Powerplay proposal: split tasks to suit each mode, elaborates on Sandros last ideas

Quite an interesting concept. But as others already said, unfortunately very unlikely that FD will ever spend that much effort on PP. I mean, this is above and beyond all they have ever invested into it yet.

Sandros proposal amounts to maths tweaks, a few menu changes and no new assets. With my proposal you take that, add one or two more CG like structures and add twenty or more (with some specialised Power specific missions as well) to the mix. Now, unless FD hand code each one from scratch, they have a mission scripting tool which speeds this process.

*All*of the above fits into the small updates we have had, and is miniscule compared to the effort put in for fleet carriers, or Aprils update.
 
We all knew (or should have) the game came with equal modes, platforms, time zones and geographic servers all accessible via one shared BGS.

And, in that glorious wisdom FD designed a feature that has next to no gameplay at a base level and stretched that across three modes expecting it to be popular.

PP tries to accommodate too much and winds up being the inferior cousin to CGs and the BGS. Its a weak PvE feature with the other half (effective opposition from NPCs or players) missing, creating a pure grind race CG x your powers total control systems. FD finally realised that after five years of one dimensional CGs players were exhausted and fed up with them. Imagine having 50 CGs each week every week, never seeing a soul or having anyone or anything challenge you?

Instead, if you intelligently split roles and make more of existing features, it creates something interesting and new. That above simplistic gameplay would be transformed by allowing it to be fought between players directly, finally allowing players to test skills and ships in competition. At the same time Solo and PG gets missions that amplify FDs mission design- bringing in 3.x features and finally allowing a power to demonstrate its true colours through play- either rounding up slaves, helping the starving, mining etc. You can make money, gain rank, help your power, vote, and if you want to take on a delivery mission in open, you can- your choice.

So rather than chain PP to a rock and drown it in the name of the Tenets™, why not embrace what ED currently does well and use that instead?
 
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And, in that glorious wisdom FD designed a feature that has next to no gameplay at a base level and stretched that across three modes expecting it to be popular.

PP tries to accommodate too much and winds up being the inferior cousin to CGs and the BGS. Its a weak PvE feature with the other half (effective opposition from NPCs or players) missing, creating a pure grind race CG x your powers total control systems. FD finally realised that after five years of one dimensional CGs players were exhausted and fed up with them. Imagine having 50 CGs each week every week, never seeing a soul or having anyone or anything challenge you?

Instead, if you intelligently split roles and make more of existing features, it creates something interesting and new. That above simplistic gameplay would be transformed by allowing it to be fought between players directly, finally allowing players to test skills and ships in competition. At the same time Solo and PG gets missions that amplify FDs mission design- bringing in 3.x features and finally allowing a power to demonstrate its true colours through mission design. You can make money, gain rank, help your power, vote, and if you want to take on a delivery mission in open, you can- your choice.

So rather than chain PP to a rock and drown it in the name of the Tenets™, why not embrace what ED currently does well and use that instead?

FDEV designed a feature that got enough players interested to make the game a possibility. Space ship games are a bit niche so broadening their appeal is a very good idea and the difference between real game and wishlist.

Imposing retroactive gameplay limits is the opposite of broadening appeal.
 
FDEV designed a feature that got enough players interested to make the game a possibility. Space ship games are a bit niche so broadening their appeal is a very good idea and the difference between real game and wishlist.

Imposing retroactive gameplay limits is the opposite of broadening appeal.

In your opinion.

Now, FD need to grow the game- how can they do that if some features are held back or denied outright? Without substantive change Powerplay will not grow, it will simply die with no high level play going on. Unless FD have some amazing new gameplay loops they are not showing us, the components we have are it essentially. Unless you have ideas that fit inside the scope of whats on offer, this is as good as it gets. By using 3.X features you 'tell' the stories of Powers through missions, the team / PvP /mass battle half has none of that- its stripped of physical storytelling and then demands the skills and assets of a player. Here its all about tactics and guile that no ED NPC can match.

And yet, both are complimentary.

Dogmatically holding onto your view of mode equality with PP will choke it to death. Simply applying what Sandro said without Open, will do the same because what you are doing is keeping the status quo. The above proposal elevates Powerplay to something the game does not have- a contained massively multiplayer arena for your ships and skills, while wrapping it all together with PP missions and BGS for physical roleplay. In your view thats limiting choice but in reality thats giving the game something that complements the whole game.
 
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In your opinion.

Now, FD need to grow the game- how can they do that if some features are held back or denied outright? Without substantive change Powerplay will not grow, it will simply die with no high level play going on. Unless FD have some amazing new gameplay loops they are not showing us, the components we have are it essentially. Unless you have ideas that fit inside the scope of whats on offer, this is as good as it gets. By using 3.X features you 'tell' the stories of Powers through missions, the team / PvP /mass battle half has none of that- its stripped of physical storytelling and then demands the skills and assets of a player. Here its all about tactics and guile that no ED NPC can match.

And yet, both are complimentary.

Dogmatically holding onto your view of mode equality with PP will choke it to death. Simply applying what Sandro said without Open, will do the same because what you are doing is keeping the status quo. The above proposal elevates Powerplay to something the game does not have- a contained massively multiplayer arena for your ships and skills, while wrapping it all together with PP missions and BGS for physical roleplay. In your view thats limiting choice but in reality thats giving the game something that complements the whole game.

Maybe Sandro mulled over an idea once then dropped it after actually thinking it through. The modes are sacrosanct thing is and always was FDEV's idea, I'm an end user.
 
Maybe Sandro mulled over an idea once then dropped it after actually thinking it through. The modes are sacrosanct thing is and always was FDEV's idea, I'm an end user.

And here is that thought process given more polish- and it is a practical solution.

Only a fool would expect FD to make the whole game Open- it would be a bad move. But 50% of a small feature that is about team play in all its forms done right? I'd say thats mode equality- each mode contributing to the Power equally, at the same time showing off what ED can do by drawing from its best features.

Powerplay as described then would offer advanced missions for focussed PvE in solo or PG (facilitating Power RP lore based and physically), focussed team PvP along with light PvE, its a total Kinder Egg. Consequently you have team play across modes for the Solo and PG, and effective teamplay in PvP at the same time.
 
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Still beating a horse that died 18 months ago?
Let it rest in peace

Those being said, i'd agree with any PP change that does not touch the modes.
All modes are equal. No open only crap

A dead horse can be turned into glue, which then can be used to fix or create things.

PP is broken. Its time to fix it.
 
*All*of the above fits into the small updates we have had, and is miniscule compared to the effort put in for fleet carriers, or Aprils update.

You might be right on this. And yes, don't get me wrong, i think what you suggest here would be absolutely awesome for the game. All i state is that i don't have confidence that FD is willing to to more than minimum maintenance work on PP any more. :(
 
Thats the thing. No-one knew Powerplay was coming, and after nearly 5 years its flaws are easy to spot if you engaged with the feature. I've suggested complete overhauls from every conceivable angle, and this is as close as it gets in comparison to the proposal that FD themselves said they were mostly happy with.

Powerplay came over a platform that assumes that all modes are equal.
If PP doesn't work properly over this platform, then PP must change. Not the platform.
 
pve logistics and intel and pvp frontline. pretty solid approach.

it opens a bag of quirks because powers with ethos not proficient in both modes will have to compensate, but that might be even interesting to develop.

horse pretty much died, though. yes, we cried. a lot ...
 
Powerplay came over a platform that assumes that all modes are equal.
If PP doesn't work properly over this platform, then PP must change. Not the platform.

And, to explain again, modes are not equal in PP. Once the PvE part is done the game provides no opposition in a feature about opposition in any form, which results in a forced grind race since this is the most efficient method. EDs current AI are stretched beyond breaking point, and cannot replicate large player team tactics. Both problems are intractable, and yet entirely avoidable.

So, rather than get FD to rethink the wheel, why not use whats already available in a logical way? Its realistic and practical. It also repositions Powerplay back to being an end game activity- an advanced feature to aim for once you have grown bored of other activities. Its not forced on you, self contained and simple, providing ED with something new to do.
 
If the mechanics were fixed the mode system wouldn't matter so much as someone couldn't pledge to a Power then trash it via 5C activities using Solo Mode. Regardless, it's either 'consensual PvP' in which case it is Open Only' or not in which case every mode should be treated the same. Having different rules for different modes doesn't solve any of the fundamental problems & creates a whole load of new balancing issues. The core mechanics need to be fixed first then after seeing how they do it can be decided whether to go Open Only.

CMDR Justinian Octavius
 
And, to explain again, modes are not equal in PP.

This is the point where we disagree and the point that you want to change.

The modes are equal. No missions/activities/gameplay restrictions or perks to any of the mods.
The only thing modes control is what players you might meet in your journeys through the galaxy. No players, A select group, Any Players
But you know this pretty much like anyone else, since it's the core of ED

PP has to adapt to this. Not the otherway around.

No open-only nonsense.
If some PP groups agree to play only in Open then good for them. It's a choice. Not a mandatory thing.
 
If the mechanics were fixed the mode system wouldn't matter so much as someone couldn't pledge to a Power then trash it via 5C activities using Solo Mode. Regardless, it's either 'consensual PvP' in which case it is Open Only' or not in which case every mode should be treated the same. Having different rules for different modes doesn't solve any of the fundamental problems & creates a whole load of new balancing issues. The core mechanics need to be fixed first then after seeing how they do it can be decided whether to go Open Only.

CMDR Justinian Octavius

In the idea above it simplifies things, because both sides are independent. The open part is one, where material is collected and moved, the other is mission based and fills relevant CGs that define what bonuses and perks everyone has, as well as the amount of materials that can be moved in open. There is no balancing issues because nothing is changed in that regard. The better one side performs, so does its counterpart.

The problem always comes down to effective opposition in solo and PG to prevent 100% deliveries. Unless FD radically change Powerplay thats impossible given the restrictions NPCs have- and that players do not.
 
This is the point where we disagree and the point that you want to change.

The modes are equal. No missions/activities/gameplay restrictions or perks to any of the mods.
The only thing modes control is what players you might meet in your journeys through the galaxy. No players, A select group, Any Players
But you know this pretty much like anyone else, since it's the core of ED

PP has to adapt to this. Not the otherway around.

No open-only nonsense.
If some PP groups agree to play only in Open then good for them. It's a choice. Not a mandatory thing.

Then lets break it down.

Powerplay is essentially two phases: PvE gathering and then moving.

In solo and PG, you the PvE part is easy since engineering makes your ships invincible against weak unengineered foes. In Open you have players.

Then, you have the moving part. In Solo and PG, you have hardly any opposition. In Open, you face the same fearsome engineered vessels-is that equal?

What you suggest is to compete you resort to grinding rather than use skill to oppose another power in competition. So rather than have two ways to fight back, you rely on outgrinding them which as proven so popular.
 
Stop Beating a Dead Horse 🐴 and Sandros is not here anymore and no other Devs taken his place so this proposal is dead in the water like the dead horse 🐴 you are still beating.
 
All of this is down to Powerplays current flaws:

I go to a system with my PP ID regarding me as hostile and no NPC ever bothers me. Yawn.

PP NPCs are weak, and only go after you if you hold merits or have a Power bounty. So if you are sat there doing nothing they'll leave you alone. Note as well interdictions by PPNPCs are vanishingly rare.

As Power Play updates every thursday I figure maybe there are some opponents while I start on the next week making merits. They know where I am going to collect propaganda versus where to deliver them. Alas I'm alone in space. Yawn.

Currently they don't, because its all diffused in normal play. PP hot spots are normally places like expansions between rival power groups. The changes outlined drastically condense down these areas to your capital, expansions, prep areas or uncapped UM sites.

Maybe some griefers could work this but alas they are happy seal clubbing new players arriving at engineering stations. Advanced game play might be too much for them.

So, are you talking about Powerplay, or is this another thinly disguised rant about something else?

Ah, so no bounty and no hold merits (if you mean items to be delivered in the hold) then no NPCs bother me. I'll keep a few on board for the week.

Where I'm going to might take some work searching a few systems, but where I pickup materials should be easy to find especially new to PP.

No, just some friendly griefer satire as a challenge. LOL I never rant about ED. Best I ever did was a couple of wimpers and once maybe whined.

I save serious ranting for American Politics. Darn...Now I'm getting upset...Quick startup ED! :)

Thanks for the info
 
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