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OH derp. Yes, we have constellations of systems in the map.

Yes, perhaps pattern would be more suitable.

That used to be done with DSPs. Without DSPs, you'd only have a list of signatures with variable signal strengths. Of course you could be really clueless and probe to 100% and warp to each wormhole signature. This is a huge mistake made by noob w-space people (like I myself was one day) because that turns the other end from a 0.05% signature which most people won't bother with because they know it's just a wormhole, into a 0.27% signature which every PvPer is looking for because a K162 means HEY! THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE and if there are people in a wormhole, it usually means they're filthy rich and have lots of juicy loot to plunder.

So what happens when you collapse the static is that it will at some point respawn (that's why it's called a static). At that point you will have your static wormhole in w-space, and a corresponding wormhole elsewhere (in hisec, lowsec, nullsec, other wspace). So seeing that new signature tells you nothing.

To replicate the old behaviour with DPS, you'd just have to keep probing and watch for that new signature increasing significantly in signal strength (because it's turned from a 0.05% N110 wormhole into a 0.27% K162), and you'll need more probers because you can no longer cover the whole system with 8 core scanner probes.

Well... crap. Functionally, all "hidden" belts are identical to regular belts now.

No one but the largest most well-defended of mining fleets would mine the regular lowsec belts. It certainly wasn't for lack of ore content (Hedbergite and Hemorphite in the .02 or lower sec systems is worth more than all but Arkonor and Mercoxit mining), but because the utter lack of safety for a solo/small group to mine in. PvPers or ratters could warp to a belt without using any probes (and thus without giving miners any warning) and even if they had been looking to just take on the belt rats that spawn, a defenseless 30+ mil barge that only shoots back with drones is a much easier and rewarding target.

And you can just forget about anyone but the most ignorant player attempting mining daytrips into wormholes. Mining areas are now one of two areas (the other being the combat anomalies) anyone can warp right to without the use of probes. While in lowsec, small group mining may resort to completely warping away the second someone appears in local at all, wormhole space doesn't even have a local and miners will only find out that they are not alone when a cloaked t3 decloaks 2 km away from them. Only the larger wormhole corps that can defend their entire system will be wormhole mining now, and even then they might still consider it too risky if they have a static to another high-class wormhole.

None of this is fun for miners, and it removes ore as a prize for learning exploration. Why would mining-focused players even want to get into exploration now? Small group mining will effectively be a suicide mission outside of highsec with these changes, and if CCP thought these changes would bring together miners and PvPers to do mining ops... just, no. Miners don't like getting ganked with no warning and thus no chance of escape, and PvPers don't like mining, and even the ones that do won't go on a mining op only to not mine themselves. I'm pretty sure the cost of losing an entire mining fleet or paying a merc corp for escort duty far outweighs the higher-cost ore that could be mined in lowsec vs highsec.

Does the insta-recall mean that probes no longer warp back to your ship? Just appear in the cargo bay?

You know, I really try to keep a positive view of CCPs attitude when changing stuff. And I am not saying changing stuff is bad.

But CCP please tell your marketing guys not to lie to us, when you don't even listen to the feedback of those who actually tested the stuff you change and constuctivly participated when you asked for feedback on the testserver forums (as you do ask us to give it a chance before condamning stuff quite a lot - showing that you actually have quite the hard time to listen to your long standing customers in the first place) .

Don't tell us we are EVE and this is our game, when in reality it is your ego playground and you do what you wanted in the first place anyway.
I am fine with the latter. Just don't tell us lies to make yourself feel better. In the end we are all free to do what we want and live with the consequences. And this is no personal attack on this particular team, it's something CCP as a whole has to grow out of (who forces you developers to waste time on the feedback forums anyway, if the same instance is not making sure to make their marketing agenda something that really happens and are not shallow and biased words to make us hold out a bit longer? - Not that I'll stop playing anyway, it still makes me mad.

I don't even care to elaborate here of what all this feedback was all about, the testserver feedback thread is full of it, but let me say this: your super long list of "awesome" new changes plus the picture of the scanning window just make me furious and is only topped off by using the scanning overlay as the lame excuse that it is.

I have to make myself stop, otherwise I'll be at it for hours. o/

And repair the goddam forums, I never wrote a post and actually were able to just click post. Copying all my text, click post, repaste and click post every single time I posted something since the new forums is something I have never experienced on any other forum. Drafts are bullshit.

As a long-time explorer that's run through every iteration of the scanning system, this is the first time I feel the system has taken a step backwards. Some of the changes are logical and should have been implemented a long time ago. Renaming the old Gravimetric/Ladar/etc sites to more logical names is smart. However most of the other changes are less than stellar.

Why remove the Deep Space Probes? I used those extensively as a quick system-wide scan since they were the only probe that was guaranteed to be able to scan even the largest solar systems. With the size of some systems, even a full 8 probes can't fully scan the system the same way a single DSP could scan it.

Why remove Ore sites completely from the exploration system? I can see a viable reason for making some Ore sites as Anomalies now (especially if they ever fully remove static Asteroid Belts like they are Ice belts) , but why not leave smaller, more-valuable Ore sites as Signatures? I see no logical reason for this move.

I agree with others about the skill changes too. As a Rank 8 skill, Astrometric Rangefinding gives a very small benefit in comparison to it's skill training time. Maybe the Tech 2 modules will make up for that, although I really don't see the need for those modules in general.

Speaking of the new modules. What's the point in them? Combat ships will rarely use them because, well, they're combat ships. Specialized scanning ships won't need them because, well, they can already do their job pretty good. I would have rather seen some new probes types and functionality introduced (I've seen some pretty cool ideas too).

I can't comment too much on Probe formations since I've not seen that on SiSi yet. Sounds like a neat idea, but also an unfinished idea.

I'm not too fond of the "fire all probes at once" idea. Launching 4 at a time, with a faster probe reload speed would have been much preferable. Oh, maybe change Astrometric Acquisition to something more useful, like reducing probe reload speeds greatly?

1 - Auto-recall needs to be done away with, or at the very least, optional via a checkbox.

2 - when probes are released they should be released AT the position my ship releases them, not some obscure focal point of your designation.

sorry doublepost

yes. we have entered the realm of magic now.

apparently middle earth was found in some remote wormhole, and Gandalf was very willing to share some of his wizardry with the rest of the universe. look for more magical behavior in future expansions, its coming.

we have crossed from sci-fi to fantasy, folks.

We initially decided upon Core probes, but this is incorrect. Combat probes will be exchanged for the Deep Space Probe removal. Changing DSP into Core didn't seem right, as Combat probes could still locate ships/structures etc the same as a DSP could.