Player Features and Ideas Discussion

This thread is about an idea I had for missions in which different missions of the same level would be designed to be beaten with a given ship size. I am posting it here instead of Features and Ideas Discussion, because I am not proposing the idea, rather I am here to gather feedback from those of you with lots of experience running PVE content in EVE Online. I want to improve and refine my idea--whether or not I ever submit it--and hope to go away from this with new points to consider pertaining to this subject.



The basic idea is for agents to provide individual missions designed for a given ship size, for example a level 2 mission designed for a cruiser, or a level 3 mission designed for a frigate. Different security agents could perhaps specialize in a given ship size so that players don't feel forced to get multiple mission ships. This would improve diversity in how people choose to run missions, and open up a lot of opportunities for existing hulls to participate in solo PVE.

To explain what I mean by a mission designed for a given ship class, I'll use some example missions that I have made up:

Level 2, frigate
When you fly into the mission pocket, you are surrounded by several weak frigate enemies that orbit you at around 5km at fairly high speed. After defeating these, another group of frigates spawns which orbit you at 10km more slowly, but have stronger tank. After defeating this wave, you take the next acceleration gate to a pocket containing 2 weak frigate rats and a cruiser within 20km. The cruiser has moderately high hit points and damage, but poor tracking by frigate standards and no ability to rep itself. Mission is complete when cruiser is destroyed.

Level 2, cruiser
When you fly into the mission pocket, there are 3 weak cruiser enemies at about 40 km in a loose group, and a fourth strong cruiser enemy about 40km away in a different direction. If weak cruisers are aggressed, they will orbit at about 25km and use long-range weapons and afterburners to deal damage from a distance. When any of the three cruisers is destroyed, a medium strength cruiser replaces it. No enemies replace the medium strength cruisers. If the strong cruiser is aggressed while the other cruisers are alive, they will all attack. The strong cruiser will use a microwarpdrive, webifier, and short range weaponry, and has significant repping ability. Mission is complete when the strong cruiser is destroyed.



Each of these missions presents a difficulty much like existing level 2 missions (although perhaps shorter), but the mission designed for frigates would be more difficult to complete in a cruiser, and likewise the mission built for cruisers would be more difficult to complete in a frigate. A cruiser on the first mission would face several tiny opponents that would be difficult to track with cruiser weapons, and a potentially difficult fight at the end if the player's defensive skills are weak enough. A frigate can easily hit the frigate opponents and can orbit the cruiser at close range to mitigate damage. Now a frigate on the second mission would have to fend off the DPS incoming from three cruisers at different angles, making it difficult to speed tank. It would also be difficult for a low skilled player frigate to break the tank on the final cruiser while also surviving its weapons fire while webbed. But a cruiser in that mission could tank the weaker cruisers and make sure to finish them off before activating the final fight, for an easy victory.

So the agent would recommend a ship size class, but you can take any ship inside you like and try to beat the mission your way. This creates a mission experience that caters to a given size class of ship, allowing players to fly what size they want rather than having to feel forced to "upgrade" to larger ships in order to beat higher level missions. So, for instance, there would be frigate missions available at level 4 and 5.
Note: these level 4 frigate missions would be distinct from burner missions--rather these would pit your frigate against several opponent NPCs of different sizes in missions the same size as those built for battleships, and these missions would offer difficulty and pay similar to other level 4 missions without the offer to decline freely as burner missions have.


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I also was thinking about trying to get players involved in working as a team by designing missions that reward team effort. Examples could include missions in which two groups of enemies spaced well apart must be engaged together, or there are multiple weaknesses to exploit in the enemy in which no one ship can take advantage of all of them. Agents could distinguish missions as being recommended for a single pilot, two to three pilots, or a group effort. A further way to encourage people to play together would be to give everyone the same payout regardless of how many attend up to the recommended limit. So for example if a mission built for three players is finished by three players, each of those players gets, say, 4 million ISK. If it's completed by only one player, that player gets 4 million ISK. If it's completed by four players, each player gets 3 million ISK.

So here are some thoughts on this and problems I see with it, I hope they help you refine this because I like the basic idea behind it.

Character and player skill levels I believe will be the biggest thorn in your side with this one.
A new player corp mate of mine uses a high level T1 / faction fit Tristan and has trouble completing some level 1 and virtually all level 2 mission with it. On the other hand due to my skills / knowledge as a player and the fact that this character is all skills 5 for that fit I can easily fly all level 2 and many of the level 3 missions with that same ship.

Let's just take a level 3 mission as an example of my next concern.
The current level 3 missions are balanced around a player flying a T1 fit BC. How would you scale that to offer the same level of difficulty when that same player chooses a frigate mission? What do you do with the ISK / LP part of these new frigate only level 3's?

Staying with the level 3 theme here. If you reduce the difficulty so they can be run by an average player in an average T1 fit ship they will become A) farm land for those looking to make ISK / LP or B) no one will run them because there is not enough ISK / LP to make them worth it.

Topic moved to FANDI

A missioning agent that doesnt or exclusively gives burner missions would be cool to some people;)

Missions in general could use a overhall...

Level 4 missions are too easy and boring, they could use some love.

The only person to blame for them being easy and boring is yourself. Try flying a less than optimized ship in them and you'll find them less so.

What is the point in limting your own ability to complete a task while a task should give you a fair complexity factor.? Speaking of lvl 4 missions and downgrading your ship to a trash just to make it "fun".

Make it simple then, you should not be allowto bring BS size vessel into lvl4 space. That's it. Here is your fun.

Even with your follow up post about how you used to run level 4's with **** skills in an Apoc I disagree with this. If you want more difficulty then go run level 5's.
I have seen far to many new / newer players over the years I have been in the game struggle with the current level 4's to be able to support making them harder.

Keep it civil, folks