I agree that there is still a lot of the Squadron gameplay we don’t know about yet. That being said I feel the next logical step in the game would be a way for players to colonized unpopulated star systems with the ability to build starports and dare I say it space stations. Now mind you I am not talking about ownership only construction of said in game assets. Let the minor factions retain ownership of them.
Squadrons and Proper colonization mechanics
- Thread starter Vicktore Beskor
- Start date
Nothing wrong with player factions having bases and space stations in my opinion.
Of course those places should not be immune to attack (to destroy or change ownership) to blockade (to strip of equipment to repair and rearm ships and also cause the facility to run out of fuel to refuel ships).
They should be vulnerable to the normal BGS events and should also have a non-static level of personnel (the new Happiness dynamic that's coming in might help with this) that if it drops to low will cause the station/base to lose functionality, and if it goes to high will increase the chance of famine or outbreak.
But I can see the planet sized salt deposits even now when a PF gets it's station BGS'd away from them by people in solo, private, or on different platforms.
Of course those places should not be immune to attack (to destroy or change ownership) to blockade (to strip of equipment to repair and rearm ships and also cause the facility to run out of fuel to refuel ships).
They should be vulnerable to the normal BGS events and should also have a non-static level of personnel (the new Happiness dynamic that's coming in might help with this) that if it drops to low will cause the station/base to lose functionality, and if it goes to high will increase the chance of famine or outbreak.
But I can see the planet sized salt deposits even now when a PF gets it's station BGS'd away from them by people in solo, private, or on different platforms.
In EVE you need to join an org sooner or later, unless you're happy clicking the same two spots over and over again. That's where the trouble starts, orgs are where losers with inflated egos go to boss others around. I'd rather not have my fun be subject to whether some teenager got chewed out at school for not doing his homework.
Not all of them in EVE where like that, and you could work out which were which pretty quickly.
Many Corps in EVE where fine institutions with dedicated members that used up to 90 percent of their on-line time working for the good of all, I know, I was in such a corp. I'm not saying that ED should follow EVE's example slavishly, but there are many things EVE got right.
A slower introduction of player owned facilities would be welcomed by many players.
Never going to happen. The game is designed as it is...and the devs have gone full in on the shared modes. Not sure how efficient Open only BGS would be...but I do know that unless they fix the instancing...it makes no difference.
As far as the new way the BGS will handle expansions, the super large groups will have an easier time of this because they can place a manager in each system or to handle a couple of systems...it's going to be the smaller groups and medium groups that have overexpanded that will have the real problem...not enough oversight and players to cover all the bases...
Actually, no they are not...
The new changes are still NPC driven, but as with PP individual players and some groups can influence the choices the AI makes to some degree.
I don't think ED should follow EvE's example AT ALL in any shape or form.
What changes FD are doing to the BGS is not like that though - assets are still owned and controlled by the AI but the players (regardless of affiliation) get to influence the decisions the AI makes through their actions. The revised mechanics and UI just make it easier to identify what things affect what.
Player owned facilities and therefore controlled space is one thing I think should NEVER EVER be introduced even as a DLC.
Possibly. It'll make it very difficult for them to get any further expansions without pulling back first ... on the other hand, it'll mean they're not constantly pinned down in side wars in systems they don't particularly care about. I suspect the majority of over-expanded Colonia factions will benefit from it in general, at the cost of being very unlikely to be able to take advantage of any new systems that come up.
Up front, I am dead set against player owned assets, but it seems the OP is not talking about player owned assets, he's talking about directing the BGS. And I feel there is good gameplay in his suggestion which would incorporate many professions.
Provided a PMF is at the edge of the bubble, in 'range' of a yet unexploited system. The target system needs to be fully mapped by a CMDR of the squadron. And the procedure takes a looooooong time to go through the various stages. I'm talking about months.
How I could see this working:
Lets say the new exploration mechanics are used to discover a rich roid field. It would mean there are extraction companies willing to invest in expanding there.
A PMF squadron funds the initial construction site, and will have to transport a lot of materials there. Once funded, the site is claimed and no other PMF is allowed to start construction.
Once the initial construction phase is complete, an outpost is built in the rich roid field. That outpost will be incorporated into the BGS. From here on, the PMF squadron cannot directly influence proceedings anymore, but has to work the BGS. In other words they will have to make it a successful, profitable site by doing missions and hauling ore. In doing this, they will raise the value of the site to the point where they could 'put it up for sale', with the maximum revenue being the amount of credits they put into it. (so no money making scheme, just making back your investment ... the true pay out will be realized later.
This stage in itself should take months.
Extraction companies will then show an interest in the site and buy it from the Squadron. In doing this, they favour the PMF they bought it from, but aren't completely controlled by it, this has to be done through the usual BGS mechanics. In the new system that seems to be making the closest system deliriously happy. But other MFs may butt in and have a go at swaying the system under their control, they just start at a severe disadvantage.
That might cause a couple of factions having a go at this new system, which in turn could mean that:
- The extraction company wants to increase capacity and upgrade the outpost to a station.
- Refinery companies might want to set up shop to have shorter distribution lines and first pickings.
It would be very cool to have a system develop itself because of the initiative of players. While there aren't any direct monetary rewards, there are territorial rewards. But I suspect this is way to complicated for the BGS as it is right now.
Provided a PMF is at the edge of the bubble, in 'range' of a yet unexploited system. The target system needs to be fully mapped by a CMDR of the squadron. And the procedure takes a looooooong time to go through the various stages. I'm talking about months.
How I could see this working:
Lets say the new exploration mechanics are used to discover a rich roid field. It would mean there are extraction companies willing to invest in expanding there.
A PMF squadron funds the initial construction site, and will have to transport a lot of materials there. Once funded, the site is claimed and no other PMF is allowed to start construction.
Once the initial construction phase is complete, an outpost is built in the rich roid field. That outpost will be incorporated into the BGS. From here on, the PMF squadron cannot directly influence proceedings anymore, but has to work the BGS. In other words they will have to make it a successful, profitable site by doing missions and hauling ore. In doing this, they will raise the value of the site to the point where they could 'put it up for sale', with the maximum revenue being the amount of credits they put into it. (so no money making scheme, just making back your investment ... the true pay out will be realized later.
This stage in itself should take months.
Extraction companies will then show an interest in the site and buy it from the Squadron. In doing this, they favour the PMF they bought it from, but aren't completely controlled by it, this has to be done through the usual BGS mechanics. In the new system that seems to be making the closest system deliriously happy. But other MFs may butt in and have a go at swaying the system under their control, they just start at a severe disadvantage.
That might cause a couple of factions having a go at this new system, which in turn could mean that:
- The extraction company wants to increase capacity and upgrade the outpost to a station.
- Refinery companies might want to set up shop to have shorter distribution lines and first pickings.
It would be very cool to have a system develop itself because of the initiative of players. While there aren't any direct monetary rewards, there are territorial rewards. But I suspect this is way to complicated for the BGS as it is right now.
Which actually makes sense to me. The more systems you have the more difficult it becomes and then it becomes more dynamic which is what hte BGS is meant to be.
It will make it more interesting with different things to do instead of doing the same thing again and again. We will have to look after all the systems and not just a few which is how it should be.
I would also like to add that now we know that FDev is willing to add new stats to the BGS. I feel that a systems “NET WORTH” would be a cool new stat to add. I also feel if players could manipulate the “NET WORTH” by there actions it would add some new gameplay strategies.
Good!
"Base Building/Economic Additions" just sounds like weasel words for "earning AFK"
Because it is, just like "only in open" is weasel words.for 'stop having wrongfun' and/or 'where are my PVP victims'.
+rep.
I was really hoping they would have added some kind of buckets into the game for PVP players...so they can have some real input into the game...but all they get is the sideshow and increased grind to stay 'competitive'.
This game does not really support persistent player generated objects unless it is a huge pmf getting an asteroid base or megaship through a CG.
The average individual player - not being part of one of these special clubs - can't even rent an apartment on a station let alone park a trailer on an irrelevant rock somewhere.
It's really too bad, base building could be a great time and money sink. Could do interesting gameplay around it as well with pvp raiding, decay and purge type mechanics found in Conan Exiles. Oh well.
The average individual player - not being part of one of these special clubs - can't even rent an apartment on a station let alone park a trailer on an irrelevant rock somewhere.
It's really too bad, base building could be a great time and money sink. Could do interesting gameplay around it as well with pvp raiding, decay and purge type mechanics found in Conan Exiles. Oh well.
I disagree - base building mechanics have no place in a game like ED IMO. If you want that kind of gameplay then Fallout 76 may be just up your street.
All persistent assets should be NPC owned and controlled and no player group should actually own or directly control any persistent asset in ED. The Squadron Carriers need not be persistent in the sense some would seem to want them to be, they need only be present in instances where the owning squadron members are present.
That is not to say that there can not be scenarios where players set up bases for minor factions at their request and on their behalf but the BGS should be responsible for the how, when, and why of that mechanic.
As for time and money sinks, you may be getting that with the new BGS scenarios.
I think the only way to do this is to buy X4 Foundations at the end of next month. I hope it may inform future ED features.
If you want base/empire building mechanics, then IMO that is the right way to approach things if you desire that gameplay.
As for informing future ED features - go play EvE if you want true player owned persistent assets in an MMO environment - some of us got into ED precisely because it did not.
