BGS overhaul Open, Solo, Group debate

[Phisto Sobanii]

I disagree, it is some kind of strategy, but you fight against invisible enemy

Then why is it called a Background Simulation with the intent of simulating a living, breathing universe that every player affects by their actions?

Look, I'm not saying you can't play it as a strategy game but you've not reflected on the limitations that creates for you.

Besides, folks that play in PG and Solo can find themselves at a serious disadvantage. It's really not as all powerful as people imagine.

 

[cyberir]

Messing about with the BGS isn't a PVP activity, and has no need to become one.

To increase fun or longevity of the BGS it would sure help if PVP mechanic would also have effect on BGS.

 

[Robert Maynard]

To increase fun or longevity of the BGS it would sure help if PVP mechanic would also have effect on BGS.

If it did then it would be exploited by players who would collude to gain the rewards for PvP in uncontested encounters.

 

[Robert Maynard]

You are clearly not reading what i said last sentence "Or somekinda player group decission if they wanna keep old bgs mechanic in their systems or not.

I read it - however deciding which mode each PMF would be affected in would probably break the BGS (or, at least introduce exploits).

 

[Rat Catcher]

To increase fun or longevity of the BGS it would sure help if PVP mechanic would also have effect on BGS.

But as it stands today, and hopefully will remain, everyone - regardless of their play style - can, and do, influence the BGS. The PvP mechanic is truly just an 'aside' in this game, one of those things you can do but are of no circumstance, for those who would have it 'matter' it would be nice if some reason to play that style could be introduced in-game but, unless next year's 'big' update incorpporates a bone to throw to the PvP players, it will remain just another niche activity. (niche used in the nicest possible way as I don't believe PvP to be played by any reasonable majority of players)

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

But as it stands today, and hopefully will remain, everyone - regardless of their play style - can, and do, influence the BGS. The PvP mechanic is truly just an 'aside' in this game, one of those things you can do but are of no circumstance, for those who would have it 'matter' it would be nice if some reason to play that style could be introduced in-game but, unless next year's 'big' update incorpporates a bone to throw to the PvP players, it will remain just another niche activity. (niche used in the nicest possible way as I don't believe PvP to be played by any reasonable majority of players)

While PvP doesn't move the numbers as far as BGS goes I'm gently suggesting do not also underestimate its power. Not that anyone is per se, but, as long as there are people with thoughts, emotions, feelings, and ego attacking and destroying their ships can have a very strong effect.

I've had too many experiences where the right kill at the right time can change a landscape.

 

[Brrokk]

Greetings

...My idea what would make whole BGS game more interesting not just for SOLO, Private Group PVE commanders but also for PVP commanders.
BGS should be put to open only and perhaps Solo and PG would be separate instances of universe or only ability to gain credits and trail your own blaze without affecting the BGS universe.
...

Beep! Contradiction.

 

[Vedmo]

I've yet to see a single argument for Mode restricted BGS (or PP) founded in a desire to oppose other player's (or bots) actions through PvP combat address the issue of different platforms. If we are to pick and chose which mode is the legitimate mode that reserves the ability to affect the galaxy we play in, any theoretical basis for that choice are void, lacking a decision to also restrict play to a chosen platform.

 

[Rat Catcher]

While PvP doesn't move the numbers as far as BGS goes I'm gently suggesting do not also underestimate its power. Not that anyone is per se, but, as long as there are people with thoughts, emotions, feelings, and ego attacking and destroying their ships can have a very strong effect.

I've had too many experiences where the right kill at the right time can change a landscape.

I wasn't demeaning PvP, Phisto, or at least hope it didn't come across that way! It just appears that the 'open only' (pick your topic) argument is being brought up by frustrated PvP players because the game has no real contextual purpose for their favourite activity. The Powerplay facet perhaps should be open only, it is war between factions if I understand correctly, so should not be 'manipulated' behind closed doors, but again - just my opinion.

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

I wasn't demeaning PvP, Phisto, or at least hope it didn't come across that way! It just appears that the 'open only' (pick your topic) argument is being brought up by frustrated PvP players because the game has no real contextual purpose for their favourite activity. The Powerplay facet perhaps should be open only, it is war between factions if I understand correctly, so should not be 'manipulated' behind closed doors, but again - just my opinion.

Yeah! You're good! My point was a general one to anyone reading.

Good points about Open Only though... and it's funny, seeing comments about the platform divide it makes me think cross play is the real way forward here.

 

[Rat Catcher]

I'd love crossplay to happen, it would 'gel' the playerbase quite nicely, the silly 'divide' between Pc/Consoles would disappear and we'd all be playing the same game, as we do now, but together

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Why get more people in Open when you can get the people playing in Open together?

 

[Misty_Dark]

Right now
PVP and BGS has no direct meaning with each-other. You cant do BGS if you wanna play in open and do also PVP so all are going solo and group to reach maximum efficiency, beside not even that can beat botters doing their own thing 24/7 in safety of solo and pg.

So why can't you do BGS in Open? We must be doing something terribly wrong then! and I can't wait for for the fun times your suggestion would have with simple fact that we cannot do PvP across plattforms... so you can dream, all sorts of excuses for forcing PvE players into PvP situations, but at the end of the day, what will you do when you realise that the player group working against you, is on another platform?

 

[Komaros]

but you can have your clan division on other platform too ... ?

 

[Robert Maynard]

.... and the three game modes and PMFs existed before lack of cross-play with consoles became an issue.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

It's way too easy to exploit "open only BGS".

Say Frontier did make it so that only actions taking place in Open counted for the BGS. If I buy some trade goods in Open, then switch to Solo, fly the trade goods to the destination station, switch to Open, and sell the trade goods, then all the BGS-relevant actions around those trade goods have taken place in Open.

Or let's say I go exploring in PG and bring back a load of exploration data which I exchange for cash. I then dock at one of your stations in Open and use that cash to complete hundreds of donation missions.

Or lets say I take a mission to get 50 Palladium for your opposing faction. In Open, where the BGS is active, Palladium will be very hard to find because the market restock rate is low and it will mostly already have been bought up. In Solo, buying goods doesn't reduce the amount available on the market, so I can just buy it all up easily.

The BGS is embedded throughout basically everything we do, to the extent that "Open only BGS" means either
- it's so full of exploitable loopholes that it's basically what we have now but you get to see a bunch of people relogging in your stations
- Open is the only mode at all
- Open and PG+Solo have entirely separate galaxy simulations (including markets, first discovery lists, station services [1], system names [2]) and you choose which one a CMDR is in on account creation
None of these are going to happen.

It's not like Powerplay which could in theory be isolated to a single mode without affecting much else.

[1] CGs could easily have different results in one than the other, for example
[2] Part of the prize for player groups winning the Colonia Expansion Initiative CGs was to be able to name their own starport and system.

 

[DNA-Decay]

Wouldn’t it just be easier to get rid of solo and PG completely?

 

[Robert Maynard]

Wouldn’t it just be easier to get rid of solo and PG completely?

Probably as easy as it would be to get rid of Open.

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Wouldn’t it just be easier to get rid of solo and PG completely?

Yeah, but would we want to?

 

[DNA-Decay]

Yeah, but would we want to?

Why is that even an issue?

Just do it.



A month of forum salt and we’d all get used to it. It would be just the way things are.