The BGS and choosing a minor NPC faction

[adrinker]

I've opted recently to choose a home system to work out of, rather than being a transient bum. I had suspected this would be easier, but I'm having an incredibly difficult time choosing a system to play out of. Of systems to shoot for, I've been going by:

Multiple rings, major+ reserves
Multiple stations
Reasonable distances to stations from nav point.
High tech or near high tech.
Empire (personal pref)
Landable planets

Unfortunately, there are quite a few systems that fall into this category, and even within a system there may be multiple factions. Does the BGS offer any differentiation between system factions, or am I supposed to choose solely based upon a name? I can't seem to find any reason to pick one faction over the other to begin influencing?

 

[Apos]

Unfortunately, there are quite a few systems that fall into this category, and even within a system there may be multiple factions. Does the BGS offer any differentiation between system factions, or am I supposed to choose solely based upon a name? I can't seem to find any reason to pick one faction over the other to begin influencing?

a) Name
b) Government type
c) Superpower affiliation

Is what you have to help you make a choice pretty much. Although there's some combinations that you won't be finding no matter how hard you look. You won't be seeing any Imperial Democracies regardless of where you go for example.

 

[Andovar]

I know what you mean. It took me a while to pick one. With this new mission system I really wanted to have a "home base" to fight for, protect, and help expand.
But there's thousands of "homes" in this game.
It's a bit like every city in the country having a dozen different football teams. Uh, which one do I root for???

In the end I just picked one that the alliance strongly favors.

 

[adrinker]

That's pretty annoying. I really hope they do more with this, otherwise I'm basically going to look for the most scenic base of operations because name and government means nothing.

 

[Apos]

That's pretty annoying. I really hope they do more with this, otherwise I'm basically going to look for the most scenic base of operations because name and government means nothing.

Well, system appearance, position and other factors can also be taken into account. In the end though, everyone can and does find a home, so I don't know what more there is to add in this department.

After all, it's not about FD making the system special so that you get drawn to it by design. It's about you finding the system that is special to you.

 

[Banana's_Are_Good_For_You]

Well, if you like to trade slaves then working an Imperial faction would be for you. Since 2.1, states can have a great effect on how much profit you can make.
Flipping systems for personal gain is also viable.
It really depends on how you're planning to play and which in-game laws you may be willing to break. As in smuggling in certain things or just maybe using non-violent means or just killing everything that moves.

If you're looking for a place to find your feet, try the Guardians of Harmony. They pretty much let players go do their thing and share info and such so players get into the game that bit more.
Downside is they're at the butt end of the bubble between Antal and Piratesville so may be too far away.

It really depends on how you want to play and what is acceptable to you.
If you give a list of what you are and aren't prepared to do, maybe other players can point you into your ideal part of space...then we might find you a minor faction you agree with.

Some player controlled minor factions control a few stations, the bigger ones a bit more. Again, it depends on if you wanna do it on your own or team up.

We almost need an evaluation of your personality to find you a proper home.

Government can be important btw.

 

[adrinker]

Well, system appearance, position and other factors can also be taken into account. In the end though, everyone can and does find a home, so I don't know what more there is to add in this department.

After all, it's not about FD making the system special so that you get drawn to it by design. It's about you finding the system that is special to you.

But how is that the case when there is no benefit to aligning myself to one faction or the other, versus just being neutral?

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Imperial systems with good mining aren't in good supply.

 

[Banana's_Are_Good_For_You]

But how is that the case when there is no benefit to aligning myself to one faction or the other, versus just being neutral?

You'll have better missions if you're allied to a faction.

 

[Apos]

But how is that the case when there is no benefit to aligning myself to one faction or the other, versus just being neutral?

There is the benefit of getting better missions after getting better relations with a faction. It was added with this patch.

If a single faction gave an edge over another, what choice would there be? There's already factors like the system having a better economy type/strength, whether HazRez/HighRez exist, etc.

By the way, government and superpower affiliation influences what commodities are allowed and what aren't. So if you want to support the Empire or maximize profit within Imperial space, supporting Imperial faction is generally preferred, since Independents will ban Imperial Slavery from their markets.

 

[smiths121]

Some thoughts

Some minor factions have expanded on their own. Take a look at surrounding systems and see if the minor factions in your candidate system exist in nearby systems. That could swing it for you.
Another area to consider is how busy you want the system to be. More traffic the harder it is to control influence, particularly if there are black markets in the system (often best to let pirates run these, that way only stolen goods are sold there rather than also be a market for illegal goods). Less traffic the more isolated you'll feel, fine if you have a group of mates and tend to play in solo or private group, but does rather give up some ot the benefits of open.

Simon

 

[Sapyx]

Another factor to consider is the presence of other players who are also working the BGS, and whether that's a desirable thing for you or not.

Some player groups have formed around the procedurally-generated factions that have always been in the game. Other player groups have had their very own custom-created faction inserted into a system of their choice. In both cases, those factions will likely be "large" (spread across numerous systems) and popular (have high influence in the systems where they are present). If you find yourself attracted to a system where such a player-backed faction is present, it might pay you to join up with that player group and work with them in manipulating the BGS. It would be frustrating trying to work against them all by yourself, since you're only one player and they might have dozens of players they can call upon to work against you.

If you're not sure if the BGS in a system is being actively worked by players, there are two things you can do to check. Search the forums, or even Google the name of the system or faction, to see if they have a detectable player base. Second, look at the traffic report for the system when you're docked. If there are hundreds of players visiting, then at lest some of them are likely to be working the BGS there. If there's only a dozen players or less, then the system is likely "free" and your actions are likely to have a big impact on the local BGS, since no-one is likely to be actively opposing you. Be aware that Powerplay can also dramatically increase the level of player activity within a system so if you want to be left alone, fly out and find someplace far away from the hurly-burly of Powerplay.

Finally, there's system population to take into account. I'm not talking players, I'm talking the population statistic you see on the galaxy and system maps. Systems with low population are easier to manipulate than systems with larger populations.