Warfare & Tactics

I have some thoughts on the Plex mechanics that I'd like to discuss with the wider FW group.

Plex warfare. The single NPC's for example. There is literally no point to them being there other than to stop/start the timer. The npc can be killed a a day old char in a T1 meta 0 fitted frig in all the plex sizes. The NPC's were 'tweaked' to supposed play less of a part in the pvp in the plex but instead they pretty much handed the plexes over to the farmers. I actually liked the old npc's waves. You had to kill them off and you had to keep aware of them otherwise you would get blapped. When they switched to a single NPC it was the big red light to the farming hordes IMO. Not to mention 85% of the FW LP items just became unobtainable since the amount of tags that dropped were like 100th of the previous volumes.

For plex mechanic changes I'd bring back the old NPC waves that spawned periodically during the timer run down. The timer would then pause until you killed them off. I'd also make them easy enough to kill by a pvp fit ship of the correct size for the plex but tough enough that it would take a fair bit of time or a specially fitted pve ship of a smaller size to kill them. For example If I play a pvp fit frigate I should be able to kill the NPC waves in novice very easily and small pretty easily without much too much bother. But If I took the same frigate to a medium it should take me much longer to kill the npc's. However if I fit my frigate specifically to kill those NPC's (i.e pve fit) then I shouldn't have much of an issue. But if I took my frigate, regardless of fit, to a large it would take a long time to kill the npc waves and make it counter productive etc.
This would also ensure that militia tags became sought after again to exchange for LP items or sold to non-FW players etc.

Plex timers: These are a PITA imo. If I chase a WT out of a plex I have to run down the plex timer + whatever time he has ran previously. What a load of tosh! If I go and 'rescue' my militia help outpost why would it take longer for them to 'reset' back to normal activities! I think all FW plex timers should reset to 'neutral' 30s after the last 'hostile' player left grid.

I would also remove defensive LP from plexes that ran in a own militia held system. I would make plexes spawn as either Offensive or Defensive for offensive plex you get full LP modified by teir lvl and for defensive plex you get 75% lp modified by teir lvl. Now this is also dynamic based on whether the plex is your own militia or your enemies. And both militia plex would spawn in any system in the warzone regardless of who currently holds that system. So for example I'm Amarr militia and I'm flying in an Amarr held system. I spot a minmatar small plex. I warp to this plex. This plex is 'offensive' to me meaning I have to kill the npc's to enable the time to run down etc but I will get full LP from this plex plus a stack of tags from the npc's. I also spot an Amarr small plex in system. I warp to this plex and it is 'defensive' to me so I don't have to kill the npc's (an the waves will not spawn) and the timer just runs down as normal. I however only get 75% of the LP to run this plex as It didn't take an effort to run. Both small plex would be worth same value of VP in regards to capturing the system etc.

I would also bring back to old 'restricted' large plex. These had acceleration gate and could accept up to BC class ships. The current large would go back to being 'unrestricted' and allow anything (including caps) I would also make sure every FW system had at least 1 of each in system just like there is a novice, small and medium outpost in every system now and they respawn 30 mins after being ran,

These 'fixes' would give a bit more 'to do' factor in plexs and it would pretty much kill off the 'afk farmer' blight that is hounding FW at the moment.

Now I am one of the crowd who generally thought the changes brought in inferno did a huge amount to give FW the boost it needed but the further changes have messed it up again somewhat. These are ideas to bring back certain items I feel worked well in the 'old system' that can be adapted to the new.

TL:DR Bring back NPC waves (and give us tags for more faction goodies), reset plex timers when hostiles leave plex, Change up offensive and defensive plex spawning and rewards and more large plex for larger ship stuff!

EDIT: PS I don't mention WCS or OGB as I really don't give a ducks arse about them and imo they have very little effect in the grand scheme of things.

I too don't see CCP changing anything in FW for some time. But these have been playing on my mind recently so I jot them down to put them to rest

Very true! And I remember a few of us warning everyone to be care what they wished for!

Actually i would do away with NPCs in plexes altogether because:

1) I'm fine with just player on player interaction

2) I HATE it when my OWN FACTION NPCs WHORE on my solo killmails!!!

NPCs didn't stop the timer from running down in the old FW, and made plex fights completely unbalanced for actual PVP.

I ran medium plexes in a speedy dual rep incursus, tanked the whole room while the timer ran down... then warped out.

With the old NPC waves, Caldari rats used ECM completely skewing attempts to have actual fights.

That said, I understand that you are proposing to blend certain features of the current FW system with the old. I'm just pointing out a few errors in your first paragraph, specifically that "You had to kill them off and you had to keep aware of them otherwise you would get blapped." I'm sure some people did kill the rats, but it wasn't necessary in o finish the plex and it was possible to mostly ignore them without getting killed.

You had to kill all the rats before the latest changes. This was pretty much the only time the farmers actually abandoned FW.

Yeah uh, farmers have to watch out for actual non npc pilots coming to blap them too. This only changes things for farmers that plex at dead hours in backwater systems.



invalidating the time someone spent running a timer just because they might possibly be a farmer is silly. that pretty much kills ninja plexing and destroys part of what makes FW awesome; the ability to earn some income and do some damage with inferior numbers.



not sure if i understand entirely, but wouldn't this just make it easier for a faction that already controls most of the warzone to stay at a higher tier and create more of a problem with profit farming?

1) lets welcome the no fit farmers and hand them everything they ever wanted with extra cherries eh?

2) I know right! kill whores the lot of them!

Ouch. You have grown even more cynical than me .. hahaha.

As for the OP:
A little late to the party, but better than never. Most of the points have already been raised, although not recently so all is well. Plex changes should be the first leg in the War on Farmers, the more who realise that WCS and what not are peripheral/tangential at best the better.

Going to be an extremely hard sell though as Silverback's "Edit 2" is :SadPanda: true on all counts, and the only voices CCP hear are the Yes! men (aka. CSM) who supported the current system (probably on their masters/nulls behest).

but i liked killing farming alts and then the 'ima bring my main and kill you noob' and they loose a stabber fleet to me and cynthia nezmor blackbird alts

was my favorite part!