Player Features and Ideas Discussion

another bump

Comets typically travel at velocities of 480km/s per second, I really like this idea, but these comets better be implemented in a fashion where they are traveling extremely fast; with some nuanced way that players can trap them or something else to that regard. I don't care if the reasoning is completely bogus, like having to interdict them or something generally nonsensical revolving entirely around pseudoscience. Please don't ruin my immersion with comets that innately travel at 1-2km/s.

+1

This is like a final boss of mining, really cool idea +1

Also really like the idea of a t3 indy that anchors onto the comet.

Hmmm... like the ideas of discouraging AFK'ers and encouraging fleet ops, and not just a fleet of miners.
Combining some previous ideas... how about....

1. Comet is found and scanned down sort of like WHs. (using current probes)
2. Comet moves too fast for any ship to normally catch. (treat it as modified deadspace)
3. Once scanned down, the scanning ship uses a hi-slot mod to attach a tag/anchor to it. (usable by fleet and/or corp???)
4. All ships (in fleet/corp) use a mid-slot mod to 'attach' to this tag/anchor, thus keeping them in the deadspace.
(anchor shows in overview if you're in fleet/corp, you warpto it and turn on mid-slot mod during warp)
5. Random events in comet deadspace (explosions, out-gassing, etc) may cause mid-slot mod to deactivate, you have X seconds to reactivate or be dropped into normal space.

The 'tag/anchor in overview for fleet/corp only' mechanics is there now.. used in new sov.
Deadspace... there already.
Being dropped out of comet deadspace.... how about using same mechanics as when disconnected and logging back in???

The actually content of the comet and its tail is another subject, but maybe use the shield/armor/hull approach to ice/ore/goo?
(With gas always there in tail)

By using an tag/anchor and a mid-slot, all ships could hang around comet..... miners, defense fleet, and the lovable pvp'rs.
Maybe a low-slot variation? Mid and low slots have the advantage of being activated while warping to comet.

Just my 10cents (inflation)
Fly smart,
Ero

Maybe if they spawned only in low sec and they moved at such high speed that only the new expedition frigates or ventures could keep up with them. They'd get farmed in any other area of space and I think it could make a new high risk/high reward mining activity in low

I'd put my money on this idea having been abandoned long ago due to the devs probably realizing that having them be another source of existing materials would devalue their current market standing and potentially obsolete traditional mining, moons ect. That leaves new materials and so far there hasn't been any new features to require it outside of things like T3's where the resources were given to WH space so they have something unique.

Maybe one day when a whole new slew of content comes along, CCP might revisit the idea as a way to acquire the resources to build it but until then it's kind of pointless even if it is extremely cool.

Just finished reading thread.

+1 +1 +1 +1 +1

Mechanics
I think as for the mechanics of it, it should be treated as a big, titan sized rat.

The Comet Rat can move 500-2000m/s, and it should slowly accelerate from 500m-2km as its life runs through. It'll have a pretty new icon, and the icon won't be red, so it isn't obviously just a rat that you mine lol. I think you should be able to web it down, but only to an extent; a venture with a web shouldn't be able to slow it down 58%.

There's no reason for the actual anomaly (that you should definitely have to scan down) to move, for two reasons. 1, immersion-wise, comets move fast, but they don't travel from the oort cloud to the sun in a matter of hours or days; that would be silly. For this reason, 2, it's unnecessary to add pointless complex code. However, I suppose it could be like those deadspace pockets where you can't leave a bookmark, and for people who warp away from it to come back they should have to scan it again. But maybe that would be too tedious.

It's life should be the span of a couple days at most. The purpose of this gameplay should be to get nomadic miners/indie/explorers to converge on single point, and, given their defenseless nature, they should be given a fair chance to ninja mine the comet.

I agree completely with the outer shell of ice, middle husk of ore, and inner core of moon goo with a tail for gas huffers.

I also agree completely that the comet should inflict considerable damage to those around it in a not completely random, but hard to predict, manner. I think that manual piloting should be essential to survival for those who are within a certain distance of it.

Profit
One thing that hasn't really been discussed is how much these things should net, and that really depends on how common they should be.

As an ex-miner, the most intriguing thing about this idea for me is that it would cause miners to leave their home systems and go chasing comets. If they're too common, nobody will mine normally any more. If they're too rare, it'll be gimmicky and a player system won't develop around them.

I think a solution to this problem would be to make it so that mining these things really is difficult. A lot of people won't like this idea, but I think that chewing through the whole comet during its lifespan should require Orca boosts (with say a mining fleet of 10 macks, not really sure what the numbers are anymore). That's just an idea. But I think that these comets should provide interesting gameplay for Orca/Rorq pilots as well as barges and exhumers.

Risk vs Reward. If you want to just bring your prospect in and huff some gas, fine, you'll make some isk. If you bring in an Orca, 20+ miners, logistics to repair damage that the comet does to ships, DST's or even Freighters to transport huge quantities of materials, and a support fleet to protect against gankers, you should be rewarded with A LOT of isk.

The problem with that is that if it's too profitable, then nullsec empires/cartels might monopolize it, which I believe is counter to what we're trying to do here.

I suppose CCP would be the highest authority when it comes to determining how much these things should be worth.


EDIT: Ooh, another idea. I think any materials that you get from it should already be compressed. This will help with the hauling of all the material, as well as boost the profits. Lore wise... "Unusual vacuum conditions at high eliptical velocities have resulted in abnormal pressure conditions on the surface of this comet, resulting in perfectly compressed and densified materials." Or some other Neil DeGrasse Tyson talk.

god, I wrote that so long ago.......
Also - I can now afford a daredevil on all of my alts - so I'm gonna be using an MWD 'ceptor to catch it and make primary webs, then put an AB daredevil on it with paired webs - I'm using T2 webs, and have all frigate skills to V on a couple of chars (inc the main)
web effect of a fully skilled daredevil using a single T2 web:
60% base velocity modifier
+ 5*10% (=50%) web effectiveness
=60%+(50%*60%)
=60%+30%
=90%
stack two of those:
first web: reduction from 100% velocity to 10%
second web: reduction from 10% velocity to 1%
at 2km/s - this reduces velocity to 20m/s

Also - this won't reward anyone with isk, it rewards them with goods they can then trade for isk.

So this thread is still alived and full of good idea.

CCP after citadel would you consider this idea, there is so much to built now, with all those ships and citadel coming that the comet mining could be a good idea.

Adding that the fuel for the citadel is a bit complicated (and probably too expensive).

Comet mining could be part of the answer.

C O M E T S CCpls !

If done in the right way, this could be the mechanic / feature that is the catalyst to shake up the big blue power blocs in Null - imagine being able to own and add defences and weapons stations to a comet so as well as being a resource it also becomes a kind of wandering death star ! Destruction of citadels by fly-by comets :)