Powerplay Faction: Denton Patreus Lets Keep Consolidation at 50% or Less Folks! (Meene System is at Stake!)

[GG7]

First of all... I know this whole "Consolidation" thing is a new feature that magically appeared in the 2.2.03 update and more than likely many probably don't know how it works. It only started making "some degree" of sense to me when I observed the effect the voting ratio can have on some of our larger competing powers! We need to be careful that we don't end up screwing ourselves by using it incorrectly as I suspect they are currently doing!

How do I know for sure that the other powers are using Consolidation wrong?

Obviously I don't. Well... I can't be absolutely sure they are using it wrong, but if you look at their current activities there doesn't appear to be any kind of coordinated effort in line with a Consolidation strategy this cycle.

Example:

If you check out the Preparation section for most of the powers above us right now, they have basically killed off ALL of their Preparation for this cycle by voting Consolidation up to the #1 position. Literally every single system they had been preparing this cycle will now be killed off at the end of the cycle, with all that time and $$ expended by their commanders lost! That appears to be how this new Consolidation thing works.

Could this still be a deliberate move on the part of these powers?

I guess it could... But frankly, I don't see how this situation could be construed to be intentional because if this was some kind of coordinated effort on their part, then why spend any time prepping anything this cycle? (Check out Mahon's Prep section, line #2 for example. They had gotten the SOHOLIA system up to 3661/50 prep points , but they have also voted Consolidation to 75% and basically killed the SOHOLIA preparation effort at the same time. They still have time to vote it back under 75% and at least gain that one system next cycle, but they have a long way to go to get any of their other prepped systems back above the Consolidation block!

Meanwhile, we are in a cat bird's seat to take the Meene system in the next cycle if we don't blow it by voting Consolidation to 75% which will push the block to the #1 slot and thereby kill the Meene preparation. This regardless of the fact that we have close to 2500 prep points invested in that system at the time of this post.

The Consolidation section has unfortunately been poorly explained on the PowerPlay section of the game, but if you look at the legend, it does tell you what percentages equate to.

This is the legend I am referring to:

75% = Position #1 on the Preparation listing (Kills ALL preparation for the systems listed below the Consolidation Block regardless of the amount of Prep Points contributed by our commanders)

50% = Position #2 on the Preparation listing (Kills ALL but the single highest prepped system and is where we are right now with Meene in the #1 position - Lets hope that late comers to the voting don't vote for Consolidation not knowing what it will do if it reaches 75%)

25% = Position #5 on the Preparation listing

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I know I am probably wasting my time posting this message here since so few read the PP section, but on the outside chance someone who has yet to cast their single vote for this cycle reads this, hopefully it will give them some info as to what that vote can mean for our situation next cycle.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers gang!

 

[Martin Schou]

Check out Mahon's Prep section, line #2 for example. They had gotten the SOHOLIA system up to 3661/50 prep points , but they have also voted Consolidation to 75% and basically killed the SOHOLIA preparation effort at the same time.

Mahon has 119 control systems and pretty much no where to expand without seriously harming our ecosystem. Soholia, in particular, is horrible, and would cut our already tiny surplus in less than half. We have no need to continue growing - we have almost 50 control systems more than the 2nd ranked power in the game.

Now, you may think that we're being stupid and squandering our merits, but the merits provided by the organized Mahon community aren't being wasted - just the ones by the unorganized randoms.

 

[GG7]

I was just using Mahon as an example of uneducated voting for this new feature.

For us... (DP) It wouldn't have hurt to gain the Meene System last cycle. Its a high visibility system because of Ram Tah's activities, and that could help us gain more members. We easily had it without any other power able to vie for it. Over 4000 points towards prep at the end last night, yet the Consolidation vote went beyond 75% 30 minutes before the cycle ended and killed it at the last minute.

All that work wasted for what? We didn't need that tiny amount of extra bonus $$ saved from killing that effort. I chalk this up to poor wording by FD on what Consolidation does, and clueless commanders voting for something they don't understand.

I just put it up again, but if the vote kills ALL prep again this cycle then this wasn't just down to ignorance, and I'm out. Will find a more educated PP community to spend my time with.

The nagging question would then be... Are there any?

 

[Martin Schou]

I was just using Mahon as an example of uneducated voting for this new feature.

Which was a mistake, because our voting wasn't and isn't uneducated in the slighted.

 

[GG7]

Which was a mistake, because our voting wasn't and isn't uneducated in the slighted.

Tell that to all your friends who hauled all those weapons to multiple systems for prep that were shut down by the Consolidation vote and never made it to the Expansion phase this week. Last time I checked, they are doing exactly the same thing again this week.

You might want to spend more time talking to your own people and less time crashing the DP sub.

 

[Martin Schou]

Tell that to all your friends who hauled all those weapons to multiple systems for prep that were shut down by the Consolidation vote and never made it to the Expansion phase this week. Last time I checked, they are doing exactly the same thing again this week.

First of all, we don't haul weapons. Secondly, the voting isn't the uneducated bit - the hauling is. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt - explain to me the advantage of Mahon expanding into Soholia (which is the system that we keep blocking out). You claim that us blocking it via consolidation is uneducated, so I'll let you play teacher for a bit.

You might want to spend more time talking to your own people and less time crashing the DP sub.

I go everywhere I want to, and I do what I can to combat stupid ideas in PowerPlay, which is why I'm in this thread.

 

[Misaniovent]

Good morning! I'm a planner for the active Patreus community. You can find us on reddit at or discord.

Our community moves the bulk of the merits produced on Senator Patreus' behalf and we have a long-term strategic plan that we work diligently toward on cycle by cycle. You're clearly passionate about powerplay, so I hope you'll join us to talk more about consolidation, preparation, Meene, and our strategy.

You are correct that consolidation is blocking preparations for most powers, but this is not due to a lack of coordination. Instead, it is the result of careful coordination and planning based designed to ensure that expansions either support the power's economy or have some other clear strategic value.

Many powers are now in a defensive position. Profitable systems are no longer available to most powers and so consolidation is a preferred option. There are few powers, at this time, willing to take loss-making systems if they can avoid it. Before consolidation, powers had no other option but to spend all of their CC every week, typically on bad preparations that would either be blocked by another power or intentionally failed.

Consolidation also bolsters a power's defenses; this also drives voting decisions. A power's undermining triggers increase by 10% of consolidated CC. Because we consolidated 190 CC last week, Patreus' defense bonus this week is 19.011%.

Meene specifically would be a very damaging system for Senator Patreus. Yes, it is a highly visible system that is currently important to the story, but it has very little value for the Senator's business interests.

It produces 35 CC, but would have overhead costs of 62 CC and upkeep costs of 38 CC. This means it would cost Patreus 65 CC every week. To cover the difference, we would have to fortify two or three additional systems weekly, potentially costing Patreus pledges 100m credits per week.

Promoting the power is very important, and the Patreus community works hard on this. We recently announced a new alliance with the EG Union and we are sharing our cycle recaps on the Elite Dangerous subreddit.