Player Features and Ideas Discussion

So, I've been watching too much Farscape lately, which means, the phrase "wormhole technology" is constantly rumbling through my head, because on some episodes it's mentioned every five or six minutes. And it spawned an idea.

We have these Sleepers with all their advanced Tech III technology that we're still learning how to fully adapt and use. We have some Tech III ships, but a lot are still being designed and developed, and I'm sure there's tons of data we got we don't really know how to use directly, and this could be one to come out in the future:

Artificial wormhole generation. It would be a way to add value to Tech III ships in null, low, high, and wormhole space. The idea, roughly, is that you would need a team of Tech III ships (cruisers or battleships instead maybe down the line), substituting out for a dedicated module to do this.

Three ships on each side would activate the wormhole generator, and the wormhole openings would generate at the point between the three vessels. There would be a minimum distance of this, far greater than a max jump range for a capital ship, this is intended for long-distance travel ONLY. It would allow you to create a wormhole between systems on the far side of the map. Additionally, as the wormholes detect as the same as the natural ones, CONCORD doesn't get involved, although of course, a wormhole opening does tend to attract attention, and in space where CONCORD does not defend you, it's a risky endeavor.

Some uses would include treks in and out of highsec, as well as jumping massive fleets across far greater distances than you could reasonably do by coordinating Titan jump bridges. This technology would also allow those in wormhole space to *create* an exit.

I want it usable in highsec, so it's got use for wormhole ratters and other people trying to get around highsec, but the concept needs a good way to balance it there. In null, low, and wormhole space, you're risking a pile of expensive Tech III ships to do it. Like a cyno pilot, they would be exposed and at risk for a lengthy period.

Well, if they were Tech III battleships (which don't exist yet), hypothetically, that'd be putting six ships that I imagine will be very expensive, at risk. It's a very powerful ability, which would need to be balanced very carefully, more carefully than I can admit to being capable of here.

Ideas would include:

* Use the same subsystem slot that allows Tech III ships to cloak, so that they have to be very visible to get to the destination of the wormhole.

* Wormhole Generator has a cooldown of 23 hours, and can't be unslotted from the ship during that cooldown. Which means, you can't use the same set of ships to make multiple wormholes per day. It also means, they can't swap a cloaking module in to run away.

* Artificial wormholes remain as relatively inherently unpredictable as natural ones. They dissipate at varying lengths of time.

* Ensure ships with Wormhole Generators can't actually pass through those wormholes, because the generator's presence inside would interfere with and collapse the tunnel. You're stranding pilots somewhere no matter how you slice it.

* Wormhole generators could require fuel -only- available in wormhole space, which is extremely rare (and hence, valuable).

* Skills required would be deep into Navigation and Science.

Keep in mind, a part of this is that it requires six pilots to open up a wormhole, and that's not counting the people going through it. It would open up options like have corporate wormhole services and such as well.

Part of the goal CCP wants is to give small gangs more value, and I think this would be one way. A six-ship gang is fairly adept at protecting itself through travel anyhow, so it isn't really mitigating the risk of transit too much, and adds additional risk of it's own, since the six ships creating the wormhole are vulnerable. It takes some of the travel-bearing load off of capital ships, and onto gangs, without depriving capitals of their value as both jump ships and jump portal generators.

The op realizes you have absolutely no idea where a wormhole connects until you get there, yes? The reason jump bridges and gates can work is because you are connecting two known points. However once you have a second point, all you've done is create a fancy jump bridge thingie. Too much work for too little sense.

How can you possibly know where's it's going without a pre-determined destination signal in place to lock on to? What... you ask the wormhole to please go to Jita? Sounds like a cheap means to move fleets through empire. Ridiculous and whole-heartedly not supported.

Sounds like someone didn't read the idea. You need SIX ships, three on EACH side, in the same fleet. It creates a bridge between the two sets of ships. That's how you know where it's going... you have to create both ends.



That would be a cool idea as well. My idea comes from a desire to create a mechanic that would benefit all types of EVE players, creating new strategies for both warfare and transportation, while balancing it off significant difficulty to do it. Yours would only be useful in combat situations, but it would also serve the secondary purpose of my idea, of giving the upcoming Tech III ships more niche features and roles.