[PP 2.0] Restore Powerplay bounties / Improve Powerplay CZs

[Rebel Yell]

As subject.

POWERPLAY BOUNTIES: we don't like the current framework, quite illogical... engaging enemy pledged ships (NPCs and CMDRs) ANYWHERE should not result in a local faction bounty!

POWERPLAY CZs: these are exactly the same as BGS CZs... come on, total delusion for these. No custom war chatting, no custom ships/colours... or names... NOTHING!

 

[Rubbernuke]

As subject.

POWERPLAY BOUNTIES: we don't like the current framework, quite illogical... engaging enemy pledged ships (NPCs and CMDRs) ANYWHERE should not result in a local faction bounty!

You should have both in parallel:

Power bounties for power ships

and an escalating merits per local faction kill (under commit crimes) to compensate for the eventual law problems.

The latter would be based on your notoriety and local bounty- so if you are getting 3 million per kill bounty placed on you, you should be getting top whack 500 (and more for powers whop ask you to kill- say double that at 1000).

Its then balanced- to keep your kill multiplier you have to keep killing and keep your notoriety high but risk being shot down. It also encourages lawlessness and risk taking, rather than the current rare goods meta that is exactly zero risk and maximum gain.

The logic for rewarding this way is that local factions are being shown the current power can't save them. Powers expect action, they don't.

 

[Rebel Yell]

You should have both in parallel:

Power bounties for power ships

and an escalating merits per local faction kill (under commit crimes) to compensate for the eventual law problems.

The latter would be based on your notoriety and local bounty- so if you are getting 3 million per kill bounty placed on you, you should be getting top whack 500 (and more for powers whop ask you to kill- say double that at 1000).

Its then balanced- to keep your kill multiplier you have to keep killing and keep your notoriety high but risk being shot down. It also encourages lawlessness and risk taking, rather than the current rare goods meta that is exactly zero risk and maximum gain.

The logic for rewarding this way is that local factions are being shown the current power can't save them. Powers expect action, they don't.

Aye, that might work too... at the moment we just need to get rid of the absurd bounties for killing powerplay ships (it's a big what U DOIN'?).

 

[Rubbernuke]

Aye, that might work too... at the moment we just need to get rid of the absurd bounties for killing powerplay ships (it's a big what U DOIN'?).

Its why I'm moaning a bit about the odd C+P meld- PP2 has all the downsides and no benefit of being a total git (when being a git should be top merit wise, given the baggage it comes with).

Otherwise, why bother and just meta rare goods it?

 

[Agent-137]

Update 6 months later:

I am still continually annoyed at getting minor faction bounties for killing clean power ships. It was not a crime in PP1, so why now? I don’t see the logic for the lore change nor a gameplay benefit.

Also RIP rare goods meta, please never return. At least now merits mostly depend on operating locally which is great. I don’t know if that’s the intention but it should be.

The more merit gain requires being in the target system, the better. Because that’s more chances for interaction with both the opponents and your own power. It also makes the fight for each system more varied which is critical for holding player interest long term.

Lastly and related to the topic of crimes, it’d be nice to know what the design philosophy is with regard to power play interacting with BGS. Some decisions like getting rid of the ethos system and putting salvage and bounties inside the power contact suggest a desire to disconnect PP from BGS. But then you have crimes causing a big impact (mostly from odyssey data farming these days) without much offsetting that. Donations seem to have little bgs impact possibly due to a bug, but that’s good because otherwise it’d tank the controlling faction. Trade presumably works positively for the controller, but the 40% profit threshold makes it rarer than data farming. In short, the inconsistency with PP influencing bgs makes it very unclear what the designers intended. Let’s start with clear design goals and build from there.

Thanks for reading my once a year shout into the void about this game.