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Custom offices plan
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Jattila Vrek
Green Visstick High
#1 - 2012-01-20 18:31:41 UTC
I am considering (using another alt than this one) to start a business investing in custom offices in lowsec. My main has sufficient isk to undertake such a venture and can afford to lose his investment if things turn ugly.

Locations
To start I would need decent locations to anchor them.
I would be looking for locations that no longer have an Interbus CO because taking these down takes too much effort.
On such planets I could plant a command center to see who is doing PI there and contact them when the CO is ready, so they can export the goods that have been piling up on the planet. That would allow me to rapidly earn back part of my investment.

Security
The only protection is the fact that it's such a pain to take a CO down. Sure a group of players looking for some action could reinforce one to try to trigger a response, but they'll soon grow bored of it, especially when there's half a dozen COs to take down. The tactic is then to stay as neutral and uninteresting as possible. So anyone is welcome to do PI at a reasonable tax rate.

It will take a long time to earn back the isk invested. Quite possibly the COs will all be destroyed before earning back my investment. But still it seems interesting to try.

At present this is just a vague plan. Just posting here to see if I can get some feedback on the idea.
Professor Alphane
Les Corsaires Diable
#2 - 2012-01-20 21:54:09 UTC
Regarding what you said about locations. If theres no interbus customs office theres unlikely to be any colonies on your target planet.

[center]YOU MUST THINK FIRST....[/center] [center]"I sit with the broken angels clutching at straws and nursing our scars.." - Marillion [/center] [center]The wise man watches the rise and fall of fools from afar[/center]
Kaanchana
Tax-haven
#3 - 2012-01-20 22:59:03 UTC
First, if there are no inter bus offices then there must be POCOs there as no one will just shoot down those and leave the planet empty. So my guess is if you want to make it a business then you'll have to take down some yourself.

find a quiet low sec, preferably close to high sec but not in the route and set up shop.

Also create an intel channel with your customers and provide scouting if needed. It will be difficult to avoid potential gankers pretending to be your customers but this might pay well if you are careful enough in inviting others.
Jattila Vrek
Green Visstick High
#4 - 2012-01-21 11:35:09 UTC
The forum ate my post...

A dev blog after the introduction of POCOs showed that more interbus COs were destroyed than POCOs anchored. Though people might have plans for those locations.

I'd have to hire ppl to shoot down interbus COs, can't do that alone.
Kagan Storm
Doomheim
#5 - 2012-01-21 12:25:23 UTC
Kaanchana wrote:
First, if there are no inter bus offices then there must be POCOs there as no one will just shoot down those and leave the planet empty.



i know a couple of idiots that do it in 0.0 for the killmails... Shocked

My ego is the the size of my carriers jump range.
Lelith Hellebron
#6 - 2012-01-23 10:10:42 UTC  |  Edited by: Lelith Hellebron
Can you set tax rates for individual players? If so, offer lower taxes to planetside industrialists that pitch in with the startup costs. Though you'll probably have few takers, since most will justifiably assume it's a scam.

Edit; Ah, you could have the transaction mediated by a third party like Chribba to avoid the scam hurdle. The mediator holds the money until the office is in place and the investors are being taxed at the agreed upon rate, at which point you get paid.

[i]I am a leaf on the wind... Watch how I soar![/i]
Professor Alphane
Les Corsaires Diable
#7 - 2012-01-23 10:14:39 UTC
Lelith Hellebron wrote:
Can you set tax rates for individual players? If so, offer lower taxes to planetside industrialists that pitch in with the startup costs. Though you'll probably have few takers, since most will justifiably assume it's a scam.



Think you can set rates based on standings rather than individuals

[center]YOU MUST THINK FIRST....[/center] [center]"I sit with the broken angels clutching at straws and nursing our scars.." - Marillion [/center] [center]The wise man watches the rise and fall of fools from afar[/center]
Jack Dant
The Gentlemen of Low Moral Fibre
#8 - 2012-01-23 11:36:39 UTC
Jattila Vrek wrote:
Locations
To start I would need decent locations to anchor them.
I would be looking for locations that no longer have an Interbus CO because taking these down takes too much effort.
On such planets I could plant a command center to see who is doing PI there and contact them when the CO is ready, so they can export the goods that have been piling up on the planet. That would allow me to rapidly earn back part of my investment.

Locations without INB offices and no POCOs will be rare and spread out. Safest way would be to scout for reinforcement timers and check whether the attackers anchor their own afterwards or not. Or pay mercs to clear INB for you.

You can see who has a colony on the planet without planting your own. It helps if you set the scan interface to max sensibility so it "whites out" the surface. But don't worry too much about number of colonies. "Build it and they will come" seems to apply to POCOs.

Quote:
Security
The only protection is the fact that it's such a pain to take a CO down. Sure a group of players looking for some action could reinforce one to try to trigger a response, but they'll soon grow bored of it, especially when there's half a dozen COs to take down. The tactic is then to stay as neutral and uninteresting as possible. So anyone is welcome to do PI at a reasonable tax rate.

From personal experience, if you don't want them attacked, chose your planets carefully. Avoid planets that give the appearance of being very profitable (lava/plasma next to busy highsec). Funnily enough, those are often less profitable than ones in deeper lowsec. Predictably, PIers are attracted to lower sec and empty locals. Plus I think the constant reinforcement timers scare them away.

Also, get to know your local pirates. Check who they are and what they do. Some will be happy to kill your POCOs just to annoy you. Others will completely ignore them. And others will consider them fight magnets and provide some degree of defense if they get attacked (just don't expect them to do the boring work of repping).

What happens in lowsec, stays in lowsec, lowering the barrier to entry to lowsec PVP: https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=476644&#post476644
Cyniac
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#9 - 2012-01-23 13:56:24 UTC
Kaanchana wrote:
First, if there are no inter bus offices then there must be POCOs there as no one will just shoot down those and leave the planet empty. So my guess is if you want to make it a business then you'll have to take down some yourself


Actually I know of several planets which have not had a custom's office for weeks. Not sure why, but it does happen.

The problem is of course that those places where you have planets without a customs office also happen to be frequented by pilots who like to destroy customs offices just to pass the time.

So... I'd say there is a fundamental flaw in your plan - you failed to consider how you would be defending your assets, which is something you'll need to do, especially given the way you plan to set things up.
Jattila Vrek
Green Visstick High
#10 - 2012-01-23 16:05:36 UTC
Jack Dant wrote:
Locations without INB offices and no POCOs will be rare and spread out. Safest way would be to scout for reinforcement timers and check whether the attackers anchor their own afterwards or not. Or pay mercs to clear INB for you.

You can see who has a colony on the planet without planting your own. It helps if you set the scan interface to max sensibility so it "whites out" the surface. But don't worry too much about number of colonies. "Build it and they will come" seems to apply to POCOs.

From personal experience, if you don't want them attacked, chose your planets carefully. Avoid planets that give the appearance of being very profitable (lava/plasma next to busy highsec). Funnily enough, those are often less profitable than ones in deeper lowsec. Predictably, PIers are attracted to lower sec and empty locals. Plus I think the constant reinforcement timers scare them away.

Also, get to know your local pirates. Check who they are and what they do. Some will be happy to kill your POCOs just to annoy you. Others will completely ignore them. And others will consider them fight magnets and provide some degree of defense if they get attacked (just don't expect them to do the boring work of repping).

Withing out the surface is a really good tip. Indd when doing that I could see other colonies without planting my own CC. I found a few planets without CO. Near busy highsec systems. I'll look at a few more quiet places. Thank you for your advise.