Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Targeting of Sub-Systems:

Targeting select sub-systems as a means to cripple a ship but not destroy it (for say later salvaging and repairing) or during a large scale engagement cripple primary targets but not waste all the time needed to take them out completely?

I'm not sure how feasible this is or how game-breaking it may be. I simply remember playing Homeworld 2 and doing that to a number of larger vessels (mostly when I wanted to capture it). In truth it took longer to take out a subsystem in that game than it did to take out the whole vessel. But I'm sure in EVE we can find a more feasible balance which can make it an option.

So you'd be able to take out: engines, weapon systems or generators (I'm not familiar with the ship mechanics in this game) etc however it would require you to scan the ship down either prior to the engagement (read: cloaked recon ships scouting an incoming fleet) or some form of active scanner during a battle on ships.

Another possibility is having cloaked ships being able to 'dock'/attach itself to larger ships and hack their way into the ship's system to deactivate certain systems (you could use a mix of skills and a minigame to determine the outcome of the hack).


Other ideas:

Maneuvers:
You click a button and your frigate does a 'cobra' like move and puts itself behind the attacker or have a cruiser perform a high angled turn that puts it facing the enemy...Id like to see the battles can play out in more style (feasible? i dont know). I understand the ships fly as if they were on wires but it would be interesting to see some more engaging cinematic action styled elements to the space battles.

Ramming:
I feel a bigger ship should be able to ram another ship; depending on mass difference it could mean severe damage or total destruction at a cost of said ship's mass inflicting damage on the attacker. One might ask how you avoid this...you use a Maneuver command (as mentioned before)

I understand the above two ideas require significant tweaking of how the ships fly and how that whole element of the game plays out. So its borderline unfeasible (I assume) but who knows maybe for Dust it can work since if you do add ships I'd assume we'd pilot them as if they were with our controllers instead of the fly-by-wire point and click method.


Readjusting System Priorities:
I remember playing Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, being able to redirect power to engines or shields or weapons to make it perform beyond their normal capacity. Even being able to shut off your ship completely so its not detectable - can be useful for evading pirates or utilised by pirates esp if you add the ability to allow a ship to sync their orbit with an object (i.e. laying still next to a large asteroid) instead of having it actually orbit around said object.


I guess my ideas are really asking to increase the game's tactical elements atm there are plenty options for strategic elements but little in terms of tactical options (weapon choice, damage type ammo selection aside). I feel there should be more tactical options that don't boil down to blowing the other faster than they can blow you up. I'm talking about adding uncertainty even if you have prepped your ship to take on a Caldari ship for example (maybe they'll take out your weapon generator and your option is to retreat), captain like decision making (turn off your ships power and hope to hide in an asteroid field) and reducing some elements of rock-paper-scissors (where your decisions outsmart the enemy even if they do have a ship that can take yours out without any effort - and i dont mean running away either lol).

Like I said its optional. Also as I mentioned my ideas are to offer tactical options that is not just centered around pew pew boom.

We can add a hacking option where we disable the self-destruct, we can add an option where we force the player to eject (hardest minigame difficulty would apply for this option). We can even allow people to pick off the location of the pods (requiring the most indepth scan in advance/during combat and also the hardest subsystem to take out which leaves the other options as more feasible but available if people feel they can take the player out before they can react effectively) --- this is a quick reply to your comment not sure how feasible it is to implement.

Also if you do cripple a ship and since you took out the subsystem, it would show up as a group - everyone involved gets a copy and is mentioned - kill mail that notes the ship was SDed but as YOU DID do damage to the ship you still get one. There a solution to your whining scenario. However in EVE everyone whines bout something anyway so whining scenarios are a null point.

All in all its all about expanding on options available and also adding some excitement and offensive/defensive purposes to some skills we already have in the game but (imo) feel that are not really given the opportunity to shine as much as they could.

edit: im not saying it should be easy to hit the subsystems id expect them to make it somewhat challenging. but it shouldnt be harder than taking out the ship completely either.

Didn't know that. But in my mind I was thinking more along the lines of (1) if you max out to weapons you will find yourself traveling at a snail's pace reduced speed (2) if you max out shields you'll have some propulsion to get out of there but lose out weapons (3) if you max speed you'll lose shields or weapons (or have both reduced to half capacity instead). Fittings would still matter as either of these would only enhance your fittings or allow you to GTFO before you lose your ship.

But the main idea for that comes in my example of shutting off your systems so you can't be easily detected and hide in asteroid belts which would be great for pirates and also for anyone trying to run away and stay low until the blob fleet moves past their system etc

As for high sec ganking, dont get me wrong but don't those happen anyway? with subsequent Concord actions? I mean ramming would be treated as an offensive attack not as a 'bump'. you'd have to specifically tell your ship to ram the other ship not simply move to 0m...

But sorry for bringing back old topics: didn't notice on the listed past ideas thread (tbh some of the labels are also too vague).

As for your response to Maneuvers I guess you're right. Its just a shame that we can't manually pilot the ships like X3 or a typical aircraft game, it would make combat far more fluid/cinematic/awesome to be in. I'm not denying the fun found in getting a kill or out thinking the opponent but I'm talking a visual hands on combat feast for the senses. But then Eve would see a dramatic change if this were to happen but I'll keep my fingers crossed for Dust if there is any ship-to-ship/ship-to-land combat...edit: LOL i say this and I am excited to see how Dust turns out but I keep realising how I only have a 360 and its not coming out for PC...