Genuinely Don't Understand the Point of Powerplay
- Thread starter Synthetic Frost
- Start date
PowerPants to me is just a complete load of half-worked nonsense. FD have not even bothered to produce more than a single graphic for each "major character" - If so little has been put into it, it is hardly surprising that it is just a complete waste of developers' time that could have gone into sorting out the bugs rather than pandering to marketing imperatives.
For me PP is another example why ED seriously needs a much more detailed background simulation.
The current galaxy has no life at all. Whether I do someting or not does not matter a bit.
There are these power figures and I don't care any of them because nothing happens either way. One of them conquers a planet? And what then? Why would it be interesting to me? Another power looses control over 3 hubs? And?
No matter how I try I just don't get why I should care about the slaves when there are no slaves at all anywhere doing anything. It's a word only which technically the same than algae. I can use these titles to increase my bank balance if I transport them here and there but it also does not give anything to the world itself.
Ironically the most persistent part of the game appears to be the so much debated "ganking". That's a factor make commanders put more effort in decisions and tactics. I wish other parts of the game offered something to feel alive while playing. PP is not one of them.
The current galaxy has no life at all. Whether I do someting or not does not matter a bit.
There are these power figures and I don't care any of them because nothing happens either way. One of them conquers a planet? And what then? Why would it be interesting to me? Another power looses control over 3 hubs? And?
No matter how I try I just don't get why I should care about the slaves when there are no slaves at all anywhere doing anything. It's a word only which technically the same than algae. I can use these titles to increase my bank balance if I transport them here and there but it also does not give anything to the world itself.
Ironically the most persistent part of the game appears to be the so much debated "ganking". That's a factor make commanders put more effort in decisions and tactics. I wish other parts of the game offered something to feel alive while playing. PP is not one of them.
Last edited:
I first pledged to Li Yong, stayed 4 weeks, got the pack hound missiles. (put 2 of them on my Anny) but i didn't see the point of PP at all, other than the weapons, so i un-pledged.
I have since sold the missile racks, high thermals, kept getting heat damage, and maybe got off 2-3 volleys.
I figured 2 beam or multi-cannons turrets would overall do lots more damage than they did in the few minutes of combat. (and can only use them after shields are down).
Now i have joined the Princess, i am not going to get any merits, or even play the PP game, i will just wait for 4 weeks, fast track 750 merits, get the shield and i'm out of PP again. PP= useless.
I have since sold the missile racks, high thermals, kept getting heat damage, and maybe got off 2-3 volleys.
I figured 2 beam or multi-cannons turrets would overall do lots more damage than they did in the few minutes of combat. (and can only use them after shields are down).
Now i have joined the Princess, i am not going to get any merits, or even play the PP game, i will just wait for 4 weeks, fast track 750 merits, get the shield and i'm out of PP again. PP= useless.
I think it was a bit of a rush job - the UI screens are the only place you can really 'touch' PP and it's really just a set of statistics driven from a log of player activities ... meh
These parties (power characters) are so unnecessary IMO. FD should implement the guild/clan/callitwhateveryoulike system, so players could create minor factions too overthrowing other (player or NPC) factions. Eventually real ELITE players would be able to controll stations to make Crs. These owners could handle bullettinboards too, give other cmdrs jobs.
This is player interaction!
This is player interaction!
Last edited:
Same here:
I can make no sense of it from an in-game perspective, how it is presented in Galnet, etc is bizzare. I could kind of understand it if you somehow became involved in a power and were given missions and information etc, but to have it all out in the open like that makes no sense.
The only way I can digest it is if it is like in the Hunger Games, just some rich and powerful pointless game to keep the plebs thinking they can have some kind of meaningful life while all the time exploiting and lying to them.
Maybe Powerplay is the Thargoids way of distracting the Human race while they suck out our brains through our cockpit interfaces after turning them to porridge with the galnet updates.
Agreeing with the OP (+rep). BUT there's more to it. Please bear with me...
I'm one of those few people who never gets bored. As far as I know, I've never been bored. Life is so full of stuff, I never need to 'escape' as such. What's that got to do with anything? I love simulations of real life. I also love simulations of fantasy worlds, because good ones are self-consistent. Both are credible and plausible, and so both are immersive and enjoyable. Where does Elite fit into this? It takes a credible speculation of real-universe mechanics and future technologies (big plus) and binds them increasingly to implausible individual and group behaviors (big minus).
That's a lot of words, but what do they actually mean? Perhaps some examples will illustrate.
Elite allows space travel. It simulates speculative future technologies like supercruise and hyperspace jumps that may very well turn out to be impossible in future real-life. No matter. All the bits of those speculative technologies work together well. They're believable and all the pieces fit together well. The compromises, like nerfing the yaw capabilities of all ships, can be overlooked. Along with a believable if limited physical simulation of the galaxy, that in itself is a great game. No wonder I like exploring - and no I don't get bored with it (see second paragraph). Yes, Frontier can develop it further with planetary landings, passenger transport and such, and I'll enjoy it even more.
For a flip side example, Elite has NPCs that do not behave like real groups or individuals. There is insufficient survival instinct. There is poor planning. There is no evidence of "I didn't get where I am today kiddo (like wielding a mighty Anaconda or Python) by doing stupid stuff (like strolling into suicidal mayhem, alone and with poor planning)." I feel sorry for Sarah Jane Avory who has been tasked with making NPC behavior more effective, but in the end making it even more implausible. The galaxy of 1300 years into the future would not be like that: technology changes quickly but human behaviors change much more slowly and instincts change very little if at all.
How does Powerplay fit into this?
It's not just lack of lore. No, I don't care about these 2-D characters either. (At least - mercifully - they're been removed from the forum banner.) It's not just that they emerged out of nowhere and we're being encouraged, somehow, to care. And it's not just that they don't fit well or believably into the existing major/minor faction politics of the galaxy either. It's also the rate at which things are happening. They are playing out events that would each take months if not years - not a week here and a week there. The mechanism is not simply unbelievable, it's implausible.
So what's the point of Powerplay? Nothing, sadly, that enhances the game. The game is a vehicle for Frontier to make money - which is good and fine. (That's not a cynical statement: they're a business and it's straightforward realistic fact.) The underlying mechanics of the game are a vehicle to add more and more features. Why should it matter to Frontier whether or not that creates a believable galaxy? A breadth-first development strategy like that, adding more and more new features to their vehicle, creates a wider and wider pool of prospective customers and guarantees, for now, a steady revenue stream.
So Powerplay is just another add-on like that that will broaden Elite's market appeal. Expect to see lots more! Does it matter that existing players feel betrayed, or disenfranchised, or disillusioned, or just an increasing sense of ennui? Nope. Not at all. "We already have your money." And to be honest, I've already had my money's worth. It's possible that David Braben's legacy may not, after all, be as a great game creator but instead be as a great businessman. Maybe.
I'm one of those few people who never gets bored. As far as I know, I've never been bored. Life is so full of stuff, I never need to 'escape' as such. What's that got to do with anything? I love simulations of real life. I also love simulations of fantasy worlds, because good ones are self-consistent. Both are credible and plausible, and so both are immersive and enjoyable. Where does Elite fit into this? It takes a credible speculation of real-universe mechanics and future technologies (big plus) and binds them increasingly to implausible individual and group behaviors (big minus).
That's a lot of words, but what do they actually mean? Perhaps some examples will illustrate.
Elite allows space travel. It simulates speculative future technologies like supercruise and hyperspace jumps that may very well turn out to be impossible in future real-life. No matter. All the bits of those speculative technologies work together well. They're believable and all the pieces fit together well. The compromises, like nerfing the yaw capabilities of all ships, can be overlooked. Along with a believable if limited physical simulation of the galaxy, that in itself is a great game. No wonder I like exploring - and no I don't get bored with it (see second paragraph). Yes, Frontier can develop it further with planetary landings, passenger transport and such, and I'll enjoy it even more.
For a flip side example, Elite has NPCs that do not behave like real groups or individuals. There is insufficient survival instinct. There is poor planning. There is no evidence of "I didn't get where I am today kiddo (like wielding a mighty Anaconda or Python) by doing stupid stuff (like strolling into suicidal mayhem, alone and with poor planning)." I feel sorry for Sarah Jane Avory who has been tasked with making NPC behavior more effective, but in the end making it even more implausible. The galaxy of 1300 years into the future would not be like that: technology changes quickly but human behaviors change much more slowly and instincts change very little if at all.
How does Powerplay fit into this?
It's not just lack of lore. No, I don't care about these 2-D characters either. (At least - mercifully - they're been removed from the forum banner.) It's not just that they emerged out of nowhere and we're being encouraged, somehow, to care. And it's not just that they don't fit well or believably into the existing major/minor faction politics of the galaxy either. It's also the rate at which things are happening. They are playing out events that would each take months if not years - not a week here and a week there. The mechanism is not simply unbelievable, it's implausible.
So what's the point of Powerplay? Nothing, sadly, that enhances the game. The game is a vehicle for Frontier to make money - which is good and fine. (That's not a cynical statement: they're a business and it's straightforward realistic fact.) The underlying mechanics of the game are a vehicle to add more and more features. Why should it matter to Frontier whether or not that creates a believable galaxy? A breadth-first development strategy like that, adding more and more new features to their vehicle, creates a wider and wider pool of prospective customers and guarantees, for now, a steady revenue stream.
So Powerplay is just another add-on like that that will broaden Elite's market appeal. Expect to see lots more! Does it matter that existing players feel betrayed, or disenfranchised, or disillusioned, or just an increasing sense of ennui? Nope. Not at all. "We already have your money." And to be honest, I've already had my money's worth. It's possible that David Braben's legacy may not, after all, be as a great game creator but instead be as a great businessman. Maybe.
I think its is, its optional, if you dont like the politics head out to the fringe systems or off into the uninhabited galaxy. I think there is still space to forge your own destiny, but the other things that are going on make it a richer experience for me... but theres nothing stopping you from ignoring it.
They should use that as a promotional strapline on the marketing vid's for PP
When I wrote this, I wasn't expecting so many people to agree with me. I was convinced there was something I was just missing. Guess I'm not the only one who thinks this way.
And it doesnt get better when the official answer to why no merits are paid out for taking out enemy agents in your owned systems is to literally force conflicts to make players go to hostile territories.
Great, we must now PROMOTE conflict even for factions whose methods are PEACEFUL.
Pp devs are idiots if they thought that was a good idea. Thats not promoting EMERGENT gameplay - thats FORCING gameplay.
To make people like me hate the game i had so much hope for.
"Getting the community to engage with each other" on one hand, and on the other, "no guilds, never!!!!!!! guilds are the devil!!!!! we will not implement guilds!!!!!"
"Now, here is a bunch of stuff designed to force people into groups. However, you don't get any tools in the game that make it easier to communicate or cooperate, so it's not a guild!!! Here is a system whereby we actually classify groups based on how much of a certain type of group they are. Except, we're not giving you anything in game, so it's not guilds!!!!!!!!"
" these are not the droids you're looking for"
Can't we just admit that this is an mmo, with guilds, and develop the game so that it actually knows what it wants to be? Without all this silly sleight of hand?
"Now, here is a bunch of stuff designed to force people into groups. However, you don't get any tools in the game that make it easier to communicate or cooperate, so it's not a guild!!! Here is a system whereby we actually classify groups based on how much of a certain type of group they are. Except, we're not giving you anything in game, so it's not guilds!!!!!!!!"
" these are not the droids you're looking for"
Can't we just admit that this is an mmo, with guilds, and develop the game so that it actually knows what it wants to be? Without all this silly sleight of hand?
The problem is that it was never "sold" as an MMO in the Kickstarter but only that it had multiplayer support (that is, you could add friends) and when they implemented the always online drm for "background simulation" and limited wings it's starting to grow TOWARDS an MMO.
But it will never be an MMo unless they go away from P2P solution and use proper server structure to ensure cheaters are not having an easy way of blocking things - still, that is for the PVP section of the game.
PVE on the other hand should easily be able to be fleshed out if nothing else so we can properly communicate in game and drop in the same instance.
One hour in 1.3 beta convinced me I will never touch power play. Looks like 1.4 is also a waste of time for me. Would also be nice if all the bugs reported in 1.3 were fixed. Rapidly loosing interest now.
One Power represents a Guild, so basically we have guilds already. We just need chat for our Powers (like guild chat), because its uncomfortable to use 3rd party sites. And dont say its hard to implement... we have galnet available from deep space as well. So thats all I would like to see from FD at the moment.
Yeees, faction wide chat would increase the fun factor of the game tenfold...
Which is so stupid it's silly.
-A guild that is forced into a RISK boardgame
.
-Mechanics that FORCES the guilds into conflict with each others (must go to other faction systems for greatest Merit gain per kill)
.
-A guild that is described as a nomadic band of pirates but takes territory just like everyone else.
.
-A guild that stands for exploration and science but kills faction members of other factions for no reason whatsover and does not reward actual exploration unless you spend all the time for exploration to grind rank 5 so that youCAN get a reward for exploration.
.
-Guilds take over systems for their faction and impose laws on systems not even under their major faction control (geopolitical conflict ensues)
.
-Guilds not actually giving rewards for doing missions and actions fitting their philosophy (Like smuggling and piracy for the Archon or exploration for Li Yong-Rui)
.
-A commercial trade guild that locks a weapon (product) behind a paywall and demand you are a member for a month before allowed to purchase it (that's even beyond EA style sales).
.
-Weapon modules that no other faction has managed to steal, reverse engineer or have been invented in the last 900 years by any other company faction or military.
.
Do I really need to go on about how disjointed this PP implementation is? The IDEA is great, the implementation is not.
Im HOPING that the PP release is the first SKELETON release on it and this was all they had time for but I remain pessimistic due to the dev answers around the issues and hardly believe they will make it more LOGICAL.
- - - Updated - - -
Did I detect a teeensy, teensy amount of sarcasm there? =P
I think in this case Frontier have been seduced by another elegantly constructed, self-sustaining, "procedural" system. They've crafted the Powerplay architecture with their usual skill, but they've done that at Populous deity level (god viewpoint) and have not focussed enough on what it feels like to be one of the little chaps running around in the middle of it.
.....you know, the players.