Just watched the Q&A video
My takeaways:
Powerplay missions - Yes! This is something i hoped for since PP1. The ability to do what activities you want to help your power rather than a very limited set. Turns the grind into more diverse activities (hopefully).
Power security - already had a chinwag with Rubbernuke about this one. My suspicion is this will turn the more casual player off PP as it will cause a headache if you ever enter other power territory even if not doing PP stuff.
Open only - "Not at launch" is FD speak for probably never.
Can powers fall? - "Not at launch" see above.
Big vs small powers - benefits to smaller powers, bigger powers require more effort as more systems. I think there shouldn't be any benefits or maluses, just the size factor requiring more players/effort to control more territory. But since powers can't fall anyway, then its all rather moot. Its just map painting which will occasionally shift.
Looking at what we know so far, i'm not impressed. Its PP1 with some minor changes. Yes, it will stop module shopping. Yes, you can now do more things to help your power, but the big picture is still the same. Powers will expand to the point where they can maintain what they've got but end up running to stay in the same place.
Will it attract more players to PP?
I suspect at the start there will be a huge increase in players, who will work for their powers, grab modules they are missing, and play until they get bored with it all, then a lot will quit. Eventually PP numbers will dwindle again. Perhaps not to current levels, but not the inclusive levels i think FD and many players would like to see.
We can of course argue about what would make PP more engaging for more players, but its all pretty much moot at this point. FD have laid out their stall, so its up to players as to whether they like what is on offer.
