Why squeeze the game down to fit your skill set, rather than learn new skills and have a wider experience? Shoot those that want that contest, and out play those that play a different game. Expand your mind, and see what else is out there.
this is a funny and broken logic at the same time.
In this discussion you want to avoid the PVP people being able to force put PvP on others.
But the PvE people are still 100% allowed to put forced PvE gameplay on the people of that faction they affect. Because the only thing they can do is counter it with the counter action. So you allow only one of them to force THEIR playstyle onto the other but no way to be the other way around? A proper system would involve both. In the end someone doesn't needs to get shot he can still choose fleeing as an option. If you were in for a proper discussion instead of catering your own needs while claiming the others just cater their needs, you would be able to see that it needs a proper mixed way.
But the truth is, when a player made faction is under threat by a group or single pilots, the PMF supporting members should have both possibilities at hand. Otherwise you get exactly what makes the BGS that stupid and grindy: its just grinding those stupid PvE boring actions.
In a proper design there would be player interaction, but there isn't. Players aren't interacting and especially for the PMF thats kinda stupid. Thats why we already get stuipid exploits like undermining PP because commanders can, free of any possoble consequences, misuse the System.
FD should simply have divded this, more than too big universe, in diffferent working clusters, or gave the game a proper way where people can build stations and such so PMF gameplay can happen in a PvP only environment like mode outside the bubble. And don't forget. Just because its a "only PVP on" mode you aren't necessary to fight if you can avoid battles.
But atm, anyone can troll any PMF without consequences because he can safely hide in Solo mode. And that is also not fair or well designed.
Do you ever wonder why so many people want to attack your faction?
An "attack" can simply be trading waste to that system just because economics flipped to the: "Here are juicy waste trade missions" where the PVE crowd just hops onto for the money. There doesn't necessarily have to be any reason caused by the faction or the members of that faction.
But why would a state that is being triggered by killing ships / criminal activity be prevented by killing player ships. And, if these other persons mean it, they will set you and your friends on an ignore list and you never see them. Or what if you are on PC and they play on Xbox? Then you will never see them.
So while i now understand your issue better, "Open Only" is still not the solution to it. Maybe better information about states and state buckets, maybe better ways to prevent lockdown before it goes pending. But forcing Open will nit help you against an resourceful and dedicated opponent.
Plus: It will force You into Open, too....
Because there is a difference between the guys being system securioty getting shot and the guys being pirates/murderers beeing shot, thats why and shooting the evil guys prevents the good guys to be shot. If you make a player stop doing so, it reduces the amount of work you need to do once he stops. PC and XBOX being in the same universe, thats just another design fail by FD. They made a lot design fails, which is why we have many very broken, abuseable and flawed systems in place, which is not only limited to the BGS.
No one is going to opt in and give people the chance to earn merits to turn in OFF OF THEM optionally jane? "I dont wanna be your content".
I mean think about it.
The defender is always at a disadvantage. And there are no consequences for the attacker.
Defenses are built into the game. If you chose to be defended against.
The defending you say exists. Is cause and affect defense. You have to grind because they did. You dont get the chance to stop them from making an impact. You only get to spend time counter what they did. Which turns the BGS into a job if someone is on disability or retired working against you 14 hours a day.
However, you kill that guy 20 times in his cutter in 4 hours. I bet they get the hell out of dodge. Wouldnt they?
Why does the mobius PG exist again? Ah yes, people getting blown up and losing progress in their game. A pure PVE environment. It just so happens you can take other PLAYERS OBJECTIVES IN A PURE PVE ENVIRONMENT.
HELLO?
Mobius exists because we don't wanna be paranoid about getting shot at every damn moment we meet someone else and also to enjoy meeting other people and doing thinsg you usually would get ganked and griefed while doing so. So that we even can just go and take a dump while floating in space without having to worry a random trollo comes by shooting us. Simply because killing other players is WAY too easy and not really with any proper consequences.
I'm not playing games, I genuinely do not understand what you are asking
"When was the last time you randomly dropped influence instead of picking up Rep or Credits that was not your home system."
I understand the words, but don't have a clue what you are asking.
I do see a misconception though PvE is playing the game.
What he means is the average Elite player doesn't cares about what impact his actions have to the BGS. They take the missiosn with the rep they need for a specific faction, or the materials, or the money. And they don't usually care (if they even know) what impact it has on a specific faction.
Its like when stacking missions for CZ was a thing. And everyone flooded those PMF systems in war state and grabbed those missions just for money while highly influenzing the BGS. And the PMF supporting group cannot even prevent this, by either telling these poeple, what their actions cause, ask them to support a specific side, or as said shoot them to defend their faction.
