Squadrons and system colonization mechanics

[Vicktore Beskor]

Hello Commanders

Vicktore Beskor your friendly neighborhood Sky Marshal here. Now that the Beta is coming to a close and we all had a look at the new squadron mechanics I have to say that I am not to disappointed. Yes it is not everything I would have liked but I feel it is a good start. That being said looking forward I have suggested that we the players be allowed to help minor factions grow in a new way. System colonization,in short,work with a minor faction to expand into unpopulated star systems.

There are many ways this can be accomplished that would work well in Elite Dangerous in my so humble opinion. Many of my fellow commanders have made great suggestions on another thread I started but for some reason the thread has disappeared from my thread history. So I would like to take this time and respectfully restart this conversation as I feel it is the most logical next step for developers to make. Now that squadrons will be apart of elite dangerous this would give the greater opportunities for gameplay. So why don’t we all take some time and discuss this topic.

 

[Aashenfox]

Do support.

 

[Whitehair]

Oh God.
Not again.

 

[Muzz UK]

Oh God.
Not again.

Yes! haha my thoughts exactly.

Sorry OP but no Elite isn't that sort of game sure I'd like expanded squadron mechanics sure but allowing squadrons to conquer systems is only going to clog up and spam the BGS. Just too many factors and mechanics involved. If you can create endless squadrons you can create endless factions using your idea.

I actually think fleet carriers will allow basic colonization anyway as should you put it in an empty system you effectively create a base or presence there. That's enough lets focus on the spacey sim stuff rather than being Space Engineers!

Frontier did say in the original fleet carrier brief with enough materials they could hyper space.

Leave Frontier to create, manage and edit the BGS and factions otherwise we'll end up with countless dead ones.

 

[M00ka]

What, you are still only a Sky Marshall, I thought you would have promoted yourself to at least Galactic God or something by now.

I know you bring up the exact same topic every few weeks, surely the lack of overall support you are getting is an indication that not all the community follows your goals of galactic conquest. All you are doing is turning more and more people off any PMF/Squadron content - I know you have turned me off the it

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

the game should let people create own minor factions ingame and then choose a system to populate and build a station. But this would require heavy additions to the game. And also should requie loads of materials hat such a players factions supporters should bring to that station. But with such a thing in place and the sheer size of the ingame galaxy it could be possible and give players a lot more purpose what to do.

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

Yes! haha my thoughts exactly.

Sorry OP but no Elite isn't that sort of game sure I'd like expanded squadron mechanics sure but allowing squadrons to conquer systems is only going to clog up and spam the BGS. Just too many factors and mechanics involved. If you can create endless squadrons you can create endless factions using your idea.

I actually think fleet carriers will allow basic colonization anyway as should you put it in an empty system you effectively create a base or presence there. That's enough lets focus on the spacey sim stuff rather than being Space Engineers!

Frontier did say in the original fleet carrier brief with enough materials they could hyper space.

Leave Frontier to create, manage and edit the BGS and factions otherwise we'll end up with countless dead ones.

I respectfully disagree with you. As we have seen the developers are willing to expand on the BGS. All colonization would do is give value to systems that most players just fly through as well as add more meaningful gameplay options for squadrons to participate in

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

What, you are still only a Sky Marshall, I thought you would have promoted yourself to at least Galactic God or something by now.

I know you bring up the exact same topic every few weeks, surely the lack of overall support you are getting is an indication that not all the community follows your goals of galactic conquest. All you are doing is turning more and more people off any PMF/Squadron content - I know you have turned me off the it

Thank you for your sarcasm even though it is entertaining it adds no value to the topic of discussion. Plus as we all have seen your posts on many other threads that I have started you have no interest in group gameplay so there is nothing new there as well.

 

[Wolf Starslayer]

Open only I hope, with a proper server structure too; lets get out there and claim it all.

 

[Saool]

I'll give you 10 for consistency and pugging away at it at least.

 

[Mohrgan]

I respectfully disagree with you. As we have seen the developers are willing to expand on the BGS. All colonization would do is give value to systems that most players just fly through as well as add more meaningful gameplay options for squadrons to Participating

If Colonization was spawned and controlled by the BGS, in a similar way that it does with faction expansions, it could be a fun addition. Any colonization mechanics should reject any direct manipulation from any player input, besides filling the appropriate buckets. Fill the right buckets and get rewarded with a opportunity to colonize a system, chosen by the BGS. Then marshal your Commanders to support that attempt. Delivering materials to gain a foothold in a system. It could fit in nicely.

Allowing sky marshals to tinker with the BGS, directly, is a non-starter for me. I can support almost any addition, that makes sense, to the BGS mechanics. But, I am firmly against any player directed manipulation of the BGS.

 

[Cosmo]

Hello Commanders

Vicktore Beskor your friendly neighborhood Sky Marshal here. Now that the Beta is coming to a close and we all had a look at the new squadron mechanics I have to say that I am not to disappointed. Yes it is not everything I would have liked but I feel it is a good start. That being said looking forward I have suggested that we the players be allowed to help minor factions grow in a new way. System colonization,in short,work with a minor faction to expand into unpopulated star systems.

There are many ways this can be accomplished that would work well in Elite Dangerous in my so humble opinion. Many of my fellow commanders have made great suggestions on another thread I started but for some reason the thread has disappeared from my thread history. So I would like to take this time and respectfully restart this conversation as I feel it is the most logical next step for developers to make. Now that squadrons will be apart of elite dangerous this would give the greater opportunities for gameplay. So why don’t we all take some time and discuss this topic.

Seconded, this would be pretty cool. Initially it could be text and stats. Later a surface port or station would spawn in the system. Maybe you should post this suggestion in the beta sub forum.

 

[Aashenfox]

If Colonization was spawned and controlled by the BGS, in a similar way that it does with faction expansions, it could be a fun addition. Any colonization mechanics should reject any direct manipulation from any player input, besides filling the appropriate buckets. Fill the right buckets and get rewarded with a opportunity to colonize a system, chosen by the BGS. Then marshal your Commanders to support that attempt. Delivering materials to gain a foothold in a system. It could fit in nicely.

Allowing sky marshals to tinker with the BGS, directly, is a non-starter for me. I can support almost any addition, that makes sense, to the BGS mechanics. But, I am firmly against any player directed manipulation of the BGS.

I agree with above, but wonder how anything changes if player groups are allowed to select the system to expand into, provided it is not currently occupied and within expansion range? What negative can you see arising from that, if you support the game choosing?

the game should let people create own minor factions ingame and then choose a system to populate and build a station. But this would require heavy additions to the game. And also should requie loads of materials hat such a players factions supporters should bring to that station. But with such a thing in place and the sheer size of the ingame galaxy it could be possible and give players a lot more purpose what to do.

I agree with this as well. With 400bn systems, there are definitely plenty that will satisfy every discerning taste and there will NEVER be a space shortage (one home system per squadron, after that, expansion by standard methods).

 

[RamirezKurita]

Colonisation mechanics I am very much in favour for, but I fail to see what squadrons have to do with it. Factions should expand according to their situation and needs, not at the direction of a collection of irate White Van Men posturing as a political entity.

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

I would like to see colonization as a Squadron size mission. Utilizing all types of job opportunities. Bounty hunting, traders, miners, as well as have it modular something like buying construction pods from the engineers and each engineer have a specific pod type that is need to build the colony.

 

[Mohrgan]

I would like to see colonization as a Squadron size mission. Utilizing all types of job opportunities. Bounty hunting, traders, miners, as well as have it modular something like buying construction pods from the engineers and each engineer have a specific pod type that is need to build the colony.

Do you believe that all Squadrons will be large, or even the same size? There needs to be a threshold at which any faction can Expand/Colonize. This threshold should include the new factors being brought into the BGS. High (+75%) influence and high (+75%) happiness, for Colonization somewhere, and maybe moderate (+50%) happiness to expand.

Any time you allow players to directly affect something, anything, immediately there is created a Meta. There will develop a method to gain an advantage. I'm saying stop that before it happens, rather than having to back and fix it. If we are going to play the BGS, let's play the BGS. No extra levers, no special buttons, nothing like that should be created for players to push or press. This way, fairness can never be questioned.

 

[Sapyx]

I think we'd all agree we'd like to see some method of expanding into and colonizing empty space, whether that's through squadrons, Powerplay, the BGS or whatever. For this one simple reason: even with 20,000 star systems to choose from, the bubble is getting too crowded. In the last quarter, hundreds of new factions were added to the game; only two star systems were opened up for colonization over the same time period. Those rates simply can't continue without eventually getting to a "population crisis", where everybody's faction is living cheek by jowl jammed up next to everybody else's.

 

[moorison]

I think we'd all agree we'd like to see some method of expanding into and colonizing empty space, whether that's through squadrons, Powerplay, the BGS or whatever. For this one simple reason: even with 20,000 star systems to choose from, the bubble is getting too crowded. In the last quarter, hundreds of new factions were added to the game; only two star systems were opened up for colonization over the same time period. Those rates simply can't continue without eventually getting to a "population crisis", where everybody's faction is living cheek by jowl jammed up next to everybody else's.

There is still a lot of room in the populated systems for factions or structures, but I assume many places are not distinct enough or have the wrong economy. With the Colonia-area as precedent and the rising number of megaships (and the much more efficient FTL-technology since the start of the game), expansion into new systems is believable from an in-universe perspective (even though I think the Colonia-population rose comparatively fast), despite the " warnings" of the lost generation-ships. But dynamic populations and a deeper economy (requirement to trade with the less-profitable goods) would be needed for it to make sense. I don't see Frontier increasing the number of servers exponentially for all the potential expansion-systems with their own states that might be abandoned a few months later due to a lack of resources or interest either.

As far as I know, ED is unique in its approach to multiplayer and should avoid empire-building just because other games do it. Here all Cmdrs have (temporary) superiors and customers with their own (simulated) agenda. Maybe colonisation is not as important to them, while they manage the population and resources that is there. And that is fine.
At least the faces in the station contacts seem to be unable to get a promotion or retirement themselves, why should their contractors and underlings be able to become outpost or station manager?

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

Hello commanders

I have just spent a few days playing x4 foundations and that game even more convinced me that colonization mechanics would be great in Elite Dangerous. Now I know they are two different games with two different agendas but what x4 foundations made me realize is the feeling of meaningful interaction with the games environment. As of now the only investment we as players have is our ships we work to engineer them and we work to create a fleet of ships that fit our play style. But that falls short of giving us the players a true meaning interactions with the games environments. Now I know many are going to say that is what Power Play is for but in my so humble opinion Power Play falls short because you are only moving the flags around not planting a new flag in fresh soil.
Now I would like to point out I am not talking about any type of ownership what I am talking about is the feeling of working together towards building a new system out of a unpopulated system. Given those who participate in that a feeling of accomplishment. Now like I said earlier this can be done in many ways. That being said I feel that it is most logical next step for elite dangerous.

What I would like to see is that the community and developers discuss how best to approach colonization mechanics.

 

[Vicktore Beskor]

Do you believe that all Squadrons will be large, or even the same size? There needs to be a threshold at which any faction can Expand/Colonize. This threshold should include the new factors being brought into the BGS. High (+75%) influence and high (+75%) happiness, for Colonization somewhere, and maybe moderate (+50%) happiness to expand.

Any time you allow players to directly affect something, anything, immediately there is created a Meta. There will develop a method to gain an advantage. I'm saying stop that before it happens, rather than having to back and fix it. If we are going to play the BGS, let's play the BGS. No extra levers, no special buttons, nothing like that should be created for players to push or press. This way, fairness can never be questioned.

I agree with you there has to be very specific criteria for colonization to happen.