Surprised this hasn't made more noise...

[Jmanis]

Player Made Factions: Applications Closing
Player Made Factions have played a key role in expressing your will over the shape of the bubble. This goal is at the heart of our plans for Elite and reflected in the Thargoid War. Our focus is now turning to investigate how upcoming systems will allow every player and player group to have a meaningful impact on the galaxy’s landscape. This means we will be closing applications for PMFs, however we will process any remaining applications.

.... or I've just missed a threadnaught somewhere...

I mean... good? But I guess any complaints are going to come from future people wanting a PMF, not the current caucus.

However, I'm more interested in the wording. I'm not one to hook much meaning off specific wording... but I'm intrigued by the idea that exploring the future impact of PMFs on the galaxy (contextualised by the thargoid war) is contingent on closing PMF apps.

Do I smell a Powerplay rework?

 

[Darrack]

.... or I've just missed a threadnaught somewhere...

I mean... good? But I guess any complaints are going to come from future people wanting a PMF, not the current caucus.

However, I'm more interested in the wording. I'm not one to hook much meaning off specific wording... but I'm intrigued by the idea that exploring the future impact of PMFs on the galaxy (contextualised by the thargoid war) is contingent on closing PMF apps.

Do I smell a Powerplay rework?

Not surprised at all really, unless your intending on making a PMF it doesn't really effect you.

O7

 

[Nepeta Uchiha]

If you read into the entire post you could conclude they are doing away with the current PMF system and introducing something new to replace it. You could go as far to suggest the "core feature overhaul" could also be the BGS. This would go hand and hand with a PMF rework. Now you could also very well say they're reworking Powerplay. The Federal Elections are in June so it's smarter to push the "core feature overhaul: to a later so the Election outcome can be apart of it. NOW you can go full tinfoil hat and theorize that Powerplay, BGS & a new PMF system could all be integrated into one grand player driven system.

 

[Fnord Velkor]

If you read into the entire post you could conclude they are ...

I read it all as "... not got the staff to do much at all ..."

I hope I am wrong.

 

[Nepeta Uchiha]

Putting PMFs into the game is very low effort on FDev's part because we the players do most of the work. All FDev does is check to see if the system we pick is valid and throws our PMF in. So it's not a staff issue. Only reason to close PMF apps is because they're doing something big with PMFs that would make allowing further app submissions pointless or counterproductive.

 

[Rebel Yell]

PMFs are just smoke and mirrors... I include their persistence (i.e. no removal of abandoned/dead PMFs) as one of the biggest flaws/mistakes made out there.

Anyway, we have a few (independent power) Delaine's favourable and orphaned PMFs available (to our knowledge) if anyone is interested.

 

[Darrack]

I read it all as "... not got the staff to do much at all ..."

I hope I am wrong.

Actually to me it reads as a complete rethink of the system, which is/could be encouraging if they make the BGS and especially PP more interesting.

O7

 

[Robert Maynard]

Actually to me it reads as a complete rethink of the system, which is/could be encouraging if they make the BGS and especially PP more interesting.

O7

Indeed, however the conscious use of the word "every", in relation to which players would have a meaningful impact on the galaxy's landscape may come as a bit fo a disappointment to some players.

 

[Walter2]

Putting PMFs into the game is very low effort on FDev's part because we the players do most of the work. All FDev does is check to see if the system we pick is valid and throws our PMF in. So it's not a staff issue. Only reason to close PMF apps is because they're doing something big with PMFs that would make allowing further app submissions pointless or counterproductive.

And check that the PMF name is unique, its manifesto is within lore, the applying group is within rules, the new faction's government and allegiance match the chosen location and then carefully insert the information into more than one database and ensure that the update isn't the first in a line of dominoes that that could have a ripple effect throughout inhabited space should it prove unstable after all the checking. The amount of applications for PMFs has led to backlogs and suspension of the application process before.
I know of one PMF that only had its manifesto inserted in the chosen system's information, but the faction itself never materialised. And they never check for any grammar transgressions (unless they do - there were some horrendous typos in the game's texts in the early days).
Apart from that, it's easy.

 

[Rubbernuke]

Indeed, however the conscious use of the word "every", in relation to which players would have a meaningful impact on the galaxy's landscape may come as a bit fo a disappointment to some players.

Even when its not about that, it seemingly is about 'that'....

Tuning back into Reality FM, frankly it was as a lot of people made out just 140 words and a label. Hopefully FD will make being allied and actively supporting a faction a bit like a mini Power and grant privileges / goodies of some sort (i.e. meaningful).

 

[Darrack]

Indeed, however the conscious use of the word "every", in relation to which players would have a meaningful impact on the galaxy's landscape may come as a bit fo a disappointment to some players.

Spoiler: Careful you dont start them off!

O7

 

[Robert Maynard]

Even when its not about that, it seemingly is about 'that'....

Time will, as ever, tell.

 

[Rubbernuke]

Time will, as ever, tell.

But....this has nothing to do with 'that' at all and not remotely part of the discussion. If I were a mod I'd wag my finger and hand you a Topic.

Back on the chocolate nougat and nuts, its really up to FD to find out what players aspire to and need re factions. How about:

stations have tiered access based on rep, with a restricted 'club house' that has a contact giving out the best jobs

friendly and allied have discounts on fuel, reloads

affiliated with a certain engineer / broker for discounts based on rep

some form of decal (picked from a pool of say 30)

make more of surface bases / assets- the more allied you are the more facilities you can visit without trespassing

random and low level perk taken from low PP reward tiers (such as INF boosts, less C+P scans etc) that reward being allied / well behaved

more personal greetings

speedier police help (as in, better ships sent to help you)

 

[Walter2]

Player Made Factions: Applications Closing​

Player Made Factions have played a key role in expressing your will over the shape of the bubble. This goal is at the heart of our plans for Elite and reflected in the Thargoid War. Our focus is now turning to investigate how upcoming systems will allow every player and player group to have a meaningful impact on the galaxy’s landscape. This means we will be closing applications for PMFs, however we will process any remaining applications.

. . . I'm more interested in the wording. I'm not one to hook much meaning off specific wording... but I'm intrigued by the idea that exploring the future impact of PMFs on the galaxy (contextualised by the thargoid war) is contingent on closing PMF apps.

I'm having trouble understanding how the last sentence is a logical conclusion derived from the three preceding statements (which might make more sense if it said "Our focus is now turning to investigate how upcoming systems will continue to allow every player and player group to have a meaningful impact on the galaxy’s landscape").

 

[Jmanis]

I'm having trouble understanding how the last sentence is a logical conclusion derived from the three preceding statements (which might make more sense if it said "Our focus is now turning to investigate how upcoming systems will continue to allow every player and player group to have a meaningful impact on the galaxy’s landscape").

That's fair... having re-read it I'm coming to the same conclusion as you.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Only reason to close PMF apps is because they're doing something big with PMFs that would make allowing further app submissions pointless or counterproductive.

I suspect the thought process was:

• November: oops, we managed to break the thing which adds new PMFs (or possibly "new factions" as there haven't been any new NPC ones since either)
• March: by the time we get round to fixing this thing we'll be so close to space running out anyway that there's no point in bringing it back just for a couple more months. Let's get closure out of the way now while Bruce is already writing a bad news post

The implication I read from "Our focus is now turning to investigate how upcoming systems will allow every player and player group to have a meaningful impact on the galaxy’s landscape." is that whatever those upcoming systems are - and given the wording, likely not soon! - they won't be PMFs or likely even tied to the Political BGS

 

[Screemonster]

There's lots of potential reasons.
One could be that they don't want to deal with the potential fallout of someone picking a system for a new PMF and almost immediately having a maelstrom land in their backyard, and they certainly don't want to restrict/alter the mechanics relating to the main thargoid storyline for the sake of a single player group no matter how big or small.

Another thargoid-related one could simply be that they plan to make things a lot more dynamic such that players will be strongly encouraged not to just camp out in one small cluster of systems or a single faction's territory.

Another could be that they're adding some sort of squadron-based flag-planting game layer that renders the entire concept of needing a PMF in order to put yourself on the map obsolete (remember squadrons were added after PMFs!) and doesn't have the associated problems of orphaned factions being stuck in the game long after the group that added them have disbanded.

There's probably more I haven't thought of. Some more likely than others.

 

[Rubbernuke]

There's lots of potential reasons.
One could be that they don't want to deal with the potential fallout of someone picking a system for a new PMF and almost immediately having a maelstrom land in their backyard, and they certainly don't want to restrict/alter the mechanics relating to the main thargoid storyline for the sake of a single player group no matter how big or small.

Another thargoid-related one could simply be that they plan to make things a lot more dynamic such that players will be strongly encouraged not to just camp out in one small cluster of systems or a single faction's territory.

Another could be that they're adding some sort of squadron-based flag-planting game layer that renders the entire concept of needing a PMF in order to put yourself on the map obsolete (remember squadrons were added after PMFs!) and doesn't have the associated problems of orphaned factions being stuck in the game long after the group that added them have disbanded.

There's probably more I haven't thought of. Some more likely than others.

I think its more to do with how much hassle it is reviewing, inserting, dealing with 'why is it not in / when is it in', the fallout of it being in the wrong place / wrong gov type / annoying Powerplay Powers / abandoning / gaming the BGS system......not to mention complaints from other groups about things.

 

[Rebel Yell]

I think its more to do with how much hassle it is reviewing, inserting, dealing with 'why is it not in / when is it in', the fallout of it being in the wrong place / wrong gov type / annoying Powerplay Powers / abandoning / gaming the BGS system......not to mention complaints from other groups about things.

...ye, the "wrong gov in the wrong place" is a frequent contributor to the "abandoned-PMFs" bucket.