Stop Package/Merit dumping

[Kaimei Kokoro]

Call me churlish (actually call me what you like - definite advantage being old) but I hate the way people just dump packages to get the merits.

OK, background...

I'm allied to LYR and combat isn't a big part of being part of this (I'm ABSOLUTE PANTS at combat so that is why).

So the way to 'merit up' is deliver packages to current/expansion systems.

But I go in on a Thursday night and already the nearby systems are subscribed - that's fine, they got there first. I have NO problems with that.

BUT they are at 1000's% not just around 100%.

No wonder LYR isn't higher up the ratings when this is accepted....

Now if I was the Power Contact and you tried to dump your junk on me I'd just turn around and say no - wouldn't you?

Stopping at exactly 100% is a bit harsh, but a limit of say 150% would allow people to make a mistake by being en-route to a near limit system but force them to consider what they are actually doing.

(Yes, I know it sounds like 'Now you go over there and think about what you've done'.)

o7

 

[iiMStevo]

Agreed... but it's just another reason why Powerplay is a bad system. I'm hoping that with the introduction of Squadrons, that they'll recode Powerplay to be replaced by Squadrons, so that you don't just fight for some mindless NPC that you can package dump with.

 

[Braandlin]

This isn't unique to LYR - it happens everywhere.

The key problem is that there are cadre's of players that are only in a super power to get the benefits and are not really part of an organised group that are competing in the PP. This in turn tends to be because there isn't a way to coordinate PP from within the game, and a lot of players don't join things like discord to understand how they can join in helpfully - this tends to be more of an issue for players on consoles rather than PC.

In many instances it can be worse in that expansion states can be triggerred by players dumping merits into systems that would actively hurt the PP group. For some of the powers, this takes an enormous effort EVERY WEEK to counter and vote consolidate.

Whilst it is true that many elements of this problem are due to the rather incomplete design of PP, I agree with you there is also a cadre of players that simply don't care about anything other than what they can get...

 

[Screemonster]

There are two things that are always gonna make the easy one-jump-from-HQ systems get massively overfortified rather than bothering to spend effort elsewhere.
1: people trying to get 750 merits so they make rank 3 the cycle before they hit 28 days pledged so they can pick up their swag modules.
2: people who are just trying to maintain their rank thanks to the fun that is merit decay.
As long as people have to keep grinding merits just to stand still when it comes to their other benefits, those who don't particularly have an interest in the grand strategy side of things are just gonna do what it takes to grind the merits out, regardless of whether it's helpful or efficient.

tl;dr package/merit dumping is a symptom, not the problem itself.

 

[Misty_Dark]

this is just one of many manifestations that is Powerplay.


The way Powerplay modules/Weapons are locked away makes this the least effort way to obtain those. And not being invested in Powerplay, then what you need todo to gain your merits can be quite confusing, especially if you are not reading up on the current power and double check from where to where, what commodity.


So I would love to see changes to how we gain access to these. I would love to see that we unlock these once, and then we can buy them anytime, I have no problem with that these should only be available in stations controlled by the corresponding power, they are after all Powerplay modules/weapons. As this is the perk of these, so not even available in Shinrarta Dezhra (except in Beta)


I am biased towards story telling mission, so a chain of missions that "unlocks" information regarding the power, and the specific powerplay module/weapon, all of this can then be added to our Codex for later viewing for those of us that like this sort of thing, and those that do not really care about the lore, just have to complete the missions.