Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Now we are narrowing it down a bit.

I thought SignmaPi's idea would be to have the counter start counting back to zero. Not automatically reset. I think a reset is not a good idea. A single large gang (I won't say blob because I don't mind blobs) can just make the rounds and undue everyones plexing by warping in a single time and immediately leaving.

With respect to this I also think it should only start counting back down if a wt lands on grid or on grid of the accel gate before you leave. That way my own timer won't start counting down if I want to leave to chase someone else out. Also some people like to run defensive plexes up a bit so that the offensive plexer will have to sped more time plexing if they want to cap that plex. I think that is a valid idea.

I haven't heard anyone object to this.

I think this is very much a step in the right direction. I still don't like mandating PvE, but if its there, it needs to be much less intrusive, and easily dispatched by just about any basic PvP fit, including armor buffer tanks. Thats a core design value both the players and CCP can agree upon, thankfully.

I kind of envisioned more of a static small conflict between two opposing NPC's gangs, where whichever faction entered would be able to assist and kill off the other faction NPC's, tipping the scales and helping to secure the plex. That way both defensive and offensive plexing become an engaging activity that can't simply be delegated to a day-old speedtanker alt. I like your idea in particular because it rewards hostile interference, and penalizes the flight response. What is sorely needed is a directive incentive to stay rather than to bounce constantly.

I also REALLY want to investigate the possibility of NPC AI that would involve the rats de-aggroing whenever hostile players enter the plex. I think it would be awesome to have engaging NPC content for when hostiles aren't around, but have rats "stand down" when a capsuleer comes in to take you on themselves. That way, there could be a PvP-alternative to the "must kill all rats" provision everyone's been begging for - if you're challenged and you win, maybe that allows for a successful plex capture in lieu of grinding through a stack of NPC's. If you aren't challenged, you complete some manageable NPC content instead. I just think we take for granted that NPC's interfere with PvP, there's no reason that they have to if CCP is redesigning the content anyways.

NOW, picture this with Dust 514 troops in a real troop carrier.....and yes, I'm 100% serious. This is something I've talked about in the past, the fact that the button timer is a nice unit of time (15-20 minutes) that dovetails nicely with an FPS match length, and that CCP should consider extending Dust 514 warfare into space compounds, not just planet surface battles. You've just come up with a better way to integrate them into the current plex model than I did at the time.

I know it sounds pie-in-the-sky, but I don't really think it is. Having a plex warfare system that is set up for this makes it all the more easy to integrate further down the road, all CCP would have to do is build a space outpost map for each race, and drop queued-up dust marines into matches as plexes were triggered and run. Militias could either allow public groups to take these deep-space missions for a fixed NPC pay rate, or have the option of paying their own highly skilled mercs to defend the plexes in systems they really cared about. CCP's already talked about Faction Warfare being one of the early places where the link will be built between the two games, this is a MUCH more meaningful and practical way to integrate the two systems without having to depend on fights over planet resources that people don't really care much about anyways, comparatively.

I think it would be awesome!

Since at least one person liked my offensive plex suggestion, I'll make another concerning defensive plexing: it is dumb and shouldn't exist in its current form. The lack of rewards is dumb, orbiting a button doing nothing while guarded by friendly NPCs is dumb, it's all dumb. So get rid of it entirely.

Instead, have offensive plexes spawn for both the the defending and the attacking faction in contested systems, with the number of plexes for the defenders (and also their sizes and respawn rates) being dependent on the capture status of the system. For example, if my system was uncontested, I wouldn't have any plexes to run. At 1-30% contested, I might have at most 2 minor plexes to run, with long respawn timers. If it was 31-60% contested, I'd have a maximum of four minor/intermediate plexes available, with slightly less long respawn timers; at 61-90% contested, I'd have a maximum of six with minors/intermediates/gated majors available with near-current respawn timers; and at 91-100% contested, I'd have the full current complement of plexes available, with current respawn timers. In all cases, attackers would have the full standard complement of plexes available, with normal respawn timers. To compensate for the long respawn timers at low capture status percentages, give each "defensive" plex a bigger impact on capture status when the system is only lightly contested.

The idea here is that you can't efficiently farm your backwater systems for LP because the long respawn timers and low number of available plexes when the system is lightly contested mean you can only run a few per hour (you could further discourage "defensive" LP farming by scaling the LP payout according to the system capture status...). However, this doesn't affect your ability to decontest your system because each individual "defensive" plex you do has a greater impact on the capture status. At the same time, you're still running the risk of having a hostile come in to kill your transport and render your efforts ineffective if you're not willing to fight.

I'm currently awaiting standings to set to join Amarr fw. I was a bit bored last night and went out to pew pew in the neighborhood and discovered a rifter speed tanking an Amarr major:


http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=13912939


Now time for an opinion:

Take one of the current npc fw skins and apply it to frigates. Then boost the speed, tracking, and d p s on the new ship, rename it and make it exclusive to major fw plexes. This should prevent speed tanking in major plexes while allowing minors to be viable for appropriate ship types. It also does not affect current missions in high sec by doing so.

This also removes the e-war discussion from the equation in how to deal with the speed tankers. Additionally, it follows the philosophy of large ship types needing the support of smaller ship types.

Start by adding two or three of them and then slowly adjust from there, rather than making a drastic change immediately.

A 5 day old alt should not be earning as much as they are currently able to in fw.

Not only can low-skill T1 frig alts speed-tank any plex, players can abuse their faction standing and run plexes without the NPCs even aggressing.

Which is just great.

You're doing it wrong.

Plexing is GREAT for getting solo and small gang fights, without being dropped on or blobbed by T3/Logi/Faggotry

No, plexes are sometimes useful for getting solo and small gang fights. The only part of them that contributes to that is the type-limited acceleration gate. System capture is more or less irrelevant, and the NPCs actively inhibit small engagements, where their presence makes a more significant impact.

So, what you're saying is, plexes are great, so long as you find an unopened one or one where the spawns have been cleared, of the appropriate size, where you stay out of NPC aggro range (which entails pretty much not moving at all from the warp in).

Thanks for confirming my point.

The acceleration gate is the only part of the FW plex that is performing its intended function. The other elements are either non-contributors or adversely impact the creation of fights.

Players need to clear out the npcs before the timer goes down in offensive plexing, some minute lp reward for defensive plexing, really its that simple