[Sailor Steve]

Well, not everybody is going to interested in every idea, and not all are going to agree on how it should be done. Of course real people gain experience, but not as points, and all of us gain renown, which affects our credibility. The problem is that any game has to do things mechanically and by a set of rules that real life doesn't ever follow.

And part of it is in the way it's presented, or at least in the way the readers see it. Your idea of experience is a good one, but the minute you say "experience points" everyone immediately things of RPGs and dice-rolling, and stat sheets.

I thing both experience and renown are great to have in a game like this, but they should mainly be behind the scenes. Your crew's experience of course has to be quantified somehow, simply so you can judge who's the best and see who needs more work. Your personal renown does indeed affect how your superiors see you, and should control whether or not your request for the "newest and best" is granted.

It's a tough call to make, and though it's fun to discuss I'm sure the actual call was made by the devs some time ago, so all we can do is wait and see what we get this time around.