Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Every time the subject of off-grid boosting comes up there's virtually universal agreement that it should be done away with or nerfed. I find myself on the precipice of training an alt with leadership skills just to keep up with other boosted ships but will it be just in time for the nerf? No idea, so I don't bother. Then I realized that the only reason CCP hasn't gotten rid of it was probably due to a technical issue of some kind and my suspicions were confirmed in the recently posted CSM minutes. So, what could be a good workaround? In other words, how do you get rid of the problem (that it is overpowered) of off-grid boosting without getting rid of off-grid boosting?

I say the answer is MORE DRUGS! Specifically, I'd like to see sets of drugs that mimic the bonuses granted by off-grid t3 boosters so solo pilots can keep up with boosted pilots if they're willing to spend the isk. It's not a perfect solution, but it could level the playing-field if the bonuses do not stack with fleet bonuses without taking off-grid boosting away from players who've already trained up for it. The ladar clouds for these new drugs could show up in low-sec since it was also mentioned that CCP is looking for more reasons for people to go to low-sec. Or maybe you could get it from those planetary rings we've been hearing about? Anyway, the biggest technical block I think would be preventing the booster bonuses from stacking with fleet bonuses. If CCP came out with the drugs and then nerfed off-grid boosting, they could nerf the new boosters as well to maintain the level-playing field between solo pilot and fleet pilot (aside from that giant blob the fleet pilot has behind him).

I though of a few other workarounds but none that don't assume a world with off-grid boosting. Might be better to get rid of it entirely, but I like the idea of giving players a choice between the two options at least then it'd be possible to get a fair fight as a solo pilot against a fleet boosted ship.

Thoughts?

I'm interested in this idea, but what would stop a boosted pilot taking these same drugs? Even with a stacking penalty it would still leave the boosted pilot way ahead.

How does access to a temporary, restricted (and thus expensive) bonus compare to a permanent ditto?

Should links then be barred from high-sec where drugs dont/wont/cant go .. or should people shoot up before entering lala-land?

CCP doesn't like to discriminate against the 'have nots', while drugs on paper evens the playingfield, they will be costly and thus not fulfil the premise of letting solo'ers compete. Making the drugs so cheap that everyone has access is no good either as it just becomes a 'must have' like NOS/ECM of old which is just as bad.

I am getting to the point where I'd like to see links removed completely, redesigned with some less exploitable bonuses with better scaling and relaunched as on-grid units. If people then want massive, broad bonuses they can bloody well commit a Titan ... even with an on-grid change the aggregate bonus of a link becomes insane the more people is served, that is as big (if not bigger) an issue as them being off-grid in the first place ..

So replace a nearly unkillable ship that requires a second account and makes a vessel OP with just making the vessel OP anyway?