Please make BGS actions useful again for Powerplay

[Starman 1966]

Dear FDev

Now that you have delighted the Powerplay community with the automated decay of merits and because of many CMDRs missing the good old times of BGS work for Powerplay systems it's absolutely about time to work on this unpleasant situation.

Currently the selling of exploration data gives absolutely abysmal merits and the selling of commodities is massively hampered by the fact that you need to sell 1 ton per time to maximize the possible merits. The only mission type giving some scarce merits are donation or other support missions.

Therefore I suggest as follows:

1. Increase merits for selling of exploration data.
2. Equalize merits for selling commodities all at once instead of 1 ton per time.
3. Give and increase merits for completing all sorts of mission types.
4. Give a bonus for the Federal powers when supporting Federal aligned MFs, give a bonus for the Imperial powers when supporting Imperial aligned MFs and give a bonus for the independent powers when supporting independent MFs.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Screemonster]

Honestly, the main issue is that things are weighted towards reinforcing the system by just flying through it cycling the scanner or popping the occasional enemy power ship as and when you see them, or grabbing bounty vouchers from any pirates you pop, while undermining has to be something you specifically have to go out of your way, deliberately to do as most of the activities are criminal or unprofitable.

The only exception is archon delaine who is the only power who can be undermined by bounty hunting, an activity that people actually perform for its own sake.

Personally I'd say merits should be granted for any action that grants reputation - you're a representative of your power, after all, trying to woo the population, so if some other power's boys come in and do a lovebombing campaign while their existing power ignores them, a system will be more inclined to defect. I'm not talking a lot of merits, mind, actual dedicated powerplay levers should be stronger, but enough that a decent amount of power-aligned traffic would tip the scales. Taking over a player group's home system that isn't aligned to your power would require constant maintenance even if they aren't deliberately going out of their way to undermine, while an active friendly player group would maintain your territory in the area for you.

The real elephant in the room as far as I'm concerned is fdev once again completely forgetting that piracy is a game mechanic that technically exists. Black market sales of stolen goods (not goods that have been purchased from a station by another player to avoid cheesing) should reinforce the system they're sold in, and if that system is a fort or stronghold in range, also acquire/undermine the system they were stolen from.