Powerplay: Good concept, poor user experience. Short and sweet.

[adrinker]

I really want to like Powerplay. The factions are great, the expansion and control concept is good but unfortunately the implementation and requirements on the CMDR don't give me a reason to play. In fact, they do a good job of deterring me from playing more in a given session of play. I'm not talking about merit bonuses, granular details or graphics bugs but gameplay design issues that really kill what was a free-form experience and for the most part just make no sense.

My beefs

1. As a player, I have no motivation to defend a system that my faction is controlling. If I do chase after and destroy an enemy NPC, I actually end up in negative credits because there's no loot, no bounty, and despite defending my turf I get no merit vouchers.
2. As a player, I'm required to either ferry goods and slaves from one type of system to another. This is possibly the most boring thing I could do.
3. As a player, If I want to earn merits through combat, I need to go to an expansion system and fight enemies in resistance pockets. Despite the fact that I have a power contact in that system, I need to go back to the controlling system to cash these in. Now, because I lost them on ship loss I'd be a fool to just rack them up and then go back unless I want to risk losing it all. Now I'm taking frequent trips back and forth - usually in a combat ship which results in multiple jumps.

So what does these points equate to?

1. Huge lack of motivation to participate in powerplay, because defending my turf always results in less money (ammo refills/repair/etc).
2. Game mechanics that turn engagement into a timesink of travel when I'd much rather be in combat. While I get this notion of vouchers being proof - this is something akin to native americans scalping people and bringing the scalps back for proof. I'd think we're past this method.

Solutions:

1. Give us a reason to defend controlling systems that isn't transportation of goods. I didn't buy elite for a jump,jump,jump grind.
2. Give us a station save/inventory feature. I think it's pretty reasonable that I could go kill enemies, fly to a station and store my goods.
3. If the expansion system has a station with a power contact, they should be approving the vouchers - not some system light years away.

You risk turning elite from a fun sandbox game into a hold-my-hand single path quest-a-thon if you keep the current mechanics. Give us a reason to immerse ourselves in the fiction and actually defend the territories because right now if a few systems fell, I wouldn't blink an eye. If my faction vanished, I wouldn't care when I really should

 

[Dbrn47]

The problem seems to be that you are choosing to do one of the very few things that offer no reward. Unless not getting merits is a bug, I don't think you are meant to track down enemy ships in friendly territory, they actually aren't a threat as they are not players trying to undermine the system. It could be an oversight though because supposedly you get 15 merits for doing that same thing but in enemy territory.

I agree that if a station has a power contact, they should accept vouchers. I don't see a reasonable argument against that.

Motivation is hard because, while you don't feel motivated to participate, I do. Though I'm looking ahead and I could really make use of the bonuses given to me by the faction I'm pledged to. The way Aisling-Duval works is very appealing to my bounty hunting efforts. I do wish there was a Mercenary faction though, that would be the bees knees.

 

[Cargobane]

Here Here!! Well said.

 

[adrinker]

The problem seems to be that you are choosing to do one of the very few things that offer no reward. Unless not getting merits is a bug, I don't think you are meant to track down enemy ships in friendly territory, they actually aren't a threat as they are not players trying to undermine the system. It could be an oversight though because supposedly you get 15 merits for doing that same thing but in enemy territory.

I agree that if a station has a power contact, they should accept vouchers. I don't see a reasonable argument against that.

Motivation is hard because, while you don't feel motivated to participate, I do. Though I'm looking ahead and I could really make use of the bonuses given to me by the faction I'm pledged to. The way Aisling-Duval works is very appealing to my bounty hunting efforts.

Lack of reason to actually defend your territory is a terrible idea that really makes no sense. How can we expect to only play offense in this?
When you travel to an enemy territory, you're only supporting yourself and not the expansion. When the progress is typically something like 15,000/1000 required you're actually just grinding merits and not contributing in a meaningful way.

For your motivation, are you participating in combat or loading up a transport ship and just jumping around ferrying goods for merits?

 

[CMDR Starschulz]

Undermining winters getting 15 points and 6000 bounty each time... doesn't matter to me, i don't plan on paying it anyway! added bonus if it is a player following the federation i down


- maybe you are working for the wrong power then? they all have different ways to go about the same activities.

 

[Derthek]

[redacted]

 

[adrinker]

Undermining winters getting 15 points and 6000 bounty each time... doesn't matter to me, i don't plan on paying it anyway! added bonus if it is a player following the federation i down


- maybe you are working for the wrong power then? they all have different ways to go about the same activities.

Archon is pretty unique among the powers, you'd think his tactics would be more ruthless and violent than shuttling slaves and goods.

 

[Dbrn47]

Lack of reason to actually defend your territory is a terrible idea that really makes no sense. How can we expect to only play offense in this?
When you travel to an enemy territory, you're only supporting yourself and not the expansion. When the progress is typically something like 15,000/1000 required you're actually just grinding merits and not contributing in a meaningful way.

For your motivation, are you participating in combat or loading up a transport ship and just jumping around ferrying goods for merits?

You aren't wrong on the defense part and I said that perhaps it's an oversight. I am not sure I've seen enough Enemy ships floating around in friendly territory for it to be a viable means of getting merits though.

My motivation is combat, a transport ship is the easy way but it's really not fun and doesn't fall in line with the bounty bonuses I'm seeking. I actually like Aisling-Duvals attitude too, she seems the most sane out of all the Empire leaders. I was all for the Alliance but there's no reward for me in Mahons fight unfortunately. Ultimately, I'm a Mercenary, I like the Independant spirit of the Alliance, but if they have nothing for me, so be it. If I want merits I can find someone to undermine that involves combat or I can just fly to enemy territory to destroy their ships. What else is there to do when everything is at it's quota already, as you said.

So I'm motivated by the bonuses and a leader that supports my current play style and attitude. The moment the whole merit thing feels grindy, I go do something else, be it missions or bounty hunting.

- - - Updated - - -

Archon is pretty unique among the powers, you'd think his tactics would be more ruthless and violent than shuttling slaves and goods.

Are you not able to undermine ANY faction via combat under him? I thought combat was his main tactic.

I see he does combat for expansion. I of course can't see anything he can do to undermine systems. I can blow his ships up though.

 

[CMDR Starschulz]

Are you not able to undermine ANY faction via combat under him? I thought combat was his main tactic.

I actually signed up under Aisling for the chance that the prismatic shield generator is actually pretty ok. i can still undermine winters by shooting her cargo ships and federal agents down.

 

[Mortiferus]

Frontier, please please, listen to the OP and rework it.

 

[adrinker]

To add to this, I've actually completely given up on powerplay and moved on to other parts of space. Unfortunately, working with Archon hasn't made me feel more piratey than I am on my own interdicting NPC transports and smuggling slaves.