Hello FDev Team and community!
I would like to suggest a rework of how players can choose between game modes.
I think we all have heard how private/solo has a disruptive impact on piracy for one example.
But there is actually more gameplay features that Elite is missing because players can choose the gamemode they want without any implications.
The most important one being BGS wars against certain factions.
So let's say a squadron has a home system with their own minor faction.
They have some minor dispute with another faction, which leads that squadron to initiate an BGS attack on the other squadron's starport to bring into a lockdown via BGS play in private or solo.
Another option would be to UA-Bomb their starport.
Currently the only valid option would be to BGS grind yourself or to deliver Meta-Alloys, as there is no option of confronting the other squadron and therefore successfully defend the starport.
The whole attack would only be noted once it has already delivered it's impact as you would never see any player ship in the nearby systems.
I am aware that there are a lot of players enjoying the game without the risk of getting into a fight with another player as it surely can be frustrating experience.
And in my opinion if you do not want to engage into that part of the game you shouldn't be forced into it, so an open only mode is not a valid option to support players enjoying major confrontation between groups or just 1on1s. But on the other hand, a player that earns their ships in private/solo was never exposed to the same risks as player who did that in open only.
Therefore it's actually unfair if these gamestyles share the same impact.
My suggestion would be therefore to lock progression to a gamemode and split the BGS as well.
This allows PVE-only playergroups, without affecting the playerbase of open.
A major effect would certainly be that most wings will be limited to open as a squadron only playing in group will be quite limited in their recruitement, but that is a positive development from my point of view.
The reason being why I view it as a positive development is that it allows a whole new range of player interactions.
It will emphasize new kind of carrers in the game, for an example squadrons employing spies to get a glimpse of other squadrons plans of expansion.
Or squadrons having patrol ship around their systems to secure their space from possible scouts/invaders.
I would like to share my experience from Naval Action, which shares some similarities from a gameplay style with Elite, but is limited to open only.
In Naval Action there are several major factions (similar to Powers) which control ports and only allow for docking of players belonging to that faction.
The factions themself didn't have any impact on the game, but the players did have.
New ports had to be raided by players to get them under a new flag and such wars between major factions rose on who controls the most ports.
Those attacks had to be announced so the players of the other faction had a chance to assemble a defense.
One clan was rarely able to start a meaningful attack on a port by themselves and therefore diplomats were needed to communicate with other clans and coordinate attack plans.
With this also came the spies...
All in all this was a very engaging aspect of the game, which content wise wasn't delivering an inch of what Elite brings on the table.
IMHO the currently reworked C&P systems delivers a perfect foundation to allow for such interactions as unjustified attacks are followed by meaningful punishments and therefore disincentivize griefing.
But the problem still being a lack of meaningful encounters, as currently Powerplay allows for such encounters only.
Even those encounters are quite meaningless and not impactful viewed from a squadron perspective, with currently the only reason for such an attack being to gain merits with the power...
I would love to see Elite allow for intergalactic wars between squadrons.
Conflict certainly can be a very engaging aspect in a game like Elite.
I would like to suggest a rework of how players can choose between game modes.
I think we all have heard how private/solo has a disruptive impact on piracy for one example.
But there is actually more gameplay features that Elite is missing because players can choose the gamemode they want without any implications.
The most important one being BGS wars against certain factions.
So let's say a squadron has a home system with their own minor faction.
They have some minor dispute with another faction, which leads that squadron to initiate an BGS attack on the other squadron's starport to bring into a lockdown via BGS play in private or solo.
Another option would be to UA-Bomb their starport.
Currently the only valid option would be to BGS grind yourself or to deliver Meta-Alloys, as there is no option of confronting the other squadron and therefore successfully defend the starport.
The whole attack would only be noted once it has already delivered it's impact as you would never see any player ship in the nearby systems.
I am aware that there are a lot of players enjoying the game without the risk of getting into a fight with another player as it surely can be frustrating experience.
And in my opinion if you do not want to engage into that part of the game you shouldn't be forced into it, so an open only mode is not a valid option to support players enjoying major confrontation between groups or just 1on1s. But on the other hand, a player that earns their ships in private/solo was never exposed to the same risks as player who did that in open only.
Therefore it's actually unfair if these gamestyles share the same impact.
My suggestion would be therefore to lock progression to a gamemode and split the BGS as well.
This allows PVE-only playergroups, without affecting the playerbase of open.
A major effect would certainly be that most wings will be limited to open as a squadron only playing in group will be quite limited in their recruitement, but that is a positive development from my point of view.
The reason being why I view it as a positive development is that it allows a whole new range of player interactions.
It will emphasize new kind of carrers in the game, for an example squadrons employing spies to get a glimpse of other squadrons plans of expansion.
Or squadrons having patrol ship around their systems to secure their space from possible scouts/invaders.
I would like to share my experience from Naval Action, which shares some similarities from a gameplay style with Elite, but is limited to open only.
In Naval Action there are several major factions (similar to Powers) which control ports and only allow for docking of players belonging to that faction.
The factions themself didn't have any impact on the game, but the players did have.
New ports had to be raided by players to get them under a new flag and such wars between major factions rose on who controls the most ports.
Those attacks had to be announced so the players of the other faction had a chance to assemble a defense.
One clan was rarely able to start a meaningful attack on a port by themselves and therefore diplomats were needed to communicate with other clans and coordinate attack plans.
With this also came the spies...
All in all this was a very engaging aspect of the game, which content wise wasn't delivering an inch of what Elite brings on the table.
IMHO the currently reworked C&P systems delivers a perfect foundation to allow for such interactions as unjustified attacks are followed by meaningful punishments and therefore disincentivize griefing.
But the problem still being a lack of meaningful encounters, as currently Powerplay allows for such encounters only.
Even those encounters are quite meaningless and not impactful viewed from a squadron perspective, with currently the only reason for such an attack being to gain merits with the power...
I would love to see Elite allow for intergalactic wars between squadrons.
Conflict certainly can be a very engaging aspect in a game like Elite.
