To play Powerplay you have to play the BGS because Fortification & Expansion triggers are affected by the BGS. Personally I'd separate them but I would imagine some Player Groups wouldn't be happy due to the amount of work they've put in (which is reasonable).
CMDR Justinian Octavius
CMDR Justinian Octavius
I understand that, but as I understand it, many play BGS without being sworn to any power. Or it can't be?
Even though they are playing BGS they are also playing Powerplay they just don't realise it. With BGS people feel they are fighting for their faction even though they do not own the faction whilst with Powerplay you are roleplaying being in the Empire or Federation or similar galactic organisation with a developer created leader. The audiences are therefore somewhat different imho (from the perspective of the reason of initially playing Powerplay or BGS certainly).
CMDR Justinian Octavius
Thank you for your reply. I understand what you are writing and that is what I thought before. That's why I'm surprised by people who don't swear to power when playing BGS, I guess they don't fully understand these in essence.
In PP there are ranks, wages and most importantly if you kill the enemy you do not become a criminal.
For me, playing BGS without an oath of strength is comparable to racing. Yes people can do that, but it's not in any way supported by the game.
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There a lots of systems outside of PP bubbles? Why should people pledge to a power if they support a faction there? Are you saying the groups in Colonia should not play the bgs because there is no PP?
I think connecting PP to the bgs was wrong and makes things unnecessary complicated for new groups who have no interest in playing PP. It's just silly that some powers support factions from opposite powers just because they have a favorable government type.
So? Try to fly somewhere far away where there are no stations and organize life there!
Because it allows you to fight the enemies of the rules of the game, for example, when you kill you are not wanted.
I didn't write it that way. I wrote that they can play whatever they want, even race or fill up with just 1 ton per station, that's their right.
Because politics is not something simple and you have to do what is beneficial and think.
The game doesn't let you do that. It does allow you to manipulate factions outside of PP systems.
Maybe that doesn't matter to the players involved
Exactly, players can do what they want, even if it's not something everyone who plays the game would understand or want to join in with.
Which is why players sometimes separate their faction from exploited or controlled systems. They just want to support a faction that they like the ethos of without any further complications.
Some players don't find the aspects added by powerplay a meaningful addition to their gameplay. Powerplay as it is represents a pretty poor example of multiplayer gaming anyway as there is nothing that requires you to do anything directly with another player. You might as well stick with just manipulating the BGS.
Is one opinion. Others will disagree and play the game their way. That's all there is to it really.
I've written above, but maybe it wasn't in this thread. I can write a lot of objections, but please answer a simple question: if I kill the enemy (it is clearly visible and for it give merits), then I do not become wanted.
But if people killed just to be BGS, then they become wanted, because there is no reason to believe that he is the enemy. I think I wrote it clearly.
I believe you're talking about the issue that if you kill someone else in a clean ship who you know is working against your faction, then your faction issues you a bounty and you gain notoriety. This is an problem, you are correct.
Easily fixed by supporting an anarchy faction.
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Partially, okay, let me ask another way, if you play BGS without PP, how do you know that the enemy enemy?I believe you're talking about the issue that if you kill someone else in a clean ship who you know is working against your faction, then your faction issues you a bounty and you gain notoriety. This is an problem, you are correct.
Easily fixed by supporting an anarchy faction.
Regards the OP: The BGS was never initially intended to be 'played'- however players did and its been developed like it has. Powerplay was supposed to be the territorial part, but in a fun reversal was ignored as the BGS matured.
I support NPC factions, I've never pledged & have no plans to do so & it's a way to play that allows for competition & co-operative play without being reliant on instancing or platform. I have never met many of the other players my actions have affected, and I don't use Discord either so in a lot of cases I have no idea who the actual players are.
Using only the tools in the game itself I must try to spot subtle clues that other players are present by the effects of their actions on the factions, which with experience of a region of space can stand out compared to normal behaviour from random traffic. I can usually spot when a system is being prepped for invasion for example, and counter it, re-direct what I consider an undesirable expansion attempt, or in some cases specifically prevent a faction from being able to expand in a particular direction or at all.
I also try to respect the goals of other players too, accommodating them where I can & planning my own moves in a way that doesn't upset players I don't want to upset, and that includes the powerplay teams too (mostly Hudson & Mahon in my case). With Hudson in particular I have met quite a few of their BGS team & have worked with them where goals align as well as doing favours for them, as they occasionally have done for me. I enjoy the interactions and it provides a way to compete against other players that is 'endless', or 'end game'.
I enjoy it, Squadron tags of players I do meet (on PC, in Open) and carrier info & movements offer clues I can use to form theories about what is going on around me that I can react to, every day is different & because I don't use spreadsheets & external tools sometimes I miss things & those occasions can result in a flurry of activity that keeps me interested & invested.
I don't think many players play the way I do (any more), most seem to join a large group if they are interested in the factions at all, of which the powerplay groups are a part. But those large player groups started originally with someone playing the way I still do.
I never was someone happy to simply follow orders or assume if I don't do the work someone else will do it, if I don't do something that needs doing it doesn't get done.
For me it's fun, but it's not for everyone
This is what I'm writing about, when you play BGS without a PP you can't tell exactly who your enemy is, so when you attack another ship you're just a regular ganker/pirate.I support NPC factions, I've never pledged & have no plans to do so & it's a way to play that allows for competition & co-operative play without being reliant on instancing or platform. I have never met many of the other players my actions have affected, and I don't use Discord either so in a lot of cases I have no idea who the actual players are.
Using only the tools in the game itself I must try to spot subtle clues that other players are present by the effects of their actions on the factions, which with experience of a region of space can stand out compared to normal behaviour from random traffic. I can usually spot when a system is being prepped for invasion for example, and counter it, re-direct what I consider an undesirable expansion attempt, or in some cases specifically prevent a faction from being able to expand in a particular direction or at all.
I also try to respect the goals of other players too, accommodating them where I can & planning my own moves in a way that doesn't upset players I don't want to upset, and that includes the powerplay teams too (mostly Hudson & Mahon in my case). With Hudson in particular I have met quite a few of their BGS team & have worked with them where goals align as well as doing favours for them, as they occasionally have done for me. I enjoy the interactions and it provides a way to compete against other players that is 'endless', or 'end game'.
I enjoy it, Squadron tags of players I do meet (on PC, in Open) and carrier info & movements offer clues I can use to form theories about what is going on around me that I can react to, every day is different & because I don't use spreadsheets & external tools sometimes I miss things & those occasions can result in a flurry of activity that keeps me interested & invested.
I don't think many players play the way I do (any more), most seem to join a large group if they are interested in the factions at all, of which the powerplay groups are a part. But those large player groups started originally with someone playing the way I still do.
I never was someone happy to simply follow orders or assume if I don't do the work someone else will do it, if I don't do something that needs doing it doesn't get done.
For me it's fun, but it's not for everyone
Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
Indeed. That's what happens when clean players are attacked. There's no requirement to pledge to Powerplay, thankfully.
In general I don't attack other players directly, although I do get attacked occasionally by other players that identify me as an enemy (not always correctly). Diplomacy happens rather more often than open hostility, which I suppose is one of the differences between PP BGSing & regular faction support. With PP the enemy is well established & pretty black or white. When you are not part of a large group you need to find allies among the strangers you meet, which I find a lot more interesting than looking for enemies to shoot. I have to interact with them rather than just acting on them.
No one is challenging YOU, you can do what you want, even play saboteur and sabotage ... And you will be interested in THIS.
In our case, our opposition only turn up in open to frustrate what we're doing. In this case it's fairly obvious that they oppose us.
I believe that this is all just speculation. If you see that the person is wanted red lettering, then only after that you can claim it.
This is incorrect. I regularly am in direct competition with large player groups. I do use misdirection quite a bit, submarine warfare. Most of my opponents play in private groups, PvP is rare & not a priority activity for me, but the risk of it is part of the fun
I am usually trying to get people I meet to help me rather than looking for reasons to attack them, directly or indirectly.