Player Features and Ideas Discussion

This is message is direct result of dev blog http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/reprocess-all-the-things but I will take this brain storming so far from the original that I judged that it needs a thread of its own. And even some ideas of larger scale of reform or update on the areas.

It is a good start to fix the reprocessing. But this is just a one issue in the vast field of economics of Eve. So here comes.

Ore compression
It could be better to remove ore compression all together and change it to mineral compression? That could be done with the special containers that could be manufactured or just make them similar to courier packages - mineral package. Those packages could be opened anywhere in the station, outpost, POS etc. Should there be it own container that should pack small when empty. Then again how much extra coding and logistics that would present. Maybe there is no need for such extra logistics as returning empty units. Then again there could be some money on those containers and they would add up to the economy. There could be some ships that could take more of these compressed units - container ships?

Dropped Modules
As removing the perfect module refining it will hit hi sec missions income and specially specialized salvage services. I suggest that the whole loot processing would be rethought and redone. Current low meta market is pretty much gone and that is also twisting the T2 markets when you can get as good module with fraction of the money. One way to deal with issue would be a total reform of module drops. When spaceship is space modules are integrated to the ship. When the ship is blown modules should not drop. There should be a chips that are made to make that module. Should that just drop or would you need a salvager to get it is just a matter of taste. Ex. Ship would have Dread gurista invul field. Ship dies. No modules will drop, but when that wreck is salvaged or (it could be looted) there would be a possibility to get a special chip that would enable to modify invul field I as DG invul. That could be used also on NPC drops. Making it possible to use industry skills to make meta, DS and officer modules. That would open up the markets - especially for the meta items. In long run that could eliminate some modules from that game that are not used for anything especially between meta 1-3 range. Or some diversity could be made to those modules.

Mining dead ships
To manufacture ship a lot of minerals are used. When the ship is blown away all of those minerals just disappear. This would not have to be like that. After all minerals could be salvaged from the wrecks. I suggest that there would truly created a salvager class or profession. Hulls of the ships will not disappear. With the current salvage you could only take some expensive key components from a ship. Some of the minerals would get lost as ship is killed. But the rest should be there as scrap and that could as well be salvaged. To be able to do the mineral salvage That would need big ships Maybe Orca II or Orca with some salvage module. For capital wrecks even Rorqual might be needed. Salvage model is needed to move salvage to reprocessing facilities. Reprocessing facilities would have to be on POS and once a wreck is moved there and then the results would be minerals. Salvage would be big (comparable to the class of destroyed ship) and could present a real logistic problem and specialized slow equipment to move them. Basically make salvaging a comparable income to mining. Rat wrecks would survive longer now so they could be salvaged or turn to generic Rat wrecks. Player wrecks could change to generic wrecks (no more special module parts could be salvaged) with in couple of hours and those wrecks could be moving away from the battle area and they would need to be scanned or they would just disappear as space junk and gone. Naturally the amount of salvage from ships would be fraction that is needed to produce them.

POS economics
POS In WH, low sec and Null there really is not that much that needs to be done to economics of the POS, but hisec situation is different. The new refining modules etc will change value of hi sec POS. Current hi-sec POS mechanics result folks getting kicked from corp, tower anchored and folks join back. After the tower is up it is irrelevant what is the corps standing toward the faction. I suggest that owning hi sec pos would be more expensive. The price of starbase charters could be higher. The usage of starbase charters could be modified by the faction standing of the corporation - lower the corps standing more it costs to keep the hi sec POS.. Should the corps faction standing drop below -2 the faction police could kill the tower - or they could send a force to attack and you could fight them :). Different modules in the POS might also be modifier for charters to be used. IMHO that would be a better way to make null sec POS more lucrative than hi sec one.

Rorqual
Rorqual could be made a industrial super ship. Rorquals could give warp strength boost to ore mining vessels that are on the grid and in same fleet. Thus actively making Rorqual a unit that would be worth to deploy. Kind of mobile mini POS. It could refine (maybe the best refine in the game?) and do material compression. Should Rorqual be attacked it could go to reinforce mode like a tower or POCO - maybe the pilot could dial reinforce timer hours or time. That would give a nice possibility to move the rorqual to field to do work instead of its current use as super mining bonus Santa inside the POS force field and ore crusher. Should the rorqual pilot log while ship would be in reinforce mode Rorqual would stay in space. Weapon timer would be active after the reinforcement timer ends and if nothing would happen in 15 min (or some other time) pilot and ship would just log off.

Storm on,

Vasama

Rephorm all the Phings!

Disclaimer: I'm not an industry expert.

Compression:
I think having ore compression instead of mineral compression adds a beneficial form of complexity to the manufacturing supply chain, encouraging industrialists to set up POS and have consistent supply routs, which provides meaningful target for enemies to attack, and a valuable resource to be defended.

Dropped Mods:
An interesting idea, but I think a better solution would be to stick close to current drop mechanics and apply the tieracide concept to modules in a form of "metacide" that would eliminate useless meta variants and give good reasons to use different metas for different situations. Still, I kinda like the idea of modifying existing modules with chips... but I can imagine it being broken too easily.

Mining Dead Ships:
I am strongly opposed to this, as it would deflate the value of minerals even more because less of them would be leaving the ecosystem. If anything, I believe EVE needs more mineral scarcity, not less.

POS Economics:
I don't have personal experience with hisec POS, but the general consensus seems to be that the whole system is a little broken, and your proposal sounds interesting.

Rorqual:
I support anything that gives any industrial ship a more active role.