I am looking at a number of relatively easy ways to improve various game mechanics, as well as provide a way for FDev to use it to help sell cosmetics. I am hoping that by keeping things simple and including a way for FDev to get revenue, these fixes might get implemented.
PowerPlay is something I got into a little over a year ago when I joined Li Yong Ri to pay him back for all the cheap modules and ships I got. What I found was a system that was confusing and very counter-intuitive, where most players just pledge for long enough to get their modules and leave. It seems to promote constantly switching powers, as opposed to sticking with one power.
1. Increase the free powerplay commodity quota and the time for the next allotment.
Currently, you get a very small amount every 30 minutes. If you want to work any faster, you have to fast-track, getting the same tiny amounts each time. This is especially annoying on Odyssey, as it seems to take longer to click through the menus. This means that powerplay is almost always a money sink. Why scale up the quota along with the time to get more? 5 hours is just a simple extra zero, since it is the same as 10 half-hour waits. The timer already reads in hours as well as minutes - 0h 29m You could also use 8 or 10 hours, like the length of a shift on the job or a watch on a ship. If people want to fast-track, it will be much faster, with fewer clicks.
Making people wait for modules does not really accomplish much of anything. If players haul enough fortification commodities or do enough undermining, they should be able to get the item next week when they rank up. Preparation or Expansion commodities are another issue. Preparation is a complicated subject that can often lead to bad expansions, and players new to powerplay often pick up Prep or Expansion commodities by mistake. Let people get used to using Fortification or Undermining for a few weeks, then they can try their hand at Preparation.
3. Give Rank 4 players half the reward of Rank 5
There is no real reward for having Rank 4 instead of Rank 3. Why not give Rank 4 players a bonus half as good as Rank 5? For LYR, that would mean a 100% bonus to exploration data, as opposed to 200%. This would be much easier to maintain than Rank 5, and would let players use powers to complement their gaming style. I'd also buff Zemina Torval's reward - given that Rare goods are less profitable than normal goods, why not double the boost?
$. PowerPlay paintjobs and uniforms
This is a straightforward way to earn revenue, especially if people are loyal to a faction for a long period of time. I think it would be interesting to see the theme for each power. You could put the paint jobs on the various powerplay NPC ships, and use the uniforms for future Odyssey content. They could also be used a CG prizes.
PowerPlay is something I got into a little over a year ago when I joined Li Yong Ri to pay him back for all the cheap modules and ships I got. What I found was a system that was confusing and very counter-intuitive, where most players just pledge for long enough to get their modules and leave. It seems to promote constantly switching powers, as opposed to sticking with one power.
1. Increase the free powerplay commodity quota and the time for the next allotment.
Currently, you get a very small amount every 30 minutes. If you want to work any faster, you have to fast-track, getting the same tiny amounts each time. This is especially annoying on Odyssey, as it seems to take longer to click through the menus. This means that powerplay is almost always a money sink. Why scale up the quota along with the time to get more? 5 hours is just a simple extra zero, since it is the same as 10 half-hour waits. The timer already reads in hours as well as minutes - 0h 29m You could also use 8 or 10 hours, like the length of a shift on the job or a watch on a ship. If people want to fast-track, it will be much faster, with fewer clicks.
Time | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Rank 4 | Rank 5 |
30 minutes | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 50 |
5 hours | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 | 500 |
8 hours | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 | 800 |
10 hours | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 1000 |
2. Time-Gate Preparation and Expansion Commodities, not the powerplay modules.Making people wait for modules does not really accomplish much of anything. If players haul enough fortification commodities or do enough undermining, they should be able to get the item next week when they rank up. Preparation or Expansion commodities are another issue. Preparation is a complicated subject that can often lead to bad expansions, and players new to powerplay often pick up Prep or Expansion commodities by mistake. Let people get used to using Fortification or Undermining for a few weeks, then they can try their hand at Preparation.
3. Give Rank 4 players half the reward of Rank 5
There is no real reward for having Rank 4 instead of Rank 3. Why not give Rank 4 players a bonus half as good as Rank 5? For LYR, that would mean a 100% bonus to exploration data, as opposed to 200%. This would be much easier to maintain than Rank 5, and would let players use powers to complement their gaming style. I'd also buff Zemina Torval's reward - given that Rare goods are less profitable than normal goods, why not double the boost?
$. PowerPlay paintjobs and uniforms
This is a straightforward way to earn revenue, especially if people are loyal to a faction for a long period of time. I think it would be interesting to see the theme for each power. You could put the paint jobs on the various powerplay NPC ships, and use the uniforms for future Odyssey content. They could also be used a CG prizes.
