Assembly Hall

I'm splitting this up into a few parts to explain what, why, how as well as a counter. If you don't like the wall of text skip to the bottom for a rough explanation. (tldr at the bottom)

What?
Currently local in null sec is like every where else in k-space. When someone enters system local updates to show them. This is partly a social aspect in most areas of k-space but in null sec and low sec it is an intelligence aspect.

To explain this to some of you that have never been to null: People rat in a system in relative safety. When a hostile enters, they all warp to safety (POS, station, cloaked in a safe spot, etc). Aside from removing part of the risk in null it does help bots. They can immediately react to a hostile entering and safe up. Players do occasionally miss a hostile entering system. I'll be upfront and say while it would put a damper on botting this is not in my list of concerns.

Why?
The game mechanic of local, as explained in the lore and a few dev/GM posts I'm too lazy to look up to link is that when people jump into a system the gate informs all players already in the system of this. Gates are neutral so they don't belong to any corporation or alliance, they simply exist. They share intel with everyone.

To a point this makes sense, but it would also make sense to be able to "hack" the gate and hide intel from your enemies when you own a system.

This has been requested numerous times, but it seems no one can agree because it does favor the defending alliance if sharing the intel, which is why I propose a counter later in the post. If hiding intel from everyone people will argue it makes the risk too great.

How?
My suggestion is to add an ihub upgrade that will disable local for all except the alliance holder. Standings would not apply so "blues" flying through the space would lack local as well. The upgrade should require a strategic index of 5.

When enabled it would be like w-space for all but the holding alliance. Names only displaying if someone talks, and then staying indefinitely. The holding alliance would see a delayed local, not an instant local. They can leave it alone and keep the instant local for all (no change).

I chose to withhold the information from standings blues to discourage the upgrade from being installed in every system. All the major alliances have blues that travel through their space, if major routes get this upgrade they will be forced to travel nearly blind. This should help encourage alliances to only install the upgrade in strategically important systems.

Counter?
In the ship tree rework where they are giving destroyers and battlecruisers their own racial skills. A dev mentioned that racial destroyer only unlocks 1 ship, where as all other racial skills unlock 3 or more. Makes it kind of a waste. My suggestion is to add a new tier 2 destroyer, of which the tech 1 is a standard upgraded destroyer and the tech 2 is a black ops gate hacker.

The blops gate hacking destroyer can interface with an enemy gate and obtain the current local list. The module used for this cycles automatically, as long as it is running the local list is updated at the start of each cycle. This information is shared with the entire fleet of the user. The skill required reduces cycle time to give a more real-time list.

If the module is interrupted (canceled or the ship is destroyed) the local list simply stops updating for the fleet.

This ship works for the alliance holding the system as well, so they can hack their own gate and get real time local.

Of course, it's "just" a destroyer so it's fairly fragile. You'll need a few if you want to actually make use of them long term. It's a low end ship and a(nother) reason for a new player to take racial destroyer to 5.

Seems to make ratting in null easier?
Yes and no. Delayed local is enough time to find and destroy someone. Sure you won't get multiple targets but intel channels still exist, when one dies the others will be informed anyway. It discourages "afk cloaky alts" that people seem to be into using lately as it would be more worthwhile to keep their presence out of system until they want to kill someone. I suspect all popular ratting systems will get this upgrade and that's the main reason for suggesting delayed local instead of real time.

tl;dr / Conclusion
Remove local from null via an ihub upgrade needing strategic index 5. Only people in the alliance can see a delayed local, all others have no local including standings blues (discourages upgrading all systems). Add a new ship (destroyer class) to counter it by targeting a gate and using a module, sharing the local list with his fleet as long as the module remains active.

--

I was bored and it was just a thought. Not sure if it's a good one but thought I'd share.

If people don't like local, live in WH's, problem solved.

+1 for effort and its not a mindless attempt to get the game changed in your favour.


I would love an Ihub upgrade that disables all information on the world map page creating complete dead zones where no one knows what is going on apart from the people living there

Well, the defending alliance still gets delayed local in the upgraded systems. Hostiles need only bring the new ship suggested or use probes to find out who's in system. And like w-space there's always d-scan.

+1
my point exactly!

Removing local is NOT gonna stops bots by anymeans.
They will do it using othermeans like gate fire effect or sound of gate fire and i am sure there are many other ways. The only reason why they use local is cos its easier and not cos its the only way!

You'd have to be at the gate then... so you'd just, you know, see them on your overview?

It is possible to make things impossible. If the data isn't there it's not there. You can't magically know. If the server chooses not to send it then neither you nor bots will know about it. Period.

D-scan helps but oh wait, bombers. Get a bomber or a few with points, warp in cloaked, find target, uncloak, target, point. There you go. Got him. No counter other than having a scout inline between systems that don't have the upgrade. That is countered by logging out and waiting, log in after a while and grab a random target. It becomes a lot easier to catch bots as well as normal ratters.

But as I said, that is not the intended function, just a side effect. As for local and wormholes and everything. That's great if you wanna be fairly locked down to 1 system or want to be scanning all the time. My idea is about adding another feature, another tool, for alliances to play with. It's not forcing anything on anyone. The change is additive. An alliance need only use it if they wish to and a counter was provided for those wishing that alliance harm.

This suggestion adds more dynamic to eve and gets away from every system is the same. Null sec is null sec. You should have more control over systems you own -- within reason. I personally think it'd be cool to be able to use different tactics for different systems. This idea emphasizes scouting even more than it is now. It adds a new ship and role for people to aim for. And it keeps the sandbox fresh with another set of tools to bend the universe to your will. It's possible someone will come up with some crazy way to use this idea that had nothing to do with any of my original intentions, but that's what I love about eve.

Wait let me get this straight. A CFC publord wants to remove local? How will you know when to warp out of the belt in your drake when we come riding into town?

Woops, I meant to include Low in there as well, however I seemed to have forgotten to mention it. As for Highsec It's a whole different monster entirely. It should be nerfed into the ground and be used as a noobs training ground. Let them have their local.

You do bring up a fair point dealing with miner bots and dealing sweet justice though. Perhaps just leave it delayed in highsec due to concord influenced or some such.

CCP supports griefing so much now, if it removed local the game would see fewer industrialists than ever, griefers get it all (including pathetically tanked hulks as targets) industrialists have practically nothin.

tl;dr Keep local.

I have a better idea.


What if only blues showed up fully in local, and neutrals just showed up as an unknown? Unless they talked.


So you'd see a blank portrait with a question mark, and an unknown instead of a name. Everybody wins.