Player Features and Ideas Discussion

On the matter of Ewar and NPCs, I've never been a fan it doesn't seem to do anything but annoy players and I'd be happy for it to be removed.

However with NPCs as a whole I'd love it if CCP create a new set of NPCs just for factions and Factional warfare with the following:

- Give them sleeper like AI so they can choose targets more effectively.
- The only EWAR should be webs and maybe a 0 point scrambler to kill MWDs
- Tougher and stronger in the HP and DPS area.
- AI that will assist a player from their faction that is being aggressed by someone (like gate guns and concord do) and that will instantly target people will low standings and low security ratings (the second is exempt if in the factional warfare).
- Slight UI change that will make the Icons white when they are with you and red when they are against you, (give them the colour of your +10 standings and -10 standings even).
- Allow the ships to not give away their specs by the name just call them Gallente Frigate etc.

And on the warfare system we need more pvp that is preferably based around some NPCing but also ones that players can get involved with.

This might be a great time to do some work with Dust's planet stuff or just have it so you have to bombard a planet and protect the people who are doing it, while they are doing it once they finish then you win points towards that system and some juicier LPS. (might be a great idea to get a small amount of capitals involved in FW).

I'd argue it COULD be considered as better - at least it gives you something to do...

Yeah, that's what I meant. It's just one idea though.

I don't want everyone getting the wrong impression here, I hate speed tanking of all kinds in all situations. The ideal goal to shoot for is forcing pilots into bigger ships for bigger plexes and missions, even if each can still be soloed. I don't mind pilots making absurd rewards doing FW stuff as long as they're taking absurd risks and putting isk on the line that can be *caught* if you're not careful. That's what's broken to me everywhere atm, the problem isn't that you make good money, its that its so safe to do.

This will ultimately require an overhaul of all the NPC AI, making them smarter and tougher, fewer numbers but still killable in PvP fits. Ytterbium may or may not be able to can clarify on the timeline, but I imagine something of this magnitude will be a feature of the winter expansion.

CCP may not be willing to do a lot more tweaks in the meantime, to shine a turd they're about to flush down the toilet, so to speak. We'll have to see and like I said that's something only Ytterbium can clarify for you.

I say all that just so everyone has appropriate expectations going forward while we discuss NPC's, and focuses on the right kind of feedback at this stage in the game.

If they force people to fly pve ships or otherwise force people to have to warp off instead of staying for pvp(which they often do) they are worse than orbiting a button. IMO.

So CCP has asked for feedback. When are we going to hear feeback from them that they are going to make FW balanced so some militias aren't favoured over another? Removing ewar is NOT enough...

Apart from the existing fixes, suggest CCP ALSO put the 0.5 standing requirements back in. Stop the disposable alts being put into the minmitar militia to farm.
(BTW - we predicted THIS would be an issue before Inferno was released as well).

This is a short term solution, and the rats are already there, so there is no "incremental cost" to pvp at the expense of pve. In fact, if you made it a point to shoot the rats, then you would get a more pure pvp encounter when it actually happens.

Hans thanks for the feedback. It seems there is still some resistance from ccp in seeing the value in really making faction war work.

I also saw a dev in another thread talkiing about how they could be working on ship balancing instead of faction war. Again because that "effects everyone"


Just because boosting the condor will "effect everyone" doesn't mean it is as important as faction war. The effect that this has is pretty miniscule. And its not just because its a frigate. This whole ship balancing is just changing the fotm. And frankly its getting to the point where you can't do any sort of long term planning in eve. Crucible was much needed and a great addition. But if future expansions are just going to involve tweaking numbers on ships every month "to mix it up" then I am concerned for the game.

Faction war is the real crux of what people do in the game. And if they actually got it right it would be a major draw like null sec is. Its not just another ship people can fly depending on what is buffed or nerfed. I really can't see how anyone could think "ship balance" is as important as getting a core gameplay feature working.

Frankly I will still play eve even if the drake is not nerfed or the incursus wasn't buffed. But if they botch faction war I am not likley to stay subbed at all. I can't imagine many people were going to unsub if the incursus didn't get a buff.

I'm inclined to call crap on CCP not wanting to do it Hans (this is against CCP, not you since I don't want to shoot the messenger and appreciate the work you are doing here).

If all 4 races can speed tank a major in a 1 week old char in a frig, then it is balanced. Amarr cannot do this. Therefore it is unbalanced and IS an issue. We can't have a person sat in every plex in every system to run a timer down since the farmers are bouncing around trying to get LP, not partake in FW as it gives us no reward. This goes against the very fundamentals of what FW is supposed to be about - small to medium scale PvP in the name of the empire you serve. NOT INSANE ISK/LP FARMING.

CCP MUST have logic that can detect if the rats are on grid or the ability to do this via the existing trigger mechanism. They do it for Incursions, l4s etc...
Secondly, a check must be made every tick to see if the clock goes up or down depending on who is on the button and if there are opposing militias there. When the counter reaches zero, the plex completes. How hard is it to add an extra check to see if the counter is 0 AND all ships are destroyed? (they need to make sure all spawns have appeared as well).

And when are we going to see the fixes to the plex bugs we have been reporting over and over? Borked timers that won't count down. Plexes that won't depawn and therefore mean one side cannot effectively plex. Plexes that say captured, but don't post the message in local and so the achievement has not actually occured.

Alot of people aren't that interested in the ship balancing right now - they just want this part of the game to be fixed so they can enjoy it whilst CCP goes and works on the larger stuff like changing NPC AI, ship balancing (which effects the WHOLE game) etc...

I will repeat what I have posted before about the timer bug.

I had a conversation with a dev at fan fest and his response to players purposely bugging the timers was "We didn't expect them to do this". They know something is not working as they intended, so they should go and fix it. They are doing it for the UI, are doing it for the wardecs, so why does FW miss out? Because the issue is so much older, so the FW have learned to put up with it???

It shouldn't be the case that individual players are be able to solo plexes (at least bigger than a minor).
Less "but I'll need a bigger ship", more "I need a couple of friends".

I really do believe that requiring the npc's to be killed will stop 1 day alt speed tanking for everyone (which is good) and still allow all players to use PVP fits (also good).

For example, I *can* solo a minor in a griffin. That is, killing the npc's.
It works, but it takes a while. It's much easier and quicker if I have a couple of friends to help kill the rats.
There is no reason at all for all involved not to have PVP fits, ready for any defenders which may drop by,

What is the argument against it?

Perhaps someday they will get rid of the minmatar missiles as well.