Powerplay 2.0 deep dive - Frontier Live 27th March

Then within that you build roles, strategies etc- which includes ship builds.
Clipper. 200 tons of cargo, 700 MJ of raw shield and faster than a combat-fit Mamba. 200 tons of trinkets that get through an active blockade every time is better than 790 tons that has a 20% chance of arrival. For silliness, install 4 mine launchers with all the special effects—won't affect experienced PvP-rs, but wannabes might get a surprise.
 
Clipper. 200 tons of cargo, 700 MJ of raw shield and faster than a combat-fit Mamba. 200 tons of trinkets that get through an active blockade every time is better than 790 tons that has a 20% chance of arrival. For silliness, install 4 mine launchers with all the special effects—won't affect experienced PvP-rs, but wannabes might get a surprise.
I tried mines on the Clipper but was like...
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Clipper. 200 tons of cargo, 700 MJ of raw shield and faster than a combat-fit Mamba. 200 tons of trinkets that get through an active blockade every time is better than 790 tons that has a 20% chance of arrival. For silliness, install 4 mine launchers with all the special effects—won't affect experienced PvP-rs, but wannabes might get a surprise.

And if that build cannot satisfy the volume required then tactics should come in, or teamplay.
 
"The other side assuming all the risk"... that's in general a consequence of some "other side"'s decision, frankly the PvPer "getting all the reward" just made a different decision (and here we might open another discussion, as I don't know what exactly is such "reward"). I.e. that sounds like the classic situation where CMDR Brings-A-Lot hauls fortifications in a shieldless T9 and gets legally insta-gibbed by enemy CMDR RazGunz in a double-shot frag-Clipper... 🤷‍♂️ :rolleyes:

That’s not the kind of risk I’m talking about.

Assuming that both Commanders are equipped suitably for the task at hand, here’s what the outcome matrix looks like for what was my most common PvP encounter before I switched to the BGS side of PowerPlay:

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Unless the Underminer is planning on “sniping” a control system for some unlikely reason, there is hardly any situation where the Fortifier comes out ahead in this scenario, and could easily come out behind. The best they can do is break even.

OTOH, there is rarely any scenario where the Underminer comes out behind in this scenario. The worst they can do is break even, and could easily come out ahead due to preventing fortification merits from being delivered.

This is what I mean when I say how skewed the current PvP paradigm is. Even if both ships were equally matched, the hauler has much to lose, and nothing to gain. The attacker has nothing to lose, and much to gain.

This is something that needs to be addressed if you expect non-PvP oriented PowerPlayers to ever engage in PvP. Both sides needs to have something on the table.

Personally, I’m hoping that PowerPlay 2.0 will change the paradigm of PowerPlay to not only enough to encourage flying multi-role ships, but also addresses the often very lopsided disparity in risk and reward.



And yes, I am very much aware of how, when the stars align, sometimes there’s an opposed combat expansion where both sides have a lot in the line. I’m talking about what I consider to be core PowerPlay activity here.
 
That’s not the kind of risk I’m talking about.

Assuming that both Commanders are equipped suitably for the task at hand, here’s what the outcome matrix looks like for what was my most common PvP encounter before I switched to the BGS side of PowerPlay:

View attachment 389838

Unless the Underminer is planning on “sniping” a control system for some unlikely reason, there is hardly any situation where the Fortifier comes out ahead in this scenario, and could easily come out behind. The best they can do is break even.

OTOH, there is rarely any scenario where the Underminer comes out behind in this scenario. The worst they can do is break even, and could easily come out ahead due to preventing fortification merits from being delivered.

This is what I mean when I say how skewed the current PvP paradigm is. Even if both ships were equally matched, the hauler has much to lose, and nothing to gain. The attacker has nothing to lose, and much to gain.

This is something that needs to be addressed if you expect non-PvP oriented PowerPlayers to ever engage in PvP. Both sides needs to have something on the table.

Personally, I’m hoping that PowerPlay 2.0 will change the paradigm of PowerPlay to not only enough to encourage flying multi-role ships, but also addresses the often very lopsided disparity in risk and reward.



And yes, I am very much aware of how, when the stars align, sometimes there’s an opposed combat expansion where both sides have a lot in the line. I’m talking about what I consider to be core PowerPlay activity here.
I wrote a very long time ago, in order for my ship to be able to withstand a bit of PvP then I have to build it up the right way. On this build you can only kill pirates or bounty hunters, you can't do anything else on it.
 
That’s not the kind of risk I’m talking about.

Assuming that both Commanders are equipped suitably for the task at hand, here’s what the outcome matrix looks like for what was my most common PvP encounter before I switched to the BGS side of PowerPlay:

View attachment 389838

Unless the Underminer is planning on “sniping” a control system for some unlikely reason, there is hardly any situation where the Fortifier comes out ahead in this scenario, and could easily come out behind. The best they can do is break even.

OTOH, there is rarely any scenario where the Underminer comes out behind in this scenario. The worst they can do is break even, and could easily come out ahead due to preventing fortification merits from being delivered.

This is what I mean when I say how skewed the current PvP paradigm is. Even if both ships were equally matched, the hauler has much to lose, and nothing to gain. The attacker has nothing to lose, and much to gain.

This is something that needs to be addressed if you expect non-PvP oriented PowerPlayers to ever engage in PvP. Both sides needs to have something on the table.

Personally, I’m hoping that PowerPlay 2.0 will change the paradigm of PowerPlay to not only enough to encourage flying multi-role ships, but also addresses the often very lopsided disparity in risk and reward.



And yes, I am very much aware of how, when the stars align, sometimes there’s an opposed combat expansion where both sides have a lot in the line. I’m talking about what I consider to be core PowerPlay activity here.
The problem with current Powerplay is that it never really knows what its core is- because its the expectation and framing of the feature which never really got defined. To me someone pledging should expect trouble from anyone and that its a team game where the goal matters more- and that Powerplay is more like players rotating roles (at least in the smaller powers- get to FUC levels and you have dedicated hauling squads).

Plus I would say too that attack has to be easier than defence- otherwise you get what you see today and thats a largely static and stuffed playing field because Solo and PG only have weak NPCs. Once fortified you have maths on your side too- so from a higher level perspective (at a group level) the fortifier has the advantage and attack is normally very hard to achieve. If a snipe attempt is discovered its easy for a fortifier to cover that gap and once medium scale fortification has begun its almost impossible to brute force an attack.

It would have been interesting to see what uncapped UM would have done, given that all powers would have been inbound and control systems / capitals / border systems would have become pressure cookers. Networking aside, it would have made attacking much more risky and that powers might need to mega UM in response.

But you are correct in that at a player level there is a mismatch between risk and reward, especially in Open against others encountered- its why that I hope V2 uses mission based tasks to provide smaller jobs that have consistent danger priced into them (as well as greater variety). It will be interesting to see what FD have in mind for the hinted PvP aspect- I suspect it has something to do with the megaship cargo bays in stronghold HQ POIs but we will have to see.
 
The problem with current Powerplay is that it never really knows what its core is- because its the expectation and framing of the feature which never really got defined. To me someone pledging should expect trouble from anyone and that its a team game where the goal matters more- and that Powerplay is more like players rotating roles (at least in the smaller powers- get to FUC levels and you have dedicated hauling squads).

Plus I would say too that attack has to be easier than defence- otherwise you get what you see today and thats a largely static and stuffed playing field because Solo and PG only have weak NPCs. Once fortified you have maths on your side too- so from a higher level perspective (at a group level) the fortifier has the advantage and attack is normally very hard to achieve. If a snipe attempt is discovered its easy for a fortifier to cover that gap and once medium scale fortification has begun its almost impossible to brute force an attack.

It would have been interesting to see what uncapped UM would have done, given that all powers would have been inbound and control systems / capitals / border systems would have become pressure cookers. Networking aside, it would have made attacking much more risky and that powers might need to mega UM in response.

But you are correct in that at a player level there is a mismatch between risk and reward, especially in Open against others encountered- its why that I hope V2 uses mission based tasks to provide smaller jobs that have consistent danger priced into them (as well as greater variety). It will be interesting to see what FD have in mind for the hinted PvP aspect- I suspect it has something to do with the megaship cargo bays in stronghold HQ POIs but we will have to see.
Aren't we free mercenaries in the game ? We do everything for our own profit. If I need to kill pirates and get more reward for it I will join the right force.
Once I get bored with that, I'll join the enemy to maximize the profit from ore mining.
Sometimes you take a mission to kill someone and during the flight you are offered to do the opposite for more money.
Then we immediately switch to that mission, it pays more.
 
Aren't we free mercenaries in the game ?
Sometimes you take a mission to kill someone and during the flight you are offered to do the opposite for more money.
Then we immediately switch to that mission, it pays more.
Even mercenaries can have principles, hard lines they won't cross and factions/ideologies they favor. I might be a merc, but I sell my service for the benefit of the common hard-working folks (and yes, this also includes causing minor mischief and mayhem in the right place). Some mobsters may try to bribe me to not kill them, but why should I listen to them? It's not as if 10 million extra credits matter to me anymore, anyway.

Powerplay if it was done right could offer something for people who don't wish to play as simple mercenaries, but as a loyal member of some faction. Though it works better with some powers than others--it's hard to imagine that Denton Patreus would depend on independent pilots when he's an admiral of the Empire and commands some of the largest fleets in the Bubble. Li-Yong Rui on the other hand would, because it's just another contract with freelancers whom he doesn't have to pay benefits and probably gets some tax returns from contracting with you. Archon Delaine? Hell, yeah, if you want to shoot others, raid settlements, steal stuffz, traffic slaves that guy will welcome you with open arms--if you follow his rules.
 
Even mercenaries can have principles, hard lines they won't cross and factions/ideologies they favor. I might be a merc, but I sell my service for the benefit of the common hard-working folks (and yes, this also includes causing minor mischief and mayhem in the right place). Some mobsters may try to bribe me to not kill them, but why should I listen to them? It's not as if 10 million extra credits matter to me anymore, anyway.

Powerplay if it was done right could offer something for people who don't wish to play as simple mercenaries, but as a loyal member of some faction. Though it works better with some powers than others--it's hard to imagine that Denton Patreus would depend on independent pilots when he's an admiral of the Empire and commands some of the largest fleets in the Bubble. Li-Yong Rui on the other hand would, because it's just another contract with freelancers whom he doesn't have to pay benefits and probably gets some tax returns from contracting with you. Archon Delaine? Hell, yeah, if you want to shoot others, raid settlements, steal stuffz, traffic slaves that guy will welcome you with open arms--if you follow his rules.
What makes you think illegal missions can pay more? I often see on GalNet calls for independent pilots from the Pilots Federation, so on LOR we are one of them.
 
As I mentioned before, what really needs to happen with U19 is that a 4th mode, PP Only, is introduced.
With no entry if not pledged and no blocklist etc.
That way, the only folk joining in will be ones wanting the 'full PP 2.0 experience", I'm sure it will attract dozens!
Why else would there be a mode?
All you need to do is make it so that people can beat each other in CQC on their own ships and on their own builds. To find out who is stronger, with their own record table and ALL.

P.S. At the end of the day, simulation in CQC will give the player a chance to try out their build without any repercussions and prepare them for going into a brutal open game.
 
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Aren't we free mercenaries in the game ? We do everything for our own profit. If I need to kill pirates and get more reward for it I will join the right force.
Once I get bored with that, I'll join the enemy to maximize the profit from ore mining.
Sometimes you take a mission to kill someone and during the flight you are offered to do the opposite for more money.
Then we immediately switch to that mission, it pays more.
Speaking personally, I'm roleplaying an independet Imperial agent who uses her membership in the Pilots Federation as a cover for clandestine operations. Of course, I'd originally conceived of her as a struggling independent agent rather than a wealthy dilettente of an agent, but Frontier went full Monty Haul campaign when it comes to rewards, so here we are. ;)
 
Hi it's me again, the noob. Something I am still struggling to figure out is why anyone not interested in PvP content would choose to engage in Powerplay aside from acquiring the modules. Just to shoot npc ships and haul cargo under some other pretext than what the rest of the game already provides? Are BGS buckets not good enough? What difference is there, from a gameplay perspective or a roleplaying standpoint, in supporting the Prismatic Princess over captain Andy Anderson of the Allied Apathy Association?

I'm lost and obviously missing something here. I enjoy shooting npc ships and hauling cargo too, but I fail to see any reason why I would need Powerplay for that. What is the draw? Is it the minor buffs each Power provides? Is it the politics of it or a sense of affecting the galaxy beyond what BGS gives you? Make it make sense. Somebody, please enlighten me. I want to understand both sides of this coin.

Also ELO ranking would be great. Especially if CQC wasn't objectively garbage and allowed more variation and some actual strategy. Not saying it'd be completely worthless currently but it'd essentially just be a comparison of a player's (or collective players') reaction speed and hand eye coordination. Absolutely fine if this was Quake or Unreal and we didn't have the engineered build variation of the main game. To put this into perspective, I don't think Age of Empires 2 or Starcraft would still be such popular games with cash prize tournaments 25 years after release if they only had 1 race/civilization mirror matches and limited unit types. Again, just my opinion. That said a 1v1 ranking would be easy enough if there even was a 1v1 CQC mode, and up to 4v4 would be doable with registered teams.
 
why anyone not interested in PvP content would choose to engage in Powerplay aside from acquiring the modules.
PP is not a PvP activity, never has been, i do fortification and such vs NPCs as intended for Solo and PG modes.
I fail to see any reason why I would need Powerplay for that
Because its an aspect of the game that my group is interested in without having to deal with other folks.
I played PP in Open for a few weeks once, the muppets i encountered trying to blow up my trader had nowt to do with PP.

O7
 
Hi it's me again, the noob. Something I am still struggling to figure out is why anyone not interested in PvP content would choose to engage in Powerplay aside from acquiring the modules. Just to shoot npc ships and haul cargo under some other pretext than what the rest of the game already provides? Are BGS buckets not good enough? What difference is there, from a gameplay perspective or a roleplaying standpoint, in supporting the Prismatic Princess over captain Andy Anderson of the Allied Apathy Association?

I'm lost and obviously missing something here. I enjoy shooting npc ships and hauling cargo too, but I fail to see any reason why I would need Powerplay for that. What is the draw? Is it the minor buffs each Power provides? Is it the politics of it or a sense of affecting the galaxy beyond what BGS gives you? Make it make sense. Somebody, please enlighten me. I want to understand both sides of this coin.

Also ELO ranking would be great. Especially if CQC wasn't objectively garbage and allowed more variation and some actual strategy. Not saying it'd be completely worthless currently but it'd essentially just be a comparison of a player's (or collective players') reaction speed and hand eye coordination. Absolutely fine if this was Quake or Unreal and we didn't have the engineered build variation of the main game. To put this into perspective, I don't think Age of Empires 2 or Starcraft would still be such popular games with cash prize tournaments 25 years after release if they only had 1 race/civilization mirror matches and limited unit types. Again, just my opinion. That said a 1v1 ranking would be easy enough if there even was a 1v1 CQC mode, and up to 4v4 would be doable with registered teams.
All they have mentioned so far is the deep drive will be PVP focused.
There have been suggestions about Power-related uniforms, PJ'S, decals etc. but we have no idea what the rewards will be.
PP V 1.0 had financial, perks and module rewards so there will probably be rewards of some kind.
Most ppl on the forum seem to want modules moved to engineers so something may be needed to replace those... and perks might be changed as well and the financial rewards uprated because they never were.
Only FD know at this point.
 
PP is not a PvP activity, never has been, i do fortification and such vs NPCs as intended for Solo and PG modes.

Because its an aspect of the game that my group is interested in without having to deal with other folks.
I played PP in Open for a few weeks once, the muppets i encountered trying to blow up my trader had nowt to do with PP.

O7
Arf specifically mentioned PVP in relation to PP 2.0. We don't know much more than that.
Even playing PP V 1.0 in solo is PVP.
What we don't know is if FD's definition of PVP extends to PVPC (combat).
 
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