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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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New Mining Gameplay Prototypes
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Quintessen
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#1 - 2015-04-02 18:26:29 UTC
Back several Fanfests ago, CCP presented some new prototypes around mining gameplay. I was wondering what happened to that effort. I know we're going to start seeing the new structures this year, and they will have an effect on resource gathering gameplay. But before CCP spends a lot of time on interfacing these new structures with mining, PI and moon mining, it would be nice if they started seriously thinking about how to evolve these fundamental gameplay features.

What would be a tragedy to me, would be if CCP introduced new structures that simply changed the way asteroids were spawned without also changing the basic click F1 and wait gameplay that is mining. And while I understand that there are a lot of people who like to zen out while mining and while I, myself, have done that. I don't believe that it's good for the long-term health of the game to have that be the only or primary way of harvesting resources for industry.

After looking at other games, including the proposed Star Citizen mining model -- which I understand is still vaporware, I think that there's still a lot of design space possible here. It pains me that CCP has spent so little time on this particular aspect of the game when it has so much potential. I understand that this is a PvP-centric game. But it's also has a sandbox economy and things can't be built without someone mining up minerals, interacting with PI and moon mining.

However, this is the F&I forum and I need to suggest something. So, my idea, and request, is that CCP spend some time on this sooner rather than later. And give us indication that this is still being worked on. Perhaps EVE Vegas would be a good time to talk about this.
Kiddoomer
The Red Sequence
#2 - 2015-04-02 19:08:15 UTC  |  Edited by: Kiddoomer
+1 This kind of new mining gameplay has been asked numerous times recently, but we never really have anything coming from cpp, not even a Soon™.

I'm sure some work can be done around the survey scanner, but I don't think changing the way strip miner work could lead to a better mining gameplay, not because simplicity but because miner still are prey to other players, so a too much focused task would make even more vulnerable.

In the name of Jirai 'Fatal' Laitanen : “Some capsuleers claim that ECM is 'dishonorable' and 'unfair'. Jam those ones first, and kill them last.”
Dyexz
Comrades in Construction
TOG - The Older Gamers Alliance
#3 - 2015-04-02 19:24:07 UTC  |  Edited by: Dyexz
One way to approach this could be in a way similar to how they changed exploration, I'm revering to the added mini-game to Data and Relic sites, maybe they could work out some sort of mining "mini-game" which would also eliminate much of the hated macro/afk-mining that still exists within the game.

It sure would be nice if CCP could make resource gathering a real profession like many other aspects of the game.
Nariya Kentaya
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#4 - 2015-04-02 20:21:47 UTC
Dyexz wrote:
One way to approach this could be in a way similar to how they changed exploration, I'm revering to the added mini-game to Data and Relic sites, maybe they could work out some sort of mining "mini-game" which would also eliminate much of the hated macro/afk-mining that still exists within the game.

It sure would be nice if CCP could make resource gathering a real profession like many other aspects of the game.

a minigame would **** off 90% of the miners in the game, you think mining is "boring" right now, at least it OFFERS you the ability to focus on mumble/corp chat, or youtube on your phone, but throw a minigame in there and now your FORCED to slog through the exact same minigame over and over again for hundreds of hours. it would suck.

mining is good where it is as a low-involvment semi-afk profession, changing it isnt suddenly going to make more people start mining, because mining by nature will never be *fun*, all youll do is manage to drive away miners who for one reason or another have to utilize that as their gameplay do to real life (like i, for instance, lately, am able to access the internet little outside work, and will likely remain that way for the next 8-10 months, if I want to play EVE, the only money-making option I have is mining, because i can "f1 and forget" about it on a second screen while working on my actual job, if for some reason you believe i shouldnt even keep my EVE account open and just unsub for the next 10 months when i have home internet again, id be more than happy to just unsub permanently)
Quintessen
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2015-04-02 20:32:59 UTC
Nariya Kentaya wrote:
Dyexz wrote:
One way to approach this could be in a way similar to how they changed exploration, I'm revering to the added mini-game to Data and Relic sites, maybe they could work out some sort of mining "mini-game" which would also eliminate much of the hated macro/afk-mining that still exists within the game.

It sure would be nice if CCP could make resource gathering a real profession like many other aspects of the game.

a minigame would **** off 90% of the miners in the game, you think mining is "boring" right now, at least it OFFERS you the ability to focus on mumble/corp chat, or youtube on your phone, but throw a minigame in there and now your FORCED to slog through the exact same minigame over and over again for hundreds of hours. it would suck.

mining is good where it is as a low-involvment semi-afk profession, changing it isnt suddenly going to make more people start mining, because mining by nature will never be *fun*, all youll do is manage to drive away miners who for one reason or another have to utilize that as their gameplay do to real life (like i, for instance, lately, am able to access the internet little outside work, and will likely remain that way for the next 8-10 months, if I want to play EVE, the only money-making option I have is mining, because i can "f1 and forget" about it on a second screen while working on my actual job, if for some reason you believe i shouldnt even keep my EVE account open and just unsub for the next 10 months when i have home internet again, id be more than happy to just unsub permanently)


I disagree that mining can't be fun. And I disagree that it has to be one mini-game over and over again. The problem is that mining is far too simple and a single mini-game would also still be far too simple.

I mine. I've mined quite a bit in EVE and I understand the Zen nature of F1 and forget, but that's not an engaging game. It currently drives away a lot of people from the resource acquisition part of EVE. Yes, the game currently caters to people who wish to only partially focus on it. It probably shouldn't do that. And, yes, a lot of current miners would probably quit doing it if it were made a more engaging activity. And I don't believe that matters even having put so many hours into mining myself.

Mining could be made into a multi-dimensional just like PvP is. Mining could be converted into something that requires a lot more effort and thought. Right now exploration is three mini-games - hacking, probing, traveling. Mining should be at least as complex. Yes, people will quit and that's not a bad thing, because more people will be interested in the game and mining in the long run.