Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I understand that the entirety of known space in eve is under 10.000 systems, and a sizable portion of that is wormholes. SPace linked with stargates comprises a region of "just over 100 light years" across. That's barely a speck in an actual average galaxy.

I propose that player run factions can, under extremely scarce and difficult circumstances, become able to use astrometric technologies to find a suitable natural conduit to a new region of space (inside and outside the known galaxy) and would become capable of creating a star gate to this new region of space. In essence, a large alliance collaborates, constructs a highly expensive "astrometric observatory" and scans.

The construction of these observatories should be linked to a scarce resource - so that the amount of scan attempts per set period is limited to one for the entirety of space. Such scans would be roughly directional, say, in a 35 degree arc which is decided by the creating faction.

This process is then processed by CCP games - CCP games notices the construction of an array, and waits when the array comes online. When the array then comes online, scan begins, CCP will have decided where the new system is to be discovered within that 35 degree (or so) arc (and from a few to tens of light years distant) , and the new system will be unlocked and almost immediately a star gate can be constructed.

The nature of these systems is up to CCP. They may be plain, vanilla systems. They may be very strange. They might very well be occupied. They may be worthless, or they may be completely void of planets. But also possible is that a unique resource, or some horrific danger can be located there. But equally likely such a new system might already have an old artefact gate that leads to another region, thereby unlocking totally new strategical connections.

Why?

Known space should gradually expand. It would be delightful is players would be able to "roughly" determine the direction of this expansion. With some clever planning factions might even be able to secure more elaborate "safezones" radiating away and outward from known space.

instead of addinf more "magical" systems to a galaxy that's already been mapped for almost 40k+ years (since we have no idea when explorers first came through the wormhole) we might as well be searching for a new galaxy, something you don't see in the vastness of space.

I think that new systems that can't be accessed through either standard gates or constant wormhole connections would be fascinating and add a lot of depth to the game, especially if those systems were given unique and interesting properties, like an ice planet that was split in two that produces a lot of ice belts, or a lone, rogue planet drifting through the expanse of space.

That being said, I think a better way to implement that would be to create the systems, perhaps only a few at a time, and create some very subtle process to discover them, sort of like the discovery of Caroline's star. After you know it's there, there would need to be some way to pinpoint the location. Perhaps a scan module that has to be aimed within 1 degree of the system. Once you have the coordinate, you can use a jump drive to go to the location. This way the devs don't have a constant commitment to create more systems if that ends up being too much of a time sink or bad for the game.

I think a system like this would create a real sense of discovery for the explorer types, and add some strategic depth to the game. Do you keep your system a secret? Connect it to alliance space with a jump bridge? Use it as a capital staging system? The choice is up to you.

Yes. Which is why I mentioned that new eden is a cluster. Like this one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_80

But regardless, if you allow us to build a stargate that becomes the only way in to a new region, that new region is going to be fortified by the people who built the gate, and good luck trying to dig an entrenched enemy out when there is literally one entry point.

To give an example, if my alliance got a region 10 light years away from Delve, where we live, then we have ourselves a pocket we cannot be evicted from. Where we can make isk and build supers in absolute safety because there's all of one way in and we have the numbers to hold that chokepoint against anything but the kind of force that kicked us out of the north, which would be much harder to bring to bear as we'd be out of jump range.

And if it gave us a backdoor into, say, Fade? we'd be laughing. Giving someone a backdoor only they can use is never going to be an undesirable thing.

Then again, if there's literally nothing in the systems then other than a couple of ECs for the super building thing, why would anyone even bother going there?

Also, you really can't add things for the sake of the story without considering the impact on gameplay.

What does that have to do with anything?

If you hand a group a place they can exist in total safety where they will be nigh impossible to dig out, what do you think they are going to do with it?

And if it also includes a back door into a hostile region, what do you think they are going to do with that?

Thera and the shattered wormholes were the last systems added. Which have nothing to do with your idea. Before that it was wormhole space in general, and before that it was the drone regions.

Your comment sounds like the ancient history of the caveman who would huddle at the back of the dank and wet dark cave fearful of the light at the end of the tunnel. A tunnel that drops out of warp into a lush and volatile land filled with resources other than the smell of cavemen.

You sit in your cave and be content while everyone else hunts the anaconda that does not have any fear and will eventually find you shaking in your cave with no where to go.

SImply because YOU do not care about the gameplay ramifications of your idea (or intend to cause any) it does mean that others do not or will not take advantage of them.

Because this is a multi-player, conflict driven game you cannot ignore the issues that people are pointing out here.


What you are proposing is a NPC farmer's "wetdream."



To my knowledge, the last time any systems were "added" was back in the Apocrypha expansion (see: 5000+ wormhole systems were added).

That was back in 2009.

But that is neither here nor there.

The point behind those systems was more than simply "world building" or exploration... it was...
- to create a new "conflict point" between players
- to create a truly unsecurable space that no one could really lay claim to

Unfortunately, players did effectively "claim" systems in wormhole space and now guard them jealously using some intricate tactics to keep interlopers out (which they are quite effective at).


Your idea will allow something similar, but on steroids.

Which will bolster and enhance the power of larger, richer organizations of players.
Who will then "lock out" younger, poorer players.

Nice. Finally someone that treats this game with a sense of wonder and adventure. I am kinda sick of all the spreadsheet aspergerites everywhere. Eve is a Dream. It may be a dark dream, but it' should still be a place of wonder and adventure, not some 6 dimensional chess.

New eden is just over 100 light years and a few thousand stars.

A galaxy is 100.000 light years and several hundred billion stars.

CCP could expand the game, if they had the balls, and add features, content, affordances, et.al. every year that would add new players. It doesn't all have to be pew. It doesn't all have to be cutthroat psychopathic competition. It can be a sense of wonder, adventure.

Imagine Eve Online still exists in 2029 and it then somehow succeeded in luring in ten times the current number of subscribers. Such a thing could easily happen as technological unemployment races towards all of us in the real world. People will need something to keep busy and Eve Online is perfectly situated to offer a lot of people a damn lot of meaning in their lives.

Optimism instead of defensiveness. CCP could learn from its own players. At least they are constantly aiming for expansion.