By DB statements around launch era: all players are part of the pilots federation, all NPCs are not, technically we are not the majority.
The Pilots Federation is then ‘our’ lore. Ironically however, it is one of the most powerful controlling groups in the galaxy, it controls travel, it controls information distribution!
DB also said that
Galnet lies, QED it’s filled with propaganda.
There is also the CLUB, and many incentives behind community goals which directly impact the narrative are essentially controlled by FD who use bait/switch tactics to influence where CG fall; so it’s safe to say a lot of what players do in the galaxy is not actually by their own hand?
There is also a large mix of systems controlled by various dictators / anarchy systems, and yes a rather lot of dystopia permeates the game.
So if a player were to always follow the money, believe the propaganda, most then become technically hired mercenaries, grunts or mules. Hired to murder, and facilitate large scale trafficking and money laundering.
Are we the bad guys?
Or simply, is this just
poor game design?
Initially pre launch the mechanics were to focus primarily upon PvP co operative play, where fines ect were tailored towards criminal activity against players perpetrated by NPCs.
Credits were few and far between, there also wasn’t much mercenary work, no Power Play, there were only 3 main powers; very few community goals and everything was mostly communicated through in game comms in stations, just a lot of moving things and pirates.
During this period the game got a lot of criticism for being very dull. A mile wide and an inch deep.
Crime and punishment went through a number of changes over the years, as has ship speed and weapons powers.
Station driven news (linked to in game content) slowly died off or ignored outright, then killed off.
Players began to form out of game factions (not supported nor wanted by FD), and some began to work against the BGS, again not an intended mechanic.
At one stage DB said ‘
we got it wrong’ identifying the issue that players preferred
grind over the intended mechanics, which were for us to focus upon the
small factions and
move around the galaxy - seeing the ‘
mysteries’. Very likely then, over time this might be why we’ve seen an
increase in pew-pew driven content.
Then we received Power Play. This was by far the biggest change in galactic power / war management ever. It essentially follows the Roman political power structure ethos. Power through violence/conquest. It’s suspected to have been DB pet project, primarily because he’s a big fan of Roman history.
Of note it was identified pretty early on PP was rigged, eg no one power could win / loose. It was effectively a never ending grind.
Of note circa 2017 it’s suspected that FD went through some kind of internal lore change, certain narratives were shifted, removed altogether, certain key development staff moved around.
Large areas of the game were locked off for the narrative, these still remain locked to this date…
And there’s suspicion through leaks, that the game could have entered into a ‘maintenance mode’ soon after.
This theoretically could identify a
narrative shift over the years, and a more
simplified ethos of ‘cash’ for guns, give the mob what they want..
Personally I simply believe the game was
poorly communicated and
sloppy from the outset, and has over the years fallen into a path of
least resistance, in an attempt to cater towards market trends.
Personally I role play with an ethos set out as a backer of the ‘
original’ game; my Cmdr has a moral (if conflicted) compass. He doesn’t engage with any Power Play, doesn’t engage in criminal enterprises (this makes the game very difficult) and doesn’t engage in the Thargoid (propaganda) nor any other war sim parts of the game. Hes an explorer.
The sentiment identified thus could likely be more a reflection upon general human behaviour than the intended original lore?
Blaze your own trail in the end.
