Pull Your Fingers Out - Incrementally Improving PowerPlay

I've been really been enjoying Power-play for the last six months but I would say that a few things really need to happen to breath new life into it;-
  1. Implement Sandro's proposed changes with the exception of open only (I'll get to that). These changes would reduce the 5C a lot and that will be a vast improvement just by itself
  2. Add a power-play chat channel, like the squadron one. Being able to communicate with fellow power-players should be a priority, especially if you need to report about enemy power-players in your control systems.
  3. Add Power only landing permissions to Fleet Carriers and allow the selling of power-play vouchers for the shooting down of enemy players (Although having some mechanic for being able to drive an enemy carrier off to one of their systems would be nice).
  4. But here's the big one - Open Only for Control and Expansion tasks. The most fun I've had is when other players try and stop me in those two tasks. Escaping them or getting involved in a major dust up with them is what elevates this game mode above the normal game. If that is not possible, then make sure that there a lot more NPC attacks in solo / Private mode. The idea is that if you try to Min/Max your ship, you're easy prey for the npcs. Yes I know that PvP wasn't the intended target for this mode but with the PvP's crying out for something so they're not always called griefers, it's an ideal place for consensual PvP to occur.
However, the main problem is showing the rest of the community that power-play can be just as much fun as playing the BGS and other activities. People are lone wolf grinding just to get the equipment and that is the worst way to play power-play. I've found that Power-play only comes into its own when your working as part of a well organised group. As power-players we've got to show the others players how to get the best out of this game mode and if that mean we have to 'arrange' a few PvP power play matches or something like a 'Hutton Run' Event. i.e. We choose one power's expansion event and invite everyone to take part in either helping the expansion or trying to defeat it.

 
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Disclosure: I'm a PvE enthusiast, a cooperative-not-competitive player, and have no interest in any form of PvP

And I think PowerPlay should be open only.

It was specifically designed as an extension of PvP, and billed as such, and involves direct opposed actions by players. Allowing it to work in Solo, or even in Private Groups, not only defeats the PvP intention of the feature, but it leaves the game vulnerable to the bots that have been shown to exist by numerous people on the forums who have provided evidence of such. They can attack, and the targets can not defend. That becomes a heck of a lopsided fifth column situation being exploited, and it's not fair to the people who play the game. And before anyone thinks to reply with, "Yes, but how does it affect your game? Why should you care?" I'll point out that shifting PowerPlay affects EVERY player, without exception, even in Solo mode. For example, if your home system of choice suddenly gets taken from Li Yong-Rui's control, all of a sudden that convenient 15% discount you've been getting for everything goes poof.

PowerPlay should be open only, and the modules that we currently get from PowerPlay should be relegated to some form of tech broker so nobody can complain that they're being "locked out of content" and/or "being forced to play in open."

Just because a game mechanic is of no interest to me doesn't mean it's somehow invalid or worthless. It's okay for people to like different things. And I think people should be allowed to enjoy the parts of the game they do like...including PowerPlay. And it's only fair that a PvP-intended feature should be maintained as a PvP feature. PowerPlay should be open only.


Not convinced it was originally pitched as an extension to PvP, however the further you go back the more I have forgotten about the game, so might have forgotten.

I did study Powerplay quite carefully about 2 months in, as our then BGS Fed area, got controlled by Malone and the Alliance. Very nearly elft the game then and there over that, but 2 things happened. FD asked for feedback and my proposal of Freedom Fighter/Terrorist at least got discussed, and they removed the power play entry beign in colour on the system map which I (and many others) pointed out as really annoying, and made PP hard to ignore. When Powerplay was first launched, you actually got normal bounties for powerplay activity, including bizarely defending you own cpatial and control points. It was not until 3.x this was changed, does not seem to encouraging to me.

You got any links for the extension to PvP - refresh my memory/read about something I missed at the time?

Mind you open only might limt the influence of bots, which woudl be a good thing, even if it is just a perception thing.

Simon
 
Okay, here's what I see as the fundamental flaw of Power Play; there's no objective.

Someone made a great point about powerplay being similar to sports teams; it's not like the Mets can win and become the only team in the world; all they can do is win the championship, and then get a huge bonus to advertising revenue for the next six months or so, before the next championship starts. And it ultimately doesn't matter how many Exhibition Matches the team wins, all that really matters in the end is the Championship.

That's what is needed; a Championship, with relatively lasting effects for victory. And I can't think of a better goal than Sol.

Right now, Sol has little purpose in the grand scheme of things. Players go there to see Earth, and...that's about it. But why not have it give more than that? Have a dedicated powerplay station there, a station available ONLY to the powerplay faction that controls Sol; a station where commodities can be sold for near their maximum value, bounties can be turned in for 75% more, exploration pays 250% normal. This station would available exclusively to the faction that controls Sol, and within that faction, to powerplayers who have been in their faction for over four weeks. The station would last for four weeks before the station reverts to unclaimed, Sol reverts to independence, and the process has to be done all over again, so you can't swap allegiances to get in on the goodies; you've gotta fight for the right to party.

Sol is the championship, AND the prize.
 
Okay, here's what I see as the fundamental flaw of Power Play; there's no objective.

Someone made a great point about powerplay being similar to sports teams; it's not like the Mets can win and become the only team in the world; all they can do is win the championship, and then get a huge bonus to advertising revenue for the next six months or so, before the next championship starts. And it ultimately doesn't matter how many Exhibition Matches the team wins, all that really matters in the end is the Championship.

That's what is needed; a Championship, with relatively lasting effects for victory. And I can't think of a better goal than Sol.

Right now, Sol has little purpose in the grand scheme of things. Players go there to see Earth, and...that's about it. But why not have it give more than that? Have a dedicated powerplay station there, a station available ONLY to the powerplay faction that controls Sol; a station where commodities can be sold for near their maximum value, bounties can be turned in for 75% more, exploration pays 250% normal. This station would available exclusively to the faction that controls Sol, and within that faction, to powerplayers who have been in their faction for over four weeks. The station would last for four weeks before the station reverts to unclaimed, Sol reverts to independence, and the process has to be done all over again, so you can't swap allegiances to get in on the goodies; you've gotta fight for the right to party.

Sol is the championship, AND the prize.

Once long ago Powerplay was supposed to have a goal: survival and screwing your opponents until they die. In this time a powers 1/2/3 position bonus meant something- i.e. the better you do the more bonuses become active, as well as collapse where powers could be forced out.

Unfortunately FD forgot to put collapse in, probably realising it would be hard work keeping up and introducing new powers / automating the re-introduction of defeated ones. Since Powerplay then had no 'end goal' its kept on filling up the bubble, consolidation making it even easier to hold onto large empires.

In short, the leaderboard has to mean something again.
 
Once long ago Powerplay was supposed to have a goal: survival and screwing your opponents until they die. In this time a powers 1/2/3 position bonus meant something- i.e. the better you do the more bonuses become active, as well as collapse where powers could be forced out.

Unfortunately FD forgot to put collapse in, probably realising it would be hard work keeping up and introducing new powers / automating the re-introduction of defeated ones. Since Powerplay then had no 'end goal' its kept on filling up the bubble, consolidation making it even easier to hold onto large empires.

In short, the leaderboard has to mean something again.

That's not a really feasible structure, though. That works in shooters where the match lasts 15 minutes, but realistically expecting players to dedicate years towards crushing a rival faction with no tangible benefit at the end is pretty unrealistic.

You need short-term tangible benefits to actually playing powerplay.
 
That's not a really feasible structure, though. That works in shooters where the match lasts 15 minutes, but realistically expecting players to dedicate years towards crushing a rival faction with no tangible benefit at the end is pretty unrealistic.

You need short-term tangible benefits to actually playing powerplay.

And thats why you have bonuses across the spectrum. The problem is those bonuses were not spectacular to begin with, and have remained static for five years.
 
The only thing I'd like to see changed would be: rank 5 needing only 5000 merits to attain, and that "merit decay" was half of what it currently is (meaning you only lose 25% of your merits, not 50%). It would make getting that 50 mil a week far more attainable, especially for those who dont like mining, and would work in the spirit of "making other professions beyond mining more lucrative"
 
The problem is people view rating as a "goal" - like Elite ranks. They're not. They are thankyous from the power for spending your time doing PP rather than doing other things. That's why decay is there - because if you have been doing other things, then those are your reward. The fundamental problem is the name "rating" (and the fact that EVERYBODY says "rank" by accident is a perfect example). It should be called "kudos" or "boost" or something - then the idea of decay makes more sense.
 
Unfortunately FD forgot to put collapse in, probably realising it would be hard work keeping up and introducing new powers / automating the re-introduction of defeated ones. Since Powerplay then had no 'end goal' its kept on filling up the bubble, consolidation making it even easier to hold onto large empires.
And this is the fundamental problem with PP. If it had been integrated into BGS, where factions could rise and fall and there were many levels of power and organisation - you could've had that. Instead we got manufactured, artificial, specific and limited Powers with the most tenuous link to the BGS and ridiculously boring mechanics.
 
It was never pitched as a PvP feature. That was a retcon after it failed dismally.
Not really, it was pitched in as a consensual PvP space=Risk, it was meant to be a game of military strategy.


I suck at PvP, but the time I enjoyed myself the most was when I had to haul through a blockade, winging up and getting in voice chat with the rest of the wing to decide who would sacrifice himself if we got interdicted so the others would make it to the station to deliver the packages, and then having our PvPers protecting us and running Combat Air Patrol around the systems and engage in some big wing PvP fights to give us the edge...And then knowing that all of this is because of a long term plan put by your power's leadership,and it is the only immersive gameplay I have experienced with Elite Dangerous. Exciting thrilling and informative. But then you work 3 months on a plan just to see it being screwed by those "I don't care about PP I blaze ma own trail" kind of... dare I say inconsiderate "Gamers". I mean I get it not everyone wants to play and be skilful, there is a lot one can do in Elite that doesn't require getting good and being skilled as a gamer, why screw it up to those who have been working hard and refining their skills for years?

Anyway this thread is about how Fdev has been punishing us for playing Powerplay, something we will not tolerate, yes it is their product (A very low quality product) but it is our game, it was the gamers who funded this. If Fdev would not start paying attention to us and stop treating us as second class customers, we might all as well ask for refund, enough is enough. And I would love to see the face of Frontiers management (which I think are the main culprit) when 200+ players ask for refund, or when we diced all to go on Steam and state the truth about the game and warn people from buying it, is this what it would take for Fdev to start caring about those who bought its game?
 
Dont overestimate your own importance either in game or out.

OP I hope you start a separate thread with these suggestions on Thursday, and I hope you have more than Open Only so we can move on from that argument.
 
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Dont overestimate your own importance either in game or out.

OP I hope you start a separate thread with these suggestions on Thursday, and I hope you have more than Open Only so we can move on from that argument.

Unless FD start again, the only new gameplay that can be added to the current design is Open really. Everything else is shuffling deck chairs or adding votes on votes to stop votes.
 
Ceterum censeo PP esse delendam.

Sorry, but I have absolutely zero faith that PP will ever see significant changes for the better. It's been way too long and I have the feeling none of the people who were involved with designing PP are still with the team.
 
Ceterum censeo PP esse delendam.

Sorry, but I have absolutely zero faith that PP will ever see significant changes for the better. It's been way too long and I have the feeling none of the people who were involved with designing PP are still with the team.
I hear ya it seems that Frontiers also Punish any one form the team that tries to fix powerplay inducing the one who created it, what happened to Sandro after he proposed the Powerplay changes? He was moved from Elite! What happened to every Community manager that was engaging with the Powerplay Community? They were moved from Elite, what happened to lead developers and lead Producers of Elite who supported Galnet, who tried to make the game better? they were moved...

Actually in my opinion Elite started going down when Micheal Brooks was removed...So it is not Just Powerplay, the whole game has become pointless... So I really think the main problem is that someone at the top on Frontier, someone who has no clue about gaming, some arrogant Corporate idiot has managed to just screw the game.
 
That's what is needed; a Championship, with relatively lasting effects for victory. And I can't think of a better goal than Sol.

[...] Have a dedicated powerplay station there, a station available ONLY to the powerplay faction that controls Sol; a station where commodities can be sold for near their maximum value, bounties can be turned in for 75% more, exploration pays 250% normal.
As a Fed, this is a stupid idea. Sol is the centre of Fed space. Nobody except the Feds would ever have any chance of securing the bonus.
 
It was never pitched as a PvP feature. That was a retcon after it failed dismally.

Yes I know that PvP wasn't the intended feature for this mode but when you think about it, Power-play an ideal place for consensual PvP to occur. Especially if you make the Control and Expansion tasks Open Only. PvPer's are always complaining that they're painted as Bad Griefers but if everyone knew what they were signing up to, I don't think there would be a problem.

Heck, I've always argued that even if they don't implement any kind of Open Only mode, they still need to increase the number of PP NPC interdictions to stop player's min-maxing and also cut down on the number of Automated Player Pilots.
 
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