Powerplay Blocking players - why?

tiddymun

T
Over the years I've got used to some power play CMDRs combat logging to avoid ship rebuys - and reported many for this "cheating".. I've never understood why these folks cant just run a suitably well set up ship that they can simply high-wake away from an attack.. for the sake of forgoing 64T of cargo capacity or a few more LY of jump range, these people fly around with completely inadequate shields, and then get incredibly frustrated when an enemy CMDR attacks them and they die.

It has been brought to my attention the most recent tactics of this type of CMDR is to drop into a system (likely a power play expansion which is being opposed, or a power play HQ system), and to use the "block player" feature to ensure they don't instance with hostile CMDRs. This is an equal exploit/cheat to combat logging. and again, I have to ask myself why?

PowerPlay is group vs group activity. PvP is inevitable - your opposition will want to oppose the actions you are undertaking, be it fortifying, expanding, prepping a system for expansion, undermining or doing BGS to gain favourable fortification triggers for you power. You engage in PowerPlay because you want to succeed over your opponents - be the winners.. And yet, for a few CMDRs it seems they are not willing to gain the skill and tactics to counter open opposition. Is this not part of the gameplay? would you not be a better pilot, and your "win" so much the better for playing with skill, tenacity and tactics?

At least these CMDRs are in Open play. I'm not about to go into that debate yet again - but why play in open, then combat log, or block hostile players? It makes no sense.

There is much to the game if these CMDRs organise, recruit / train/become PvP folks to provide combat support for their haulers, engineer and build strong ships to haul stuff in.. Or fight back in their well designed battle ships - after all, if you are engaging a hostile CMDR, they are not in super cruise to try and attempt to stop your compatriots - who then get their deliveries through...

I'm glad that more CMDRs seem to be doing their PowerPlay activity in open recently - and i hope that all who engage in power play also chose to play in open, where both sides can legitimately try to slow or halt the actions of their oponents. After all, this is a game. Rebuys are peanuts compared to the resources power players put into fast-tracking forts/preps - and as Cr are so easy to come by, I cant think its the cost of a rebuy thats making people do this. So it must be because they are frustrated at not being able to complete their objective.... I say to you, it is so much more satisfying to complete that objective by overcoming adversity - it really is worth engaging your enemy. Highwaking out of system is not a defeat... and making your enemy run (or better, visit the rebuy screen) is a very rewarding experience...

Fly dangerous CMDRs... and may the best side win
 

Serelinor Aurelius

S
I find both combat logging and blocking players distasteful, but at the same time it's a bit uneven with hauling vs combat ships for Powerplay. It's hard to take out commanders supporting a Hudson expansion because they have fully built combat ships 9 times out of 10. An Aisling expansion on the other hand, will be supported by commanders in haulers, which makes them easy targets. Even if they have an escort, the attacking ship can usually tank the escort's damage long enough to take out the hauler, especially with the new drag munitions making escape harder. Even if the attacker dies to the escort, they lose nowhere near as much as the hauler does, because most haulers will have spent a lot of money fast tracking their cargo. This wastes the time of the escort to achieve nothing more than a loss.

Don't take this the wrong way though, I'm not criticizing you, I'm criticizing the system. The way things are, escorts only make sense when using the trading ship as bait with the goal of taking out the attacker. As a player that prefers combat to hauling, I would love to play as an escort, but as things are it makes little sense.
 

tiddymun

T
A CMDR in a hauling vessel doesn't have to be an easy target. Its entirely possible to build a cutter that hauls 700+ cargo, has 3.5k shields, another 2k in banks, a point defence to stop FSD reset dumb fires, and that does 480 m/s fully laden. Although I agree options are more limited if you don't have access to all the engineers. Note though that type 7's are really difficult to interdict due to their amazing yaw rate - and can haul quite a lot)..

I doubt many use such strong builds to undermine - biweaves and lasers tend to be more the thing for that - although the ships often have lots of SCB etc.

I have such a hauling cutter build, and have flown through multiple interdictions to deliver the cargo with wings of 4 chain interdicting me. And sometimes they achieve their goal and I don't succeed (bravo them). Many Aisling CMDRs also fly similar set-ups (and also get through blockades - bravo to them too - this post was not pointed at those CMDRs). As do Winters CMDRs who also expand by hauling. Of course, if you are also mass-locked then you might have to high-wake and re-try, or indeed repeat the hw/retry several times. But this is part of the game.. Prep wars have similar battles.. there is no justification for blocking players just so you won't instance with them and can therefore proceed unopposed.

But yes, I agree there needs to be parity with expansions. Its easy to deliver 4 trips of expansion cargo/hr (so up to 3000 merits/hr if you are unopposed) - whilst those stuck with combat expansions (Hudson, Kumo, ALD, Patreus, Grom) find it difficult to achieve >1000 merits/hr in the strike zones (10 Merits/ship - 100 ships/hr!) - and spawns of enemy ships in SC/navs etc are poor as most will be your faction's ships.... thus opposition undermining can easily double the merits/hr of the expander here - whereas hauling to expand its the other way around. As all have recognised, an update to PowerPlay is long overdue, and these are just some of the issues that should be rebalanced.
 
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Eridanin

E
If FD gives such "tools" like blocking, pg/solo they will be used in PP/BGS by pilots whatever you do to oppose it. Only FD can stop it.
 
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cmdr Ramius007

C
it was mentioned in other topic: Power play as different game mode with no block feature, longer log of timer, i would love to see this.

It's hard to take out commanders supporting a Hudson expansion because they have fully built combat ships 9 times out of 10. An Aisling expansion on the other hand, will be supported by commanders in haulers, which makes them easy targets. Even if they have an escort, the attacking ship can usually tank the escort's damage long enough to take out the hauler, especially with the new drag munitions making escape harder. Even if the attacker dies to the escort, they lose nowhere near as much as the hauler does, because most haulers will have spent a lot of money fast tracking their cargo.
Click to expand...

The point of blockade is to force opposition to stop haulers traffic, its would be working as intended in OOPP, against competent pilot in medium ship, you have no chance to win 1vs1 in hauling cutter with c6 shields, that's why haulers should organise in convoys or ask combat pilots for support, or develop some sort of strategy...
 

tiddymun

T
Eridanin said:
If FD gives such "tools" like blocking, pg/solo they will be used in PP/BGS by pilots whatever you do to oppose it. Only FD can stop it.
Click to expand...
Sadly this is so. I would like those CMDRS to question themselves why though. I’ve had many encounters with you and EGCF and this brings a far greater sense of gameplay to me, and I’m sure you as well. The game is hollow if you never see your opponent. Perhaps others might be tempted to engage more in the future.
 

CMDR M. Lehman

CMDR M. Lehman
tiddymun said:
Over the years I've got used to some power play CMDRs combat logging to avoid ship rebuys - and reported many for this "cheating".. I've never understood why these folks cant just run a suitably well set up ship that they can simply high-wake away from an attack.. for the sake of forgoing 64T of cargo capacity or a few more LY of jump range, these people fly around with completely inadequate shields, and then get incredibly frustrated when an enemy CMDR attacks them and they die.

It has been brought to my attention the most recent tactics of this type of CMDR is to drop into a system (likely a power play expansion which is being opposed, or a power play HQ system), and to use the "block player" feature to ensure they don't instance with hostile CMDRs. This is an equal exploit/cheat to combat logging. and again, I have to ask myself why?

PowerPlay is group vs group activity. PvP is inevitable - your opposition will want to oppose the actions you are undertaking, be it fortifying, expanding, prepping a system for expansion, undermining or doing BGS to gain favourable fortification triggers for you power. You engage in PowerPlay because you want to succeed over your opponents - be the winners.. And yet, for a few CMDRs it seems they are not willing to gain the skill and tactics to counter open opposition. Is this not part of the gameplay? would you not be a better pilot, and your "win" so much the better for playing with skill, tenacity and tactics?

At least these CMDRs are in Open play. I'm not about to go into that debate yet again - but why play in open, then combat log, or block hostile players? It makes no sense.

There is much to the game if these CMDRs organise, recruit / train/become PvP folks to provide combat support for their haulers, engineer and build strong ships to haul stuff in.. Or fight back in their well designed battle ships - after all, if you are engaging a hostile CMDR, they are not in super cruise to try and attempt to stop your compatriots - who then get their deliveries through...

I'm glad that more CMDRs seem to be doing their PowerPlay activity in open recently - and i hope that all who engage in power play also chose to play in open, where both sides can legitimately try to slow or halt the actions of their oponents. After all, this is a game. Rebuys are peanuts compared to the resources power players put into fast-tracking forts/preps - and as Cr are so easy to come by, I cant think its the cost of a rebuy thats making people do this. So it must be because they are frustrated at not being able to complete their objective.... I say to you, it is so much more satisfying to complete that objective by overcoming adversity - it really is worth engaging your enemy. Highwaking out of system is not a defeat... and making your enemy run (or better, visit the rebuy screen) is a very rewarding experience...

Fly dangerous CMDRs... and may the best side win
Click to expand...
Everyone wants to win, but not everyone wants to actually face adversity.

It's as simple as that.
 
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Wargfoot

Wargfoot
Just to push back a little bit.... do you have a way of knowing that players are blocking opposition in Power Play?
 

Eridanin

E
I think PP players have to arrange a cycle of open PP/PP BGS. So that everyone could try/hopefully enjoy open PP. The rule is simple, for a selected cycle, all Pilots involved in PP go open.
 

Krash

Krash
Eridanin said:
I think PP players have to arrange a cycle of open PP/PP BGS. So that everyone could try/hopefully enjoy open PP. The rule is simple, for a selected cycle, all Pilots involved in PP go open.
Click to expand...
My experience is limited to farming merits for the toys. Once I get 1500 points, I'm done. Takes me about 1-2 hours, always in open. I run into other players and sometimes we work together and it goes faster as a team. Sometimes they want to kill me. I'm not sure why so I treat them like gankers (I know they're not but I'ts my only response to CMDRs trying to kill me).
 

CMDR Cknarf

CMDR Cknarf
I feel that blocking players should just cover communications.

If you wish to avoid contact with other players, there are two other modes provided for you at the main menu.

Couldn’t imagine blocking anyone personally, as escaping danger is incredibly easy assuming you have moderate defenses, and waste no time bailing.
 

Eridanin

E
Krash said:
My experience is limited to farming merits for the toys. Once I get 1500 points, I'm done. Takes me about 1-2 hours, always in open. I run into other players and sometimes we work together and it goes faster as a team. Sometimes they want to kill me. I'm not sure why so I treat them like gankers (I know they're not but I'ts my only response to CMDRs trying to kill me).
Click to expand...
That is funny experience. I'm from Grom's combat fleet. All pilots always cooperate in voice channel and we know our Feds opponents even by names. So, probably you have to select a power and join their discord to cooperate and expand your farming experience to combat one.
And of course Grom ones are the best PvP/PP Pilots.
 

The Replicated Man

T
As far as I know FDEV adjusted blocking in such a way that if you block someone, it will block communication from them but doesn't guarantee that you will NOT instance with them.

Very few have made it onto my list. Mainly has to do with meme/****posting or harassment in game and that is what FDEV recommends people do when they encounter a person who just wants to bother you. Report and block them. You will probably see them show up, but rest assured you won't hear from them in game again.
 
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