First bonus for playing in OPEN coming to PP

[Nethaufer]

You know, I'm not wholly against the idea of bonuses (the fact that they need to consider adding such bonuses in the first place is really, REALLY silly), so long as they only ADD bonuses, and not take a percentage off of whatever in either Solo or Private. Because then I can just keep playing my merry way. But still, this is something that will cause an even greater rift in the community. Hopefully if they try to implement this there will be enough backlash that they revert the changes. And if not this time, hopefully sometime further down the line.

[CMDR Abil Midena]

Lets say they add a 30% bonus to Open play.

To me, that means a solo/group player's time is now only 70% as effective as before.

Think of it another way. They could just as well have said they are making no change to Open, but changing that solo/group players efforts to 70%. It's the same thing. A buff to one group is a nerf to the others.

[Hrdina]

Lets say they add a 30% bonus to Open play.

To me, that means a solo/group player's time is now only 70% as effective as before.

Think of it another way. They could just as well have said they are making no change to Open, but changing that solo/group players efforts to 70%. It's the same thing. A buff to one group is a nerf to the others.

The math is not entirely accurate, but your last sentence is.

(if they add a 30% bonus to Open, then non-open time is worth 1.0/1.3 = 76.9% as much)

I don't really have a problem with doing this in PP, as it seems to me that PP is inherently a competitive enterprise. Maybe if I still played PP I would think differently.

If they ever do the same thing with the BGS or (worse in my mind) trading & exploration, I would probably walk away and not look back.

[Black Rose]

Luckily this is Sandra just thinking out loud. No decisions are made yet. Still it seems he is leaning towards a more PvP style.
The consequences would be that less players will take part in PP though Imho.

So PP is Sandro's baby, and when you listen to the other developers they tend to defer to him on any PP questions, so I suspect that he is looking for anything to revitalise a part of the game that many players have either ignored, or just simply use as a means to get bonuses without any true interaction.

I suspect that PP tends to be a casual affair for most participants, you can see this by the over-fortification of so many systems, where IMO players are just getting their bonuses by going to the most convenient rather most strategic system.

The main gripe of PVP players is the lack of other players to PVP with, and the main gripe of dedicated PP'ers is that they can't stop the mass effects of people they can't see, so giving a bonus for doing your PP stuff in open answers both of these issues.

Now Sandro states clearly that

this modifier would not improve personal gains from power play activities

only that it would magnify PP power activities, so for the majority it is irrelevant and only really affects those dedicated to PP.

Oddly, I don't have an issue with this, the concept of risk vs. reward is fine IMO, but I suspect that the majority of the player base will continue to ignore it, and all the time there is no personal gain to be made it's fine with me.

TL:DR - Sandro is trying to re-vitalise the flagging PP system and sees PVP players as a way to do it.

I have to agree here. I am killing myself to fortify systems that are under threat while I look with disgust at sytems with 3,990 fortification and ZERO undermining. My average one way trip to fortify is 7 jumps. The trip back can be shortened somewhat if I decline to bring back cargo to help offset the cost of rushing the timers.

Its my opinion that when a system reaches 100% fortification, any further supplies dropped would be only at 1/2 value. Or something. The fools don't realize that the bounty bonuses are cumulative and if their patron leader moves up in rank, the bonus % stack.

[TorTorden]

It's not necessarily that they don't realise the bonuses stack.
But that 99% pledging to a power is in it for themselves and has zero clue or the frame of mind to work together.

If they want to deliver x cargo for merits then they simply find the closest large pad capable system and dump everything there. With zero regard to whether that system is needed, wanted or under threat.

Personally I find that to be the true problem with power play. It's an mmo features in and snacks game completely lacking in the mmo game mechanics that make the first feature work in terms first place.

It's shoddy lazy game design from start to finish.

[Xebeth]

<snip>

This is one of PP's problems, but also

1) ED is created around the concept of the lone pilot making their way in a hostile galaxy, I keep being told to "blaze my own trail", why then should I care about some power hungry politician
2) The Powers do absolutely nothing to engage you as a player, there is no story, no thank you, no feeling of taking part in some greater struggle, just hours of grind for credits, basically you're just working for the government
3) Being pledged to a power just brings inconvenience, basically pledge and have a chunk of the bubble out of bounds
4) Disloyalty brings rewards in ED, want a Vette then buddy up to the Feds, then screw them over to get a shiny new Cutter. There is a reason the game was first released under the subtitle "Mercenary Edition", because that is what we are, mercenaries, the Powers don't care about us, neither do the Major Factions, so why should we care about them

It is well known in psychology that once an organisation gets beyond a certain size most people cannot associate themselves to it, FD would have been better spending the development time of PP on minor factions and the BGS, a galaxy full of hundreds, if not thousands, of competing feudal factions would be far more interesting than a galaxy of just a few superpowers.

[TorTorden]

Absolutely .
Elite was and has been the space version of the lone cowboy/samurai, warrior fantasy with some buccaneering thrown in for good measure.

Trying to make that into an MMO is simply a bad idea.
Just because the matchmaker server can randomly connect people does not make it one.
Is it a massive multiplayer game online. Yes.
But it is not an MMO genre type game.

My first thought looking at the PP personalities is I honestly wouldn't piss on them if they where on fire.
Then I wished I had a virtual gas can and a zippo.

Honestly 1.3 and power play is and unmitigated disaster. Down to the very bones of the mechanic.
They can try to repaint the veneer but it still remains a shoddy IKEA table.

Granted I don't care about power play. Is giving players in open a boost the right choice.
Maybe, but I kind of doubt it.
If they do we will immediately start seeing people sabotaging the upnp connection with the matchmaker server and be playing in open with all the benefits that gives, and none of the risks tied to the reason they have the benefits there in the first place.

Can this be traced or detected, possibly. But it could also be the user being cursed with a bad router forced on them by their ISP.
Some benefit of the doubt in such cases must be given to the player.

If this post makes no sense it's getting to about midnight and I have been sort of nipping wine and beer since noon.

[Gorf]

I have to admit I'm a bit lost when it comes to PP. I can't take it seriously when you have a bunch of character art stolen from the likenesses of real people, and a BGS that doesn't work very well even when it comes to something simple like trading, nevermind agressive politics.

Anyway - my point: If nobody else takes PP seriously, and Frontier bring in something to make open play more attractive via PP bonuses, how would that have a lasting effect if the only people who would be attracted to it are those who think open is the be-all and end-all?

[Jack Dunhill]

I don't really care PP either, but im now trying it to get cool new stuff and i really think large portion of PP players are the same.

I basicly get why some folks think PP should be PvP style gameplay, heck even if i'm not into PvP myself i could accept some player attacking me because we serve opposing powers. (But those folks who attack players for no reason at all i really dont understand)

So when they say that this bonus does not apply to personal gain, only power gains to expand, fortify etc i dont think it makes that much differnce to average player. My main concern is the fact they are thinking of giving ANY bonuses to one mode over others.

[*Al*]

I am with you on this Jack.

I think there are two things here;

Firstly PP is/was a big mistake that I do not think can be fixed (or indeed justifies the time spent to try to fix it, just let it die).
Secondly, and IMUHO most importantly sort the big problem out! If FD (rightly maybe) want more Commanders in Open then address the problem directly, more protection (system security are very happy too chase down Smugglers why not Pirates) against groups who appear to enjoying spoiling others fun.

Radical I know (but not much sleep in Casa Al), how about creating an additional mode? call it 'bully/real life mode' hell call it 'Iron pants mode' or whatever the marketing Dept come up with (I work in the biz).

The problem is that some are spoiling the game for others. We know who they are. I really do not understand why FD cannot make us all happy. FD, think on this one, we all profit.

Best

Al of the Quays