I'm very interested in what effect the updated AI and ever-persistent PP NPCs are going to have on next week's charts. I anticipate participation will fall, but by how much?
There are several changes that have impacted PP.
Any improvement to the AI will obviously make undermining harder.
It will also make the combat power earn less merits in their expansions, but it will also make opposition to them have lower merits too, so a change in AI wont impact ALD, Hudson, Patreus, Delaine and Antal expansions.
So the 5 "trading" powers of Mahon, Torval, Aisling, Sirius and Winters will have a buff to their expansions, because opposing them will be harder.
But at the same time, harder AI endangers players in slow trade ships more, so fortification, preparation and trade expansions will suffer.
The AI increased skill is also a nerf to solo players, and in particular the cargo maximizing build.
Shieldless Cutters/Anacondas are probably not viable, most PP players who fortify in open wouldn't use such a build, but some who do this in solo do, and the new AI may very well kill these players.
Type 9s and 7s were already crap, but the old AI was so poor, I imagine you could just submit and jump out, this might not work as much now.
Good shields will be needed, and maybe a shield bank, fortification numbers will drop from this.
If the new AI just constantly interdicts fortifiers (and preppers etc) killing NPCs might be quicker than submit -> jump, so combat traders will be more popular,
In a round about way, this might kill off solo power play, because wings are just so much more powerful now.
Even for fortification, wings of 4 may be needed to keep everyone alive, and kill the interdicting ships to make things faster.
This of course doesn't mean everyone will be fortifying in open, the solo player will just move to private groups.
There will be a clear disadvantage to anyone who can't wing up, due to time zones, instancing problems, bad connection (or no friends)
The only real question is, how many more players will this drive away from power play?
hopefully less than they will attract, once they update Power Play.
All in all I like the changes. And I find the shift in the discussion from Open/Solo to Open/PG beneficial. It is clearer now, that people would like to avoid interaction with other players within PP for reasons different than survival. I find the NPC much more dangerous for now, than the Player. I expect things will change, once Commanders will modify their ships.
All in all I like the changes. And I find the shift in the discussion from Open/Solo to Open/PG beneficial. It is clearer now, that people would like to avoid interaction with other players within PP for reasons different than survival. I find the NPC much more dangerous for now, than the Player. I expect things will change, once Commanders will modify their ships.