Ok so in playing Elite for 3 months there is one aspect I have payed almost no attention to..Powerplay. the time input is ridiculous, payouts are rubbish, most of the weapons are somewhat useless and restricted bar a few and Military zones hardly ever appear. I would like to put forward a list of ideas to expand on this without ruining gameplay.
-Defence Merit system- Ok, so with the option to undermine enemy systems present. it concerns me as to why you are not allowed to be defensive. hostile forces are freely allowed to pluck off and kill as many controlling vessels as they please for merits but if you kill them in the process all you get is a 200cr bounty reward. Could we perhaps add a merit reward system for killing hostile vessels in friendly controlled systems?
-cargo cost reduction- Another thing I don't get is the excessive cost for powerplay cargo renewal, it literally costs 10,000cr each piece to renew every 30 min. yet they pay you only 1,000 per piece upon delivery. Might they be reminded that you are doing this FOR THEM! you deliver goods sometimes many light years away and they still pay you peanuts for your contribution. a bit unfair but also kind of negates the usefulness of cargo based assignments. why spend money on cargo when you can make twice as much from undermining systems nearby.. I suggest a significant reduction in cargo renewal cost. 1,000 per piece would allow for fast loading of non-profit runs. helping your power out significantly.
-Common Military zones- ok, so although I haven't payed much attention to powerplay, I have always been on the lookout for military zones...I have yet to find one. most powers appear to never complete the expansion stage effectively to progress to a military strike. if so it would appear there are only 1-2 available. would it be possible to really up the frequency of Military strike zones? perhaps random strikes could be issued by powers to destabilise certain controlled systems (effectively undermining them).
-Useful weapons- Maybe I am being a bit harsh here. but seriously who uses class 1-2 lasers and multi cannons?? the retributor, cytoscrambler and enforcer are so small that nobody (I think) uses them. there are some fantastic weapons out there though like the Pack Hound and Pacifier. and the Prismatic Shield gen is on my to do list
. but the rest I don't really think are worth the time and effort. unless they are expanded. I would like to propose class variety as well as target features to match their standard counterparts to increase customisation and usefulness. for example, retributor is available for classes 1-4 with fixed, gimballed and turret variants where nessicary. although doing almost no direct damage, the heat generation would be extremely effective. similarly weapons of higher classes are downsized to fit smaller slots. for example, Pack hounds of class 1-2 as with standard missile racks. Currently the Prismatic Shield is the only Module to have varying size slots. could we perhaps expand on this?
-Better payouts- A major deterrent for me with powerplay was the payouts. yes there are other benefits but seriously? I can make over 80M in a day if I was dedicated, yet you get payed 50M for a weeks worth of time and effort. could it at least be doubled to recognize your contribution?
-Naval influence- for factions that have ties to superpower navies such as the Federal/ Imperial Navies, can't some of the actions committed in the name of your power contribute to the progression of Navy ranks? even if it is a small sum you are still directly fulfilling your duties to that power, an that shouldn't go unnoticed. on another note I also found it weird how you can go to conflict zones, be the toughest, meanest pilot of the lot whilst flying along side your Navy and you don't even get a single notice?
Just a few ideas for now. what do you think?
-Defence Merit system- Ok, so with the option to undermine enemy systems present. it concerns me as to why you are not allowed to be defensive. hostile forces are freely allowed to pluck off and kill as many controlling vessels as they please for merits but if you kill them in the process all you get is a 200cr bounty reward. Could we perhaps add a merit reward system for killing hostile vessels in friendly controlled systems?
-cargo cost reduction- Another thing I don't get is the excessive cost for powerplay cargo renewal, it literally costs 10,000cr each piece to renew every 30 min. yet they pay you only 1,000 per piece upon delivery. Might they be reminded that you are doing this FOR THEM! you deliver goods sometimes many light years away and they still pay you peanuts for your contribution. a bit unfair but also kind of negates the usefulness of cargo based assignments. why spend money on cargo when you can make twice as much from undermining systems nearby.. I suggest a significant reduction in cargo renewal cost. 1,000 per piece would allow for fast loading of non-profit runs. helping your power out significantly.
-Common Military zones- ok, so although I haven't payed much attention to powerplay, I have always been on the lookout for military zones...I have yet to find one. most powers appear to never complete the expansion stage effectively to progress to a military strike. if so it would appear there are only 1-2 available. would it be possible to really up the frequency of Military strike zones? perhaps random strikes could be issued by powers to destabilise certain controlled systems (effectively undermining them).
-Useful weapons- Maybe I am being a bit harsh here. but seriously who uses class 1-2 lasers and multi cannons?? the retributor, cytoscrambler and enforcer are so small that nobody (I think) uses them. there are some fantastic weapons out there though like the Pack Hound and Pacifier. and the Prismatic Shield gen is on my to do list
. but the rest I don't really think are worth the time and effort. unless they are expanded. I would like to propose class variety as well as target features to match their standard counterparts to increase customisation and usefulness. for example, retributor is available for classes 1-4 with fixed, gimballed and turret variants where nessicary. although doing almost no direct damage, the heat generation would be extremely effective. similarly weapons of higher classes are downsized to fit smaller slots. for example, Pack hounds of class 1-2 as with standard missile racks. Currently the Prismatic Shield is the only Module to have varying size slots. could we perhaps expand on this?-Better payouts- A major deterrent for me with powerplay was the payouts. yes there are other benefits but seriously? I can make over 80M in a day if I was dedicated, yet you get payed 50M for a weeks worth of time and effort. could it at least be doubled to recognize your contribution?
-Naval influence- for factions that have ties to superpower navies such as the Federal/ Imperial Navies, can't some of the actions committed in the name of your power contribute to the progression of Navy ranks? even if it is a small sum you are still directly fulfilling your duties to that power, an that shouldn't go unnoticed. on another note I also found it weird how you can go to conflict zones, be the toughest, meanest pilot of the lot whilst flying along side your Navy and you don't even get a single notice?
Just a few ideas for now. what do you think?
