Powerplay New Player Noob PP Questions

[Malaus K'han]

Greetings. I am a newer player (<100 hours) and find this game much more enjoyable than my previous game Eve, and had some questions about PP that the many tuts and vids I watched didn't answer. I raised standing with the Federation and joined ZH, I have an Eagle m3 with half the modules upgraded, and I have joined res zones and travelled around to different systems, and I understand the game, mostly. So on with my questions.

I see for ZH that prepping a system involves deliveries, I don't get it. This is just picking things up and taking them to other systems over and over? This seems like busy work (I am a teacher lol), is this really what people do all day?

Expansion seems to be the thing I am looking for, but I see only one system is being expanded, and it is 170ly from me. The cycle is on week, so am I going to need to travel 100ly+ each week to a single system? I would have thought there would be many to expand in.

Although I do not care about merits, could I also go to systems on the ZH border to go after other power's ships?

I guess I am asking, is there a group of systems that there is an ongoing conflict in, somewhere I can plant myself and go short distances to find battle on a constant basis? There must me something I am missing, it can't be all FedEX missions and then one system to go after hostiles.

Thanks for your answers.

 

[aspiringexpatriate]

Greetings. I am a newer player (<100 hours) and find this game much more enjoyable than my previous game Eve, and had some questions about PP that the many tuts and vids I watched didn't answer. I raised standing with the Federation and joined ZH, I have an Eagle m3 with half the modules upgraded, and I have joined res zones and travelled around to different systems, and I understand the game, mostly. So on with my questions.

Welcome to the game! As much disappointment with current PP mechanics as you'll find on this forum, the fellows still using it are still involved with PP and with the game in general. So keep that in mind as I answer your questions with the bitterness of a two year PP veteran. We still enjoy the game, but Power Play isn't really about the rest of the game, unless you've formed strong bonds with your community or want a specific module.

I see for ZH that prepping a system involves deliveries, I don't get it. This is just picking things up and taking them to other systems over and over? This seems like busy work (I am a teacher lol), is this really what people do all day?

Yes. If you want, we can host a rant, ignoring the dullness of this mechanic, and focus entirely on how imbalanced it is, because it allows saboteurs to pour billions of credits on ruining a Power's economy, unless that Power also competes credit for credit with them on top of other tasks that help the Power. This is one of two big reasons why most Powers don't expand anymore.

Expansion seems to be the thing I am looking for, but I see only one system is being expanded, and it is 170ly from me. The cycle is on week, so am I going to need to travel 100ly+ each week to a single system? I would have thought there would be many to expand in.

Yes. Populous (profitable) spheres are rare, and that's the second reason most Powers aren't expanding anymore. Only a few powers still try expanding, and those systems become rubbish tips full of murderhobos and PvP operations, so a lone wolf pilot will need to find friends with the community to survive.

Although I do not care about merits, could I also go to systems on the ZH border to go after other power's ships?

You'll probably want to do that in Hostile Control Systems on the border, not in ZH Control Systems.

I guess I am asking, is there a group of systems that there is an ongoing conflict in, somewhere I can plant myself and go short distances to find battle on a constant basis? There must me something I am missing, it can't be all FedEX missions and then one system to go after hostiles.

That's not really what Power Play models. You can make your home system a ZH Control System near a Hostile Control System with an Anarchy government, and then you'll probably see more CMDRs undermining in Open, but I wouldn't really call that an ongoing conflict. Outside of Expansions, Power Play doesn't really involve mass hostilities.

 

[Malaus K'han]

Interesting answers

I will most likely try to do expansions and deal with murderhobos as well as harassing a enemy control system near ZH systems.

I would love to hear other opinions as well!

 

[Rubbernuke]

I'm on holiday from 2 years of Powerplay, but what aspiringexpatriate said is true.

Only a few powers intentionally expand now, mainly because the core tennet of Powerplay (i.e. if there is no space attack someone to make it) has not happened, or happens so sporadically everything turns into trench warfare. The Feds and combative Imp factions have been fighting over some of the last few unclaimed profitable systems while other powers expand uncontrollably.

In the beginning Powerplay was supposed to have a way for powers to be killed if they did not expand, but this has not been included so we have the moribund situation we currently see.

 

[aspiringexpatriate]

In the beginning Powerplay was supposed to have a way for powers to be killed if they did not expand, but this has not been included so we have the moribund situation we currently see.

We all have our own theories about why conflict and expansion aren't happening, and my personal belief is that Powers were allowed to dominate too much space. Sure, you could argue that it's up to CMDRs serving other Powers to prevent one Power from growing too large, but we've seen recently that some Powers can endure a full scale attack and emerge victorious. Some blame the concept of fortification on that, but, well, that's pretty much the only way to defend and protect your own systems.

And now I'll stop because soon this will become a thirty page rant, and I've a Dispatch to write.