Powerplay was an addition I was very much looking forward to. But today, after 3 turns, I'll unpledge.
I am not happy with Powerplay and think it doesn't add anything positive to my game.
My main reasons:
1. The cards are stacked against me
1.1. Time of the turn
The Powerplay turn ends on Thursday, 7:00 a.m. gametime. I am a casual player. I am a family father. I have a demanding job. I am a central european. The timing alone ensures that I
- will never take part in the exciting last minute rush
- will always be at a disadvantage against American players, who can do last minute actions, while I cant
How so? Imagine two powers, one with European players, one with US West Coast players. Both have an expansion going. Both want to stop each other's expansions. Both decide that the only sensible way to do so is a last second dump. The Europeans have to either get up early, or stay up through the night (on a Wednesday). The people from the west coast have a normal wednesday evening with a bit of powerplay fun. They have all the advantages. Both parties know how many merits the others have. Both want to dump more merits than the others have prepared in the last second.
For Europeans that means to be late for work, late for school / university. Staying up later than healthy. etc. People from the US West Coast just play normally. Maybe go to bed an hour later than usually.
1.2. Bonusses
I already did a lengthy post about the Empire favoritism: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=158444
As the Powerplay mechanic starts to become defined more clearly, it becomes obvious that most of it will evolve around pouring millions of credits into expansions.
So my advantage as a Mahon player is that I have none. I am hostile in 90% of the inhabited galaxy. My bonusses amount to 5% trading bonus. Mahon's passive bonusses create a few mediocre trading routes that not only suffer from the choice of commodities, but also from having to include the second-worst possible economy on the trip, namely agricultures.
1.3. Alliance
As an Alliance player I can choose one power. Pledging will lead to me being hostile in 90% of space occupied by any powers.
So as a European Alliance player I have the deck stacked against me. And it's stacked so much that I prefer to say: Well, you apparently do not want me to play this. Otherwise you'd at least try to make it fun for me and give me a fair chance.
2. Mechanics
2.1. Combat vs. Trading
The practice of hoarding merits only to drop them at the last instance is ... i am struggling for a polite word... really bad. It is a big advantage over the trading mechanic. While the trading mechanic is superior - given unlimited funds - once you factor in the time to earn money, combat is close to being on par if not better (350 - 500 merits an hour by shooting down ships is possible, the equivalent of 3.5 - 5 million credits fast track). You need a really good trading route really close by to beat combat with ferrying merits. And that brings us back to point 1.2.... very good trading route close by? Not in Mahon space.
2.2. Fast tracking
Really? I need to click up to 10/ 15/ 20 / 25 / 50. Then click "confirm"? Then click "back to main". Then click "fast track quota", then start anew. And do so how ever long it takes to fill up my ship, which can take 492 tons? That's not a user friendly, fun game mechanic, that is a reason to program a bot. Or train a monkey.
2.3. Interdictions
So I am pledged to a power, and now I get interdicted 10 times more often than before? Like about 75% of the time I approach a control system?
2.4. Last minute drops
The whole mechanic to keep to your merits until the last minute is dumb. You shouldn't be able to hoard merits over a week. This just gives an advantage to whoever lives in a good timezone.
2.5. Powerplay mechanics itself
The powerplay mechanics are just the same old same old. The only difference is that they turn the mechanics from a credit gain into a credit sink, or a zero sum game at best. Since I don't have many credits and am a casual, I will stop pretending that powerplay is for me and stop playing it.
3. Possible cures
3.1. Alternating end dates
The end date is really my main issue. It'd be fair to rotate the end time so that everyone has the pleasure to have a 12:00 p.m. turn end every now and then.
3.2. Stop hoarding merits
Merits should be automatically turned in for combat. That way you always know the standings and the importance of the ending turn is somewhat mitigated.
3.3. Balance bonusses
Bonusses are ridiculously preferential for the Empire. Balance is needed. The bonusses genereate credits, the credits lead to direct advantages in Powerplay by being able to fast track more tons.
3.4. Alliances
Make it possible that player powers can be allies. So that you aren't punished even more for being in the Alliance, the Federation or the Independents
All in all I am not happy with powerplay.
The weekly turns in the morning, the mechanics that bring nothing new, the grind, the ridiculously unfair balance, the added toxicity in the community....
That all leads me to unpledge with Mr Mahon. Enjoy yourself, Mr Mahon, but I am out.
I am not happy with Powerplay and think it doesn't add anything positive to my game.
My main reasons:
1. The cards are stacked against me
1.1. Time of the turn
The Powerplay turn ends on Thursday, 7:00 a.m. gametime. I am a casual player. I am a family father. I have a demanding job. I am a central european. The timing alone ensures that I
- will never take part in the exciting last minute rush
- will always be at a disadvantage against American players, who can do last minute actions, while I cant
How so? Imagine two powers, one with European players, one with US West Coast players. Both have an expansion going. Both want to stop each other's expansions. Both decide that the only sensible way to do so is a last second dump. The Europeans have to either get up early, or stay up through the night (on a Wednesday). The people from the west coast have a normal wednesday evening with a bit of powerplay fun. They have all the advantages. Both parties know how many merits the others have. Both want to dump more merits than the others have prepared in the last second.
For Europeans that means to be late for work, late for school / university. Staying up later than healthy. etc. People from the US West Coast just play normally. Maybe go to bed an hour later than usually.
1.2. Bonusses
I already did a lengthy post about the Empire favoritism: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=158444
As the Powerplay mechanic starts to become defined more clearly, it becomes obvious that most of it will evolve around pouring millions of credits into expansions.
So my advantage as a Mahon player is that I have none. I am hostile in 90% of the inhabited galaxy. My bonusses amount to 5% trading bonus. Mahon's passive bonusses create a few mediocre trading routes that not only suffer from the choice of commodities, but also from having to include the second-worst possible economy on the trip, namely agricultures.
1.3. Alliance
As an Alliance player I can choose one power. Pledging will lead to me being hostile in 90% of space occupied by any powers.
So as a European Alliance player I have the deck stacked against me. And it's stacked so much that I prefer to say: Well, you apparently do not want me to play this. Otherwise you'd at least try to make it fun for me and give me a fair chance.
2. Mechanics
2.1. Combat vs. Trading
The practice of hoarding merits only to drop them at the last instance is ... i am struggling for a polite word... really bad. It is a big advantage over the trading mechanic. While the trading mechanic is superior - given unlimited funds - once you factor in the time to earn money, combat is close to being on par if not better (350 - 500 merits an hour by shooting down ships is possible, the equivalent of 3.5 - 5 million credits fast track). You need a really good trading route really close by to beat combat with ferrying merits. And that brings us back to point 1.2.... very good trading route close by? Not in Mahon space.
2.2. Fast tracking
Really? I need to click up to 10/ 15/ 20 / 25 / 50. Then click "confirm"? Then click "back to main". Then click "fast track quota", then start anew. And do so how ever long it takes to fill up my ship, which can take 492 tons? That's not a user friendly, fun game mechanic, that is a reason to program a bot. Or train a monkey.
2.3. Interdictions
So I am pledged to a power, and now I get interdicted 10 times more often than before? Like about 75% of the time I approach a control system?
2.4. Last minute drops
The whole mechanic to keep to your merits until the last minute is dumb. You shouldn't be able to hoard merits over a week. This just gives an advantage to whoever lives in a good timezone.
2.5. Powerplay mechanics itself
The powerplay mechanics are just the same old same old. The only difference is that they turn the mechanics from a credit gain into a credit sink, or a zero sum game at best. Since I don't have many credits and am a casual, I will stop pretending that powerplay is for me and stop playing it.
3. Possible cures
3.1. Alternating end dates
The end date is really my main issue. It'd be fair to rotate the end time so that everyone has the pleasure to have a 12:00 p.m. turn end every now and then.
3.2. Stop hoarding merits
Merits should be automatically turned in for combat. That way you always know the standings and the importance of the ending turn is somewhat mitigated.
3.3. Balance bonusses
Bonusses are ridiculously preferential for the Empire. Balance is needed. The bonusses genereate credits, the credits lead to direct advantages in Powerplay by being able to fast track more tons.
3.4. Alliances
Make it possible that player powers can be allies. So that you aren't punished even more for being in the Alliance, the Federation or the Independents
All in all I am not happy with powerplay.
The weekly turns in the morning, the mechanics that bring nothing new, the grind, the ridiculously unfair balance, the added toxicity in the community....
That all leads me to unpledge with Mr Mahon. Enjoy yourself, Mr Mahon, but I am out.
