A writer's thoughts on 'PowerPlay' - Drew Wagar
- Thread starter drew
- Start date
Perfect read.
I hope FD will read it.
I hope FD will read it.
Thanks for the read. Couldn't find too much to disagree with in there.
Maybe try it via a proxy. This should work:
http://www.webproxy.net/view?q=http://www.drewwagar.com/progress-report/elite-powerplay/
While your points might have some merit (i personally disagree with them though), none of what you actually mention relates to powerplay. You are talking about other changes that came as part of 1.3. 1.3 != powerplay.
Definitely what is needed. There was so much interest around the "Unknown Artifacts" - so much potential to be tapped into that would rally commanders into exploring the unknown.
Yes, 1.3 is not only PowerPlay, so maybe the other "hated" changes that came with 1.3 give PowerPlay some additional bad taste.
@ buttercup: I know how you feel. You found yourself a funny way to do the grinding and now you got to do all the boring ways, because the fun was nerfed again.
But that's life and that's what players 'demand'. Elite shoud be harder and more dangerous than life. We didn't pay for fun^^ (don't take this "to Sirius")
The thing that gets me about ED are these kinds of missed opportunities to generate personality and variety. Systems under dictatorship governments should feel very different than anarchy systems, and yet, we never see anything that takes those kinds of differences into account in a behavioural way. Makes me think that ED's foundations are more rigid than we'd sometimes like to assume and making slight changes in how systems work is actually a real headache. It was a little eye opening when it was revealed that stations are more like planets in that they're coded to be fixed, not dynamic entities, and it's hard to do anything with them.
DB and procedural content are synonymous with each other. I was hoping to see great variety, elegant graphical and story generating systems which would trick you into believing in the world and the illusion of great complexity and detail. But we still have just the bare minimum, enough to say 'yes, alright- it's there', but never going the extra step.
Last edited:
Most of the players I fly around with have committed to Powerplay, because it's there and we've collectively selection a "Power". Yes, Powerplay is geared for console rollout and that's one of the reasons I have not joined a Power, even if I do work on the background sim and promote our Faction (especially with support to Patreus).
However I am an original '84 and prefer to play to the original tenets of Elite. I personally cannot be bothered with Powerplay. That's my choice. Hence my remaining a free and independent trader, even if I do as much as I can for Patreus and my Faction. As I am Independent, I can go anywhere in the game I choose without running into xenophobic players who's first and primary focus is to limit themselves to just one Power and who miss out on all the richness that the game can offer.
Powerplay could have and in my opinion, should have been run as a background simulation without players having to select a Power and grind away for that Power. It does pander to the console generation, so my apologies for being an old git and not into being slotted into a particular loyalty identifier. In fact since Powerplay has been introduced, many players on Reddit and elsewhere moan constantly as to the actions of this player group or that player group doing things like undermining a particular power and the comments between players on sites like Reddit are causing very hostile comments between players. A lot of this appears to be frustration not only with the players they complain about but also against Frontier for providing a system of Powerplay where player groups are operating against a perceived players "spirit" interpretation of the game (known as 5th columning). To me, the whole concept is alien. Some state it's an exploit, others state it's a game mechanic. Either way, a lot of the players whether they are for or against that particular subject are acting like children. I thought there was an age limit on Elite. If those so vocal against each other are indeed of age then may I suggest they act their age rather than demonstrating the politics of the school playground.
Powerplay however is here to stay. It's not going to go away. So players have a duty to pass on their suggestions to Frontier on how to improve what is presently a retrograde gaming inception. A real Powerplay would have been to take things to a sub-level and have individual Factions fighting over control of each system for that Faction or Corporation or Crew without changing the Big NPC Players influence. So a system under Aisling or Patreus or Hudson or the other seven "Powers" would still be in nominal control or exploitation of those systems, but whenever there was a system change by the local Factions, this would create a new dynamic for the "Powers", where for example, an Alliance system becomes Anarchic (we've had that) and the Alliance "Power" loses exploitation. The same dynamic could be introduced throughout the game. An Empire system becomes Federation and switches "Power" exploitation Rights. However the exploitation or control would be part of the background simulation and not a weekly prerequisite by players siding with a particular Power and then having to grind endlessly for that Power.
However I am an original '84 and prefer to play to the original tenets of Elite. I personally cannot be bothered with Powerplay. That's my choice. Hence my remaining a free and independent trader, even if I do as much as I can for Patreus and my Faction. As I am Independent, I can go anywhere in the game I choose without running into xenophobic players who's first and primary focus is to limit themselves to just one Power and who miss out on all the richness that the game can offer.
Powerplay could have and in my opinion, should have been run as a background simulation without players having to select a Power and grind away for that Power. It does pander to the console generation, so my apologies for being an old git and not into being slotted into a particular loyalty identifier. In fact since Powerplay has been introduced, many players on Reddit and elsewhere moan constantly as to the actions of this player group or that player group doing things like undermining a particular power and the comments between players on sites like Reddit are causing very hostile comments between players. A lot of this appears to be frustration not only with the players they complain about but also against Frontier for providing a system of Powerplay where player groups are operating against a perceived players "spirit" interpretation of the game (known as 5th columning). To me, the whole concept is alien. Some state it's an exploit, others state it's a game mechanic. Either way, a lot of the players whether they are for or against that particular subject are acting like children. I thought there was an age limit on Elite. If those so vocal against each other are indeed of age then may I suggest they act their age rather than demonstrating the politics of the school playground.
Powerplay however is here to stay. It's not going to go away. So players have a duty to pass on their suggestions to Frontier on how to improve what is presently a retrograde gaming inception. A real Powerplay would have been to take things to a sub-level and have individual Factions fighting over control of each system for that Faction or Corporation or Crew without changing the Big NPC Players influence. So a system under Aisling or Patreus or Hudson or the other seven "Powers" would still be in nominal control or exploitation of those systems, but whenever there was a system change by the local Factions, this would create a new dynamic for the "Powers", where for example, an Alliance system becomes Anarchic (we've had that) and the Alliance "Power" loses exploitation. The same dynamic could be introduced throughout the game. An Empire system becomes Federation and switches "Power" exploitation Rights. However the exploitation or control would be part of the background simulation and not a weekly prerequisite by players siding with a particular Power and then having to grind endlessly for that Power.
Do you remember how you felt the first time you saw Star Wars episode IV? the action, the goodies and the baddies, villainous space ports, bounty hunters, tracking devices, exotic planets, blasters and light sabers. Well PowerPlay (and indeed 99% of Galnet news from day one) reminds me of the opening credits for the Phantom Menace - taxation, trade disputes and shipping embargoes. Meh.
Mr. Wagar I agree on all your points sir, and I will say that you convinced me to return to Oolite after the disappointment of ED. You created amazing stories in the ooniverse. As it stands, Oolite with the oxp mods and the community, is a better Elite experience that captures the essence of the original space combat sandbox.
Already agreed with everything Drew wrote over on Farcebook, but I may as well agree with it here too. 
- - - Updated - - -
Jar Jar Binks as a future Power Leader. Say it ain't so!
- - - Updated - - -
Jar Jar Binks as a future Power Leader. Say it ain't so!
Oh, nice one Drew! You're personally responsible for this poster quitting the game! Happy now?
(Please note, this is meant to be a humorous dig at Sundalo saying that Drew's post has convinced him to stop playing... rather than say the actual game itself is the reason).
Nice blog post. I wish there was a game that I could call a continuation of Elite. I was always waiting for an Elite IV, backed ED, now I realise that ED is not it. Maybe I will return to Oolite or possibly even Pioneer. Mainly I expect eventually to go back to Elite on an emulator and leave ED to the console unlockables and gongs and ladder people. Yes.... Those.... People....
Oh, nice one Drew! You're personally responsible for this poster quitting the game! Happy now?
(Please note, this is meant to be a humorous dig at Sundalo saying that Drew's post has convinced him to stop playing... rather than say the actual game itself is the reason).
It's still 'an' Elite... sort of... kinda.
I've been playing Elite since 1984. The original novel (The Dark Wheel) is what started me on the road to writing. I love SF, astronomy and space in general. I trained as a scientist. Elite is an utterly embedded part of my life. I care enormously about it and I genuinely love meeting all the fans at the conventions, talking about this amazing game. I have huge respect for David's vision, for all the folks at Frontier who have plied their energy and enthusiasm into the game. It remains an astonishing thing. I'm very happy to be flying my Cobra once again in an 'official' game.
I never intended to lead a defection, or to cause any grief to Frontier or to all you fans. These really are just my thoughts - I'm just one of many authors who was in the right place at the right time, given the opportunity by Frontier, backed by fans - and wrote an official book that seems to have been well received by those who've read it.
If my musings resonate with folks then maybe, just maybe, there's something that needs thinking about - and I don't thinking fixing it is at all impossible.
Peace to all. Right on, Commanders.
Cheers,
Drew.
Hear Hear FD
Excellent blog Drew, well done. One thing that made me think was when you said:
I fear that you are correct. Those that helped FD kickstart ED were probably mostly 84'ers, and now they've got their money, I feel that FD have kicked some of them in the teeth with the ugly direction ED has taken.
I fear that you are correct. Those that helped FD kickstart ED were probably mostly 84'ers, and now they've got their money, I feel that FD have kicked some of them in the teeth with the ugly direction ED has taken.
Last edited:
Indeed.
I haven't posted a thread on my diversity posting as I am still waiting for the moderators to reply on whether I should post it or not, knowing the discussion it might generate. That was a week ago.
Good luck on getting a reply on your 'campaign' Drew.