Missions & Complexes

The concept behind the hacking minigame is decent. However, I find it extremely annoying when the following things occur during the minigame:

1. Two or more Virus Supressors are on the field at once.
2. Two or more restoration nodes (or if only two resto nodes are the only thing out)
3. A restoration node AND a virus supressor at the same time.

3 is a matter of tactics and I feel shouldn't be nerfed outright. 1 and 2 something needs to be done about.

Ideas for dealing with #1:
-Limit of one suppressor out at a time (switch to a firewall or other...preferably non-resto node object on uncovery). Multiple suppressors would be able to spawn in a game, unless you got one and never destroyed it. This isn't seen as *that big* of a problem as it still penalizes the player, but for all they know the system core could be in a node disabled by it.
-Ensure the player has a non-suicide method of dealing with multiple suppressors, if they exist, is present. A bypass tool (60 dmg over 3 turns) is good for this. Otherwise, with 40 strength, it takes 4 cycles (60 coherence dmg) to kill a suppressor, this is more than the anti-virus node. This seems backwards.

Ideas for dealing with #2:
-Only one resto node can be out at a time
-Resto nodes cannot refresh other resto nodes
-Resto nodes only repair the defensive module nearest them (UI element if using shortest path or linear distance? Or a training video?)

Final comments: I think the game would be absolutely perfect if there was something more than blindly clicking. Make it like minesweeper, with numbers on uncovered nodes (make datacache nodes a risk, you have to open the cache to see the number, risking what's inside) show a 'hotter/colder' number for how close to the system core you are.

For reference, all of my time exploring has been done in 0.0 space. If it's not so bad in high sec...that's news to me. As for skills, I am using a covert ops, with T2 mods, and rigs. I'm as 'pimped out' (sans implants) as I can be. If I find it annoying, I can't help but imagine how annoying this is for someone without so much bling.

I'm not a game dev. Just...I hate failing at something after getting 'the max I can get'. That's crap and a half. The money is great. I make this post just to offer feedback. Maybe the money being nice is fair compensation for having unwinnable games. /shrug

I am using the all mods available (ps: rigs, ship, implants, and the analyzer itself are all there are). The hardest cans have 90 coherence on the system core. What I want is the most difficult games to be winnable. It very well may be that only the hardest ones need a tweak. Hence me posting my thoughts. :)

The prices will drop anyway. People aren't going to suddenly do less exploration. More people will get into it, backstocks of unsold goods will build up, prices will go down. This is the way of things. Saying a non-fun mechanic should persist for the sake of 'making more isk' is, well, silly. These problems, as you've admitted, aren't enough to keep you from exploring, I highly doubt they are big enough to really stop anyone. The extra loot lost by cans exploding is minor at best. Out of 40 sites cleared I lost maybe 10 cans. Woo. That's not going to crash the market, even a little.

You are doing it wrong. I see two strategy mistakes in your op:
1. having two or more suppressors or restoration nodes open. Never let that happen, attack them immediately.
2. blindly clicking. Instead take a good look at the grid and guesstimate where roughly the core is. Go straight for it. Only open rest of the grid if you need more tools to continue.

After a bit more exploration and paying attention, I see now the problem is actually quite specific. The hardest cans to hack (those with 90 coherence cores) in relic sites (data seem to be ok/reasonable) are the biggest offenders. They seem to 100% of the time have 3 restoration nodes, and usually 3 suppression nodes as well. No more, no less. So...that's what makes it so hard. Hopefully devs read this far down and see.

Please do something about 3 resto AND 3 supression spawns. One or the other, or 1 of each. 3 of each at the same time. :( that's no fun.

Edit: I can tell it's going to be a 90 coherence core because the firewalls have 90 coherence, the anti-virus have 60 instead of 50, and also the sheer number of defenses.

Mini game difficulty is well tweaked. No need to be made easier IMO. If anything, I wouldn't be against (1) a slight increase of difficulty of the easiest node because they are really a face roll, even with lowest skill level and (2) make the mini-game more strategic rather than random.

Sometimes you get unlucky and you may miss but with the right level of skills and proper knowledge of the mini-game, all nodes can be hacked reliably, even the "90" coherence one you mention and which are found only in null.

As someone already said, you need to think hard what do every time you see a restoration node. Most of the time, the best thing to do is to destroy it asap (note that I said most of the time, not always). For suppressor, depending on your skill level, you may be in less a hurry to destroy them. For example at low skill, 1 or 2 suppressor reduce your virus strength to 10 anyway so you don't really care. If you have 40 virus strength, you may be more likely to want to destroy a suppressor if you see one, especially if found early in the game.

Overall, this just need practice.

No, I don't want to spam click the core to defeat it.
Actually make it so I click the container and the loot comes out.
If we go that far we can make it so the loot automatically shows up in my cargohold instead of ejecting into space.
That and I want to do this while cloaked, or from a station 2 jumps away (3 would be a bit overpowered).

And this is very much part of what makes it fun :)