So I spent about a week straight running missions for the minor faction I'm trying to support to bring it up to the influence of the current controlling faction (around 40%). And after a lot of time spent I finally got them to a matching 40% and they got the pending Election status. I continued to do missions for them for two days, pushing their influence to about 44% while the current controlling faction dropped to about 38%. I then took a day off too work on another hobby, thinking it should be fine. I log in today and see that the current state is now election but when I checked the influence the minor faction I was trying to support dropped to 27% and the controlling faction rose to 50%. I don't understand how it could have such a dramatic change in such a short time and I feel like I wasted that entire week. Can someone explain what happened and how to fix it? Preferably in small words.
Can someone explain how Elections work?
- Thread starter Shy'la Nesthorn
- Start date
Short version: other players ran more missions for the controlling faction while you weren't paying attention. Did you try to flip a system where other players are present?
in the last week I played I saw exactly 2 other players so I highly doubt it was that
Who you saw doesn't matter. They could have been on at different times, on different platforms, in different modes, or simply not had a good enough ping to instance with you. If someone else calls that system their home, maybe they noticed the influence swing on EDDB/Inara and moved to counter it.
Someone could have also turned in a bunch of exploration data which would boost the controlling faction.
It took me a week from wake up to sleep to move the faction from 23 to 43%. So unless like 50 people all suddenly ran into this back water hardly every visited sector to do missions for the other faction within a single day I highly doubt it was that
Both the one I was helping and one I was going against were in a Boom state the entire week prior.
And the stae of the other factions present in this system? You know, when they are in specific states they can drop/rise also very fast and because it can never be over 100% influence divided between all present factions, swings are "normal". We suffer also from time to time about this Influence-Roller-Coaster-Ride. 
Right now, our expansion has to be delayed for one week because of that very reason.
Right now, our expansion has to be delayed for one week because of that very reason.And the stae of the other factions present in this system? You know, when they are in specific states they can drop/rise also very fast and because it can never be over 100% influence divided between all present factions, swings are "normal". We suffer also from time to time about this Influence-Roller-Coaster-Ride.
I think they were normal except for two factions in a civil war. But all the other factions are under 5%
If you were working all day every day and nobody was opposing you, then you were most likely hitting the influence cap. But... if it was a small/lowpop system, then I strongly doubt you were unopposed if it took you that long to swing the influence. If you were going full-tryhard for days on end and only barely managing to counter their efforts and creep your influence up, then yes, taking a day off while they didn't will see them push you back hard.
They benefit from exploration data, trades and bounty hunting (the latter doesn't count during the election itself, but does while it's pending) - if the other factions have been in steady decline while the two factions in election duke it out, that would suggest positive actions being done for both the faction OP is supporting and the controlling faction.
Unfortunately without knowing what system it is, all we can really offer is speculation.
I'm assuming from what you've said that it's a relatively low traffic system somewhere out on the frontier with a relatively low population (under 1 million?)
If it's not zero traffic, then the controlling faction will get a fairly strong "passing traffic" boost from trade, exploration data, and while the election isn't active, bounties. If it was taking you a week of running missions to overcome that in a low-population system, then either the system has a reasonable background traffic level, or someone was actively working for the other side (but not quite as well as you - of course, if you then leave for a day, they get a whole day or two of unopposed action which is much easier for them)
Check the 24 hour traffic report at the station. If you can't account for every ship on it as yours, you have at the very least an "incumbent advantage" from the passing player traffic to overcome. If there's a significant number, deliberate opposition is also quite possible.
(If you're within a Powerplay exploit sphere, then it's possible that no-one generally cares about the system, but if you try to flip it to a government type the local Power disapproves of, you'll then get a bunch of them showing up to reverse it)
If it's not zero traffic, then the controlling faction will get a fairly strong "passing traffic" boost from trade, exploration data, and while the election isn't active, bounties. If it was taking you a week of running missions to overcome that in a low-population system, then either the system has a reasonable background traffic level, or someone was actively working for the other side (but not quite as well as you - of course, if you then leave for a day, they get a whole day or two of unopposed action which is much easier for them)
Check the 24 hour traffic report at the station. If you can't account for every ship on it as yours, you have at the very least an "incumbent advantage" from the passing player traffic to overcome. If there's a significant number, deliberate opposition is also quite possible.
(If you're within a Powerplay exploit sphere, then it's possible that no-one generally cares about the system, but if you try to flip it to a government type the local Power disapproves of, you'll then get a bunch of them showing up to reverse it)
It's got a population of like 7,800,000 or so and there was like 10 visitors in the last 24 hours so I guess that is a possibility but it still doesn't make me feel any better. Still feels like a huge waste of time :c
You may be doing this already... but just in case
Check the system on EDDB:
https://eddb.io/system
See if the other Faction is a Player Faction. If not, check to see how many systems they're in, if it's quite a few, and they're controlling them, then they've probably got player support.
EDIT: Nevermind, just looked it up and I can't see any obvious reason for the opposition. Unless there just happens to be good missions available for the controlling Faction that one or more players are hitting hard. As explained above, it's a small population system and easily influenced. You were probably pushing ahead due to all your hard work but once you stopped for a bit they've bounced back up. Working on your own can be hard going. If you can round up a few supporters for a day or two, you could probably get the job done.
Check the system on EDDB:
https://eddb.io/system
See if the other Faction is a Player Faction. If not, check to see how many systems they're in, if it's quite a few, and they're controlling them, then they've probably got player support.
EDIT: Nevermind, just looked it up and I can't see any obvious reason for the opposition. Unless there just happens to be good missions available for the controlling Faction that one or more players are hitting hard. As explained above, it's a small population system and easily influenced. You were probably pushing ahead due to all your hard work but once you stopped for a bit they've bounced back up. Working on your own can be hard going. If you can round up a few supporters for a day or two, you could probably get the job done.
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You may be doing this already... but just in case
Check the system on EDDB:
https://eddb.io/system
See if the other Faction is a Player Faction. If not, check to see how many systems they're in, if it's quite a few, and they're controlling them, then they've probably got player support.
EDIT: Nevermind, just looked it up and I can't see any obvious reason for the opposition. Unless there just happens to be good missions available for the controlling Faction that one or more players are hitting hard. As explained above, it's a small population system and easily influenced. You were probably pushing ahead due to all your hard work but once you stopped for a bit they've bounced back up. Working on your own can be hard going. If you can round up a few supporters for a day or two, you could probably get the job done.
yeah, it's just a generic default faction and is only present in said sector. They always have like 15+ missions avaliable so it's probably that. Sadly I only know one other person that plays this game and they have a fulltime job and can't play very often so rounding up help isn't a thing I can get. Just gonna have to no life it for two weeks if one isn't enough
As someone mentioned previously, there's a cap on how much Influence you can gain in one day and you're probably hitting that after less than 10 transactions (missions/bounty or bond hand-ins/exploration hand-ins/etc.). So, you don't need to kill yourself hitting it constantly all day. I'd suggest trying to get half a dozen missions in, go for easy/quick ones especially data/cargo/passenger deliveries to the same destination when available, and take the rest of the time off to do whatever you want. If you can throw in a few missions for the Factions that are languishing down at the bottom, without going out of your way, that will also help pull the top Faction down towards you.
Take it easy and though it may take a little longer you won't turn it into a chore and burn yourself out. Victory will come
Take it easy and though it may take a little longer you won't turn it into a chore and burn yourself out. Victory will come
As someone mentioned previously, there's a cap on how much Influence you can gain in one day and you're probably hitting that after less than 10 transactions (missions/bounty or bond hand-ins/exploration hand-ins/etc.). So, you don't need to kill yourself hitting it constantly all day. I'd suggest trying to get half a dozen missions in, go for easy/quick ones especially data/cargo/passenger deliveries to the same destination when available, and take the rest of the time off to do whatever you want. If you can throw in a few missions for the Factions that are languishing down at the bottom, without going out of your way, that will also help pull the top Faction down towards you.
Take it easy and though it may take a little longer you won't turn it into a chore and burn yourself out. Victory will come
Thanks! Is that cap per player or for that faction total?