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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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Local landscape
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Mercer Nen
Summicron Holdings
#1 - 2015-08-18 00:36:15 UTC
Probably going to regret posting this, but sub is running out anyway so what the hell.

Idea: Change the way local works throughout New Eden.
Goals: Make the landscape within each system more interesting. Introduce new gameplay around intel gathering and intel dodging. Create more reasons to construct new intel gathering structures. Give greater meaning to security status of systems.

Some of what I'm proposing may not be technically feasible, or might have too much of an effect on server performance. However, these are just ideas for discussion and I'm more interested in what people think about them from a gameplay standpoint than any technical considerations or limitations. Also, I'm going to avoid talking about wormholes for the sake of keeping this slightly more simple.

Base "Local" in all systems, all regions:
System local is only accessible when docked or on grid with a station. Only those docked, or on grid, appear in local or have access to local.

Hi sec
1.0 - .9 Local behaves as it does currently as a result of broadcast node structures throughout the system.

.8 Local is only accessible when docked in a station in system, within tbd range of Planets, Moons, and on grid with stations, gates, customs offices. Some system local blindspots will probably exist.

.7 Local is only accessible when docked in a station in system, within tbd range of Planets, and on grid with stations, gates, customs offices. Some system local blindspots will definitely exist as the 'tbd range from Moons' are excluded.

.6 Local is only accessible when docked in a station in system, on grid with stations, gates, customs offices, or within tbd range of Planets with large populations (?). Substantial system local blindspots will exist as the 'tbd range' from Moons and most Planets are excluded.

.5 Local is only accessible when docked in a station in system, on grid with stations, gates, customs offices. Substantial system local blindspots will exist.


Variations on this for low sec & null might include:

  • Anonymous local shows total number in channel, but only reveals names when they are active in channel
  • Delayed local when on grid
  • Hackable local to temporarily remove oneself from local
  • Hackable local to temporarily hide oneself (lurking mode)
  • Capsuleers with appropriate standings (concord, empire, or local faction) can deploy broadcast node destructible structures to boost local coverage (variety of player controlled settings possible with these deployables/structures)


Just scratching the surface, but the idea is to have more variety and possibly built in uniqueness of systems due to current system geography. Also, I'm not suggesting that all of the variations be implemented. Just food for thought.
riteinthekisser
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#2 - 2015-08-18 04:58:46 UTC
Why make it complicated? I reckon they should just turn off local everywhere for a month and just see what happens.
FireFrenzy
Cynosural Samurai
#3 - 2015-08-18 06:25:52 UTC
i believe The Ordained by Bob as Correct answer is "go live in a wormhole if you want to get rid of local"

I want to have more awesome fights... I had to ARRANGE A FIGHT WITH BRAVE yesterday because we were getting blueballed and wanted to test a new d3 docterine...
Mercer Nen
Summicron Holdings
#4 - 2015-08-18 10:17:02 UTC
FireFrenzy wrote:
i believe The Ordained by Bob as Correct answer is "go live in a wormhole if you want to get rid of local"

I want to have more awesome fights... I had to ARRANGE A FIGHT WITH BRAVE yesterday because we were getting blueballed and wanted to test a new d3 docterine...



Sounds like local isn’t doing you any good anyway.

What’s the real issue though? Not enough people in space who want to fight? Not enough people in space to catch? Not enough people where you are?

Maybe if the game is more interesting there will be more people? Maybe adding more variety from one system to another, and not just having one size fits all mechanics, gives people more incentive to travel to different systems (even less safe systems)?

Changing where local is accessible is one way to begin to add more variety from system to system. While everyone is understandably nervous about messing with local, as it exists now, how much does it really add to the game? Wouldn’t it be better if there were more interesting ways to discover who is in a system based on the system landscape and structures in space. In most cases, local would still be available at all gates and stations. It also doesn’t remove any of the functionality of the system scanner, probe scanning, directional scanner, or map statistics.
Lim Hiaret
Hiaret Family
#5 - 2015-08-18 16:47:47 UTC
With the new structure Observatory Array you might be able to do that yourself, but prob. not in highsec or lowsec.
Mercer Nen
Summicron Holdings
#6 - 2015-08-18 18:14:44 UTC
Lim Hiaret wrote:
With the new structure Observatory Array you might be able to do that yourself, but prob. not in highsec or lowsec.


I expect you're right that eventually there might be a revised local in null as a result of structures.

If I'm completely honest, Hi Sec is probably where I'd be least disappointed to see things remain the same. Although I do think it might make the difference between the .5 to .6 systems and the .7 and above systems more interesting. There's probably more potential for something like this in Low sec, as well as null.

System to system still feels very much the same. It would be nice if CCP added more geographic and functional differences between systems. And they've already said in the past they're not happy with the way local works across the game.