Test Server Feedback

When will the RF timers be set back to normal, instead of the 24 hours RF cycle that is currently in place?

I've been trying to go through this thread and see what bugs have been reported and what suggestions have been offered about the actual SOV system but all I am getting is a headache.

I don't know about other people but I don't really have the patience to go through 100 posts about how BRAVE is blueing everyone and how PL drops a titan at the drop of a hat just to see what has been written about the actual SOV system.

Can someone from CCP please create another topic for Playtest discussions/general whining about how "PL is crushing everyone" and keep this thread for actual Bug Reports/suggestions and improvements.

Or the other way around since it seems 80% of this thread is already filled with anything but what should be in here.

Don't cross the streams!!!

Clarification, please. By "capturing at least one system" do you mean any one sov structure, or only at least one TCU, or all three sov structures in a system?

In other words, what exactly do you mean by "at least one system"?

Thanks!

GG

Also do u get points for holding your own systems, or do you need to capture someone's?

lol the problem isn't capturing the systems, it's finding vulnerable systems to attack ... the current UI (or lack thereof) makes it kind of a pita :) Fozzie's list (which is fabulous) is often out of date by the time I log on (I'm mostly active Aussie time zone), so I spend the first 20-30 minutes logged on trying to determine the status of potential systems (for example, quite often the systems on Fozzie's list I'd be most interested in chasing nodes on, have already been taken over by the time I log on).

Or find myself accidentally helping someone else take over an ihub or tcu because they were capturing nodes at the same time we were That was actually very funny.

If you show info on the alliance that owns the system under the attributes tab, it lists the default vulnerability time. But it seems to not be working as they all show 02:00. I imagine this will be functional when it goes live on TQ, but like you said, there is no clear indication outside of flying to each system and mousing over the three icons.

I'm a bit torn on how easy this information should be easily available. On one hand it would be neat if there was some color system that showed variations between green and red to indicate at a quick glance what systems are getting closer and closer to being vulnerable. Closer and closer to solid green to represent the exact opposite of the vulnerable window.

On the other hand hitting F10 and the game telling you where to go without much effort beyond hitting the one key feels a bit too easy with valuable information with no effort. Maybe if the player was physically in the region or constellation, then when you look at the map, you get the color system. Quick glance and you can see what you would find interesting and then a mouse over the system in question would show a detailed break down of the TCU, I-hub and station times and owner.

Some random thoughts/impressions....

- I still keep undocking without stront... despite this failure on my part, I think adding stront to the entosis link was a great idea. I've already seen it developing into a "very important support role" for my newer/lower skilled pilots, and they seem to get a kick out of running around jetting stront to people as they sit there sov mining for an hour on a single node

- There is a definite rock-paper-scissors-Spock element to the new sov system. Station service gets attacked by an assault frigate, I undock a Rook to jam him/her off, his/her buddy undocks in a Golem ... I die.... In fact, I suspect we're going to see mauraders in particular used as entosis link ships a lot on TQ.

- Station services may need to be rethought. It is my understanding that the reason you can knock station services offline at any time is, well, to provide content, to pick a fight. That's not happening. Instead, more often than not, they just ignore you as you knock their station services offline, wait for you to leave, then undock and reset their station services. They are not only too easy to knock offline, they are too easy to get back online. As it is right now, it seems like station services is just an annoyance (although it is funny to see people run around trying to catch you as you hit their services, it's occasionally an effective way to split a defending force up around their constellation).

- While I believe and agree that actively owned and used systems should have strong defensive bonuses/activity bonuses, I think the bonuses are too strong. 60 minutes to take a single command node is torture, even more so when it's not contested. If I want the mind-numbing boredom of mining, I'll go mine rocks in a belt. (Edit: See next point, but imagine the frustration of being a defending alliance who has to sit on their hands waiting 60 minutes for a node to spawn, because the larger attacking alliance has control of all of the initial five command nodes spawned. Ya, ya, I know, defenders will attack with jams or damps or other harassment tactics, but you get the idea).

- I also think the spawning of the command nodes needs to be rethought, because as it is right now, who brings the most pilots "wins," and I don't think that's necessarily how it's intended. Right now, when a reinforcement timer ends, five command nodes are spawned. If you have greater numbers than the other side, the odds of you getting one of your people onto those five command nodes first is high. If you get on all five of the initially spawned command nodes first, then opposing side has no command nodes to grab to counter you. You then have to wait for one of those nodes to be captured, before another one spawns, and hope you get on it before they do. An attacking (or defending) force can, with enough people, shut the other side out of any realistic chance of capturing nodes for themselves. Imagine the futility of a 50 pilot alliance trying to capture nodes against a 2,000 pilot alliance... you don't even have a chance to sneak one in under the gun! They can, of course, shoot you, or link up on the same node to halt your progress, but that's not the point I'm trying to make The point I'm trying to make is I think that the spawning of command nodes needs to be more random right from the beginning, and throughout the capture event. Otherwise, regardless of defensive bonuses, we're just going to have the same blobfare style of warfare we already have right now, just spread out over a constellation instead of a single system. (Yes, I know, there's just no way to ever get away from who brings the most people wins stuff, but we can mitigate and lessen it, can't we?)

(Edit: The tl;dr of it is I think either the spawn rate of command nodes or the max defense bonus needs to be tweaked/rethought, the current combination of both encourages blobbing and is also not-fun).

- Any fears that capitals would be useless under FozzieSov are laid to rest. If anything, they may be even more used.

i understood almost all the words.... but my brain hurts now

EDIT: being serious though... it must not be too complicated to explain... even if the background mechanics are clever and worthy of discussion to the front line grunt, and i count myself amongst them, i need to know in simple terms what i need to do to win the objective...

How about this:

For each system adjacent that is not part of the same alliance sov, lowers the defensive multiplier cap by one.