Hello Commanders RosaMaus and atak2!
Without belittling your comments in any way (you're completely entitled to your opinions, and to state them), I have to disagree with your conclusions (of course
).
The changes we are currently making to Powerplay are focused on increasing legibility and catching "gotcha" scenarios where our formulas threaten to a throw a wobbly.
Increasing variety and game play for Poweplay is not something we've ignored, but such stuff tends to take longer and, importantly, needs the framework to be solid. So the framework generally has to come first (plus, it's often quicker to see changes!).
Hello Commander Ben Ryder!
We don't have any plans for tracking merit information right now, but it's something for us to chew on, for sure.
Also, there are still additions for smuggling knocking around (heck, there are additions for almost everything), but I can't give guarantees and ETAs just right now (aren't I a rotter?)
Hello Commander Quineloe!
There's every possibility that rewards will be tweaked/changed over time, but there's always a danger when looking at these systems where personal bias allows us to draw conclusions that don't represent a general consensus (believe me, from my viewpoint there's sometimes no consensus at all!) This applies to things like interdiction rates as well.
Basically, feedback is great, but it takes time to consider it, any calls we make still won't please everyone and changes always take time to implement.
So just because we don't answer or respond immediately does not mean we think such ideas are automatically bad (though I can't claim that we see *every* idea on all the forums - there's simply not enough hours in the day.)
Hello Commander SushiCW!
The interactions with minor factions are *still as valid as ever*. Whilst we are investigating additional ways to get interaction between minor factions and powers, you have to remember that the scale difference can be so enormous that I'm not entirely sure what the "proper" integration would be. But yes, the point made is valid (and we've got some ideas...), there's just nothing to report right now.
The Galnet news report is an interim fix. Although regardless of where we point information, it's only useful if folk consider it. If supporting your power is important to you, and the Galnet report offers you very useful information, why would you want to tune it out?
Hello Commander jgm!
Yes, this change does affect the powers in different ways based on their current control systems, with the potential for some to lose out in the short term. We still think it's a better long term solution and worth the pain.
Having the main cause of turmoil be down to other powers is a key point we're aiming for. It's far better than simply getting too big (in my opinion).
Hello Commanders! (because if I try to keep answering every post then it's game over!)
Addressing as best I can right now a couple of issues that crop up a number of times:
Powerplay is too grindy:
Without infinite resources there is always going to be a limit to what the game can offer, inside or outside of Powerplay. That being said, we hear ya, we definitely have plans regarding variety and game play, again, both inside and outside of Powerplay (that's all I can say right now).
This is in addition to changes we're contemplating like adding collapse states for systems that get ultra-undermined, e.g. changes in the Powerplay mechanics to facilitate more nuanced game play.
Powerplay is not rewarding:
I would hope there is some inherent reward in seeing your power do well. In addition, we don't necessarily want Powerplay to simply be a way of generating huge amounts of credits, which is why we'll be keeping a close eye on rating rewards and system effects to see how it pans out. We have no problem making changes if we're confident it will help.
Going forward, broadening the concept of tangible "rewards" from simply credits in the game is something we're exploring.
In conclusion (for now!) the concept of Powerplay is something we think is good for the game. It represents the background simulation on a grand scale, it dynamically changes how the galaxy operates in clean, legible ways for all Commanders, not simply those supporting a power, and it is player driven.
We understand direct participation with Powerplay is not for everyone, and that's OK; the system can operate effectively at wildly different levels of participation. We also think that it could support more, in terms of activity and reward: we're looking at these areas - no guarantees or ETA, but it's on the agenda.
That's where we stand with Powerplay at the moment; I hope this info helps show where we're coming from.
