A Guide to Minor Factions and the Background Sim

[Starwolfe]

Definitely noticing something weird by focusing on missions yesterday.

Some system operated as intended, others were wonkers.

While in a state of Expansion, missions are not adding to influence gains apparently.
However Bounty hunting operated fine.

Another system missions worked okay, but there was no current state - just pending Boom or conflicts.


I need to more clearly identify if Passenger missions are working, or if the progress is just being carried by bounty hunting alone.

 

[Sentenza]

Definitely noticing something weird by focusing on missions yesterday.

Some system operated as intended, others were wonkers.

While in a state of Expansion, missions are not adding to influence gains apparently.
However Bounty hunting operated fine.

Another system missions worked okay, but there was no current state - just pending Boom or conflicts.


I need to more clearly identify if Passenger missions are working, or if the progress is just being carried by bounty hunting alone.

I am doing all passengers missions and they have effect. Not the effect they should have, but still an effect.

 

[Schlack]

We're talking bounties here now or Combat bonds?

i have to admit I didn't try BH'ing but regular mission running in another System while a War was active elsewhere. And it had absolutely zero effect.

Yet if BHing actually helps pushing up % in other Systems then the one the War takes place in, it'll be a interesting discovery.

Only combat actions are effective for the faction when in war. The war influence action modifier is for the faction as a whole, not just the system.

 

[Starwolfe]

Only combat actions are effective for the faction when in war. The war influence action modifier is for the faction as a whole, not just the system.

There is a catch with that; Combat Bonds for the conflict only count in the system the conflict is in. Turn it in elsewhere, and you might as well done nothing.

Bounties should help influence anywhere the relevant bounty can help the faction in question. Even in the system the conflict is at.

 

[Ryan Murdoc]

There is a catch with that; Combat Bonds for the conflict only count in the system the conflict is in. Turn it in elsewhere, and you might as well done nothing.

Bounties should help influence anywhere the relevant bounty can help the faction in question. Even in the system the conflict is at.

I just got to talk with some of our Wing and people told me that they tried to push us up in other Systems, both with Combat bonds from the War as well as bounty vouchers. Both amounting in no gain for us whatsoever. Talking before 2.3 hit, naturally.

We all seem to forget though that the BGS never will be the same for each and every PMF or normal MF. There's too much differences depending on where you are in the bubble and with what batch your PMF was born into the game.

What works for one or two will never be the same experience for everyone else.

 

[Starwolfe]

I just got to talk with some of our Wing and people told me that they tried to push us up in other Systems, both with Combat bonds from the War as well as bounty vouchers. Both amounting in no gain for us whatsoever. Talking before 2.3 hit, naturally.

We all seem to forget though that the BGS never will be the same for each and every PMF or normal MF. There's too much differences depending on where you are in the bubble and with what batch your PMF was born into the game.

What works for one or two will never be the same experience for everyone else.

Its a screwy math, which is why it is somewhat good Bounties goot a boost, but it still requires work.

See, its per transaction base. A formula like Transaction (#System Value) per influence.

The size of the system determines the value of bounties needing to be turned in each time for a decent influence boost.

The catch? You need to repeat that. Its not like just handing off 300k in bounties once, that's like doing one mission. You need to do that 300k a half dozen times or more.

The population size of the system should change the value you need each time. A small system might get away with 50-200k, where a larger one might need 500k-1 million or so each time.

 

[Ryan Murdoc]

I'm well aware of the transaction mechanic. We've had our taste of it in January when someone started to drive down one of our Systems with that.

Moron(s) weren't too clever though, did it while we were in Boom. Making it more then obvious that something was going on.

One day after they started attacking our HQ System with it, FD came around and took the 1-ton-trade exploit out of the game.

Would've loved to see them faces

And the bigger a population the more you need to pour in, and the smaller etc. etc.

And since everything is transaction based, the amount of cash is completely irrelevant for to push / curb stomp a MF's %. For a CMDRs Rep it might make a difference though.

 

[Jmanis]

I have noticed that a lot (it seems almost all, but maybe that's just me) of missions have now "small" influence increase instead of "medium".
Does anyone know the ratio/difference per mission as in how many "small" make a "medium"?

Thanks in advance

What I noticed is that influence is consistent with mission type:

Outbound delivery (cargo/data): +
Inbound delivery (source/retrieve): ++
Tourist missions: ++
Passenger missions: +++

As a starting point, I did some analysis of exactly what sort of "change" the different influence level effects made. This was a long time ago though, so things definitely could've changed.

At that time the results were, for some meaning of "point":
Low Influence Missions - 1 point
Med Influence Missions - 2 point
High Influence Missions - 4 points

What "point" meant seemed to be related to influence buckets. So a medium influence mission would increase your faction by a raw 2% (before adjustments) in a low pop system, but would do less for higher pop systems. Back in the day also systems used to be categorised in terms of population, i.e tiny, small, medium, large etc. which I think defined the bucket sizes... but that's impossible to prove these days without the presence of those categorisations.

This definitely could've changed though, that work is quite old.

 

[Jane Turner]

We always worked on 1,2,4 for low, med and high

 

[mia389]

One of our guys went to a test system and ran 20 +++ missions and the next day 20+ missions. He gained .4 more influnce from the + missions. Go figure.. Two things he found out haha. One - not all systems are effected by missions doing nothing. Two - influence + and +++ mean nothing different. More testing needs to be done to verify. Craziness going on

 

[Jane Turner]

try testing at lower levels

 

[Vingtetun]

OK - small group doing a test of a system last night - this is from the Truckertracker
Population: 122,000
State: Boom
Trade: 9319 tonnes brought IN to satisfy demand, 10,713 tonnes taken out from high supply
Exploration data: 14329

Population: 22,000,000
State: Boom
Trade: 9919 bought, 10948 sold
Exploration Data: 14.7M

Obviously there will also be casual traffic, but will be interesting to see what a modest trade run like this does to the stats

 

[Matzov]

One of our guys went to a test system and ran 20 +++ missions and the next day 20+ missions. He gained .4 more influnce from the + missions. Go figure.. Two things he found out haha. One - not all systems are effected by missions doing nothing. Two - influence + and +++ mean nothing different. More testing needs to be done to verify. Craziness going on

What state was the system in and what types of missions were done?

 

[Yodebe]

I don't quite get it, so would someone mind explaining this to me please?
In particular, what to all the 'up's & 'down's refer to?
Personal reputation?
faction influence?



I thought it would be faction influence, yet when I smuggle a 'lot' of illeagal goods into a black market, attempting to lower the stations controlling faction's influence, it keeps going up instead. :/
Does it maybe count against the System's controling faction instead? (hence why the station's controlling factions influence goes up)

Also, on the same subject, is it still the case that unloading one unit of goods at a time has more influence than selling the whole lot in one go?

Cheers, thanks in advance.

 

[M. Grey]

What the first line says.

What action has what effect (up/down) on influence or state.

For example:
You trade/sell to a station:
1. It increases the controlling factions (the faction that controls the asset you trade to!) influence.
2. Adds to the Boom state.
3. Lowers Bust state.

Smuggling has indeed had weird effects in 2.3, try different commodties.

 

[Drink!]

How do I stop a faction from expanding or what things can I do to negatively impact them? I have a new faction in my system that is doing very well and ruining what I am trying to do with my faction.

Thanks!

 

[M. Grey]

How do I stop a faction from expanding or what things can I do to negatively impact them? I have a new faction in my system that is doing very well and ruining what I am trying to do with my faction.

Thanks!

Expansion is triggered at 75% influence. Once it is pendin you cannot stop it, only delay it with a conflict that goes active before the expansion.

 

[Starwolfe]

An expansion can be stopped, but I have only witnessed it so far when a conflict like War or Civil War triggers on its 3rd day pending so both the conflict and expansion go live the same day - the conflict takes priority and expansion fails.

 

[MottiKhan]

An expansion can be stopped, but I have only witnessed it so far when a conflict like War or Civil War triggers on its 3rd day pending so both the conflict and expansion go live the same day - the conflict takes priority and expansion fails.

I've seen this once too. But it's unreliable. I've also seen an expansion complete when canceled by a conflict. I have a theory about why, but it's too wordy and simplistic at the same time. So flip a coin?

 

[Starwolfe]

For me, the Pending State can be "extended" if a conflict holds it up by starting on the 1st or second day pending. It can be cut short if it starts after the 4th pending day.

I have witnessed expansions last 1 day, then end early into the new system because of a conflict. Or a pending expansion held back for 11 days before it starts.