Wormholes

I'm not there at Rejk. to get all the info from first hands, but from those things I've heard from people and what one can read at Massively, some things look like wh dwellers may not totally agree with CCP about. I don't know what was said at the roundtable there, but this post is about what I think of it. Sure, these are the possible plans for distant future, but later, when it goes on like devblog, ot can be too late.
Should we understand it like "we want less people live in wormholes, and don't like you to chain-collapse" ? It is not out of thing air, that many people say Wormholes are the least broken part of EVE. Both making wormholes less desirable to live in and preventing chain-collapsing will force people, who PVP in wormholes, to seek some way out, either by making it all about k-space holes, or moving out of wormholes altogether, or leaving the game. You cannot keep PVP-people interested in wormhole corporation when there are no inhabitants around, or when each wh collapsing is a quest with a surprise in the end.

Capital escalations is the only thing, making it possible to sustain big corporation/alliance in one system allowing pilots to use faction fitted T3 and other shiny things (I'll talk on the necessity of those later). With capital escalations gone or seriously nerfed, big entities will have to move people to different wormholes, thus limiting the amount of people available for PVP any given time (you don't usually plan for PVP here, it often goes like "there is PVP ,everybody to fleet!"), and thus once again limiting the interest of PVP pilots to living in wormholes.

Once will say, that "don't fly shiny ships, then!", but what works OK for k-space is not an option for w-space. For k-space a quality of a fleet can be roughly measured by the following comparison: ship efficiency for its price. For wormholes it looks like ship efficiency for its MASS. Price is not a question here. Partially cos we have ISK, really, but on the other hand, we have limited wormhole mass to bring in our fleet. We have to keep one given fleet been able to work in maximum number of different conditions, as one ship-type fleets of null are usually limited in that, our fleets often look rag-tag, but it works in WH and it all needs isk. Without expensive ships how are we expected to fight capitals in neighbours home-system, when we can bring 2 or 3 and any decent corp can field more? Straight nerf will also influence WH PVP badly.

I hope that's not what CCP wants. I hope CCP is more interested in those "one-man fleets", farming escalations for large isk with 2 or 3 actual persons. I agree that this is not OK. And really, they rare PVP, they mostly farm. So if CCP want them gone - so be it. Just I hope that change does not kick everyone from wormholes altogether.

From my experience I'd say a problem, such farmers can have, is small ships. So maybe adding a group of frigates with heavy neutralizing bonuses to each escalation is an option? Rebalancing blue-loot to keep the "bounty" the same. Something decent corporations with enough alive pilots will find more challenging, but not too threatening, but that will be a huge pain in the butt for those wiling to farm in me-and-alts fleets.

Thank you for your time. I hope no matter when any changes to WH are coming, they will not stripe wormholes of the "least broken" tag.

PS. Would be nice to have some of devs living in C5 or C6 WH. What you have created is the best environment in the game, even though it may not be as you intended. But maybe it is even better then you have intended it to be?

I agree that changes to wormholes must be done very carefully and with a mind of political implications, but isn't one of the other current complaints about wormholes the blobfest arms race in C5/C6s?

My alliance holds several different C5s (and lower-class C2s); and while no one of these systems competes with the headquarters of other major wormhole powers, we have a much broader profile. Which means, as an alliance, we run into action a lot more often than if we were all in one system. There are advantages and disadvantages to this playstyle, but my point is that it is a successful alternate playstyle. These proposed changes would only marginalize your specific approach to wormholes, not all of them.

However, your playstyle is still valid, and diversity needs to be protected. I like your proposed idea of some heavy neuting frigs. The smaller the change we can make to the game for the same intended result, the better.

Phew! In CCP terms, that probably means years!

I'd imagine nerfing capital escalations would reduce the amount of capital fights and some of the most engaging content of wormhole space - seems like a poorly thought out off the cuff comment to me.

Nox, like I've said, making it more difficult to chain-collapse would result in lesser PVP.

And honestly, some people in our alliance, with 5-6 accounts are not very happy currently with the income. Maybe it is due to the fact we have a lot paying by plexes only. My own reserves where enough to buy only 2 dreads and rigs for them at once recently. I don't like the idea I know many use: having extra systems for PVE only.

And T3 lose hurts. If that would hurt too much - then maybe it would not be use? Are there alternatives for serious PVP in WH?

Interesting to know that wormhole space is being thought about, even if its in a horrible way.

Making escalations more random is only bad for the people who run it with the bare minimum. If you have some spare pilots you can always bring them in if the sleepers try to **** with you.
Holemass more random should have barely any effect, because you can still get the 50% mark. Maybe a few more HICjumps, but meh.


So, Nathan, with the Devblogs out how much fun is it to watch the fuelprices?

I sort of feel like it's a little too late to nerf sleeper sites. If they announce a nerf I get the feeling that everyone will just ISK farm until the change and then be like "lol what's Technetium, we were there in the wormhole gold rush."

I, too, am amused that they say so often "POS revamp doesn't make sense because it affects too few players" but they need to nerf wormhole mass being predictable and capital escalations because... you know... 10s of 20s of people are making good use of that. Maybe even hundreds!

Svo.

Thanks for sharing this, MisterAl.

Seeing the amount of consideration that CCP has been taking while continuing their changes to the game, I'd imagine we would see plenty of testing, reviews, and player involvement as they move forward. I understand that some changes are not the most well liked ideas, and our proactivity as a community should help see that our thoughts and ideas are considered.

Some of these ideas may never come to fruition, and some may. As wormholers, we have found ways to adapt to mechanics and create gameplay that wasn't intended, so I'm sure that ultimately, either we or someone else will find a way for this community to adapt and move forward in w-space.

If these changes do occur, it'll be interesting.