Player Features and Ideas Discussion

tl;dr is being put at the top because is going to be a massive post.

• Races, Shields/Armor, Weapons, should have distinct differences and play style.
• Races should be a guideline to the play style of the player.
• Making everything the same does not necessarily make it easier to understand or balance.

Something has been bugging me for the longest time in the Eve online, and now the devs seem to be infected with it. So I'm posting this.


You're balancing ideas seem to be conflicting each other, correct me if I am wrong on the fact that you would like players to specialize to do a particular task\Race ? If so, then why are you so intent on making ALL the race is th e same Your original post here : https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=99872 accentuates my point. Yet you turn around and tell us to specialize in a particular race. See this dev blog here http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=9129
But you're making all the races do pretty much the same thing in the same way. Sure the modules are named differently and have slightly different stats. But it's the same basic idea.


You have four different races that clearly have different ways of looking at the same problem. Why not use that balancing, giving a particular race traits/play style will make it easier for new players to understand and guide them down the path they will like. Let's let's take a long look at each race using their tanking type and an electronics warfare preference as a base. What can we gather from their way of thinking from their specialities? (remember I am speaking in general terms I'm sure you will be able to find at least one exception for every race because CCP has been streamlining for so long...)

Caldari: shield/ECM :


• Well it's hard for you to fight back if you can't get get a lock on us (ECM)


• we would prefer to move out of the way of incoming fire rather than sit there. (Speed/shield)


• We like to bombard our enemy from far away where it is safe (missiles.)

Amarr armor/capacitor warfare


• We prefer to get up close and personal trading blow for blow in heavily armored bricks (armor tanking ship descriptions)


• It's harder for you to escape if your ship doesn't work (capacitor warfare)


• Medium-range weapons are best because we can take the hits and it easier to aim up close but were slow (Lasers)

Gallente armor/sensor dampeners edit : it has been pointed out to me that I know nothing about Gallente so please take this section with a grain of salt


• We'll mind brawling.(Armor tanking)


• Just because I'm allowed a hit and you doesn't mean you're allowed to hit me (Sensor dampeners)


• Combination between close range and long-range weapons don't forget those annoying bugs called drones(do you really need to explain this one.....)

Minmatar mostly shield/with some armor/target painters


• Being fast is good so you don't get hit but sometimes being able to take a hit is good to (shield and armor both have their benefits and drawbacks)


• If I'm going to attack something let's make sure it's the easiest that it (if my ships not going to make it out of this I can at least make sure I hit my target)


• Up close or from a distance let's make sure it counts (if my ships not going to make it out of this I can at least make sure my target won't either)

From this I would surmise it would be a no-brainer to retool most of the ships in each race to their corresponding qualities. (It does not need to be these exact qualities this is just an example......)

Caldari: fast agile long-range but can't very many hits good for hiding at the outskirts of the battle wreaking havoc.
Amarr: Right in the thick of it trading blows with my opponent and shrugging it off.
Minmatar: Whether weather and heavy armored or fast and quick. I want to make sure my opponent dies before I do.
Gallente : I can take a hit I would prefer not to. But you will take lots of hits


The main theme of all your changes seem to be to make things easier for new players. Changes like these would give a new player a clearly defined play style depending on which race they fly. This would eliminate a a lot of the questions and confusions when first starting the game, and maybe even alleviate the learning cliff a little bit.

This would also fall right in line with your ship lines concept. Caldari bombardment shipline should be should be better at their role than Amarr bombardment shipline. However Amarr combat shipline should be better combat ships than Caldari Combat lines to reflect their race's particular attributes (see here for ship lines description http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=9129)

bump

I am inclined to think Caldari should have the greatest range of all the racial profiles, at least when using missiles designed for it.

Heck, they should be able to target things from off grid, using a spotter, and have missiles warp to target.

Let's face it, with the delay missiles have in dealing damage, they are obviously at a disadvantage against guns when mutually in range.

Yes, artillery is famous for being long range. And it surely is already.

But missiles are famous for taking road trips, and going to different timezones to greet people.

How the heck can we call it a cruise missile, when it can't even go off local grid?
Missiles are specific to targets outside of artillery range, almost everywhere but in EVE.

Just my ideas on it.

I will admit that my idea has some problems is pointed out to me on some of our internal forms that my understanding of the two races that I do not fly is very flawed , and I am very bad at English at 3 AM in the morning. so... Welp ..... so my comment about sensor damps makes me look like an idiot but I is the idea has any merit whatsoever I'm okay with being laughed at for a while..