Will colonization be the prerogative of the squadron or any player?

[Вильям Адама]

I understand that everyone wants their own systems, but wouldn't it be more logical to make this mechanic inside the squadron? Since it will probably be almost impossible to pull this off alone.
In the end, the squadrons themselves do not have enough expansion inside the game, except to rally the players into one group.

There are no awards within the squadrons, no common squadron bank so that pilots can be rewarded with salaries, and no common tasks can be created.

Otherwise, it would be a mini community goal within the squadron.The squadron commander could assign people to build and coordinate colonization.

We really lack mechanics for the squadrons. Apart from the tag, they don't bring anything into the game. In fact, colonization of the system is much more expensive than a fleet carrier, and should require a lot of effort and money for this. And using the same squadron bank would be much more appropriate for these purposes, don't you think?

 

[Inscydeus]

I would expect that organised squadrons will be able to colonise more efficiently yes, but I don't think that's a good reason to restrict content to them either.

 

[ZeroNulifier]

It is not proposed to limit colonization for individuals. Let it be if someone wants to do it alone. Let's better focus on the idea of providing more functions for the squadron. I think it's a great idea for players to set a goal for such a microsociety as a squadron. Colonize a specific system, build and send a colonizer ship there, bring materials and protect while the construction of space ports is underway. Such actions need to be coordinated. And it seems to me that doing this at the squadron level is the most correct option.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

My impression from the latest Frontier Unlocked stream is that it will be both a solo and a group activity, with groups being able to build up a particular system faster by working together to haul the needed goods.

Our job as players in the colonisation process, once a site has been chosen, is almost certainly going to be entirely logistical. Hauling goods certainly, maybe transporting passengers too. Since we can pilot massive ships single-handedly, each carrying hundreds of tons at once, with almost instant loading and unloading times, I don't think it calls for too much suspension of disbelief for one CMDR to be able to get the job done.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Since there's no minimum size for a squadron there isn't really a concept of "restrict colonisation to squadrons" that could apply in the first place, so no particular reason to make people set up personal squadrons because that's where the colonisation tools are kept.

On the other side, being unable to start a personal colonisation project without leaving your current squadron seems like it wouldn't be great for morale.

 

[Brrokk]

Why break the squadron feature? Once there's something individuals want to do alone which only a squadron can do, all those people will leave whatever squadron they're in and make their own squadron of one.

 

[Mohrgan]

At the very basic level, everyone wants access to all of the game's mechanics, limiting any activity to 'group only' put the sizable solo player-out in the cold, simply to make work for a Squadron. From my memory, the Squadron mechanic has always been about facilitating communications between like minded Commanders, rather than a empire building tool. Let's make room for everyone in all features of the game.

Do we really need to see people coerced into joining a Squadron, just to gain access to the Colonization tools?

 

[BL1P]

For some reason I imagined it would be factions that colonised, not squads or players.
If that was the case the minimum group would be 10 players or was 10 when the faction was created.

 

[Mohrgan]

For some reason I imagined it would be factions that colonised, not squads or players.
If that was the case the minimum group would be 10 players or was 10 when the faction was created.

From the inception of PMFs and Squadrons, till the announcement of PP2, I had a one-man solo set-up. I had a presence in few systems, but mostly just maintained my core system, and kept my guys just below expansion level influence. How did I do this? I lied. I told FDev I had 11 members, and they moved me along. It could happen again.

As a solo player I expect things to take longer than when a group gets to work. But, I am in it for the time sink (Amongst other things).

If it is a developed game mechanic, let all those who play enjoy it.

P.S. FDev has ceased offering new PMFs.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

For some reason I imagined it would be factions that colonised, not squads or players.
If that was the case the minimum group would be 10 players or was 10 when the faction was created.

Factions will move into systems that are created. We will be the architects, but beyond the initial faction, determined by the faction we bought the construction beacon from, the BGS then takes over, which of course we can influence.

Also, you're confusing PMFs with factions in general. All we do is adopt factions, sometimes ones placed there by FD, some of us petitioned FD to insert factions, which we then adopt. We don't actually own any factions directly though. Same way we won't actually own the systems we colonize.

 

[BL1P]

From the inception of PMFs and Squadrons, till the announcement of PP2, I had a one-man solo set-up. I had a presence in few systems, but mostly just maintained my core system, and kept my guys just below expansion level influence. How did I do this? I lied. I told FDev I had 11 members, and they moved me along. It could happen again.

As a solo player I expect things to take longer than when a group gets to work. But, I am in it for the time sink (Amongst other things).

If it is a developed game mechanic, let all those who play enjoy it.

P.S. FDev has ceased offering new PMFs.

I did the same but there was 3 of us
Alas the other 2 stopped long ago. A couple of people have come and gone over the years.
Ive basicly given up on PMF myself now as I was getting bored of the nothing gained aspect. But I/we did get it to 53 systems at one point

Good point about no new PMFs

 

[BL1P]

Factions will move into systems that are created. We will be the architects, but beyond the initial faction, determined by the faction we bought the construction beacon from, the BGS then takes over, which of course we can influence.

Also, you're confusing PMFs with factions in general. All we do is adopt factions, sometimes ones placed there by FD, some of us petitioned FD to insert factions, which we then adopt. We don't actually own any factions directly though. Same way we won't actually own the systems we colonize.

I wasnt confusing them. I just used the wrong name sorry

 

[Вильям Адама]

In this case, in order not to limit people, can you screw similar mechanics both in solo and from the squadron menu? I also wanted to generally raise the idea that the squadrons are severely lacking in functionality.

 

[Mohrgan]

In this case, in order not to limit people, can you screw similar mechanics both in solo and from the squadron menu? I also wanted to generally raise the idea that the squadrons are severely lacking in functionality.

My recollection on that topic was the Squadrons are to facilitate comms between commanders. Not to help them overpower systems, or make squadron membership obligatory. Keeping squadrons as simple as possible is by design.

Don't let my reminders about the origins of certain features give the impression I am not interested in improvements to those systems, nor am I trying to block conversation about the future of any feature. I am just trying to paint a more informed picture on how we got here, and remind peeps about how a solo player might see the galaxy.

 

[metatheurgist]

Frontier are already masters of creating exclusionary content, don't give them any more ideas. Also, squadrons.

The whole idea is ridiculous. You'd think the 6T people living in the bubble would choose to expand based on their own needs and demands and could find their own system without relying on the All Powerful Commander Federation.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

Frontier are already masters of creating exclusionary content, don't give them any more ideas. Also, squadrons.

The whole idea is ridiculous. You'd think the 6T people living in the bubble would choose to expand based on their own needs and demands and could find their own system without relying on the All Powerful Commander Federation.

It's a video game. As such it already demands a significant degree of suspension of disbelief, such as every "death" having the player wake up in a brand new ship or in a prison where one can more or less just immediately waltz out. Instead of requiring us to roll up a new character. There are games that have play modes like that, but there's a reason they're generally called something like "hardcore" and have a reputation for being particularly rage-inducing. It would be trivially easy in such circumstances for months or even years worth of gameplay effort to end up consigned to the electronic ether because of some particularly unfortunate combination of in-game circumstances, hence why such modes are almost always optional. That's just one of the in-game features that have already been present in the game for a long time, if not since the beginning. I'm sure that one could single out almost any mechanic and pick it apart for not making sense according to some argumentatively defined standard of "realism".

As for colonisation specifically, I wasn't here in the early days so I don't know whether the possibility for "natural" colonial expansion into uninhabited systems was ever considered by the design team. Perhaps it should have been if it wasn't, but then again I can also understand why more pertinent and immediate features would have taken greater priority, or that they decided the extra work on including such expansion into the BGS wasn't worth it, or whatever other reason they would have had for not devoting limited development resources to the problem at the time. Now that the game has been up and running for a decade, I'd say that it makes sense from game mechanical perspective for uninhabited system colonisation to be player-driven as a new feature, even if the edges of the bubble having been static for a decade doesn't make sense from a narrative or setting perspective.

There are elements of simulation in ED of course, but it is designed and marketed as a game first and foremost. It is in the nature of being a video game that concessions to player agency have to be made. Whether that relates to character death, colonisation, or anything else.

 

[Riverside]

Since there's no minimum size for a squadron there isn't really a concept of "restrict colonisation to squadrons" that could apply in the first place, so no particular reason to make people set up personal squadrons because that's where the colonisation tools are kept.

On the other side, being unable to start a personal colonisation project without leaving your current squadron seems like it wouldn't be great for morale.

Squadrons contain a mechanism that allows transfer of leadership that could be used to transfer 'ownership' of any colonised system or systems. Squadrons can also be disbanded though, leaving a question of where ownership would transfer to.

 

[Nadreck]

We had a similar discussion when Carriers were going to be squadron-only, and some of the same arguments would apply here too. Players creating one-member squadrons, players temporarily joining squadrons to meet any minimum-size requirements, and so on.

However, at least Carriers are player-owned, I don't expect colonies to be. Just as factions (including PMF's) aren't. Once created, they will probably no longer be under any one player's (or squadron's) control. Though I'm not sure where the "system architect" role fits into this.

One wealthy and dedicated player can generally achieve more than a squadron of casuals anyhow, so it can't really be balanced around a squadron.