Newcomer / Intro Influence manipulation

Thwarptide · Dec 17, 2021

I’ve been making plenty of bread and butter in a system where there are 5 factions where at any given time 2 are at war.
Out of the 5 there’s 2 I don’t care about when they decide to but heads.
I prefer three remain in the top slots of influence in order. I’ve been fighting these CZs and nothing else.
#1 top dog: Is never in a war. Influence stays consistent at 48.9% (down today to 41.7% YAY me)
#2 kick occasionally gets in a scrap with #3 varies around ….28% (up to 31% today)
#3 usually gets in scraps with 4&5
#4 communist
#5 Anarchy (piracy)
As I said, the top dog/controlling faction is never at war. I aim to make em get off their throne and fight for it.
So I’m taking missions from the top dog and letting em time out to drop their influence. I’m taken back how well its worked so far. I swear nobody’s doing missions in the system. Rather I‘m pretty sure its merely a parking lot for FC’s because the system next door is a gold mine for noob FC owners to replenish thei bank accounts.
My question lies in raising the influence of #2. Most they offer I’m incapable (disinterested?) in getting into. Mostly mining. But when courier missions or freight hauling missions come up, I grab em. The nice ones, influence ++++ are the first I grab.
After dodging anacodas in my hauler, I get to destination to deliver to a different faction and my rep goes up with that faction.
Does the influence apply to them too or does that go to the mission giver/contractor as I want?

GeoJase · Dec 17, 2021

Courier and delivery mission (ie Faction A to Faction B) will give both REP and INF increases to both factions. In Odyssey, there is a brief window that pops up when you turn in a mission saying who got what (doesn't say how much though).

Another quick way to drop the leading factions INF is to fail passenger missions. Grab some passengers that scare easily (cowardly), scrape you ship against the station till they complain and cancel the transport contract. Rinse and repeat. Your REP will drop with that faction, but just go repair your REP with them in another system.

Thwarptide · Dec 17, 2021

GeoJase said:
Courier and delivery mission (ie Faction A to Faction B) will give both REP and INF increases to both factions. In Odyssey, there is a brief window that pops up when you turn in a mission saying who got what (doesn't say how much though).

Another quick way to drop the leading factions INF is to fail passenger missions. Grab some passengers that scare easily (cowardly), scrape you ship against the station till they complain and cancel the transport contract. Rinse and repeat. Your REP will drop with that faction, but just go repair your REP with them in another system.

Thank you for the added advice too. rep+++
fail passenger missions and repair rep in different system was great. I’ll apply it

Ashnak · Dec 17, 2021

Also, the sum of INF for all factions always adds up to 100%. So instead of pulling on one, you can also push the others.

Rebel Yell · Dec 17, 2021

Missions is the most unefficient BGS tool from a time/effort/result perspective, besides it should be (from point of view) the opposite.

For both positive and negative effects (unless conflict states are triggered), a combination of other activities, multiple transactions, like trading (pos/neg), smuggling/black market trading (neg), selling explo-data (pos), redeeming bounties (po), ground terrorism (neg), megaship scenarios (pos/neg) are much more effective.

Mas s_1nhibited · Dec 17, 2021

The second faction is the hardest to push as it more directly damages the leader because of reasons ^^. The lower factions are more fluid it helps to think in terms of how factions are losing influence (people supporting them) rather than gaining it.

That said if im doing random BGS (which never happens cos - you know i have friends with objectives) I always try to be aware of the powerplay preferences (eg if the system is winters or mahon i wont push a system with a corporate) and also I never touch a system with a obviously worked player inserted faction in it (cos that would be meeeen).

Sometimes you need to push one faction and pull the other down to get movement especially in large systems. But there are ways you can only use positive actions - though less effective, it does not risk locking the systems in influence by forcing security lockdown (rare these days) and you dont show on bounty boards. Wierdly the Blackest ops are the kindest ones.

Factions with high influence take significantly more work to raise and maintain.

mix up your activities - an hour or two at a time. UNLESS its war which case - grind

Trade activities do not count in war, Combat activities do not count in election. Some negative and random states seem to provide bonuses when you supply high value goods required by them.

Thwarptide · Dec 17, 2021

cmdrs,
I appreciate all the super tips and advice that WILL go into making my agenda a success. (it had better work or I’ll hunt you down and blow out your relativity condensers)
This FC parking lot is mine to rule!
Can’t start on it right yet; the Mrs clogged the bathroom sink again. She don’t care what causes it nor listen to my advice on how to prevent it! She’s got me, her devoted slave. (next time it will stay clogged for two weeks!)
But this time, I’m wondering if I should try Beam lasers or burst instead of taking things apart?

Mas s_1nhibited · Dec 17, 2021

Best to think of her as your Commanding Officer

Thwarptide · Dec 17, 2021

Inhibited said:
Best to think of her as your Commanding Officer

Negative! Not in my house!
I killed my last CO [wannabe] for looking at me funny.
(It was before I had my first morning cup. It was a strange day)
She also had a habit of clogging up the sink.
I’m beginning to think that I may have to trade in again.

aRJay · Dec 17, 2021

Thwarptide said:
cmdrs,
I appreciate all the super tips and advice that WILL go into making my agenda a success. (it had better work or I’ll hunt you down and blow out your relativity condensers)
This FC parking lot is mine to rule!
Can’t start on it right yet; the Mrs clogged the bathroom sink again. She don’t care what causes it nor listen to my advice on how to prevent it! She’s got me, her devoted slave. (next time it will stay clogged for two weeks!)
But this time, I’m wondering if I should try Beam lasers or burst instead of taking things apart?

Try the corrosive experimental to see if that can dissolve the blockage without having to get the hammers out to take things apart.

Thwarptide · Dec 18, 2021

aRJay said:
Try the corrosive experimental to see if that can dissolve the blockage without having to get the hammers out to take things apart.

No Thargoid brand tools in my box.
I loaned em to The neighbor, but hes somewhere on a medical crusade for the lepers of Raxxla.

Esteban · Dec 18, 2021

Hint:
If the goodies in those mining missions are ones that are commodities which you can purchase (cobalt is but one example), your mission-giver won't know where you got that load of materials (s)he wanted you to "mine." As others here have stated, variety in missions that help move INF is important. ...and no mining if you don't want.