Player Features and Ideas Discussion

There's a problem with Micro Jump Drives and that is the only way to determine if someone has activated MJD is through its visual effect. This is major issue with conveyance, because players of all skill levels are consistently surprised when a BC or BS pops up 100km away with seemingly zero warning.

While the movement characteristics of the module are working extremely well for the game, the module activation itself is incredibly hard to read. As someone who manually pilots, I have a difficult time watching another ship at close camera range, and have fatally screwed up my positioning multiple times tunnel-visioning on ships to time a scram-pass.

I learned today when working on a Barghest fit that an active MJD provides a 150% signature radius bloom. Knowing that a sudden sig radius bloom could provide an accurate read on an MJD, I ran some tests ingame. However, the most clear candidate to use the information: size tab on the overview, only shows the base sig radius after fittings, without displaying any MJD and/or MWD bloom.

Considering the client can accurately display lock-time on ships, it follows that the active sig radius on an enemy ship can be displayed. While one could repeatedly re-lock to read an MJD, I'm sure we agree that this is an undesirable method of reading a ship's active sig radius. (ayy drone meta)

I propose that players are given a "Signature Radius" tab to place on our overviews. I feel that this is a better solution than other methods proposed, like an overview/target icon, because it rewards players applying advanced game knowledge and avoids inconsistent additions to the UI.

A Signature Radius overview tab also gives advanced players a new method to read MWD vs. oversized AB in addition to reading agility and applying a scram.

For those interested, the module stats can be viewed here: http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Micro_Jump_Drive

I use the word "read" in this post as shorthand for "make an educated guess based upon the available information"

One of the major criticisms of a sig radius tab I've received is that sig radius is a major defensive characteristic of a ship, and should therefore remain hidden like resistances. In addition to telegraphing propulsion type, knowing a ship's sig radius gives insights into its fittings, whether or not links are applied, and even a guess at a pilot's Interceptors skill level.

I do not consider this a criticism at all. In many ways, it raises the level of challenge for some fits, adds an extra dimension for target callers, provides more information for snap-decision making when pointing on gates, and gives players deeper decisions towards managing the sig radius of their ships.

It does not change any core mechanics or remove meaningful decisions on the part of players, while it adds more depth to combat and offsets the major telegraph problems of MJDs. Players who are against this change would be in favor of an EVE Online more focused on obscure knowledge than clear decision making and piloting.

I am all for making MWD and MJD more visible however with MWD you can trick others into thinking you have an AB if you pilot correctly and I wouldn't like seeing that get lost. Perhaps make engine trails more obvious at high speeds on MWD and make the MJD effect more pronounced?