A Guide to Minor Factions and the Background Sim

[_trent_]

just to make it clear:

- did you see those "effects" in the mission completion screen

OR

- did you run those missions and caused the effects in a no traffic system?

and if the second: did you reproduce the actions you need to complete those missions without taking missions and without any other action?

just to run an exampel:

a) effects of skimmer missions in the mission completion screen: those effects might take place or not.

b) killing skimmers for a mission
actions (some or all):
- kill of skimmers which are alligned to a minor faction
- trespassing fine
- gaining bounty
- cashing in bounties of wanted skimmers (if any)
- seling cargo picked up, legal/illegal
...

from that list you can spot 2 actions which are tested in bringing lockdown with them as well as civil unrest. the effect of lockdown or civil unrest for such missions wouldn't be down to "mission effects", but to actions done to complete the missions.

stating that "skimmer missions cause lockdown" as an exampel would require, that you need none of those actions to cause a lockdown (for exampel), or that those states are triggered much faster, when taking missions - which could be shown by reproducing the actions without a mission as described before.

same goes for "massacre missions cause lockdown". murder causes lockdown... etc. etc.

___

to back up _Flin_ and his call for not drawing conclusions without carefull tests. for a long time people believed, that bountyhunting always helps the controlling faction. it would even make sense! but it isn't the case - as you can easily find by proper testing.

I use a cluster of sub-10k population systems about 250LY from Sol and just outside the PP bubble. Most times I go there, the local traffic report is 1 ship. In all honesty, I'm not there to test the BGS for as much as I am there to see if I can make something happen (like a famine). I do it somewhere remote because I don't want to create biowaste where I (or another PMF) live.

Back when 2.2 came out I saw the mission descriptions and decided to put them to the test as I'd never found a reliable way to get systems into Famine or Outbreak in 2.1. I was able to put the system in famine by stacking and running lots of skimmer massacre missions. Managed to do it in a couple of systems. Killing dozens of skimmers without missions on the same planets didn't cause a famine.

For RP reasons I generally don't like to shoot SA ships, so I also tested the lockdown part of ship massacre missions. I was able to put systems in lockdown by stacking and running lots of ship massacre missions during conflicts. Killing lots of ships in CZs without missions seems more likely to cause Civil Unrest than a lockdown in my experience, however I've seen neither and I've seen both after spending some time in CZs. I suspect this is down to whether the destroyed ships are authority or navy vessels but my interest in the BGS is focused much more on effects rather than mechanics.

I don't claim to be a font of knowledge on the mechanics of the BGS, I just let other players know what I've seen.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

After going "all in" and getting me Massacre Missions myself (new Mission System spawned them, before 2.2.03 I hardly ever saw them for my Faction) plus abandon a few for the other side :
A +25.2% move within 24hrs...

I'd say they're quite effective.

Did you also claim the combat bonds?

Testing by others suggests that it's the bonds that have the influence, not the missions.

Also the support team agrees (though they have been proven wrong before):

It was introduced in 2.1. Probably not a bug (see https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/258600-BGS-No-influence-gain-from-combat-zone-mission).

 

[Moritz Norman]

Killing a faction's wanted ships does not lower their influence, correct?

 

[MottiKhan]

Killing a faction's wanted ships does not lower their influence, correct?

We have evidence that it does, although a small amount. It certainly lowers your rep with those factions as well.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Killing a faction's wanted ships does not lower their influence, correct?

I agree with MottiKhan. It does lower their influence.

It can have a double hit, as you get the drop from the kill plus the increase to the faction where you claim the bounty will lower the faction as well. Unless it's the same faction, so the drop and rise mostly cancel out.

 

[Abil Midena]

Why would a black market be disabled?

It's not a ALD system, it's a Zemina system. The faction that owns the station is in boom.

*edit. All I can find is that someone speculated that an anarchy faction may have had the system in their control at one time. There is an anarchy faction in the system, but the faction that controls the starport, and the system, is a Corporation.

 

[Moritz Norman]

Rep to spread

Thanks, that's what I recalled but one of the more recent guides didn't seem to agree.

 

[MottiKhan]

Why would a black market be disabled?

It's not a ALD system, it's a Zemina system. The faction that owns the station is in boom.

What type of faction owns the station? From what I recall, dictatorships, patronage and theocracies close black markets. There are probably others.

Also, check if the station has been UA bombed.

 

[Schlack]

Update on dual state. Investment ended on todays tick, so did ceasefire - the war is on now!

 

[goemon]

I was able to put systems in lockdown by stacking and running lots of ship massacre missions during conflicts. Killing lots of ships in CZs without missions seems more likely to cause Civil Unrest than a lockdown in my experience, however I've seen neither and I've seen both after spending some time in CZs.

very interesting! i have put both factions in pending lockdown and in civil unrest after a war by killing there ships in CZ without anyone else redeeming their bonds - but that is indeed a very strong hint that state effects of massacre missions does apply during a war/civil war.

I suspect this is down to whether the destroyed ships are authority or navy vessels

that needs definetly testing; my other assumption would be that security level plays into it.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

I wonder if lockdown/civil unrest due to CZ kills is unintended behavior. Both of these should be due to criminal activity, CZ is lawless. But then murder in anarchy can also cause lockdown, which, IMO, is ridiculous.

 

[ph1Lt0r]

So does bounty hunting reduce the duration of a lockdown state? I've been told war is the only way to break lockdown early. Also, one of the graphics provided by michael brookes says activities have no effect under lockdown.

 

[Walt Kerman]

I have added your suggestions to a running word doc I am compiling each night of what I want to put in the OP. Keep the suggestions coming and remember to put my name in the post to be 100% sure I see it.

 

[_Flin_]

Hmkay, so what you're saying is that posting here is only allowed with every single Detail given, all Formulas displayed and applied?
If so, I'm outta here. I guess I misunderstood the purpose of this Thread.

What I am saying is that "i did some x, and nothing happened, and that i did two other things, and a lot happened, and therefore one of these two things is really effective, although i dont know what all the others in the system did..."

Is not an ideal basis for drawing conclusions and then promoting them as fact.

I want to get information from this thread. When opinions and stories are stated as facts, i point it out.

If you prefer to put 50 hours of BGS work in a nice sounding story with your group instead of into something that works, you might want to visit the roleplaying subforum.

 

[CMDR pollycough]

So does bounty hunting reduce the duration of a lockdown state? I've been told war is the only way to break lockdown early. Also, one of the graphics provided by michael brookes says activities have no effect under lockdown.

I have managed to break lockdown early (3 days) by putting us into retreat in another system.

 

[SaliVader]

I wonder if lockdown/civil unrest due to CZ kills is unintended behavior. Both of these should be due to criminal activity, CZ is lawless. But then murder in anarchy can also cause lockdown, which, IMO, is ridiculous.

Lockdown is an effect of massacre missions on the target faction, but as far as I know lawless ships still don't count for unrest/lockdown.

 

[lokvette]

Sorry i have looked at the few guides I have on the BGS, but couldn't find the answer, so ..

If a Faction is in expansion, will it expand from the system that its influence is highest or from any of the systems its in?

Also is it still 20 lys max for an expansion?

Finally found a nice system/faction on the edge of the bubble and they are ready to expand, at the moment they are in 2 other systems with 2 more within the 20 ly range from their home system, but a few more are in range it you count the ones they are in.

Thanks in advance. Lok.

 

[Matzov]

I agree with MottiKhan. It does lower their influence.

It can have a double hit, as you get the drop from the kill plus the increase to the faction where you claim the bounty will lower the faction as well. Unless it's the same faction, so the drop and rise mostly cancel out.

My colleague recently tested this - like a week ago - over 3 days in a zero traffic system RES site. Killing the controlling factions wanted ships had no effect (did not hand in bounties). The bounties were then handed in at the end of the 3 days, and the controlling faction rep went up.

 

[Schlack]

My colleague recently tested this - like a week ago - over 3 days in a zero traffic system RES site. Killing the controlling factions wanted ships had no effect (did not hand in bounties). The bounties were then handed in at the end of the 3 days, and the controlling faction rep went up.

What faction states were active for the controlling and target factions?

 

[Sentenza]

Sorry i have looked at the few guides I have on the BGS, but couldn't find the answer, so ..

If a Faction is in expansion, will it expand from the system that its influence is highest or from any of the systems its in?

Also is it still 20 lys max for an expansion?

Finally found a nice system/faction on the edge of the bubble and they are ready to expand, at the moment they are in 2 other systems with 2 more within the 20 ly range from their home system, but a few more are in range it you count the ones they are in.

Thanks in advance. Lok.

From the system that reached the expansion threshold first, usually. If two or more reach it at the same time, probably the highest.