TL;DR: Play in Solo as much as you can and demonstrate your appreciation for it.
Since the Kickstarter campaign was announced the premise of Elite: Dangerous has been absolute freedom, freedom to choose any path, any option, any course, and any mode of play in a shared universe without any arbitrary sacrifices. For that we've been hither-to free to experience the galaxy in any way we choose at no cost, free from the anxiety driven competitive forces that dominate the gaming market. It is a ground breaking concept in game design, particularly in the science fiction and space sim genres and one of the many reasons Elite: Dangerous comes out on top in its field. Recently, a vocal group of players have managed to convince the game designers to consider the possibility that their sole competitive interests outweigh our collective freedom, freedom upon which the game was initially designed and upon which it has thrived.
PowerPlay allows players to pledge their loyalty to a fictional character's faction and their values. Players may then work to expand their chosen faction's influence to bring other star systems under their ideological dominion. PowerPlay factions are not player factions, they are NPC factions that exist within the background simulation, and pledging loyalty to and fighting for them is a great immersive experience. The sole rewards for PowerPlay, aside the immersion and the experience itself, are specialized faction modules. These rewards are not a function of a power's influence, but merely a function of an individual player's contribution to the cause. Ergo, it is not necessary for a power to "win" a confrontation for players to be rewarded for their effort. And yet, we could very well be on the verge of seeing PowerPlay stripped from Solo players on the premise that it is not fair for them to participate without being subject to player attack, even though the factions are not entirely player driven and the rewards themselves are given for participation instead of victory.
This proposal coming from the Lead Game Designer presents a radical shift in the fundamental ethos of the game, that freedom and cooperation are not as fun as channeled competition. If implemented, it could lead to other concessions in the name of competitive gaming that we've come here to avoid, and we will find ourselves making the most arbitrary of sacrifices to do the things we've always done here to satisfy the egos of players who could play any competitive game they wished, but instead seek to wrest from us the freedoms we have stayed here for.
If only freedoms were guaranteed. Unfortunately they are not; They must be exercised or be deemed unnecessary. So, if you're fond of having an equal choice of game modes then take this time to play in Solo or in Private Groups whenever possible. If we don't show FDev how important they are, they could be taken away.
Since the Kickstarter campaign was announced the premise of Elite: Dangerous has been absolute freedom, freedom to choose any path, any option, any course, and any mode of play in a shared universe without any arbitrary sacrifices. For that we've been hither-to free to experience the galaxy in any way we choose at no cost, free from the anxiety driven competitive forces that dominate the gaming market. It is a ground breaking concept in game design, particularly in the science fiction and space sim genres and one of the many reasons Elite: Dangerous comes out on top in its field. Recently, a vocal group of players have managed to convince the game designers to consider the possibility that their sole competitive interests outweigh our collective freedom, freedom upon which the game was initially designed and upon which it has thrived.
PowerPlay allows players to pledge their loyalty to a fictional character's faction and their values. Players may then work to expand their chosen faction's influence to bring other star systems under their ideological dominion. PowerPlay factions are not player factions, they are NPC factions that exist within the background simulation, and pledging loyalty to and fighting for them is a great immersive experience. The sole rewards for PowerPlay, aside the immersion and the experience itself, are specialized faction modules. These rewards are not a function of a power's influence, but merely a function of an individual player's contribution to the cause. Ergo, it is not necessary for a power to "win" a confrontation for players to be rewarded for their effort. And yet, we could very well be on the verge of seeing PowerPlay stripped from Solo players on the premise that it is not fair for them to participate without being subject to player attack, even though the factions are not entirely player driven and the rewards themselves are given for participation instead of victory.
This proposal coming from the Lead Game Designer presents a radical shift in the fundamental ethos of the game, that freedom and cooperation are not as fun as channeled competition. If implemented, it could lead to other concessions in the name of competitive gaming that we've come here to avoid, and we will find ourselves making the most arbitrary of sacrifices to do the things we've always done here to satisfy the egos of players who could play any competitive game they wished, but instead seek to wrest from us the freedoms we have stayed here for.
If only freedoms were guaranteed. Unfortunately they are not; They must be exercised or be deemed unnecessary. So, if you're fond of having an equal choice of game modes then take this time to play in Solo or in Private Groups whenever possible. If we don't show FDev how important they are, they could be taken away.
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