Black Rose wrote:So now I just do whatever I feel like doing and let this crazy mess come out whichever way it feels like going as it seems that nothing a player does has any effect on the outcome what so ever.
Sorry to say, your experiences with PP are very similar to mine.
I was all gung-ho to 'do the right thing' for ALD in the beginning, and checked Reddit before doing any merit grinds to ensure that I was helping the cause. I checked for updated news on the board every few days, and flew all over hell and beyond to help the cause. After a couple of months of that and seeing local expansions get fortified at 3000% or more, I felt like I was wasting my time flying a combat ship 200+ly to do the right thing, when many others didn't appear to care and were just out to get the merits.
Well... they say that if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em.
Now I get my merits at the closest combat location. I only merit hunt once every 3-4 weeks anyway, just to maintain level 2 and get the BH bonuses, so I'm sure that my little merit grind has very little impact on the Voodoo magic that is PowerPlay.