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As a Wh space dweller, I see some interesting changes (the preset formations, better scan result interface, more sensible names for sites and modules), some wrong mechanics (for example as some pointed out already the default positioning of probes around the sun is a no-go in combat scanning, plus making ore sites anomalies is just sadistic) but most of all lots of plainly exaggerated DUMBING down of scanning and scouting.

There are two reasons why this is wrong:
- there are players who invested skilling time (the secondary scanning skills which are going to be nerfed are long to train) and real ingame playtime (even more valuable time) to become good scouts and explorers, going through frustration and losses and deep-space agoraphobia, and the proposed changes will level down their painfully acquired abilities
- making exploration too easy and nearly without risk makes it into a very dumb profession, not on the same level with the rest of the game, and this is a very bad omen to the direction CCP may want to take. WoW in space will never get as many players as WoW anyway (there's too much abstraction involved in a spaceship game for the average casual MMO player), but could very well alienate the existing playerbase.

Anyway making it so easy to scout and explore will render covops even less vulnerable, leading to swarms of them getting into WH space so hopefully some unprepared combat pilots will follow them and die horribly

I agree. I hate it when I forget and let probes expire. However it does mean that I have to be responsible for my equipment and pay attention. There should be consequences for when I fail.

Compare this thread to the one for the UI changes:
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=241613

Deep Space Probes are fairly expensive.

I hope that at least means each one is being converted into say 50 regular Combat Probes. Or for probes loaded in ship, a Sisters Combat Probe or a regular Combat Probe and the difference in average value as ISK.

A straight conversion of Deep Space probes to standard Combat Probe would suck as an ISK value asset loss.

I think the move with ice belts finally gets things to where CCP should have started. A little harder to bot farm (though that seems like mostly urban legend to me -- vast multibox sure). Distributed throughout day so big mining fleets can't hog it all before 80% of EVE users even logon.

So I would support standard belts to anomalies.

But it seems that probed grav sites with rare ore or larger roids should still exist. Or perhaps be fused with probed combat sites.

Yeah combat sites are both anomalies (more frequent) and probed sites (better prize possibilities)...why not all types of sites including ore/grav sites? And yes drop the regular belts.

Plus in high sec some anomalies ought to be gated for noobs and smaller mining ships. Or maybe taxed fee according to ship mining/hauling potential at gate to represent the idea that NPC megacorps have hi sec sewn up/in their pocket. Thus you can learn in hi sec and even make some ISK...but lo sec, null orwh being preferable ASAP.

P.S. Not sure how changing belts to anomalies makes any skills part of dead end career...unless you really are a bot runner. Even multi-box farmers will find anomalies and get set up fairly quickly.

P.P.S. Or course CCP could be cruel and make anomalies contain very little ore total and distribute it to tiny little roids-- such that time wasted goes exponential and leisurely semi-AFK study while you mine becomes impossible. That would irk 95% of hi sec miners and many to leave game. I am going out on limb and say CCP is probably smarter than that or at least notice the mob in the parking lot and fix things (change anomaly parameters) before first invasion of Iceland over an MMO begins.

all the radar (data), ladar (gas), magnetic (archeology) and combat sites we have now...but updated and revised.

Note the mineable gas is still probe site. Not very consistent CCP. Why not make at least some lesser gas into anomalies to "get folk into it" by making it more accessible?

New extension ODYSSEY

"Exploration and probing" by CCP
One click and jump what a magnificent chalenge
Keep on the good work

CCP - taking 1 step forward, and 12 steps back since release.

On the lines of the new modules, need to fit 3 new modules where before you needed none.. Are dedicated scanning ships to be given 3 extra slots to fit these or are dedicated scanning ships to be fazed out due to their inability to fit the new modules. My preferred scanning / hacking ship is the cheetah, with the coming changes it will become useless.

With the new ability to only launch 8 probes, do those who choose to use less then have to do things the old way? Launch 1 at a time set position and size then scan.. Nice unless you play this sandbox the way the devs say you are penalised.

The probe launcher could've even had a radial menu that let you choose between 1 and 8 probes to launch.

CCP's new radial menu system even has up to 8 menu options available, it's the perfect use case for it. Or, you could have radial menu options for 1 probe, 4 probes, 8 probes and the rest of the options being recall, reload, etc.