# EDBGS User Guide

EDBGS helps Elite Dangerous commanders and groups track Background Simulation activity, watch influence history, and turn BGS goals into practical directives. The site works best when you connect your Commander account and run the EDBGS EDMC plugin while you play.

## Quick Start

1. Log in to EDBGS with Frontier.
2. Open Setup from the Commander Console.
3. Download the latest EDBGS EDMC plugin.
4. Install the plugin into EDMC's plugins folder and restart EDMC.
5. Generate an API token in Setup.
6. Paste the token into EDMC Settings > Plugins > EDBGS > API Token.
7. Launch Elite Dangerous with EDMC running.
8. Visit the systems you care about, dock, scan Nav Beacons when needed, and let EDBGS collect current intel.
9. Subscribe to the systems you want to track.
10. Create Goals and follow Recommended Activity directives.

## What EDBGS Can Help You Do

- Track your own BGS activity from journal events sent by EDMC.
- Keep watched systems and factions organized in Subscriptions.
- View influence and tick history in History charts.
- Create goals such as raising influence, lowering influence, preventing retreat, triggering expansion eligibility, or winning conflict days.
- Get concrete directives in Recommended Activity when the system has enough fresh intel.
- See commander-faction reputation snapshots when EDMC has sent reputation data for your Commander.
- Coordinate squadron-scope goals when your Frontier squadron status allows it.

EDBGS is still in alpha. If a number or directive looks strange, refresh system intel first, then report the issue in Discord with the system name, faction name, and what you expected to see.

## Step 1: Log In

Use Login with Frontier on the landing page. Frontier login verifies your Commander identity and returns you to EDBGS. EDBGS uses this to connect activity and goals to your Commander account.

If login fails, try again after disabling aggressive browser privacy extensions for the site, or use a normal browser tab instead of a private/incognito window.

## Step 2: Install EDMC

EDBGS relies on EDMC to send journal events while you play. If you do not already have EDMC installed, install and configure Elite Dangerous Market Connector first, then return to the EDBGS Setup window.

## Step 3: Install The EDBGS EDMC Plugin

1. Open EDBGS.
2. Open Setup from the Commander Console.
3. In the EDMC Plugin section, click Download Plugin.
4. Close EDMC if it is running.
5. Unzip the downloaded plugin into your EDMC plugins folder.
6. Start EDMC again.
7. Open EDMC Settings > Plugins and confirm EDBGS appears.

Common EDMC plugin folder locations:

- Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%EDMarketConnectorplugins
- Linux: ~/.local/share/EDMarketConnector/plugins
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/EDMarketConnector/plugins

The final folder should contain the EDBGS plugin files directly. Avoid accidentally creating a double folder such as plugins/edbgs-edmc-plugin/edbgs-edmc-plugin/....

## Step 4: Generate And Paste Your API Token

1. In EDBGS, open Setup.
2. Optional: give the token a label such as Home PC or Laptop.
3. Click Generate New Token.
4. Copy the token immediately. It is only shown once.
5. In EDMC, open Settings > Plugins > EDBGS > API Token.
6. Paste the token and save/apply settings.
7. Restart EDMC if the plugin does not check in after a minute.

Generating a new token revokes older active tokens. If EDMC suddenly stops reporting after you made a new token, paste the newest token into EDMC.

## Step 5: Confirm The Connection

The EDMC status dot near the top of EDBGS tells you whether the site has seen the plugin recently:

- Green: EDMC has recently checked in or sent activity.
- Orange: EDMC was seen recently, but may be idle or not sending events right now.
- Red: no active token or no recent EDMC connection.

The dot can take a short time to update. Jumping systems, docking, scanning, or otherwise creating journal events usually confirms the connection quickly.

## Step 6: Feed Useful System Intel

EDBGS directives depend on current system and faction intel. If the site asks for an intel audit, do this:

1. Travel to the target system.
2. Keep EDMC running.
3. Scan the Nav Beacon when available.
4. Dock or open local station services if relevant.
5. Give the site a moment to receive the journal data.

This helps EDBGS learn the current factions, states, controlling assets, and other context needed for better recommendations.

## Step 7: Subscribe To Systems

Open Subscriptions to review systems EDBGS knows about from your activity. Subscribe to the systems you want included in tracked workflows.

A system usually appears after you interact with it in-game while EDMC is running. If a system is missing, visit it with EDMC active and generate a normal journal event such as a jump, dock, or scan.

## Step 8: Use Goals And Directives

Goals tell EDBGS what outcome you want. Recommended Activity turns those goals into practical directives.

Basic flow:

1. Open Goals.
2. Choose a scope, usually Personal unless you are coordinating squadron work.
3. Select a system.
4. Select the target faction.
5. Select a goal template.
6. Create the goal.
7. Return to Overview and read Recommended Activity.

Directives are intended to be specific: action, target, and location when available. If the system lacks fresh intel, EDBGS may ask for an audit instead of guessing.

## Step 9: Read The Main Tabs

Overview: quick status, activity snapshots, and Recommended Activity.

History: influence and tick charts. Use this to see how factions changed over time and whether projections are matching reality.

Subscriptions: systems you are tracking. Use this to keep the working set clean.

Goals: create, pause, resume, and review BGS goals.

Intel: personal and squadron operational summaries when available.

Squadron: squadron-scoped planning and directives when your account has access.

Stats: admin-only operational information.

## Reputation Notes

EDBGS can show your Commander reputation with local factions when EDMC sends that data from journal snapshots. Reputation is useful because it affects what missions and interactions you can access.

If your reputation with a rival faction is too low or unknown, EDBGS may suggest safe reputation refresh actions. Examples include handing in exploration or exobiology data, or donating credits to that faction somewhere that does not conflict with your other goals.

## Troubleshooting

EDMC dot stays red:

- Confirm you generated a token.
- Confirm the newest token is pasted into EDMC Settings > Plugins > EDBGS.
- Restart EDMC.
- Make sure the EDBGS plugin appears in EDMC's plugin settings.
- Generate a journal event by jumping, docking, or scanning.

Plugin does not appear in EDMC:

- Confirm the plugin was unzipped into EDMC's plugins folder.
- Confirm the plugin files are not nested one folder too deep.
- Restart EDMC after installing.

Site asks for an intel audit:

- Travel to the system named in the directive.
- Scan the Nav Beacon with EDMC running.
- Dock or interact locally if the system still lacks useful station/faction context.

Activity appears late:

- Leave EDMC running while you play.
- Check that the token is current.
- Some influence results only become visible after the BGS tick.

Directives look too generic or missing:

- Refresh system intel first.
- Confirm the target system is subscribed.
- Confirm the target faction is present in the system.
- Check whether a war, election, retreat, expansion, or stale-data condition is limiting safe recommendations.

## Privacy And Scope

EDBGS uses Frontier login to identify your Commander. EDMC sends gameplay journal events needed for BGS tracking and recommendations. Planning directives are generated inside the scope you choose, such as Personal or Squadron. History and projection views may show aggregate observed system outcomes so users can interpret what happened without exposing private planning from another group.

## Getting Help

If you get stuck, use the Discord link on the EDBGS landing page or header. Useful bug reports include:

- Commander name.
- System name.
- Faction name.
- What you were trying to do.
- What the site showed.
- Whether EDMC was green, orange, or red.
- Approximate time in UTC if possible.