New features to enrich faction based reputation held and an actual Navy Missions Board.

[Miko]

How about making our favourite factions matter more to the player? Discounts at our favourite stations. Tailored missions boards. NPC mercenaries for hire, system limited, naturally - available once you have a reputation they feel more confident with.

You could even implement the 3 slots for fighter NPC's and allocate them ships from your own collection to form a wing. The trade-off being that they don't suffer permadeath, but any ship destruction is covered by yourself in it's entirety.

Yep, why not actually make our favourite systems and the rep we hold matter by bringing some sense of engagement to them?

And when will we get an actual super-power based Navy missions board? Quite frankly, sourcing micro controllers for a faction just dulls my mood. Bring back the navy missions of the old games. Make Elite Dangerous fun!

Incentives could be paint unlocks and other awards, instead of charging for literally EVERYTHING.

 

[RolloTreadway]

There's no chance that FD are ever going to stop charging for cosmetics. It's a vital part of their business plan. So might as well forget about that right now.

But that aside, more meaning for the navies is definitely something I'd support. There's so much scope for a significant presence in the game, for interaction between two powers that have been more-or-less at each other's throats for a thousand years. I don't think it needs any incentive other than simply new, better, more content. Give these huge institutions relevance, and create an element of risk in allying with them.

Surely, two vast and ancient military presences can be more than just a way to buy a ship.

 

[Schmack]

I would like to see faction aligned ships in adjacent systems recognized you are allied with the controlling faction, and offer assistance if you are in a fight against an enemy faction. I almost always will defend faction aligned ships at CNBs even if the attacker isn't a mission target. When I see a faction aligned ship killing another one, it doesn't make sense. I'd like to be able to either get recognized by them or be able to kill the bad ones without losing rep with the faction.

 

[metatheurgist]

I'd like to see an actual Navy presence in the galaxy. Where are the shipyards? Where are the military bases in strategic systems? Where are the regular operations coming and going? And why do they let upstart factions take over large swathes of Federal/Empire/Alliance space without putting them in their place?

 

[Jmanis]

Honestly, while I can agree that there's some little things that could be done to enrich the experience of being "Allied" to a faction, the space FD needs to be directing their efforts is around antagonistic behaviours and the "Hostile" reputation state.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/time-to-buff-antagonistic-pve.472325/

There's zero incentive to become Hostile to a faction right now, let alone undertake antagonistic activities.

• If you're Hostile to a faction, other factions should seek you out or offer missions to undertake further hostilities targeting that faction with suitable rewards.[1]
• Hostile rep state shouldn't disallow docking; rather, it should be allowed using Anonymity Protocols, just like when you're wanted. Because then;
• There could be missions to deliver bombs/armaments/other materials to destabilize operations on a station.
• Offer other missions/services only if you have a particular level of Notoriety; perhaps it's buying items off a black market, or a restricted outfitting service (equipment is 10 times more expensive) on board stations you aren't welcome.

Basically, being Hostile and in particular carrying Notoriety should result in consequences like denial of services (notwithstanding the Anonymity Protocols comment above), being constantly hounded by the best that faction's navy can throw at you, and significantly increased chance of being detected in vicinity of a station. But this must be paired with access to ways and means to more effectively engage the faction you are hostile with... not limited to the above suggestions.

Once we're there... then we can talk again about increasing benefits for being Allied.

[1] "Hey Commander... it seems the populace of Faction X has reason to fear you. We're looking for a Commander to undertake a covert strike against <politician Y>. Not just anyone can do this... we want someone who's name will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies.