Assembly Hall

This is a suggestion to augment the current sov system and completely replace moon mining. I originally posted this on the PL internal forums. If you are confused the example should help.

The Requirements
Space must be:

• Easy to understand for new players.
• Offer day-to-day conflict and content.
• Offer interesting opportunities for counterplay.
• Accessible to large and small groups.

To do this it will have to be:

• Easy to take from others (see justifications below).
• Valuable to hold because it has intrinsic value (like a tech moon).
• Valuable to individuals in the alliance (bottom up‚ like rats).
• Differing and uneven in value (creates conflict).
• Accessible to any number of players in any ship.

We should:

• Augment existing mechanics, wholesale replacements rarely work.

The Mechanic
Capturing Sovereignty

• Holding at least 50% of the inbound stargates captures a system. Systems are captured from the outside.
• To capture an inbound stargate an alliance ship must enter “capture mode” within 100km of the stargate.
--- A player must be in capture mode on the gate for at least 150 minutes to capture it. More players do not increase the speed.
--- A player in capture mode cannot warp, jump, or cloak and stays in this state for 120s after exiting capture mode
--- Leaving 100km at any point removes exits you from capture mode. You may not re-enter capture mode for 120 seconds.
--- Entering capture mode in high or low sec globally flags you criminal (not concordable, just shootable).

• Any defender on the stargate in capture mode cancels out all attacking ships in capture mode.
• Capture speed is reduced by a percentage equal to the percentage of adjacent systems held by the attacking alliance.
--- The attacker may remove this penalty if the Dust players capture the majority of the planets for them.

• While a gate is not being captured its capture timer falls at 2x real time. (E.g. 2 minutes fall off for every minute that passes).
• You may not start a capture of a system without adjacency excepting if:
--- You capture the iHub/Station.
--- The system is bordered by NPC space.

Capturing Stations and Moon Minerals

• Stations and iHubs are taken through the old system‚ but loosing sov disables any upgrades and the passive income source.
--- Systems where sov and stations are held differently are freeports for docking.

• Minerals are now obtained from a customs agency on the moon (in a compressed form).
• Minerals are mined (as in mining barge mined) from the moon at this waypoint.
• Only a player of the holding alliance may gather these minerals.
• They build to a maximum with in about 3 days, and are depleted completely within about 4 hours for a single player (intended to be a group activity).

Example

Example_Map

• In the above picture G-73 may not be captured as all adjacent systems are owned by the same alliance (TILCH).
• In the above picture BRICK may capture TJM-JJ or AD-5B8 since it has adjacency.
• To capture AD-5B8 BRICK must hold 2 of the following 3:
• AD-5B8 gate in UBX-CC‚ AD-5B8 gate іn G-73MR, AD-5B8 gаte in 54-MF6
• BRICK cаptures TJM-JJ at a 50% rate (2/4 adjacent held) taking 300 minutes (5 hоurs)

Justifications
Sov Should Be Easy To Take

Easy provides conflict and content. When space is hard to take (like the current system) little groups are butted out and so are little fights. This is why there are a bunch of **** pot alliances in NPC space and low sec. The current sov system encourages a fight once a week for a given system, and it is generally not because the system is valuable. Moons on the other hand (easy to take if undefended) encourage huge fights, and frequent ones at that. Requiring active, bottom up investment in gathering moon resources offers great opportunities for small gang harassment and fights. Like the eve of old you now need to protect your mining op, ratters etc. Space that is easy to defend encourages the most brutal and effective tactics in Eve, boring the other guy out. When you have to constantly defend your borders against the "solo rifter", there is very high incentive to say **** it to space you don't care about.

Capturing a System From the Outside

A system being captured from the outside provides great counterplay possibilities, and also adds a whole new element of geography to eve. It also helps break up le blob. Coalitions also loose some of there oomph when a five-man gang can capture your system. You need to actively defend space. Border regions would become conflict drivers. I sincerely hope to see border regions in a constant state of flux.

Space Should Be Inherently Valuable

Because that creates incentive for both taking and holding it. There needs to be great risks and rewards in Eve, it is what makes the games so rewarding to start with. This said players need some sense of security, which is why stations are captured through the old, hard to take system.