These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
 

Suggestion: Add Shipping Drones
Author
Previous Topic Next Topic
Loki Yamaguchi
Level 42 Industries
#1 - 2014-11-19 20:18:49 UTC
Abstract
Introduce a mechanism that would facilitate moving products from point A to B via drone transports. One destination would always have to be the character's home station.

Ships
Small - 50m3
Medium - 500m3
Large - 5000m3
etc...

Skills
Transport Drones - (allows the use and the quantity controlled)
Transport Drones Navigation - (the number of jumps possible)
Transport Drones Astronomy - (the number of constellations traveled)
Transport Drones Electronics - (the time it takes to make a jump)
Transport Drones Hull - (storage capacity)
etc...
If they could be armed then you would have those as well.



Why? I see a need to be able to move equipment around "faster" and with greater ease. Traffic would be greatly increased giving a visual benefit. The drones would not be overly strong (or well armed if that was possible) making them "easy" targets. They would also be slow, maybe around 3-4 times slower than doing the trip yourself.

Thoughts? What can I clarify?

Thanks
Anhenka
The New Federation
Sigma Grindset
#2 - 2014-11-19 20:26:11 UTC
There is a general distaste for automation when it replaces a player function.

If you have a bajillion trit in a far flung station, then that's a problem. One you can fix by either grabbing a freighter and hauling it yourself, or outsourcing it to a dedicated hauler service in exchange for monetary compensation.

The answer really shouldn't be "log on my alt with these skills trained, fill all the drones up with trit that nobody will bother ganking, tell them to deliver to jita 4-4, and go to sleep"

There's also issues with the fact that the server would have to track, load, unload control, and transfer each and every one of these individually through each and every systems and gate. Given how popular these are likely to be, this could get to be significant server load in a hurry.


TLDR: Potentially difficult to implement, removes player function and interaction, playerbase distaste.

-1
Chaotic Past
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#3 - 2014-11-19 20:35:06 UTC
The automation would heavily defeat player interaction with drones that can carry that much. If this were to be implemented i would only feel ok with it being a drone with a cargo bay of, lets say 50-100m3. Mainly to help players like yourself, who are wanting to quickly move modules. Anything larger and i feel as if traders could easily abuse this.
Loki Yamaguchi
Level 42 Industries
#4 - 2014-11-19 20:40:25 UTC
Anhenka wrote:
There is a general distaste for automation when it replaces a player function.

If you have a bajillion trit in a far flung station, then that's a problem. One you can fix by either grabbing a freighter and hauling it yourself, or outsourcing it to a dedicated hauler service in exchange for monetary compensation.

The answer really shouldn't be "log on my alt with these skills trained, fill all the drones up with trit that nobody will bother ganking, tell them to deliver to jita 4-4, and go to sleep"

There's also issues with the fact that the server would have to track, load, unload control, and transfer each and every one of these individually through each and every systems and gate. Given how popular these are likely to be, this could get to be significant server load in a hurry.


TLDR: Potentially difficult to implement, removes player function and interaction, playerbase distaste.

-1


All good points.

Could it be said that some automation, especially the more mundane things like inter-region runs 0.5+ might benefit from this as it would free players-up to do more "interesting" things?

Server wise, there would be a hit but it actually could be run at a very low priority.

I do all my own shipping now and have zero player interaction. Granted I'm a uber-noob-indi and moving small value around but it's still the only way to do it. I'd love to have that aspect of X back: a fleet of uHauls zipping all over the place.
Loki Yamaguchi
Level 42 Industries
#5 - 2014-11-19 20:49:18 UTC
Chaotic Past wrote:
The automation would heavily defeat player interaction with drones that can carry that much. If this were to be implemented i would only feel ok with it being a drone with a cargo bay of, lets say 50-100m3. Mainly to help players like yourself, who are wanting to quickly move modules. Anything larger and i feel as if traders could easily abuse this.


I think they wold have to be heavily limited by range, speed, capacity, quantity, complexities, etc. Basically to be an "abuser", you would need lvl 5 in 4-6 skills (let's say) but in the end, it would be easier to do it yourself.

Also they would be un-insurable and free from Concorde (but not locals police?) maybe...so there would be some risk too. Or maybe so slow to jump/align that scanning/attacking would be easier....

I see what you're saying though but there already is so much NPC automation, I didn't really see this as a bad thing. Heck it might increase interaction with more people willing to put the time in to organize trade routes/hubs.
Jackson Apollo
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#6 - 2014-11-19 21:09:11 UTC
-1 because I would abuse this greatly.

+1 because I could spend less time hauling

-1 for player interaction

+1 If concord didn't care (perhaps not "drones" but hired non-capsuleers pilots like Convoy NPC 'haulers')

that adds up to 0 and means I have no real opinion.