Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I think having two different minigames for data and relic sites would be the way to go.
Just merging the skills would also be okay but I think 2 different minigames would also improve the exploration gameplay.

It also removes the need to choose between sacrificing an extra midslot or not.

+1

Or, here's an idea. Make them more different from each other, and re-distribute the loot tables, to make their value more similar.

Warning, Bittervet Rant Incoming:

Scanning used to be hard and it took some skill. So, the isk/hr wasn't up to par with other things that you could do? Fine, MAKE IT MORE REWARDING, NOT EASIER. The top end of these loot tables should be HOLY F!!! exciting, but rare. The content should be challenging, but doable.

If it gets any easier, you might as well just put a "give me isk" button on the scanner interface with a 5 minute cool-down.

/rant

If it's too similar, make it more different. If it's too easy, make it harder, but more rewarding. Don't dumb it down further.

Maybe a better mini game that resembles hacking more.....

maybe like this

What about people like you? Adapt to changes or stop complaining.

I think the idea of Escalations from data/relic sites would be awesome. This does 3 things, 1) it adds value to each site you scan down because you can potentially get another site without scanning. 2) the escalation sites can't have campers, your ship would need to be scanned down with combat probes. 3) it adds an exploration activity to Exploration.

As for the OP, I don't mind having 2 skills so much as having 2 modules equipped. I would be for a new module that combined both modules. Someone else suggested a T1 only SoE faction module, but I would make it available in T2 as well, since most relic centered explorers would not see value in upgrading. Much like the SoE probe launcher this would increase the value of the exploration ship as well making for juicer prey.

Exploration has a lot of room for growth. Here are a few ideas I have:

- New data site with cluster of cans inside a force field. One can outside which must be hacked to drop the FF. The force field then goes back up on start of first cluster can hack until all cans are hacked or destroyed. The cluster cans can all be harder and larger puzzles since the explorer is protected for the duration. Cloaky campers can still camp the FF node or sneak inside when the shield is dropped. And if a hunter comes upon an explorer already inside they can take up position waiting for the shield to drop at the end or follow the explorer when they leave. It could be the FF controls could be re-spawn after a short duration (1min) so a hunter or another explorer could attempt to drop the shield and scare off or attack anyone already inside.

-Chained sites. Initial site only has 1 container but spawns a new site in same system on successful attempt. The new site is on the probe scanner and must be scanned down and will have 2-3 cans. Upon successful completion of all cans, no failures, a 3rd site is spawned the same way with another 2-3 cans. And upon completion without failure, a guaranteed escalation site is added to your journal. The chain could mix data and relic sites or even containers in same site causing both skills to be useful for success and moving on to the next chain.

So many things could be done to add more variety, some fairly simple some more complex. I think adding more combination data/relic sites to the standard list would add value to the separate skills as you would want to be good in both for best chance at success.

How do you make it hard?
Before when you had to deploy 1 probe per cycle, and place them manually - it wasn't hard. Just time consuming.

If you lock it up by skill level - doesn't fix anything. All you do is delay the ISK machine; people who have no access to the modules needed stray away from the activity;those who do have access begin to explore opportunities. They find that there is a lack of supply on the market and start making $$$. Other pick up on that and start training. Sure, maybe the time investment is long, but in the end its worth it...? Until you again, have tons of explorers swooping cans faster than the site respawn and the market gets saturated again, except the populace is worse off, because now there is a minority that has a monopoly due to the access restriction.

At the end of the day Exploration is in the same spot as LP store farmers - they don't make liquid ISK. Hence they earn as much as the NS crabbers are willing to pay...

Neither hacking minigame can be harder than it is. Because without the option of fitting decent tank and the ability to fight your way out, exploration becomes a gamble with random sustainability.

I think the correct word is systematic? When I hack cans it seems more like a click-spamming race to open as many nodes in as little time as possible. There are numbers popping up on the nodes and I assumed that it works like minesweeper, but then I get a virus node right on top of the last 5-pop-up number. There should be more clues as to where you should focus your hacking attempts rather than simply making content unavailable until you reach your 30day training completion on T2 hacks/analyzers.

Considering that everything from traditional data and relic sites are sold on a player driven market, increasing the amount of loot will only devalue the sites, requiring less modules and skills to do the sites will devalue the sites.

If we took out data sites and hacking though, it would basically not change the day to day experience (or train or fitting) of most current explorers. Exploration with just relic sites (e.g. most actual exploration done today) is already in a pretty good, solid, and interesting place. I would rather see CCP take that effort and create a brand new content type rather than just spin wheels on iterating over exploration content that's already pretty solid WITHOUT that differentiation.



If I'm exploring, non-combat, I only fit a data analyzer if I have spare fitting I already don't care about. The current state of data sites makes the fitting argument irrelevant. Sleeper caches would be a great potential exception, except... combat. Any ship capable of solo'ing them is already facing refit downtime and carrying a mobile depot. Fitting choices lose relevance when you can refit anywhere within 60s and already have to anyway in order to switch between combat , hacking, and travel roles.



The drifter sites do seem awesome, but what drives that is NOT the fact that they use arch and hacking at the same time. What makes them interesting is the requirement to hack two different things at the same time and how that forces folks to fly the site with other people. It would take absolutely nothing away from drifter sites to make the hacking all data or all relic; the interesting bit is the cooperative element.