Assembly Hall

TL;DR: Give remote assistance modules an aggression timer equal to that of the target they're assisting, rather than a fresh timer. This eliminates RR-docking game abuses, without removing the ability of a logi gang to withdraw from a fight by non-aggression.

Presently, logistics ships can assist combat ships without being hit with a combat aggression timer. This allows them to repair gang mates without losing the ability to dock or jump. Lots of pilots have taken issue with this, and for good reason. The most common solution to this is giving remote assistance modules an aggression timer when they help aggressed pilots. Unfortunately, this medicine is worse than the disease it's trying to cure.

A gang must be able to withdraw from a fight. Presently, if a battleship shoots something, they can cease fire and still run their local tank modules while they wait out their aggression. They can shoot something and receive remote reps while they wait out their aggression. And when the timer is done, the gang (logistics included) can safely dock or use the jump gate. The important part here is that you can still tank while the timers tick down -- you just can't undertake offensive action.

Now suppose that remote assistance incurred an aggression timer in the normal sense. The logistics pilot would receive an aggression timer for repping an aggressed pilot. This timer would quickly spread to the entire logistics chain via their capacitor transfer modules. If these incurred aggression in the normal sense, then these timers would be continually refreshed and the gang would not be able to withdraw without stopping their tanks for a full 60 seconds. I shouldn't have to explain why that isn't a survivable option.

Suppose, on the other hand, that remote assistance didn't give you a fresh timer, but rather gave you a timer equal to that of the pilot you're assisting. That is, repping a pilot that hasn't shot anyone for 10 seconds would give you a 50 second timer. This timer would still spread among the logistics gang -- but it wouldn't be refreshed every time a module cycled.

If the timers worked as I described, where you inherited the target's timer, the logistics gang would be able to dock or jump out at precisely 60 seconds from their gang's last combat action -- which prevents logistics pilots from being able to dock up immediately, as described, but also allows the gang as a whole to cease offensive action and still withdraw effectively.

Please make remote assistance modules incur a combat aggression timer equal to the the remaining time on the pilot they're assisting.

I dunno. I think you can just click the "like" button on the first post?

Posting does bump the thread though.

OK, so like and bump, As I thought it illogical to Not flag logistics at all, but this solution really could work.

+1 for addressing neutral RR.

This would be pretty good.

14 likes. Maybe we can get a CSM member to champion this?

It'd be the highest. If an idiot who ignores the disengage order keeps firing, then everyone either has to stop assisting him (at which point their timers begin to tick down), or he has to stop shooting.

If you can't coordinate your gang well enough to extract yourself, then that's on you.

This is easily the best suggestion I've seen concerning this matter. Very much supported.

Also: Now the "Support" button is gone, and we still can't have a frigging vote function with these super-unbelievably-awesome forums they spent so much time coding on?

I haven't heard any objections so far. I think this idea needs more visibility.

supporting this post.