I sent this email to Zac earlier today regarding this rather devastating bug. I'm a Mahon pledge, so it's not a matter of me having an Empire bias.
Powerplay Open letter to Frontier
- Thread starter Martin Schou
- Start date
Thanks for your efforts Martin. For those new to this issue the original bug report was made 5 months ago but, despite a number of PowerPlay gurus pleading for action, didn't get a response from FD.
As you point out, the Bragur system is just the most recent manifestation of this bug and other powers have suffered from it already. But perhaps if FD can be persuaded to make a temporary fix that will give us some leverage to get them to make a proper one soon afterwards.
As you point out, the Bragur system is just the most recent manifestation of this bug and other powers have suffered from it already. But perhaps if FD can be persuaded to make a temporary fix that will give us some leverage to get them to make a proper one soon afterwards.
This is getting annoying now. Triggers are still kaput, and many bonuses are not working either. I hope / wish / pray the PP polish in 2.1 sorts these out as weeks, if not months of work is being wasted.
Considering the huge amount of dedicated players and player groups committing such large amounts of time and energy to Powerplay it would be somewhat reassuring.
signed.
Also, Amuzgo triggers haven't updated. System is an anarchy but is benefiting from Corporate triggers.
(I know this is a separate issue - Only bringing it up because it's another game-breaking bug which has existed for a long time and never been addressed)
A lot of us are just going to quit PP.. If FDev can't be bothered to fix the game, then we are going to stop dumping hours and hours into a broken system.
Also, Amuzgo triggers haven't updated. System is an anarchy but is benefiting from Corporate triggers.
(I know this is a separate issue - Only bringing it up because it's another game-breaking bug which has existed for a long time and never been addressed)
A lot of us are just going to quit PP.. If FDev can't be bothered to fix the game, then we are going to stop dumping hours and hours into a broken system.
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Needs fixed ASAP, but I doubt Frontier will even respond beyond the usual "I will pass this along to the dev team"
Martin...is this somehow related to revolt? The bug report seems to point that way.
Basically, if a CC goes into revolt...it no longer offers 'protection' to systems. It would make sense at that point that any nearby system could be expanded into. Basically, the bug involved in this is a failure of the game to update the CC in some manner that is clear as to its status.
Basically, if a CC goes into revolt...it no longer offers 'protection' to systems. It would make sense at that point that any nearby system could be expanded into. Basically, the bug involved in this is a failure of the game to update the CC in some manner that is clear as to its status.
In private. Or solo.. At CG's or exploring and taking neat screenshots.
I strongly doubt they follow the PP subreddits and I doubt even more they are pledged.
They certainly don't PVP.
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That's how I feel. Will be leaving in the next couple of weeks myself.
Something tells me that's what they want.
No. For example Mahon and Winters weren't in turmoil last cycle, and both had "exploited" systems that could be prepared. It's related to how systems are treated in the backend. As far as I can tell, once a cycle ticks, new control systems sets an "exploited" field in the nearby populated systems' database entries and lost control systems revokes that "exploited" field.
This means that when a control system is lost, all of its exploited systems are lost, not just the ones that it is the exclusive exploiter of, and it means that when systems are suddenly given population (as happened when Horizons was introduced) they aren't properly exploited. When the nearby control system was made a control systems, the unpopulated systems weren't set to be exploited, and Horizons didn't change this. Horizon populated systems that became exploited later due to new control systems are properly exploited, because that field is set when a control system is introduced.
Currently Mahon is shorted 63 CC because of these Horizons systems. We haven't checked other powers, but there is no doubt that other powers are being similarly shorted of CC that they should be getting from these Horizons systems, and there is no doubt that powers that have shed systems with overlaps are being shorted CC from their "exploited" systems.
What is surprising is that without having access to code or even knowing what the back end database looks like, we're able to make some very specific guesstimates of what causes the problem - yet somehow either QA or the developers are incapable of figuring it out for themselves.
What Frontier and Elite: Dangerous desperately needs is this - a PowerPlay and Background Simulation Czar.
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We have the same issue with HIP 3633 and a few others in Antal space as well.
Regarding not having access to the code, we are in effect Frontier's "black box" QA personnel. With a QA department as seemingly small as Frontier's, they are at best testing in a grey box scenario, with close access to behind-the-scenes data, developers, and perhaps even the code, which can be very risky bug-wise. QA cannot see the forest for the trees, they're too close to it, etc., etc., etc. As a result, and likely further complicated by management's release pressure, bugs do make it past them. It's not the number that alarms me with a project of this scale, but instead it's the severity that worries me to no end.
For the longest time, I would have sworn QA was directed to ignore Powerplay related bug reports, and Xbox to some degree as well. It has gotten a little better recently, so I suggest we keep at it. Regardless, Frontier should consider adding more transparency to the communication mix.
THIS WILL TAKE COURAGE
The easy path is for management to ignore, sweep under the rug, or downplay. I hope Frontier seizes the opportunity while they have it and still have us. We are a resilient bunch, and straightforward honesty is most appreciated, good news or bad.
Regarding not having access to the code, we are in effect Frontier's "black box" QA personnel. With a QA department as seemingly small as Frontier's, they are at best testing in a grey box scenario, with close access to behind-the-scenes data, developers, and perhaps even the code, which can be very risky bug-wise. QA cannot see the forest for the trees, they're too close to it, etc., etc., etc. As a result, and likely further complicated by management's release pressure, bugs do make it past them. It's not the number that alarms me with a project of this scale, but instead it's the severity that worries me to no end.
For the longest time, I would have sworn QA was directed to ignore Powerplay related bug reports, and Xbox to some degree as well. It has gotten a little better recently, so I suggest we keep at it. Regardless, Frontier should consider adding more transparency to the communication mix.
THIS WILL TAKE COURAGE
The easy path is for management to ignore, sweep under the rug, or downplay. I hope Frontier seizes the opportunity while they have it and still have us. We are a resilient bunch, and straightforward honesty is most appreciated, good news or bad.
I wonder if this is related to the government of a control system not affecting its fortification trigger. It's supposed to according to documentation, but several powers have observed that only the composition of the exploited bubble actually affects the fort trigger.
I'm not a BGS guy, but I believe so. Factions will gain/lose control over a system, and the impact of that change is not updated automatically in many cases.
The normal PP bugs such as the lies on the system map, lies in the PP window, etc are bad enough but this one is game breaking for all powers.
No. ALD prepared a system that should not have been preparable last week. We were not in turmoil.
No. ALD prepared a system that should not have been preparable last week. We were not in turmoil.