I was wondering. How much can we actually participate in and influence galactic events? For example, is it possible to take supplies to help out the Marlinist refugees?
How Much Do Players Influence?
- Thread starter lilhappyaccident
- Start date
None....but, Everyone should keep making videos and pics of commanders walking around and out of ships, as well as EVA and EARTH WORLDS...sprinkling in panther clipper centerfolds doing to and fro wherever???
there are two different aspects to that.
1.) "galactic events." that is handled by community goals. Subforum here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/forums/elite-dangerous-community-goals/ on your exampel: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...to-establish-marlinist-colonies-trade.560494/ - player activity decided a) if there are any systems colonized for the marlinists and b) which and how many
2.) generally, any state of any minor faction such as boom, war etc. comes from player activity across all modes and platforms - a system with no traffic will get into all factions no-state over time. the subforum for it can be found here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/forums/elite-dangerous-background-sim/
a minor faction can for exampel expand to several systems, market, outfitting et. al. can change with states, and so forth.
This is not a straightforward question to answer. Player actions have resulted in major storyline impact before:
- The Lugh War - an early BGS conflict heavily promoted by players and then adopted by Frontier - significantly weakened the newly-elected President Halsey's political position, causing her to go on a support-raising tour of the Federal frontier systems. It was during this tour that Starship One was destroyed by sabotage, leading to Hudson's rise to the presidency.
- The Yuri Grom power was placed by the winning of a series of contests by a supporting player group, against the opposition of other large groups.
- The entire existence of Colonia is essentially due to a series of player actions - firstly the Fuel Rats suggesting a CG to refuel Jaques station for a jump to Beagle Point, then a small number of players smuggling Thargoid artifacts on board as the jump was being prepared causing the station to end up where it did, then a large number of players contributing in various ways to building out there after the station was found. This player-driven story has continued this year with a major war over a key strategic station - which you won't have heard about in Galnet but has nevertheless had more significant regional effects than many things which do show up there.
- Parts of the outcome of the "Premonition" storyline were determined by player actions.
- Aegis headquarters were moved to Sol after players believing them to be working against humanity's interests successfully attacked their previous bases.
- The takeover of Lave by a non-Alliance faction led to the controversial (but necessary) selection of a non-Lave admiral for the Council of Admirals, who then abused his position to interfere violently in Alliance politics.
- The attempt by the Gnosis research ship to reach the heart of Thargoid space was suggested by players
- The Distant Worlds 2 expedition established the furthest permanent station from Sol
- The player-driven Alliance takeover of the Witch Head Nebula settlements in January-April last year has been a significant contributory factor to the collapse of Aegis as a multilateral venture, the current inter-superpower tensions, and the unfolding situation with the Thargoid attacks
On a more constrained level, the outcomes of CGs and other story events depend on mass player participation. The overall outcome won't necessarily change very much, but the details can be influenced by players. For example:
- The Thargoids are attacking several systems right now. Depending on player actions, some or all of those systems might see the Thargoids driven off, while others might not, and will take another week or perhaps longer. Once the Thargoids are driven off, the stations will need repairing to bring them back to full functionality, which requires a moderately large amount of cargo per station. So how long that takes - and indeed, whether it gets done at all - is again up to players collectively. Meanwhile, the Thargoids may be striking at further targets, and the overall battle may be in favour of or against humanity.
- On the Marlinist side, they will be getting eight systems set up for them next week. The number of systems is because of the degree of success of a previous community goal - it could have been higher or lower. What happens in those systems may then depend on further player action: you can certainly bring them supplies and support their political goals on a local level there ... equally, Imperial loyalists might try to destabilise their governments. How much effect this will have on the wider story remains to be seen.
- There was previously a CG to take humanitarian supplies to the Marlinist refugees. This was only a partial success, and as a result there were short-term famines, outbreaks and civil unrest in some Federal systems, which may have contributed to the rise of anti-refugee sentiment in the Federation.
- A significant balance of power change in the Alliance, and maybe a new Prime Minister with a different (and more isolationist / less expansionist?) agenda
- The potential for a change in the Federal presidency, and possibly also which party controls it
- Political upheaval within the Empire, which currently has no clear successor to the current Emperor should she die.
- The Thargoids ignoring all that political stuff and just setting everyone on fire.
- Sirius Corporation finding a way to profit from all of this.
- ... and possibly some more which haven't been introduced yet
