Questions re: player factions/stations

[Celthon]

My group has adopted a PMF, which appears to be abandoned, and are learning how mechanics of the BGS work by 'practicing' on this one. My questions:

If a PMF has no support or interaction from the group which originally had it placed into the game-world does Frontier eventually put it into an abandoned 'state', and cause the station it is on to be made smaller and/or lose services?

Regarding a small station/settlement: if we increase the PMF's influence in the system, and continue doing 'positive' things (missions, trading, etc.) will the station expand and/or gain more 'services'? For example the settlement where the abandoned PMF is has only 1 small landing pad, and it's market only sells 3 items. Would increasing the influence of the PMF possibly get a larger pad installed, or a second?

Regarding a station or settlement with only one landing pad -- if another player (or NPC?) lands on the pad it prevents anyone else from using the pad, correct? There have been many, many times when one of us has tried to land and been denied landing rights -- having to request over and over and over -- but there's no apparent ship sitting on the landing pad. If someone in 'solo' play is sitting on a landing pad does that prevent anyone else from using it, even though they cannot be 'seen'? Could they then remain sitting on the landing pad, effectively locking out anyone else from accessing to station services to turn in missions, etc.?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

[Factabulous]

If a PMF has no support or interaction from the group which originally had it placed into the game-world does Frontier eventually put it into an abandoned 'state', and cause the station it is on to be made smaller and/or lose services?

No

Regarding a small station/settlement: if we increase the PMF's influence in the system, and continue doing 'positive' things (missions, trading, etc.) will the station expand and/or gain more 'services'? For example the settlement where the abandoned PMF is has only 1 small landing pad, and it's market only sells 3 items. Would increasing the influence of the PMF possibly get a larger pad installed, or a second?

No

There are a small number of services like Black Markets that can be gained / lost depending on who is in charge, but things like size & pads are not among them.

If someone in 'solo' play is sitting on a landing pad does that prevent anyone else from using it, even though they cannot be 'seen'?

No

Could they then remain sitting on the landing pad, effectively locking out anyone else from accessing to station services to turn in missions, etc.?

No

If it is an NPC then just get close to the pad so you can see the NPC on the Contacts panel and request again - they will begin to move. Might take a couple of goes. A Player can stop you docking, but only if you are in the same mode.

 

[Darrack]

My group has adopted a PMF, which appears to be abandoned, and are learning how mechanics of the BGS work by 'practicing' on this one. My questions:

If a PMF has no support or interaction from the group which originally had it placed into the game-world does Frontier eventually put it into an abandoned 'state', and cause the station it is on to be made smaller and/or lose services?

Regarding a small station/settlement: if we increase the PMF's influence in the system, and continue doing 'positive' things (missions, trading, etc.) will the station expand and/or gain more 'services'? For example the settlement where the abandoned PMF is has only 1 small landing pad, and it's market only sells 3 items. Would increasing the influence of the PMF possibly get a larger pad installed, or a second?

Regarding a station or settlement with only one landing pad -- if another player (or NPC?) lands on the pad it prevents anyone else from using the pad, correct? There have been many, many times when one of us has tried to land and been denied landing rights -- having to request over and over and over -- but there's no apparent ship sitting on the landing pad. If someone in 'solo' play is sitting on a landing pad does that prevent anyone else from using it, even though they cannot be 'seen'? Could they then remain sitting on the landing pad, effectively locking out anyone else from accessing to station services to turn in missions, etc.?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Afraid i cant answer your question about PMFs but as far as the landing pad goes nothing other than an NPC will stop you from landing.
I play pretty much always in solo, if the pad is empty i can land.

O7

 

[SteveWW57]

Check the stations in the system. One will confer control of the system to the faction. You may have to fight for control. See the BGS guide.

Steve 07.

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

There is nothing special to PMFs over other minor factions beyond someone has chosen the name and description of it. It doesn't confer any special benefits. You're not even in control of it, you're just choosing to support it. You're as much able to choose any existing faction in the game to support as a dormant PMF or otherwise.

That said, if you're happy to buy into the lore of a faction, in game or alongside, then support them! Build them up! Make them more than a name on a couple of stations by creating a little depth to their story. If you can pick up a story where someone else has left off them go for it.

 

[Celthon]

Thank you all for replies and information.

Regarding 'Smuggling', and affect on a faction's influence: if selling to a Black Market does it lower the influence of the faction which controls the station/settlement where the Black market is located, or does it lower the influence of the faction which controls the entire system?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

[[VR] Bulbulunufus]

I'm by no means telling you to "take this somewhere else" - I think this is a fine enough place to discuss BGS. But, there is a BGS section of this forum where you might get additional and possibly more definitive responses to things and some useful (?) standing information, including a standing invite to the EDBGS discord.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Regarding 'Smuggling', and affect on a faction's influence: if selling to a Black Market does it lower the influence of the faction which controls the station/settlement where the Black market is located, or does it lower the influence of the faction which controls the entire system?

Station controller.

There's a general rule for influence effects:
- things with a faction name on them affect the faction with that name (e.g. bounties, bonds, missions, murders)
- things without a faction name on them affect the controller of that station (e.g. trade, exploration data, search and rescue)
- things with a superpower name on them affect all factions of that superpower equally
- there is nothing which directly benefits the system controller, but they do get a bunch of indirect benefits from that status in practice.
(note that the effect may be "nothing at all", nonetheless, and the distinction between "nothing happens to the named faction" and "nothing happens to the station controller" is fairly small)

Certain things - some more explicitly than others - have the "Pilots Federation" faction name on them. They do affect the Pilots Federation faction, but as that faction has no influence level or states, that doesn't actually do anything.

If you do something which affects a named faction in a system that it's not present in, nothing happens to the faction (but you might still get other benefits)

 

[Celthon]

including a standing invite to the EDBGS discord.

I will never use 'discord', for any reason.