Another missed opportunity

[Don Samen]

I try to understand how development and architects are working.

First you introduce squadrons, then you introduce player factions, then close the application for new factions. Then years later you introduce colonization in new systems. If you had put those together you would have lifted the experience to a whole other level. We could shape our system, work with our faction and build a bubble for our squadron where we could spread our influence.

But as usual you don't choose to see the different player elements together. You still treat this as a single player game, not a universe we could expand, build and shape to meet our goals. To me this is just another missed opportunity where putting elements together would lift this from a basic game to a living universe. You keep going down the same road with no map, no red thread that brings it all together.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Maybe a bit premature. I'd wait until we see what Vanguards brings.

The very fact that group oriented gameplay is being developed suggests that FDev are already aware of the gap that exists.

 

[Don Samen]

I would not hold my breath. They have missed so many opportunities where they could bring together different elements. The Vanguard update seems to be focused on reshaping squadrons, some tweaking of what many do with the carrier economy already. So basically another way to run the squadron. No mentioning of player factions there.

 

[Jmanis]

...work with our a faction and build a bubble for our that faction squadron where we could spread our their influence.

FTFY

You don't own factions. They're just NPCs.

Squadrons are just like-minded commanders and don't command populations. You are just mercenaries to them.

FD rightly ended faction additions to the game because players wrongly assumed they "owned" the faction, when it was just meant to be opportunity for players to add inconsequential "flavour" to the universe.[1]

@Dillon Fallon is right. Vanguards will bring the group- based activity players are after, but factions (shouldn't be) at the center of that.

[1] just like player driven galnet. Instead players tried to control the narrative through that, so FD ended that too... same same with player CG submissions.

 

[Ozric]

Also the ability to add names to NPC factions or "PMFs" was years before Squadrons.

 

[Dragsham]

You might not own them. But you can bend a pmf to the will of the group/soloist who manipulates it

 

[Don Samen]

@Dillon Fallon is right. Vanguards will bring the group- based activity players are after, but factions (shouldn't be) at the center of that.

That is the squadron bit, how squadron members interact with each other. Giving the opportunity to train and help new players reach their potential. That is fine, but put together with colonization those are two different things. The one is shaping the commander, the other is shaping the galaxy. Putting them together, you will have a player that can climb the ranks of the imperial or federal powers in the colonized system. Basically doing all sorts of stuff that would include almost all elements of the game. Now the squadron effort is basically load/unload carriers when involved with this big thing called colonization. You don't need the elements of Vanguard to do that, you just need a stock T9 with maxed out cargo capacity.