Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Here is a thought.

Make a turtle.

Make a mining drone ship.
No turret slots, no launcher hardpoints.

Make it so tough, that anyone trying to solo gank one is recommended to take a drug test afterwards.
(Think Marauder level defenses)
50 m3 dronebay / 25 bandwidth
Put the Ore hold for 8k m3
Set a cargo hold for 200 m3

(We don't want this thing cross training to be a replacement for the blockade runner either)

Now, have it rely exclusively on mining drones. It can fit 10 total in it's drone bay, and control 5 in space.

Give it bonuses so these 5 drones can collectively perform at a level between the Covetor and the Hulk.

Now, gankers can eat these drones, sure... but the ship can get away. It can fit a tank they can't get through, if it wants.
(again, Marauder levels, but focusing on defense... a fleet could eat one, but not a solo ship very well)

Worried about bots? The ganking clans can still show up and clip those drones to ribbons. Bots don't mine much if there are no drones to supply them, and a smartbombing vessel can instapop them.

TL:DR Gankers can stop it from working, but it is likely to survive the encounter
Figure, using estimates based on: http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Advanced_mining

Rokh hourly output: 84,000 units of Omber

Covetor hourly output: 101,880 units of Omber

Hulk hourly output: 181,920 units of Omber

We would want serious miners, with proper fleet support, to never stray from the Hulk's standards. (Till the day CCP decides they need something better)

This would be a serious mining ship.

Using T2 mining drones, a set of 5 with minimal travel delay can mine 31,200 per hour.
This travel time has the mother vessel parked on top of the asteroid, (within 1km), however, not aligned for safe exit, or between multiple asteroids doing several at once.
It also presumes skills Mining Drone Operations at 5, and Drone Interfacing at 5.

I would suggest the ship to have a skill, Mining Drone Ship, each skill level to give a 100% increase in drone yield.

For reference, this means IF you have:
Mining Drone Operations at 5
Drone Interfacing at 5
Mining Drone Ship at 5
AND the ship within 1Km of the asteroid
(That could kill the mining rate for people who forget to park on top of the roid....)

Your output would be, (in Omber), 156,000 an hour.

Not as good as the Hulk, certainly more skill intensive, and you get to be safer.

Lovely.

Now explain how we get one of these mining drone carriers into High-Sec, where the ganking is an issue.

A rokh? If it doesn't have a yield in the range needed, between the Covetor and the Hulk, then it is not viable.

That's not terrible, but for a serious miner it could become a non starter.

Figure, using estimates based on: http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Advanced_mining

Rokh hourly output: 84,000 units of Omber

Covetor hourly output: 101,880 units of Omber

Hulk hourly output: 181,920 units of Omber

We would want serious miners, with proper fleet support, to never stray from the Hulk's standards. (Till the day CCP decides they need something better)

This would be a serious mining ship.

Using T2 mining drones, a set of 5 with minimal travel delay can mine 31,200 per hour.
This travel time has the mother vessel parked on top of the asteroid, (within 1km), however, not aligned for safe exit, or between multiple asteroids doing several at once.
It also presumes skills Mining Drone Operations at 5, and Drone Interfacing at 5.

I would suggest the ship to have a skill, Mining Drone Ship, each skill level to give a 100% increase in drone yield.

For reference, this means IF you have:
Mining Drone Operations at 5
Drone Interfacing at 5
Mining Drone Ship at 5
AND the ship within 1Km of the asteroid
(That could kill the mining rate for people who forget to park on top of the roid....)

Your output would be, (in Omber), 156,000 an hour.

Not as good as the Hulk, certainly more skill intensive, and you get to be safer.

I like your idea...but,...what if we eliminated the drones??? And just went with a high output mining laser that would only reach a short distance...such as...2km. Even call it the turtle or something because it has to actually sit on the asteroid to be able to use it's lasers.

doing a little quick math, that would end up giving only about 650M3 per minute taking into account the ship skill being 5 and mining drone operation to 5. so unless there is some other skill that effects them (I have a feeling that I'm missing one or 2) that would be a somewhat weak mining amount considering other options.

Yeah, this definitely needs to have it's 'ideal' output high enough to justify using it instead of a tanked BS.

If pilots don't want to use barges or exhumers to mine with, that class of ships becomes fail in game design.

That's why I suggested, (in Omber), 156,000 an hour.

Now, this needs the pilot to use all 5 drones
AND Mining Drone Operations at 5
AND Drone Interfacing at 5
AND Mining Drone Ship at 5
AND the ship within 1Km of the asteroid

Which means, if they do all the above, they can mine with less efficiency than an unboosted Hulk.

BUT, since it is safer, and better than a Covetor's output, it could be a popular choice.

As you can see from the requirement's above, however, it will NOT be easier.

You're missing Drone Interfacing V (+20% to drone mining yield per level) which would double the number to 1300m^3. Mix in the rigs and you're up to 1546m3.

This ship would be the equivalent of using 40 mining drones.

((5 base drones + 1 Drone/Level) * (1 + (20% Drone Interfacing/Level)) * (1 + (20% Drone Yield/Level))

It seems like a lot, but remember that mining drones are paper thin and really slow.

Hulks are popular mining ships, but they are not safe without support, or at least compromising their fittings for defensive rather than mining efficiency.

Get a proper mining fleet, and they rule. Ultimate mining ships, without peer. Fleets will always want the Hulks.

Go solo, and they are a bad idea, and notorious for being gank targets.

In areas where you cannot rely on fleet support, or when you are solo and don't want to stare at your captains quarters, this gives you lower risk for lower reward, but more effort and skill requirements as a tax.

How about this..

You have all the other skills

Then you have the drone mining ship skill.

This skill does several things.

Increases mining drone yield and optimal range by 75% per level, and can field 1 additional mining drone per level.

So, at lvl 5 you get 375% better yield and range of mining drones, and can field 10 mining drones.

As far as the slot layout, here's what I suggest

3 high
6 mid
2 low
3 rigs
Cargo capacity 2000m3
Drone BW 50
Drone Bay 50

This allows you to have a few high slots for weapon defense (ship gets 3 turret and 3 launcher hardpoints)
6 mids for tank/speed modules
2 lows for cargo expanders, or perhaps a new mining drone yield module (similar to mining upgrades)
3 rig slots for whatever

You would only be able to house 1 full rack of mining drones, so you have no combat drones available, unless you decide not to use some.

It should have enough cpu to fit a local tank, and maybe and afterburner, and only able to fit small guns and launchers. You can drop the guns for more power/cpu to appy more shield tank or a mwd.

I'd say base speed of this ship is that of a battleship.

Ganking isn't an issue in highsec, otherwise hulk pilots would adapt their behavior to fit tanking mods instead of just piling on MLUs, cargohold expanders and cargo rigs.