DIIIIIVE!
Powerplay 2.0 first impressions and feedback from the test server
- Thread starter rootsrat
- Start date
It also activates a macro playing Queen at 200% volume.
I started to type about the music but left it alone.
Ozric
Volunteer Moderator
Having just watched Alec's video of him doing this I was quite disappointed. I love the idea of it, subvertly hacking into holoads and the like. But the ease with which it's done is very wrong.
He launches from a station, sits casually outside hacking 4 different terminals for 2 and a half minutes. Despite the fact he's picking up fines all the time, not once do the station or system security come to check out what they're giving the fines for. There are 6 security ships in range, and he's not cold running.
And then he casually just requests docking clearance from the station that's just given him 4 fines, and lands without a fuss.
I was hoping that Crime and Punishment would have been sorted out a bit at least. But it seems the care you have to take and the worry of opposing powers only extends to NPCs chasing you, and you can still get away with doing whatever you want for virtually no consequences.[/list]
FWIW, I saw someone else getting shot at by system security for hacking. The interesting bit is that there is another type of mission to reset the holo screens. Does that mean that the action is global across instances and someone will have to reset the screens for it to go away. If so, a nice way to get some merits and to troll the opposition?
Yes and no... I agree, for experienced players but the activity provides very few merits (may be we're still thinking in current PP 1.0 metrics, but the amounts we're going to need to rank up are somehow much higher) and on the other side it should be that FDEVs considered to introduce in the framework something that also newbies, without engineered ships, might be able to do.
One of the problems of the current C&P is that it doesn't scale really up with players' rank (ship, credits, etc).
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
I did notice @Brother Sabathius (I think?) was routinely turning on silent running while doing this. I tried to ask why but I think the question got missed.
He was still picking up the fines so I don't know if the use of silent running was simply habitual/roleplay or whether sometimes you can get scanned and attacked (and I just got lucky) and so use of SR is good standard practice for this activity? If you see this Sab and have the answer, would love to know!
Ozric
Volunteer Moderator
You are literally just sitting right next to the mailslot of the station, doing something the station is fully aware that you're doing though. It's not really about the skill of the player or how long they've been playing, and more about it not making any sense (to me at least). There's nothing covert about it, and there's no repercussions at all.
Actually... What's the range on a Recon Limpet controller...
1.2 - 1.7Km... I bet you could do it from inside the station.
It could be force of habit. Since they changed Silent Running it's very easy to keep it on for prolonged periods of time even if you ship isn't engineered for cool running. Or you could just get a Dolphin
Roots did seem to suggest in the OP that he wasn't getting fined if he used Silent Running, so not 100% sure.
He was already hostile with them before starting.
True, though the game isn't really set up to allow any other repercussions in that situation.
It can be a fine-level offence, in which case you just get an increasing fine, and you'll need to pay it off eventually if you don't want to be restricted to anonymous access, but they can't really do anything about you being there.
It can be a bounty-level offence, in which case you get station guns to the face and it goes from being an interesting "beginner" activity to a complete death trap with no in-between.
It could potentially be a fine escalating to a bounty after the nth offence (as some trespass gets handled), but then you just do n-1 and reset the instance with a supercruise hop and that's hardly more engaging.
Having the holo-adverts be around somewhere less well-defended than a dockable station is the alternative, perhaps - but the ones by the station are the ones people will see.
Inside the station is the "strict no fire zone"; I can't remember if a limpet launch counts as a violation of that and attracts a bounty. Sounds like something someone else should test
Ozric
Volunteer Moderator
And that's why I am a bit sad PP 2.0 wasn't used to update the C&P system a bit. It's been in development long enough that I had hoped it would be the start that could bleed through into normal gameplay.
If you have NPCs from rival powers hunting you when you're in their territory then you could easily make a check that says, for example, if player has a fine and is aligned with a rival power then refuse docking request.
If the station/outpost has a Black Market, then there could be a % change the player is allowed to dock so they can sell stuff to help undermine.
Just a couple of thoughts off the top of my head to make it more immersive and make you consider more how much damage you think you can do in time.
My guess: many activities will require some trimming, so expecting multiple patches/fix etc incoming
I really hope so....My guess: many activities will require some trimming, so expecting multiple patches/fix etc incoming
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
Didn't really notice.
What I did notice though is that the "Preferred Activities" are not listed anywhere, apart from on the map - per system. This is important, because Preferred Activities (could be anything, from Sell Mined Goods, to bounty hunting, to commit crimes etc. - and it's related to Ethos) give you bonuses, and the other activities don't.
As an example, Archon has Ethos of Combat for Undermining, and one of his Preferred Activities is Commit Crimes.
Arissa also has Ethos of Combat for Undermining, but one of her Preferred Activities is Bounty Hunting.
You only find out after pledging and viewing the map. So to know what Preferred Activities the Powers have, you need to pledge to each one, go on the map and note all the P.A. for 3 system states - Acquiring, Reinforcing, Undermining. Then unpledge, pledge to a different one, take a note and so on.
Now, Power Perks and the order of special modules are 2 of the pledge choice criteria for sure. 3, if you count role play reasons. The Preferred Activities are really the 4th criteria you choose your Power for. If you're an explorer and a miner, you don't want to find out that your Preferred Activity is bounty hunting or committing crimes after you've pledged already.
They really need to list the P.A.'s on the Power Info screen. Also, you are not able to view other Powers details after pledging.
Assuming one acquires bounties and fines while doing them, then I suppose yes?
The codex currently lists the following as crimes:
Murder (In Ship/On Foot) = Bounty + Notoriety
Assault (In Ship/On Foot) = Bounty
Theft/Piracy (In Ship/On Foot) = Bounty
Carrying Illegal Goods (In Ship/q1On Foot) = Fine
Weapons Violation - No Fire Zone (In Ship) = Fine
Weapons Violation - Docking Area (In Ship) = Bounty
Loitering (In Ship) = Bounty
Illegal Dumping (In Ship) = Fine
Trespassing (In Ship) = Bounty
Reckless Weapons Discharge (In Ship or On Foot) = Fine
Detection of Weapon (On Foot) = Fine
Breaking and Entering (On Foot) = Bounty
Failure to Submit to Scan (On Foot) = Fine
I went silent to hopefully not start getting attacked by security ships while the hack was going on. It wasn't going to avoid the fine, before the test server got patched, the ships were spotting me anyway. After the patch, I could wander up and hack them without SR.
If you are flipping the ads back to normal at a friendly station, everything is cool and you don't get fined.
So the hack is persistent between instances?