Michael Brookes just said the cooldown on statuses will be shorter, thus allowing for more rapid changes within a system, however a given power will only be able to be in one Conflict at a time regardless of how many systems they expand to. It will be quicker to gain/lose a single system, but the maximum rate of controlled expansion will be capped by the conflict cooldown period.
One major problem I foresee here is that a small but sustained resistance in one system could prevent a power from taking over new systems they've expanded into. Not sure if this impacts peaceful transition via elections or if the power shares a common expansion cooldown as well as a common conflict cooldown.
Well, I have been tracking the numbers for influence and traffic for all three systems, with emphasis in ELEU and STJL, which are the most dynamic ones. ALOWIS numbers seem to be updated every other day, and we are already in the top there, but it is also not a priority.
In ELEU though, things have been a mix. Goes up, then down, we got close enough last weekend, up to 66, just to drop next day in spite of running missions. Last night I checked, 69.8! So close to the 70%!!! But it was 69.2% in STJL as well.
The problem being that if we push it too high in STJL, it triggers an expansion because the SEPP already controls STJL so cant do enything else but expand. That locks any other conflict across the systems it is present, which means it prevents the so needed CIVIL WAR against Energy Corporation in ELEU to regain Finney Dock.
So, as a preemptive measure, I had to undermine some SEPP missions in STJL while running more missions for it in ELEU, hoping that today or tomorrow we get a CIVIL WAR as pending state in ELEU. However, it's been a couple of days now that we see CRITICAL WAR as pending state for SEPP in STJL against the Defense Party. I would advise to either undermine SEPP and DEFENSE PARTY missions altogether in STJL, or run missions for one of the lower factions there in order to deflate influence and prevent the WAR state, while keeping the control of the system.
Elections only happen when two minor factions that enter conflict, have the same government type, as absurd as that might sound in some cases. For instance, just at the beginning of this week, we had two dictatorial factions in ELEU that entered conflict, and they both went into elections, because they both had the same type of government. Nevermind that dictatorships will never allow to be challenged via votes, but this is how the BGS has it as of now.
Both enemy factions of the SEPP, Energy Corp in ELEU and Defense Party in STJL are of different government type -corporate and dictatorship- than SEPP's democracy. Becuase SEPP is domestic in ELEU, we'll enter a CIVIL WAR; but because it is a foreign party in STJL, we'll enter a WAR instead of a CIVIL WAR there, provided the conditions are met.
In that sense, the WAR in STJL is being promoted and seek by the DEFENSE PARTY as challenging the foreign SEPP in current control. Whatever, let them deal with it! We'll never let the system fall back again into the hands of a few!!!
On the other side of the Nation, the PURPLE DYNAMIC faction that is currently in control of ALOWIS, has fallen in the polls to second place as SEPP has enjoyed wide and popular acceptance there. This will create conflicts down the road also in PURUNGARANG system, where PURPLE DYNAMIC is also present and where many of the missions that SEPP issues to that system has been, so far, to support them there. So, traditionally, we've been friends in PURUNGURANG, but now our presence in ALOWIS, potentially challenging their status quo there, will shake things up. But that's further down the road. For now, we need to regain ELEU, at all cost!
Thanks for the info. Before your reply, I actually made the decision to go anyway. As of this moment, my ASP, ready for hardcore exploration, is parked, and I got a hold of a fairly viable Viper as replacement for my old Vulture.
As such, I've started running missions for SEPP as detailed on the first page.
Looking forward to joint ops, Commanders.
Excellent news CMDR!! Please keep pressing on!! Directive and objective hasn't changed: ELEU must be regained from the Feds and back into the SEPP independent control.
Funfact to incentive more CMDR: under Fed control, all narcotics are forbidden, including tobacco, which ELEU used to be a major producer. Under SEPP, not only the tobacco industry will be back up, but also the import and trading of Onionhead will be, once again, legal.
Well, I spent a day and a half running SEPP missions around the area, and saw a few other commanders around. The only one that stayed around long enough for me to scan for a name was Turambar in his Anaconda. Bumped into a couple of T6s and a couple of Cobras, but they seemed not to want to hang around long enough for me to see who they were.
I was mostly wandering around in a Vulture or a Courier, and you can rest assured if you see my Commander tag, I won't be initiating combat with anyone else in the area.
Excellent report!!!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, VERY IMPORTANT: write down the name, ship, system, date and time of sighting, AND specially if they are pledged with any power!!!
THEN, approach them courteously via comm chat... be casual, not threatening, play dumb and let them confide any secrets if they have. do not declare you are SEPP and warden of the system, and that you are authjority and blah, blah, blah... no! Let them tell you what they are about, and find out if they are trying to bring any power in, and if so even pretend to be eager to be part of so they share plans.
Then come here and report on the threat, so we are all aware.