I have been seriously surprised and impressed by the recent community interaction from Frontier and I'm hoping to get a little more out of the devs before they get sick of us
. Zac indicated in another thread that we might get some answers to commonly-asked Powerplay queries if they were laid as full questions, so here it goes. Some of these things have been answered, at least in part, in other threads, but I hope that having it all more neatly organised will be better than scattered replies through a very active thread.
A note before I start the list. I don't personally agree that every point below is valid or equally important. This is just my attempt to compile a list of questions related to concerns I often see raised here and on reddit. If I've missed something, please let me know below, but let's try to keep this thread on-topic and non-hostile. There's of course no guarantee we'll get any response at all - and it's hard to begrudge that, in the light of the amazing Q&A we had just yesterday - but the odds are better if we keep things respectful and relevant.
1. Power perks and bonuses. There is currently a perception amongst at least some players that some PP rewards are very useful, while others are largely without merit. Are there currently any plans to change or re-balance either the perks for reaching rank 2 with Powers or controlled space bonuses for certain Powers?
2. Powerplay modules. Are there currently any plans to re-balance or change the unique modules offered for reaching rank 3 with a Power?
3. Power ethos. As it stands, Power ethos does not affect the kind of actions required for Preparation and Fortification. When it comes to Expansion, Finance has one action (delivering cargo) while Social and Combat share the same one (conflict zones). Are there any plans to differentiate between different kinds of Power ethos?
4. Undermining and Opposition #1. Currently it's more "profitable" from a merit-earning perspective to commit hostile actions in the territory of other Powers than to support your own Power's growth - unless you're willing to spend substantial credits on non-combat Powerplay actions. Are there any plans to change this, or is this working as intended?
5. Undermining and Opposition #2. As it stands, Undermining and Opposing Powers in the same major faction as your Power is much more difficult and much less rewarding than attacking Powers from outside your major faction. Most notably this has resulted in several Imperial Powers seeing very little hostile activity in their space. Is this a mechanic you intend to tweak in some way?
6. Solo and Powerplay. According to some members of the community, Solo players should have a limited or no effect on Powerplay - or, alternatively, playing in Open should offer Powerplay bonuses. Is this something you are considering?
7. PvP. Currently there is not a great deal of incentive to PvP in Powerplay mechanics - specifically when it comes to earning merits. Are there plans to incentive Power vs Power PvP actions?
8. The mission system. Are there any plans to integrate the mission system with Powerplay, for example rewarding merits and contributing to Preparation/Fortification/Expansion/Undermining/Opposition through missions in addition to current Powerplay tasks?
9. Lore. While GalNet is seeing a lot more activity these days, lore and background information for several Powers is still rather scarce. For example, we don't know what exactly is Winters' political program, or what beliefs drive Pranav Antal's Utopia. Can we expect background like this to be added by future GalNet entries? Could some of those gaps be filled in by player-submitted and FD-approved news bulletins?
10. Powerplay communication. Currently players rely on out-of-game tools to formulate Powerplay strategy and organise themselves. Are there plans to offer in-game tools for organisation, such as in-game message boards etc?
11. Sub-optimal player actions and merit rewards. As it is, doing "smart" things for your Power is rewarded exactly the same as completing tasks with no thought to strategy to the success of that Power. For example, delivering cargo to a 1000% Fortified system is rewarded the same as fortifying a system at 0%, even though the former action does not benefit the Power. Can we expect merit rewards or other incentives to promote actions which benefit one's Power?
A note before I start the list. I don't personally agree that every point below is valid or equally important. This is just my attempt to compile a list of questions related to concerns I often see raised here and on reddit. If I've missed something, please let me know below, but let's try to keep this thread on-topic and non-hostile. There's of course no guarantee we'll get any response at all - and it's hard to begrudge that, in the light of the amazing Q&A we had just yesterday - but the odds are better if we keep things respectful and relevant.
1. Power perks and bonuses. There is currently a perception amongst at least some players that some PP rewards are very useful, while others are largely without merit. Are there currently any plans to change or re-balance either the perks for reaching rank 2 with Powers or controlled space bonuses for certain Powers?
2. Powerplay modules. Are there currently any plans to re-balance or change the unique modules offered for reaching rank 3 with a Power?
3. Power ethos. As it stands, Power ethos does not affect the kind of actions required for Preparation and Fortification. When it comes to Expansion, Finance has one action (delivering cargo) while Social and Combat share the same one (conflict zones). Are there any plans to differentiate between different kinds of Power ethos?
4. Undermining and Opposition #1. Currently it's more "profitable" from a merit-earning perspective to commit hostile actions in the territory of other Powers than to support your own Power's growth - unless you're willing to spend substantial credits on non-combat Powerplay actions. Are there any plans to change this, or is this working as intended?
5. Undermining and Opposition #2. As it stands, Undermining and Opposing Powers in the same major faction as your Power is much more difficult and much less rewarding than attacking Powers from outside your major faction. Most notably this has resulted in several Imperial Powers seeing very little hostile activity in their space. Is this a mechanic you intend to tweak in some way?
6. Solo and Powerplay. According to some members of the community, Solo players should have a limited or no effect on Powerplay - or, alternatively, playing in Open should offer Powerplay bonuses. Is this something you are considering?
7. PvP. Currently there is not a great deal of incentive to PvP in Powerplay mechanics - specifically when it comes to earning merits. Are there plans to incentive Power vs Power PvP actions?
8. The mission system. Are there any plans to integrate the mission system with Powerplay, for example rewarding merits and contributing to Preparation/Fortification/Expansion/Undermining/Opposition through missions in addition to current Powerplay tasks?
9. Lore. While GalNet is seeing a lot more activity these days, lore and background information for several Powers is still rather scarce. For example, we don't know what exactly is Winters' political program, or what beliefs drive Pranav Antal's Utopia. Can we expect background like this to be added by future GalNet entries? Could some of those gaps be filled in by player-submitted and FD-approved news bulletins?
10. Powerplay communication. Currently players rely on out-of-game tools to formulate Powerplay strategy and organise themselves. Are there plans to offer in-game tools for organisation, such as in-game message boards etc?
11. Sub-optimal player actions and merit rewards. As it is, doing "smart" things for your Power is rewarded exactly the same as completing tasks with no thought to strategy to the success of that Power. For example, delivering cargo to a 1000% Fortified system is rewarded the same as fortifying a system at 0%, even though the former action does not benefit the Power. Can we expect merit rewards or other incentives to promote actions which benefit one's Power?
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