Powerplay Do Solar System Populations Increase Over Time?

[MAAD DAWG]

I recently read that the income potential of a control system was directly related to the size of its population plus those of its Exploited systems. If so, then a galactic power's ability to successfully expand is limited by this factor (and others), since expansion is fundamentally about the economics of PowerPlay.

Considering that most of the human population appears to be in the Bubble, the logical conclusion is that most successful PowerPlay activity will be focused on systems inside or near the Bubble - the ones with large populations within a 15 LY radius of the Control system.

However, if solar systems' populations grow with time, control system candidates could eventually appear outside the current Bubble.

Does anyone know if the populations of solar systems grow with the passage of time? If so, what is the rate of growth?

I've never paid any attention to it.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Numerous Systems actually increased their Population (some quite significantly), beginning sometime in Summer to Auntum last year but their Population movements all seemed to have ceased in late 2016.

It was unannounced and discussed only after being discovered, but so far I haven't heard any official word on that "temporary phenomenon".
For all I know, it could have been a test balloon for a more dynamic BGS involving System Population.

However, it currently seems static again, at least on the benchmark Systems I've checked.
If others made different observations, they'd have to chime in...

 

[Martin Schou]

I recently read that the income potential of a control system was directly related to the size of its population plus those of its Exploited systems.

This is correct. It is a logarithmic function.

If so, then a galactic power's ability to successfully expand is limited by this factor (and others), since expansion is fundamentally about the economics of PowerPlay.

Considering that most of the human population appears to be in the Bubble, the logical conclusion is that most successful PowerPlay activity will be focused on systems inside or near the Bubble - the ones with large populations within a 15 LY radius of the Control system.

Not quite. Because it is a logarithmic function, it is better to have many low population systems than one large population system. For example, one 1,000,000 population system on its own will produce ~1/10th the command capital of ten 100,000 population systems despite the two sets having the same population-

However, if solar systems' populations grow with time, control system candidates could eventually appear outside the current Bubble.

Does anyone know if the populations of solar systems grow with the passage of time? If so, what is the rate of growth?

I've never paid any attention to it.

This is correct, but outside of sporadic changes there are no population changes.

It would make for a very interesting dynamic, if PowerPlay powers could use some of their command capital to populate unpopulated systems or similar, but currently such a mechanic is not in the game, and I haven't heard anything to support it as a future mechanic either.

 

[MAAD DAWG]

I've asked my questions for 2 reasons:
1) I recently aligned with ALD and have decided to actively participate in ALD's goals to the degree that they further my personal goals, and
2) Having found some really great systems outside the bubble, I was hoping there might be a way to have the ALD faction expand into one or more of those systems and stop competing inside the bubble for systems already controlled by other factions, which I think is a waste of time and energy. Stop trying to steal territory; instead, claim new territory! No general with any brains voluntarily fights a head-on battle. Instead, he outflanks his enemy.

But now, having become more educated about the mechanics of PowerPlay, I think expansion into most remote solar systems cannot happen. The good systems I know (not in the bubble) have too little CC from the surrounding systems (low populations) and are too far from ALD's capitol (the other BIG negative factor). The combination of those 2 make an expansion into them just about impossible. This is a shame and I think it's a loss of potential game play and strategy for the game as a whole.

In the 5 months I've played this game, I've spent most of my time playing, earning credits and rep, and buying a small fleet of 8, A-rated ships (including an Anaconda), outside the bubble. I'm an Elite Trader, a King in her majesty's empire, I'm about to complete earning my second billion credits, so there's plenty of opportunity and wealth outside the bubble. I've found some really great systems outside the bubble with great resources, BH, mining, and trading. I was hoping to find a way to have ALD expand into one. But because of their relatively low CC and long distance from ALD's capitol, these systems will almost certainly never be expansion candidates.

 

[aspiringexpatriate]

Welcome to ALD! If you care for Discord, we've got a lot of players coordinating through that. Otherwise we have a priorities sheet that helps us stay coordinated, and feel free to engage me in conversation on the semi-weekly Dispatch thread on the ALD subforum.

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As for the topic, population does not appear to change from CMDR action. The recent population increase appeared to coincide with the release of Horizons. It's still unclear to me if the increase was due to new systems arriving with planetary outposts, or an increase in population of existing systems.

And it's further unclear to me that if the population does change, that that change will impact the command capital contribution it makes. I've seen a +4,000 population system that only provides 4cc, whereas any system over 3,000 population should be providing 5cc.

So, while we all hope that FDev will start modeling a shifting/growing population, because right now the human population increases at an exponential rate. It's entirely not believable that we'd have reached an equilibrium in the future, especially as new habitable locations are within our grasp.

I don't know if I want Powers to be able to 'arrange' for transportation of population, because, frankly, Power Play is a simplistic meta-layer ontop of the BGS, and it should be the BGS driving population shifts, not the meta-game of Power Play. However, I'd also enjoy something like what Colonia is experiencing, only actually visible in game mechanics. I'd love transportation missions for settlers and pioneers for all those terraforming candidates and earth-like planets.

Maybe we're going to need atmospheric landing before FDev allows us to do that.

In which case, well, I can't wait.

As for population affecting Power Play? ALD has dozens if not hundreds of planets in the process of terraforming, candidates, and quite a few 'has been terraformed' planets in systems with only 200,000 population. And that to me is hard to believe. Annwn is the example on the top of my head. Less than 30Ly from Achenar, and there's a quarter million people living on a terraformed planet.