04-15-2011, 07:17 PM
In addition to the Captain and Exec who are the avatars of the player, there are lots of officer-types (27 at present) who may be recruited to increase a ship, base or colony's ability to accomplish certain tasks. Their skill is tracked on a 9 point scale and is directly reflected by their rank which goes from "acting ensign" to "senior commander." There are higher ranks than that, but they are reserved for player-characters. An officer may be promoted at any time, but the ship has to have enough training points available to it to increase his/her/its rank. (The higher the rank, the more points needed) A ship earns training points by engaging in activities - the riskier the activity, the more training points are accumulated.
It is possible, occasionally, to recruit a high ranking officer from a starbase, but they know their own worth and expect to be promised extraordinary salaries and a fat recruiting bonus, so it's usually less expensive to promote from within.
It is possible, occasionally, to recruit a high ranking officer from a starbase, but they know their own worth and expect to be promised extraordinary salaries and a fat recruiting bonus, so it's usually less expensive to promote from within.