Player Features and Ideas Discussion

First, safe travel in a multiplayer game should not be a solo endeavor. It is always going to require a scout - whether that scout is a friend or an alt does not really matter. If you want the challenge of playing Eve on solo mode, then play it on solo mode with the tools available and quit bitching. If it was easy to fly solo, then there would be no glory in it. So seriously, just quit bitching.

Second, you really just are not trying hard enough. I have successfully explored and run complexes all over Delve and Fountain using Black Ops battleships and jumping to covert cynos. You just have to put in the effort and planning. That is part of what makes Eve fun.

Third, when I lived in Delve, there was a random neutral dude who had a Carrier and a scout. The scout would find complexes. Then switch ships. Then light a cyno (presumably a rookie ship suicide cyno, since we never caught him with his cyno up). Then bring in the Carrier, which contained all his complex-running ships, including a Paladin. The scout would get into the Paladin and run the site, while the Carrier cloaked up. For months, this dude was able to ninja complexes all over hostile space without getting caught. For all I know he is still doing it.

Fourth, the only thing preventing you from trying this out is your own unwillingness to risk ships. Nothing stops plenty of high sec explorers from finding wormholes with null sec connections, going into those WH's, finding complexes or juicy anomalies, then bringing in battleships to run the sites until someone chases them away. I've spent many hours hunting such folks, which provided great content for everyone.

That is the key issue. As I continue to read what people say, I'm realizing that the issue is less about Marauders and more about null gate camp related mechanics, and the massive advantage that T3s have by being able to ignore them.

Compare, for a moment, nullsec to wormhole space. Both are 0.0, where anything goes, but for PvE, wormholes have variety in ship choice, where null generally does not. In WH space, T3s are a valid option, and even a very good option, but they aren't the only good option, unlike nullsec.

If (and given the comments I've heard so far, it's a big if) there is an interest in opening up null to different ship types, T3s would have to be made vulnerable, or gate camp mechanics would have to be weakened.

You apparently read very selectively, as I also mentioned that a fix to T3s relative dominance of null PvE would be to make them more vulnerable, making friends even more vital. I like expansive metas with substantial room to experiment to try to find the best solution for your situation. T3s are so dramatically superior for solo or even small gang null PvE that it effectively eliminates other options. For example, discussing using a fleet of 3-5 remote repping Prophecys (which is not a bad little gang by any means as it's cheap and easy to train into for newbs) is silly. Why use a fleet thay could get caught and killed when you could take a fleet that, barring very bad piloting, cannot be caught and killed? So in the end, despite your accusations to the contrary, this IS about T3s and balance and not about my play style.

I will make one exception. If you are in a giant alliance with intel channels and the like, you can get away with almost anything. If you think that giant alliances should be the only null entities that can use non-T3 cruisers for PvE, that is your opinion, but I strongly disagree.

That is the key issue. As I continue to read what people say, I'm realizing that the issue is less about Marauders and more about null gate camp related mechanics, and the massive advantage that T3s have by being able to ignore them.

Compare, for a moment, nullsec to wormhole space. Both are 0.0, where anything goes, but for PvE, wormholes have variety in ship choice, where null generally does not. In WH space, T3s are a valid option, and even a very good option, but they aren't the only good option, unlike nullsec.

If (and given the comments I've heard so far, it's a big if) there is an interest in opening up null to different ship types, T3s would have to be made vulnerable, or gate camp mechanics would have to be weakened.

No, this thread is about your desire to have your cake, and eat it too. You posted that you want interdiction nullification on Marauders so that you can go do PvE without having to worry about gate camps. Now you are trying to derail your own thread into discussing a supposed imbalance involving t3s. I'm not reading selectively, I'm merely staying on topic of your thread.

I have a suggestion which is related to this topic; i.e. making battleships in general, and marauders in specific, more relevant. That is to create a non-covert battleship jump drive/bridge, that would allow battleships to bridge/jump to a normal cyno.

For a simple jump drive as a highslot module this would return some of the battleships mobility whilst giving them the ability to get behind the enemies lines. The jump bridge option would fit nicely into fozziesov by allowing small gangs of non-cloakies to rapidly deploy to a system that could be deep behind enemy lines, thus creating more options for hit and run style guerilla warfare.

Both options address the OP's worries with regards to the vulnerability of marauders during travel, as you could simply jump/bridge past gate camps.

An upside of this would be to encourage the use of battleships, which have very little place in the current meta.