Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Mobile depots would allow you to bypass the cyno requirement pretty easily.

If this idea is being balanced on the perception that cyno use needs to be equally attractive, then you are not likely to see a significant number being added to the field.

It will appear to remain a non-practical option due to the cost balancing it out of reach for very many pilots.
To them, this change would come across under the topic: Why bother? I can't afford to use it outside of supporting the covops ships that I can afford to risk in hostile space.

The BLOPs ship has a secondary role as a fighting ship, as this was clearly not it's primary design aspect. It simply is not cost effective by perspective, if not genuinely so to many pilots considering it's use.
If this idea neutralizes the primary role of covert logistics, I see no real point to it.

For that I apologize.

My point is this: A great many pilots of these BLOPs are limited to using them solely as support.
The ships are too expensive to risk in direct combat, for them.
They are also inferior to covops for scanning and scouting, and a nully T3 can be less expensive to field with far better results for this as well.

If they cannot directly aid in the relocation of covops shipping, what value does this idea bring to these pilots?

The BLOPs, sitting in it's secured staging area, can fit the jump portal generator as well as the covert cyno generator, allowing it to both send and receive by design.
For many players, the ship is a significant investment that they see no good reason to risk in the field.
Sending a BLOPs out to return bridge for others is already considered a risky proposition by many.

I think this idea can give them one, so long as they see an enhancement to their familiar logistics role.
Rather than risking a comparably trivial covert cyno boat, give the BLOPs a reason to risk being in the field.
Let two BLOPs be capable of bouncing ships between them, and having one of them at least be capable of this new jump into a non cyno system.

This role, in my view, is defeated the moment the BLOPs tries to replace the ships it is sending, with it's own hull.

As I understand it, this ships primary role only involves reaching new systems, when that facilitates getting the covops there with them. Being there by themselves feels like a pointless novelty.

Ok, I agree with you here.

That sounds like a good trade off in both directions, with reasonably functional gate camp ability.
I feel that whichever side makes the better effort here will have a good chance of converting that into success during play.

So I was thinking about this again earlier, and decided to put together a more comprehensive and complete thought on the way the ships would be able to do this- like before, please feel welcome to offer more suggestions and ideas- this thread has been a really good place for that so far

New Rig:
'Solar Harmony Engine' (Icon)

'A highly specialized rig developed specifically for Black Ops vessels, this system must be fully integrated with the ship's hull to function. It allows a ship to make a jump directly to another system, as opposed to jumping to a Cynosural Field. The interference it causes prevents the use of Jump Bridges or normal Cynosural Fields, as well as regular jumping. However, the entire system doubles as a powerful ancillary processor and power core for the ship, slightly increasing its powergrid and CPU.'

Fitting:
Calibration Cost: 0
Rig Size: Large

Bonus:
5% bonus to CPU and Powergrid


Disallows use of Covert Jump Portal Generator and Cynosural Field Generator (still allows covert cynos to be lit)
Disallows Jumping directly to Cynosural Fields
Doubles fuel cost

Can be fitted to: Redeemer, Widow, Sin, Panther, (Nestor- I can dream )

Ship must align to star, much like when warping to a target, making it not an instant jump out of the system

Ship will land in a randomly chosen spot along a set radius of the target star's grid (say 50-75km, maybe larger)

Icon is a Large MJD icon with a purple thruster color instead of red

Under Astronautics Rigs

This allows the concept of a Sun Jump (I'm loving that nickname ) to be applied in a balanced manner- of course, it's always open to change and improvement. Having the system rigged to the ship prevents easily changing between being able to sun jump and being able to bridge or light a cyno (using a mobile depot), at least not without significant cost, and adding a small fitting bonus helps mitigate the loss of a rig slot for it. Having the ship lose its ability to bridge or light normal cynos (it may still light a Covert Cyno) and doubling the fuel cost, as well as disallowing normal jumping, acts as a balance to the huge increase in mobility the ship gains. Also, perhaps the modification could add a 'cooldown timer' for the ship's jump drive- after all, jumping solitarily to a distant star must put enormous stress on a ship (and letting it jump again immediately could be taken as overpowered). Maybe a 45 second timer, linked to the Black Ops skill, and reduced to 15 seconds at level V.

As with before, please feel free to offer opinions, suggestions and ideas for improvement- two (or even more) heads are always better than one

EDIT: Changed name to something more fitting

Although I have no experience whatsoever with black ops I must say that I like your idea with the sun jump rig because I think it fits well with the purpose of the ship.

As for penalties I was wondering whether a reduced jump range would make sense since I guess that stars may be harder to lock on to since they come in different sizes etc. whereas a cyno is an artificially created beacon that may be easier to identify and lock on to.

There is also the question whether a sun jump drive would allow for jumping in hisec since jumps will be made to stars which I guess cannot be jammed by the cyno jammers. Additionally, black ops can already move around in hisec. I guess the main issue is the advantage that the ship may get if it can make jumps in hisec.

As for the Nestor, you could argue that the sun jump capability ought to be part of the hull since this would fit well with the ship being an exploration ship – but I guess it is doubtful that this will happen.

Anyway, great idea.

@Uriel

In terms of making the right balance, I am sure that there are a lot of arguments for what can be done and I am not the right one to judge what will be the right balance. However, finding the right balance I am sure will be a challenge :).

Concerning, sun jumps in hisec from a lore perspective I think it would be ok, but from a game perspective I am sure as you point out there will be a lot of considerations to make before it will be allowed - if at all. However, it would be cool ;).

As for the Picture - nice - thumbs up ;).

@Uriel

It would most likely never make it as a rig, as rigs are not meant to give abilities. They are meant to improve the hull's stats sometimes in the cost of others.
It will most likely be put in as a high slot module due to nearly all jump related mods are in high slots excluding on grid propulsion.

Also Sun = the name of our star not all stars
Star Jump would be more fitting, but lesser

*Hides

Good argument, but my objection was that rigs only modify stats of the hulls and not the abilities of said hull (Should have been more clear on that) just liked to point out that no rigs yet in the game modify abilities (Like you said) only stats and why would ccp change that now as ability changes are for subsystems.