Powerplay Reporting a Powerplay Exploit -- Frame Shift Wake Scanning

Angus McSix

Angus McSix
There currently exists an exploit in the game with scanning frame shift wakes; the same wake can be scanned multiple times until it naturally decays, and each scan yields a reward.

A fully engineered wake scanner can scan a wake in two seconds. Assuming 20 merits per scan, that's 30 scans per minute, translating to 600 merits per minute, and 150 control points per minute. Hypothetically, a player could earn 9000 control points per hour. Mitigating factors would be time lost in periods with a lack of wakes to scan, and travel time from one wake to another after the one a player is scanning decays.

So why am I reporting this? Because it's extremely efficient. So much so that for reinforcing a system, I cannot justify any other powerplay activity. In just 18 scans -- 36 seconds -- I've earned the same amount of merits from a high-priced bounty hunting kill or the acquisition of a single piece of Power Classified/Association/Political data. Despite it's efficiency, it is mind-numbingly boring.
 
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Disemboweled Ego

D
I remember doing the math on this on week 2-3 of powerplay and it coming out to being less than rares and less than PP CZs so it didn't seem worth it.

On a system/strategic level where other good activities might not be available this could be an ok baseline activity though. Should still be nerfed so the more skill based activities come out more on top.
 

Rock Hunter

Rock Hunter
How typical of me. I always scan wakes but never thought to scan one a second time - will I ever stumble across an exploit?!

Maybe - I have my kws set to the same fire group as my multi cannons (it’s an all multi cannon build) on my Python MkII. So I’ll often end up scanning a ship twice if I have to turn tightly to track a target. I just put the big bounties down to the 140% ALD bonus (level 121.)
 

Dragsham

Dragsham
The 150 control points per minute. How does that work? Their banked at a local PP rep? (Assuming criteria is met ie allied fortified/stronghold)

Or do they just get added to the 3 states ie undermined, reinforcement etc Assuming the system your wake scanning in is allied and in need of additional cps.
 

Angus McSix

Angus McSix
Disemboweled Ego said:
I remember doing the math on this on week 2-3 of powerplay and it coming out to being less than rares and less than PP CZs so it didn't seem worth it.

On a system/strategic level where other good activities might not be available this could be an ok baseline activity though. Should still be nerfed so the more skill based activities come out more on top.
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I'm rank 180 something. I don't care about merits except with respect to how they translate into Control Points.

Powerplay Conflict Zones do not exist in Reinforcement systems.

Selling rare goods has not worked since the 2-3 week period where you did the math.

So unless someone else has noticed something I've overlooked, no, this is THE best method, and I hate it, bit I will do it for the sake of my powerplay objective.

Dragsham said:
The 150 control points per minute. How does that work? Their banked at a local PP rep? (Assuming criteria is met ie allied fortified/stronghold)

Or do they just get added to the 3 states ie undermined, reinforcement etc Assuming the system your wake scanning in is allied and in need of additional cps.
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4 merits = 1 Control point for most powerplay activities.
 

Purrfect

Purrfect
forbiddenlake said:
It does by increasing the bounty, but yeah I don't get how that works, I've done a lot of bounty hunting and not noticed merits from the KWS scan itself? Just from the basic scan and the kill.
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When I've been bounty hunting, I have the KWS bound to the laser fire button, which I hold down constantly. I was getting 20 merits every time the KWS finished its scan. As I'm killing the NPCs fast, it doesn't add up to much, but it shouldn't happen if the KWS has "complete"(d) for a target. My concern is that you can go to any large port orbital station, set up a KWS only fire group, target a station authority ship (they don't leave), and just scan away for as long as you can be bothered to hold down the fire button. Merits for nothing.
 

Angus McSix

Angus McSix
Purrfect said:
When I've been bounty hunting, I have the KWS bound to the laser fire button, which I hold down constantly. I was getting 20 merits every time the KWS finished its scan. As I'm killing the NPCs fast, it doesn't add up to much, but it shouldn't happen if the KWS has "complete"(d) for a target. My concern is that you can go to any large port orbital station, set up a KWS only fire group, target a station authority ship (they don't leave), and just scan away for as long as you can be bothered to hold down the fire button. Merits for nothing.
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No you weren't.

You were getting 20 merits one of two ways:
  1. Your sensors completed their scan of your target
  2. Your target shot you, which immediately completes a sensor scan.

The KWS does not reward merits in and of itself. It will reveal additional bounties that a wanted target has on them, hidden away, and thus increase the bounty reward on a successful kill.
 

DemiserofD

D
Wow, hard to believe this has existed for almost a month and still hasn't been fixed.

How many merits have been generated because of this already? One player could have generated 24 million merits by now.
 

Rebel Yell

Rebel Yell
DemiserofD said:
Wow, hard to believe this has existed for almost a month and still hasn't been fixed.

How many merits have been generated because of this already? One player could have generated 24 million merits by now.
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We are monitoring weird amounts of reinforcements happening here and there, countering the exploit in some circumstances, with system penalties (and when 2-3 CMDRs are exploiting it) is impossible.
 

zimms

zimms
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