EVE General Discussion

im on your side mate.
i argue its borring because it is easy.
the counter argument here is it is hard and therefore adds to the game.

I agree with getting rid of local and replacing it with an auto-D-Scan, something similar to the system scan when you jump in. Friendlies would be a blue box and neuts would show up as a red box on your HUD, showing you which direction they are. I think it would make the whole system more elegant and add a new dynamic to gameplay.

personally, i dont realy care about discussing a solution at this point.

what i want is a statement form ccp that they are aware that this is a borring feature, and that at last plans exist to replace it by something less repetitive and more interesting.

i am not convinced however that ccp shares my oppinion here. in the end, its perfectly possible that the d-scan mecanic somehow falls into their definition of fun.

OP says it's not about risk v. reward, then spend time explaining how it is about risk v. reward.

As long as I have to sit in space somehwhere and manually work a set of probes to find you, you need to be sitting in space somewhere, clicking a button to see me coming. That's not saying d-scan couldn't use work, as it could; but giving more free intel to either end of the predator-prey spectrum is not the answer.

the pidgeons would get bored, too

that guy is pretty enthusiastic about his bot, i'll give him that. sounds dedicated to keeping it running

This topic has been addressed before.

Seems like a bad example since they just finished removing probe launch delay and automating formation. I'm not sure pressing a button really qualifies as a mini-game either. Most of Eve's more mind numbing habits are products of a bygone MMO era that CCP doesn't seem particular attached to.

This is true. But it is also true that auto-refresh could be TOO easy. Free information might be nice for you as an individual player but is not necessarily good for game balance.

What if we made D-scan automatic (persistent), and D-scan stopped picking up probes altogether. Instead, it would pick up "space-time anomalies". Every 3-5 minutes or so, the system would get a random space time anomaly or two, and your D-scan would pick them up. To get more detail on the anomaly, you'd have to use up a consumable item in your cargo hold. Most of the time this action would resolve the anomaly into some useless piece of info like an "unusable micro wormhole".

Here's the kicker: probes would also emit a space-time anomaly (one anomaly for all probes within 14 AU). Using up the cargo hold item to resolve it would identify the anomaly as "scanning residual signature", indicative of an active scanner probe.


This does several things: D-scan is always active and refreshing - no clicking every 2 seconds. Only have to click every 3 minutes or so to check out the new anomaly to make sure it is not a probe. Still requires paying attention to the D-scanner. Gankers can sneak up by timing their probing with a naturally occuring phenomena (which may make the player take time resolving the wrong signature and not be aware of the hidden probes), or attempt to distract a person form the d-scanner altogether.

Now, you have active game play. Say you see 4 natural phenomena on d-scan. It takes 20 seconds to resolve them all, and you could get probed down in that time. Normally you know these resolve to nothing. But maybe this time you are being scanned? Do you take the risk of losing progress and hide, or do you decide to spend the 20 seconds risking the fact that it may be nothing? You now have active DECISION making. In a cheap ship you will most likely stay. IN a 400 mil ship you may be inclined to be safer.