(That is to say, what if THARGOIDS were made into a hostile faction, with Aegis rolled into each individual Power as they try to fight off the Thargoids alone.)
There's been a great deal of hubbub recently involving Aegis. Should they be reinstated? Should they be disbanded? Should we all pledge unyielding loyalty to Salvation?
I think it would be a lot cooler if instead, it were rolled into the Powerplay game.
One of the biggest reasons people don't do Powerplay is because it doesn't feel like it really matters. One power gets stronger, another gets weaker, only to flip back and forth, to no real end. To many(not all) players, it feels meaningless.
That could be changed if we introduced Thargoids as a hostile faction.
Imagine, for example, that Zachary Hudson is currently in the lead. Suddenly, Thargoids attack! Several of his outlying Controlled systems are in flames, and if they aren't beaten back fast enough, he'll lose those systems entirely. Now, suddenly the other Powers have a choice; do they move to fight off the Thargoids, helping their potential enemy? Or do they take advantage of the momentary weakness to attack Hudson instead, hoping to guarantee the loss of those systems as defenders are forced to counteract their actions elsewhere?
Working with the Thargoids could gain them power, but at the same time, it could mean that the thargoids aren't stopped, and if they're not stopped, their attack might go deeper, and start to spread to other Powers, as well. Even if they ARE repelled by Hudson alone, it would mean Hudson is weaker, the next time another faction is attacked and needs help.
This creates a sort of 'Prisoners Dilemma', the classic psychology problem, and Powers would need to fight against their baser instincts for power and victory, to work together against the greater enemy.
More importantly, this creates the feeling that the actions of the Power are meaningful, because they have a meaningful impact on the Bubble as a whole.
I think it could be a great way to not only solve the Thargoid problem, but improve Powerplay at the same time!
There's been a great deal of hubbub recently involving Aegis. Should they be reinstated? Should they be disbanded? Should we all pledge unyielding loyalty to Salvation?
I think it would be a lot cooler if instead, it were rolled into the Powerplay game.
One of the biggest reasons people don't do Powerplay is because it doesn't feel like it really matters. One power gets stronger, another gets weaker, only to flip back and forth, to no real end. To many(not all) players, it feels meaningless.
That could be changed if we introduced Thargoids as a hostile faction.
Imagine, for example, that Zachary Hudson is currently in the lead. Suddenly, Thargoids attack! Several of his outlying Controlled systems are in flames, and if they aren't beaten back fast enough, he'll lose those systems entirely. Now, suddenly the other Powers have a choice; do they move to fight off the Thargoids, helping their potential enemy? Or do they take advantage of the momentary weakness to attack Hudson instead, hoping to guarantee the loss of those systems as defenders are forced to counteract their actions elsewhere?
Working with the Thargoids could gain them power, but at the same time, it could mean that the thargoids aren't stopped, and if they're not stopped, their attack might go deeper, and start to spread to other Powers, as well. Even if they ARE repelled by Hudson alone, it would mean Hudson is weaker, the next time another faction is attacked and needs help.
This creates a sort of 'Prisoners Dilemma', the classic psychology problem, and Powers would need to fight against their baser instincts for power and victory, to work together against the greater enemy.
More importantly, this creates the feeling that the actions of the Power are meaningful, because they have a meaningful impact on the Bubble as a whole.
I think it could be a great way to not only solve the Thargoid problem, but improve Powerplay at the same time!
