A Guide to Minor Factions and the Background Sim

[nathdixon92]

Is it just me, or have the state ticks been a bit funky lately?

 

[Starwolfe]

It was yesterday. Today's was really early to me, but worked just fine.

 

[Kietrax]

Unfortunately there really isn't.

I have found it easier to just plan for some influence loss and focus on ending the conflict fast.

That shouldn't be an issue - 1 day in and we have >16% lead - to be honest, we were at +10 before the first shots were fired! Few people with new Corvettes that needed a run out

 

[nathdixon92]

Rare Good sales don't affect influence do they?

 

[Starwolfe]

Rare Good sales don't affect influence do they?

They should. Might actually affect them more depending how they changed the formula to counter single trade transactions. Its a positive trade after all.

 

[nathdixon92]

They should. Might actually affect them more depending how they changed the formula to counter single trade transactions. Its a positive trade after all.

I'm sure I remember reading or hearing it somewhere that they have no effect?

 

[Abil Midena]

...
I think minor factions and Powerplay factions should work together.
...

No please. Never, and not in any way link the two. Playing the BGS is already suffering from peoples' actions where they don't even know they are having an effect. (At least the PP grinders KNOW they are fussing the numbers when they grind merits without regard to actual intent of the Powers.) Now add the PP horde? No thanks. The minute they link the two, playing the BGS ends. The PP horde will crush it. Remember just the side effect of PP control systems where player groups were controlling? Yeah. Let's not do that again.

Or maybe toss power play to the wolves in a snowy corner of the universe like CQC and it be in its own sphere and let the bgs begin to make some sense and maybe a manual that covers all angles of activity so we aren't in bgs research mode finding basic important answers 50 yrs from now.

Additionally, no one knows when they dock at a station if the controlling faction is 3 biowaste units away from an outbreak, or if an agric faction is going to go bust because they are soon to run out of crop harvesters...right? why....cuz the devs aren't gamers and would never come to see this is an important motivator to perform basic trade that engages the bgs and faction needs strongly. The commodities screen ought to show these very important thresholds!

I don't disagree. I hope if FD ever decide to cross the streams (ghostbusters ref) with BGS and PP, they give the community a heads up before doing so. It will probably turn out like the discussion over 'open only bonuses', but at least it was discussed.

This is probably not the thread to discuss that, and maybe a bit early, so I'll refrain from yabbing about it here.

Edit* Adding Ghostbusters reference for those too young, or those unfortunate enough to think the most recent GB movie should ever be associated with the REAL GB.

Spoiler

[video=youtube;jyaLZHiJJnE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaLZHiJJnE[/video]

 

[Jmanis]

No please. Never, and not in any way link the two. Playing the BGS is already suffering from peoples' actions where they don't even know they are having an effect. (At least the PP grinders KNOW they are fussing the numbers when they grind merits without regard to actual intent of the Powers.) Now add the PP horde? No thanks. The minute they link the two, playing the BGS ends. The PP horde will crush it. Remember just the side effect of PP control systems where player groups were controlling? Yeah. Let's not do that again.

They couldn't link PP and the BGS anyway, because PP is meant to be balanced and fair. BGS isn't balanced, so tying the two together is impossible.

That said, I don't understand why they never based PP progression around BGS-style mechanics (like missions, trading, mining etc), albeit in a "distinct" i.e 'separate from the BGS' manner.

When I watched the trailer from 0:20 to 1:06... and especially at 0:36

Spoiler

[video=youtube;U9P8QPZ81-E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9P8QPZ81-E[/video]

... I fully expected that you would sign up to a power, go to a system and start doing a variety of power-specific missions to try and win control of systems. Not the single-activity grindfests that occur under the current setup.

PS. Thanks for the posts before RE: war/expansion/boom loss/gains. Kicking myself a bit for not thinking about it that way before, but of course, while a war occurs in one system, the impact is global, so any casual trade going on won't have an affect on that system anymore. My particular region has a clutch of nearly all different economies within 20LY, and we own the major ports in that clutch, with average thoroughfare around 20 ships, so it all makes sense now.

 

[Schlack]

I'm sure I remember reading or hearing it somewhere that they have no effect?

My understanding is that rares are treated as regular trade (however exactly that is treated now!), but we haven't tested this in a long time.

 

[nathdixon92]

Does anyone know the threshold you have to be within to trigger a conflict state between two minor factions? Is it within 1%?

 

[Starwolfe]

Not specifically. I have my suspicions it is within 2% tho, but it could be higher - or lower.

it is just difficult to say since we don't get to see the specific results at the time of the tic, just the resolution after its done.

 

[_trent_]

I can tell you that bounty hunting definitely works. My system apparently is a popular hunting ground now, and when the controlling faction went into war in a nearby system some time ago its influence actually increased.

After a couple of days of intensive bounty hunting, only targeting ships of the other factions and only handing in our own vouchers, we were able to slow the amount we dropped each day in one of our systems. It does appear to work but it takes a real amount of effort to make any noticeable difference (I went from just below allied down to the borderline of unfriendly/hostile with one of the factions)

At least it does work up to a point though so that's always something. [up]

 

[Shintai]

I hate the fact that a conflict in another system kills the influence in all the controlled systems. And its close to impossible to control.

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

how can one help to win an election?

 

[MottiKhan]

how can one help to win an election?

Non-Combat missions
Selling goods at a faction owned station for profit
Selling Exploration and scanned data at a faction owned station
Selling goods at the opponent's station for loss
Smuggle illegal (or stolen) goods to the opponent's station

 

[ErichZann]

What are your experiences with selling mined goods to increase influence, instead of trading (or bounty hunting)?

 

[MottiKhan]

What are your experiences with selling mined goods to increase influence, instead of trading (or bounty hunting)?

Selling mined goods count as positive trading. (Always high profit)

 

[goemon]

What are your experiences with selling mined goods to increase influence, instead of trading (or bounty hunting)?

mining is a heavy hitter, because
- influence gain by profit - mined ore is pure profit.
- influence gain by "transactions" per item type - a lot of differend items more "transactions"

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

Non-Combat missions
Selling goods at a faction owned station for profit
Selling Exploration and scanned data at a faction owned station
Selling goods at the opponent's station for loss
Smuggle illegal (or stolen) goods to the opponent's station

ok thx

 

[irongut]

I hate the fact that a conflict in another system kills the influence in all the controlled systems. And its close to impossible to control.

Not for any of the many factions I support it doesn't (PMF or NPC).