Power Play, Factions, & Home Systems

[LordBishop]

Hello Cmdrs,
I am lookin toward the future and deciding what I want to engage in across this vast universe. I want to know what Faction people have aligned with and why. Also, I need to understand the difference between Major Faction (or superpower, whatever it is called, please clarify), and Minor Faction. Lastly, where do you call home and how does it relate to your decision of Faction alignment. I know some people choose not to align, and I would like to hear why that decision might be made as well. Once again, I am in search of understanding so that I might make my own decision. Thanks in advance!

 

[Riverside]

The Super Powers are Federation (red), Empire (blue), Alliance (green) and anything not aligned to any is Independent (yellow). Most systems are Independent but they aren't a collective. There may be players that are against all super powers but usually they are not supportive of all indys, they just have a particular faction or government type they favour.

The Powers are the Powerplay heads, 11 of them IIRC & they have a separate layer of manipulation over the regular factions. Powers prefer certain faction types in their territory and if you choose to support one that is in opposition to the local power it's going to be harder to maintain control than one that favours them. The superpower a faction is aligned with plays a part too, although doesn't usually create so much of a problem; for example if you want to support a corporation in Winters space they'd like a Fed aligned one if they have a choice but won't give much of a jot if it's Alliance, Empire or Indy as long as it's a Corp Powerplay has control systems with a bubble of influence around them, at least half the surrounding systems need to be a favoured government type (Corporation, Feudal, Patronage etc) so they get a fortification bonus that reduces the work required to maintain that bubble. I'm not pledged but I try to make sure I'm not making things harder for the local power, imo they have it hard enough as it is

For individual factions they have different government types, some are PMFs (player made factions, ones added at the request of large (10+) player groups), most are NPC Factions, procedurally generated by the game. I support NPC factions with cool names, personally I don't really care what superpower but I generally operate in Fed space so lots of local NPC factions are Fed aligned.

Just pick one & do some work for them, you'll soon find out whether they have others supporting or opposing them

 

[Danieros]

Superpower -> Powers (powerplay) -> Minor Factions (or Player Minor Factions)

Superpowers (Alliance, Empire, Federation or Independent) aren't directly expressed in the game. A power or a minor faction may be aligned to a superpower, or independent and that's basically what defines their reach. By working with minor factions of a superpower you gain reputation (if this gets too low then all minor factions of that superpower will hate you) and military ranks (federation/empire) for it, which will unlock ships and system permits for their important systems like Sol/Achenar (capital systems of the federation/empire).

Systems are controlled by the minor factions in daily intervals (the BGS "tick") and to a lesser level the stations/outposts themselves are assets that are also controlled by a minor faction. The minor faction that controls the system is what will appear as the superpower and government when you jump to a system. Basically every action you do in the game will be benefiting/hurting a minor faction, either because they control the system, because they control the station you're doing business with or any of them depending on who you choose on the mission boards.

In parallel to that, powers (there are 11 of them) will prepare and expand in systems and they will generate a 15 ly sphere that will be part of their dominion. There are the good, the neutral and the bad government types for each power.

Players in this game may:

1. Not care at all about the minor factions/powers or communities and just do whatever they want.
2. Join broad communities that aren't about a PMF/Power and engage with them. There's stuff like dedicated station repairs from thargoid attacks, racing of all different kinds (SRV, SLF, ships), purely exploration groups/projects, influencers and so many others.
3. Join the group around a minor faction/power. Those may end up requiring you to join a squadron or pledge to a power, which are something your character can only be in one.

My main drive in this game is powerplay. Pledged to Aisling Duval, a power for the Empire and spending most of my in-game time around it. Every power has a main central community around it (it's really important to be on the same page for it as you may end up unknowingly harming your power) and from there you'll meet a lot of people, learn about the game or even find a group to join within it. Even if you may be too new to spend most of your time in actual powerplay (it isn't a very profitable activity by itself).

 

[CMDR Saigon]

Superpower -> Powers (powerplay) -> Minor Factions (or Player Minor Factions)

Superpowers (Alliance, Empire, Federation or Independent) aren't directly expressed in the game. A power or a minor faction may be aligned to a superpower, or independent and that's basically what defines their reach. By working with minor factions of a superpower you gain reputation (if this gets too low then all minor factions of that superpower will hate you) and military ranks (federation/empire) for it, which will unlock ships and system permits for their important systems like Sol/Achenar (capital systems of the federation/empire).

Systems are controlled by the minor factions in daily intervals (the BGS "tick") and to a lesser level the stations/outposts themselves are assets that are also controlled by a minor faction. The minor faction that controls the system is what will appear as the superpower and government when you jump to a system. Basically every action you do in the game will be benefiting/hurting a minor faction, either because they control the system, because they control the station you're doing business with or any of them depending on who you choose on the mission boards.

In parallel to that, powers (there are 11 of them) will prepare and expand in systems and they will generate a 15 ly sphere that will be part of their dominion. There are the good, the neutral and the bad government types for each power.

Players in this game may:

1. Not care at all about the minor factions/powers or communities and just do whatever they want.
2. Join broad communities that aren't about a PMF/Power and engage with them. There's stuff like dedicated station repairs from thargoid attacks, racing of all different kinds (SRV, SLF, ships), purely exploration groups/projects, influencers and so many others.
3. Join the group around a minor faction/power. Those may end up requiring you to join a squadron or pledge to a power, which are something your character can only be in one.

My main drive in this game is powerplay. Pledged to Aisling Duval, a power for the Empire and spending most of my in-game time around it. Every power has a main central community around it (it's really important to be on the same page for it as you may end up unknowingly harming your power) and from there you'll meet a lot of people, learn about the game or even find a group to join within it. Even if you may be too new to spend most of your time in actual powerplay (it isn't a very profitable activity by itself).

 

[CMDR Saigon]

Great information CMDRs! Just a few more intriguing questions. I notice each system usually has about 7 factions. What action & extend of work are needed (i..e big trading, combat, massacre missions?) to demote a particular faction or effectively even over-run a ruling faction?

 

[goemon]

Great information CMDRs! Just a few more intriguing questions. I notice each system usually has about 7 factions. What action & extend of work are needed (i..e big trading, combat, massacre missions?) to demote a particular faction or effectively even over-run a ruling faction?

• i suggest you look at the backgroundsimulation subforum, which is dedictaed to these questions
• genereally there are certain criterias how hard a system is to work (from most important to least):

1. player traffic - you can see the numbers at any station in system in the traffic report under local report. more traffic/random actions make it much harder to work a system. a traffic of 10 can provide a challenge. a traffic of 100 can make it almost impossible to have an effect (if you don't exploit random traffic, but that's advanced).
2. other player actions in system - an indication can give you the crime and bounty hunting report, again at any station in system.
3. population - a large population system moves more slowly than a small one
4. powerplay effects on volatility of minor factions movement.

a system without any player traffic beside you can be manipulated rather easily - i started doing that in an adder ;-)

how much work? there are all kind of softcaps in place per daily tick, so in a no-traffic system it is less grindy than people assume.
you got (probably) 4 "buckets" to move a factions influence : missions, trade, combat, exploration.
rough softcaps in a no-traffic system for each of them:

• missions: 10 influence +, that's 2-5 missions
• trade: depends on population size, roughly 3-5 runs in a medium trade ship
• combat - i'm not the most knowledgeable one on that, still - redeem those bountie vouchers!
• exploration data: max somewhere 10-15 mio.

there is non need to use them all, but it's more effective if available (trade and exploration data need a station, states can boost, reduce or nullify certain bucket gains)

I'm usually spend 20-45 minutes on a system i'm working each day (but after these years i have optimized my general processes - still: every system provides a new challenge!)

alternatively you can think about joining a player group with a player backed minor faction and do all of that together with others.