That I could easily support- I just hope FD value the integrity of the feature and put that effort in, rather than fudging it.
Powerplay 2.0 : what we know from partners' streams
- Thread starter Bard Voronwe
- Start date
So in the above example an Aisling pledge is in Sol- so attack was warranted.
Yes, because unlike having other players PvE uses abstractions to approximate resistance. PP2 is not the more passive BGS layer below it, and powers need to exert a threat to make powers more than just faceless factions. Otherwise, whats the difference between supporting a BGS faction and a power flying about? If there is no difference then PP2 is not differentiating itself and is just a more developed wrapper.
Alecs example was random (once with PP NPCs, another with non aligned. One was unlucky, another lucky. Thats not a problem to me, given its RNG.
Even better—if one could dock at the pledged Power Headquarters, or perhaps any Stronghold, and there could be some form of "off-duty" Services option which pauses it all. I think there would be no need for a timer in that case, other than the time taken to return and choose "on-duty" again!
Keeping the merits progression, but preventing further progress in exchange for roaming as needed, which seems important for avoiding problems such as refusing to help another Commander complete an unrelated mission due to the mission system being hostile.
In a past life, when I was with Aisling, I found out to my amazement that I was on friendly status with the Feds for some reason. So why not set it up so that commanders with a friendly status with a Power other than their own gets a limited pass to visit the other power's systems?
PP 2.0 with its BGS side effects for Power merit assignments will make these cases rarer than before. And of course those who stray into Fed territory (as an example) with a hostile relationship with them are destroyed on sight. Specially in a sacred place such as Sol.
PP 2.0 with its BGS side effects for Power merit assignments will make these cases rarer than before. And of course those who stray into Fed territory (as an example) with a hostile relationship with them are destroyed on sight. Specially in a sacred place such as Sol.
Hold on. If there is reason to be attacked, like a mission triggering it, then fair play. Nobody should be going to a meet up with missions active.
I still don't see your case for random PP NPCs appearing at random locations on planets. AFAIK, they don't appear if you drop out of SC in space and still won't in PP2. So why should planets be different to space, especially when we are talking about, you know, spaceships, which normally spend most of their time in space.
So long as it destroys any PP-specific commodities or data you're carrying when you suspend it (and you also lose access to all your rank benefits), I can't see any exploits that don't also already exist for dropping and repledging entirely [1,2], which they've said has no penalty or cooldown beyond loss of rank, and the rank loss only affects you rather than the system progress as far as I can tell.
Maybe it needs a slightly longer cooldown than that because you don't lose the rank; equally, if Frontier are expecting it not to already be exploited because people are worried about losing the rank they're going to need to correct that pretty quickly anyway.
[1] This is possibly one of the reasons things like bounty hunting grant progress when you get the bounty, not when you hand it in, thinking about it.
[2] The most annoying of which I can think of now is a PvP one tricking people into getting non-Power bounties/notoriety (and also no merits) by unpledging just before you explode, and that's fairly niche. A "takes effect on next instance change" is all the delay that needs, though.
You were friendly with the Federation as a superpower, but not with either Zachary Hudson or Felicity Winters who were opposed (Federal-aligned) Powers.
(Superpower reputation is rather a "leftover" mechanic and they could probably scrap it entirely, I think, since it barely does anything)
But in PP1, there's a really clear line between "doing Powerplay stuff" (you're carrying PP cargo or have uncashed combat merits) and "everything else", so it's easy to set the NPCs to ignore "inactive" players. In PP2, just scanning the ships in front of you in supercruise on the way to the station is hostility.
I think the distinction is - and should be - "do other random NPCs appear at this location".
If they do, then you can do Powerplay things to those NPCs (scan them, shoot them, scoop the escape pods, etc, not all of which will generate a hostile response from those NPCs directly), and so Power NPCs need to show up from time to time as well.
If they don't, then you're not going to be scoring merits there, so there's no need for Power NPCs to show up to stop you.
In the case of random parts of planets, yes, but they don't do anything and are not affected by missions/merits/etc. Its really a cosmetic thing.
So, by that token, Power ships could cosmetically fly over.
Power NPCs already show up plenty in space, at nav beacons, and RES, near stations and other locations/bases. Its not like there is a shortage of places to find Power ships.
The BGS is a background sim that is for 'flavour'.
PP2 is very much a foreground abstraction of direct conflict- Powers should be hassling you, just as Thargoids do. This in turn should be attenuated by proximity to strongholds or other bases of powers, falling to nothing when you are away from it all.
Oh I like that a lot (both the idea of it being in-game and the "off duty" wording). If it was felt the cooldown was still required then I guess it could be something like "apply for shore leave" which then triggers a coutdown a bit like the ship transfer thing.
I can't wait to try the new map out, I often tried to read the power play map in V1, it really was difficult to work out which territory you are/were in and thus really hard to plot a route. I've just discovered that I can make a considerable sum of money in one haul, if I fill up with tritium and then deliver to a suitably well paying carrier in some dangerous location; The route planning is really fun.
I think the route planning that PP2 brings about is going to be a lot of fun too, even that my choice of power is going to be based upon this. Curiously enough, when I first started playing elite, it was something that I just did because it felt necessary when looking at the power's map, in complete ignorance of the system at that time.
It would be nice it this was politically nuanced; Safer in some territories because of allegiances and the likes, steer well clear of others because of obvious danger zones. Other areas being perfectly neutral, I suppose system type and major faction zone combined, giving the state of the waters if you will.
Really looking forwards to finding out. Can't decide whether to pledge or continue on my path of learning to be a viable bounty hunter in open mode, capable of operating in all, or at least most systems.
I think the route planning that PP2 brings about is going to be a lot of fun too, even that my choice of power is going to be based upon this. Curiously enough, when I first started playing elite, it was something that I just did because it felt necessary when looking at the power's map, in complete ignorance of the system at that time.
It would be nice it this was politically nuanced; Safer in some territories because of allegiances and the likes, steer well clear of others because of obvious danger zones. Other areas being perfectly neutral, I suppose system type and major faction zone combined, giving the state of the waters if you will.
Really looking forwards to finding out. Can't decide whether to pledge or continue on my path of learning to be a viable bounty hunter in open mode, capable of operating in all, or at least most systems.
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I hear your argument, i just don't see how random power NPCs randomly spawning above random points on the planet far from any power add anything to powerplay gameplay, even more so enemy power ships. There should be plenty of opportunities to be chased in space by power NPCs.
They aren't now in Powerplay 1, no.
Look at the list of actions for Powerplay 2, though - trimmed to those which only need another "cosmetic" NPC in the instance.
Every system state and side has something where you could interact with one of those cosmetic NPCs and get Powerplay progress for the system.
Are there though? SC interdiction has been cut back, so now it comes down to when players and NPCs mix- and having the chance of roving PP ships assists that, rather than having everything self contained.
The only one of those i think apply to being on random spots on planets are collecting escape pods... although is that still a thing? Can you still drive around planets randomly and find escape pods, are are they tied to POIs now? I haven't gone driving around planets looking for random spawns much since Odyssey dropped.
If that's still possible, ok, i could see how you'd want power NPCs spawning, but if you can deal with them, then you're in the clear to drive as long as you want looking for escape pods after that, unless you switch instance. I guess if you drop in in something fast, you can quickly boost away and lose the spawning NPCs. Fly 50 km, you've lost them for good, then land and drive for hours if you like in safety.
If you can't find escape pods that way any more, then its moot, as i'm not advocating power NPCs not to appear above marked POIs.
Of course, you can also collect escape pods in space, but that's not relevant to my point here.
The rest could only apply if Powers NPC did spawn, and stopping them spawning above random points doesn't lose much, since why would someone want to do those activities above random points on planets when they can do the same in space, probably quicker, easier, and no worry about accidentally kissing a planet?
Power NPCs can be at sources and destinations, and mission POIs, and at nav beacons and RES, and flying in SC. Plenty of opportunities. IF SC interdictions have been cut back, then maybe there's an argument to be made that they should be increased.
Again, considering people are only going likely going to random spots on random planets is either perhaps for some SRV shenanigans or similar types of meet ups, people won't be doing it for anything to do with Powerplay, why does it matter?
Do you plan on dropping into random spots on planets while working powerplay? Why would you? Don't you have better things to be doing than wasting your time with that? I somehow suspect not. So nothing is lost by not having Power NPCs spawning, it just affects people gathering from different powers who just want to meet up for random fun in power regions, which is a huge chunk of the bubble.
It doesn't say "collect bounties from Power NPCs", it says "collect bounties".
It doesn't say "scan Power ships and high wakes", it says "scan ships and high wakes".
It doesn't say "commit crimes against Power ships", it says "commit crimes".
Those all work on some "cosmetic" trader or pirate flying past.
Not personally, because I'm not the sort to go around min-maxing anything and there's probably more fun ways to get merits.
Can't speak for the rest of the player base on that one.
Perfectly safe environment to do ship scans of the "cosmetic" NPCs without being interfered with by Power NPCs, if the Power NPCs don't also show up.
Late breaking update check the news section of this forum. Release is now Thursday... Thank you Fdev for making sure to get it right before it launches. I for one appreciate that
edited: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...new-release-date-and-release-schedule.628922/
edited: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...new-release-date-and-release-schedule.628922/
I'm pledged, I expect NPC resistance wherever I go based on logical constraints.
Then do it somewhere Powerplay has no influence.
PP2 becomes one of my birthday presents (almost)!
