would be a good idea to let you skills return to 100% again.

As it is now, if make a flight under 100% you will never return to 100% again.

It wouldn't be impossible to let the percentage return to 100% after say fifty 100%-flights, just need a little reprogramming.

Post by **joefremont** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 12:16 am

I agree with this idea. I would propose that pilots use the same reputation formula as airlines. That way rookie pilots start out with a lower reputation until they can prove themselves and pilots can recover from there minor transgressions.

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:21 am

A simple way could be to calculate a "running average" instead of an overall percentage.

Say, display the average-% over the last 50 flights or so instead .......this way you would always have a pretty good indication of your current abilities AND you will be able to get up on those rewarding 100%..It's kind of a demolishing feeling that you can't achieve 100% once you have made a minor fault....

Post by **cmdrnmartin** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:34 pm

No pilot in the world has 100%. All pilots make small mistakes sometimes, a thumpy landing, a slight mistake with lights. It happens. 99.9 is something pretty enviable. In the end its just a number.

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:40 pm

They sure do, and don't we all? But displaying it as the Pilots rank with no possibility to "wipe out previous mistakes" makes it kind of depressing.

That's why I suggested the Pilot rank as a Running average instead of an over-all average.

and in the end its just a number used in different areas for calculating number of passengers (yes, yes I know its only 0.1 % but still)

Post by **cmdrnmartin** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:40 pm

Your pilot rank has nothing to do with the passengers. From what I know of the formula, the airlines rating is the deciding factor.

Personnally, I like the overall average. 98% and above isnt depressing. Hell 95% and above isnt depressing. But if everyone has 100%, what's the fun in that? If everyone is special, it's just another way of saying no one is.

If you make a mistake, you make up for it. You'll never have 100% but your not perfect, so it's a, to choose a word, "perfectly" fair system.

Post by **Quantum** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:08 am

Hi Guys,

I'll give my two-penneth here. To a certain point, I agree, no pilot is perfect. The combined efforts of a VA's pilots can bring the VA ranking back to 'top' and will remain at top until another 'event' happens. An individual pilot who has made an error, no matter how hard he strives to improve and make no further errors, becomes stuck below 100%. It's all down to psychology and the fact that this is a game. In most games, if a player becomes 'wounded', through careful gameplay, he can return to 100% 'health'. I think it is an incentive for continued good flying and operating practises that a pilot should be allowed to return to 100% 'health'. You could have a pilot who makes 10,000 flights and takes off without landing lights on and 'bingo' he's lost his exemplary record and has lost it forever. I personally think that there SHOULD be a mechanism within the client/database that rewards pilots with improved/continueing skills by returning their flight average to 100%. The 0.1% makes little difference to load factor but is a dent in pride if a pilot is never allowed to recover it. We all know this is a game so I think a little bit of lee-way is not unreasonable to allow a pilot to get back to the top. We could perhaps have a rolling average of the last 100 flights, and lets face it, thats a lot of flights for a pilot to accomplish to regain his rating. But, it IS an attainable target for him to aim for.

Rgds

John

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:55 pm

Implementing the running average (as well) based on let say the last 500 flights then would give the individual pilot something to strive at, but not that easily obtained....the running average could easily be "tightened up" or "loosened" by regulating number of flights used as a divider.

Hell you could even have two average, one overall and one running. I agree it is the psychology in never being able to hit that 100% that's nagging me.

And using the overall average to be a sign of the pilots skill doesn't quite fit me...I would say that once you have "payed your dept to society" (proving your skills throughout the above mentioned flights)...You should be entitled to a reset....(or "clean record" if you like...)

Post by **cmdrnmartin** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:46 pm

Heh, the only way to get a clean slate would be too change your name and get a new passport, ie a new identity. This is illegal in the real world as it is in this game...

In the end, as Quantum pointed out, your basing your ideas on the 100% game mentatlity. I've talked to pilots in the military. Maybe once every 100 years you'll have a pilot who gets 100% on a check ride. 75% and under is a fail. But most pilots, even aces, generally score in the 95-98 range.

Let me emphasize again: 100% is unrealistic, if you mess up, suck it up and fly better. You'll never get 100 again. And you shouldnt worry about it. In the end, I really don't care how well you or whoever flies. Join a flyin, and watch all the experienced pilots fly around. Watch all the mistakes they make. Wonder howcome they dont make them on flynet. Realize that mistakes are natural, and it's reduction and corection of error, not elimination of error, that a pilot attempts.

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:22 pm

then what is the point of the "best pilot rating award", at the end of the day its unfair to never get 100% again just because you went 2 ais above the speed limit, Or same with the landing lights, as those regulations vary from area to area

Post by **cmdrnmartin** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:30 pm

Matthew wrote:then what is the point of the "best pilot rating award", at the end of the day its unfair to never get 100% again just because you went 2 ais above the speed limit, Or same with the landing lights, as those regulations vary from area to area

That's given every month, based solely on monthly performance, we're talking about the lifetime average here.

Post by **Quantum** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:33 am

Hi Martin,

Are you THAT set against letting a pilot get back to 100% ? This is a game not RL or if it were RL some of us would be bankrupt and out of business. As it is a GAME I can't see a problem letting someone get back to 100% until they make an error again. Make it tough but achieveable, it gives the virtual pilots something to aim for and strive to keep for longer, why not give the guys a break?

Rgds

John

Post by **cmdrnmartin** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:31 pm

Quantum wrote:Hi Martin,

Are you THAT set against letting a pilot get back to 100% ? This is a game not RL or if it were RL some of us would be bankrupt and out of business. As it is a GAME I can't see a problem letting someone get back to 100% until they make an error again. Make it tough but achieveable, it gives the virtual pilots something to aim for and strive to keep for longer, why not give the guys a break?

Rgds

John

I'm against a lifetime average going back to 100%, because then it isnt a lifetime average. If you want the 100% so bad, why not just have another entry, Average rating on last 100 flights instead? But dont get rid of the lifetime average. If anything it keeps people humble.

BigQ · Post by **BigQ** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:45 pm

cmdrnmartin wrote:If anything it keeps people humble.

I'm going to have to second that...

Does it REALLY make a difference if you're 99.99% or 100? I mean, there isn't a column in the pilots page to compare ratings...

DanKH · Post by **DanKH** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:36 am

cmdrnmartin wrote:I'm against a lifetime average going back to 100%

I'm with you on that on that wouldn't be possible no matter how hard you try!....not in reality, not here, not anywhere

What I was talking about at the first place was to base that Pilot's skill on a running average, or say the last 100 flights or so (that number of flights isn't really interesting, it only serves setting the difficulty level of getting up to a 100%)

As in real real life, if you have done something wrong, you'll be judged (maybe convicted) for it, no matter if you serve your time and your criminal record is cleaned. (running average)...actually you can't undo what you once have done (lifetime average)...

BUT you have payed your dept by serving time (100 of 100% flights) and hence your record is cleared (Pilot status).

As I suggested before, you could have both, but I would always see the running average as the most appropriate value to use judging anyone's skills