Warfare & Tactics

This post is an idea for the development of faction warfare, using existing lore and game mechanics.

The core of the idea is to allow FW pilots to engage in fleet encounters that are balanced for fleet size.

Why try to balance fleet size in engagements?

The idea is not to make Eve "fair". Rather, it is to avoid the wasted time that results as pilots pick and choose engagements. This wasted time is huge. You get your corp together to go plexing, and you want pew. You will engage any opposing fleet that is not certain to destroy you, whether by sheer weight of numbers or because their fleet is tech 3 and you are tech 1. So you go to a plex, and wait for the enemy to arrive. Underpowered enemy squads come check you out, and bug out, because they suspect they will die. Then, some time later, they arrive with an OP squad and so you bug out, to avoid almost certain defeat.

Net result: no pew. Wasted time.

FW is where folks go to get pew, when they are time poor. Not everyone can devote themselves to the offline admin required to take part in nullsec ops. Not everyone wants to bear it up in high sec.

So, with this in mind, here is an idea to allow balanced fleet ops in faction warfare:

The Empires have begun utilising their intelligence networks and a new generation of ships fitted with cyno generators. These cynos can jump a fleet of Navy ships, and carry enough fuel for a return jump. These new ships are exclusively NPC, meaning players never get them.

The Empire intelligence networks seek out high level NPC rats in null sec. When they find such a target, they send in a fleet of FW pilots to destroy the targets and gather their highly valued loot. They send in the team lead by an NPC BS with a cyno (think NPC black ops battleship). These fleets are sent from FW centres for the respective FW militias. Each fleet has a maximum size, perhaps up to 12 or 20 ships, but limited in the same way as cynos are currently limited. The only difference is that these Empire cyno drops can jump navy ships, rather than being limited to black ops ships. It may even be sensible to be able to jump any empire ship, but it might be interesting to limit the scope of ships to the specific empire in question.

Now, with the advent of this strategy, NPC rats are also given the means to call for help to their Empire. Just as "empire rats" assist in the defence of plex, these same rats can call in support from their own faction militia. In practice, what this means is that each side of the faction war can send ONE fleet, of a maximum size but varied composition, to a given target site. I will call these "Empire Drops".

In order to keep things interesting, the timing and place of each Empire Drop will be unknown to FW pilots in each fleet, until they land. FW pilots will sign up to fly with a fleet, and will need to be ready to jump at a give place and time. Pilots will not know if they are to be part of an offensive operation or a supporting operation. The fleets are dropped to sites as they occur, sometimes offensive and sometimes supporting empire rats under attack.

In both cases, the end result is that two roughly equal sized fleets will meet at a remote and unknown place, and one will be supported by rats. Both fleets will have ONE rats BS as fleet leader, and if this dies, they cannot jump back home to FW space. They will need to get home by themselves, which could be a thing, if they have been dropped out in nullsec. Note that BOTH fleets may lose their ride home, in which case all kinds of interesting content are created in random locations across New Eden.

It follows that fleets may provide logi support to their cyno NPC fleet ship, to keep it alive. This will be a strategic and tactical choice with interesting consequences. Given the equal sized fleets, putting logi on the NPC will draw it away from player ships, and will thus diminish survivability against fleets which are content to let their ride home fend for itself.

In order to keep things roughly balanced, I would propose that fleets with insufficient players to make up full numbers would include NPC navy ships to fill the gaps. So it may transpire that 18 players with 7 Navy NPCs go up against 8 players with 17 Navy NPCs. NPC navy ships should be weaker than players, in order to reward faction militia who staff fleets more proactively.

The jumps should be made available in the same way buses arrive at a terminal. You sign up for a fleet, either as a squad, wing or as a individual, and then you are put in a queue. Empire Drop sites only become available when both FW militia have filled a fleet to perhaps 50% player vs NPC Navy ships. When the fleets have been matched, a count down timer (5 - 20 mins?) begins, by which time fleet members must be positioned at their departure site. Anyone not there at jump time is left behind, weakening the fleet.

The location of the Empire Drop sites should be in NPC null or low sec, with a clear choice between the two. This would allow fleets to fit for null sec war mechanics, or not, in advance. Obviously the LP and loot rewards for null Empire Drops would be much larger, to reward the risk.

Tech 3 ships should be prohibited from taking part, for obvious reasons. Tech 2 should be allowed in null NPC Empire Drops, tech 1 and navy in low sec Empire Drops.

If..... IF... this mechanic became popular in FW, it would generate massive new content for NPC null and low sec pirate corps. Consider, in every engagement, fleets will do their best to strand their enemy by popping their NPC cyno Battleship. If both are successful, at the end of the battle you will have the remains of two fleets making their way back across unfamiliar space.

Empire Drops should show up on overview in the same way as plexs show when popped. This would give pirates ample time to get ready for a mission to grab some spoils. If they go too early, or too short of numbers,they will likely be overwhelmed.

I was thinking of a way to get more of something I like, without changing the fundamental game mechanics and without taking away any play options from other players.

Mostly losses.

Look, I thought Eve was fleet based space ship pew pew game. And, I sort of have a life. Not really much to speak of, but enough that I can't commit stupid time to Eve.

I am doing my level best to not interfere with those who love the existing game. I do understand that players who have been around for a while are superior in every way, and that the earth trembles when they threaten to withdraw their subscriptions.

Snarky chat from people who point to huge amounts of time spent in online spaceships sounds a lot more impressive to you than it does to the reasonable man in the street. That is not to condemn such snarky chat. I am all for tolerance. Go nuts with snarky chat, I say.

That's not me. I'm the reasonable man in the street who just wants to blow up internet space ships in a swift and efficient manner.

BTW, I killed a manticore once. Oh, you shoulda bin there!

I wasn't sure where to post it. Sorry if I got that wrong.

I just checked Crosi Wesdo's profile, and read his contributions to other people's threads.

He is an interesting guy, north by north west.

And here is the thing: guys like him DESERVE their place in Eve. Never let it be said that I wanted to prejudice snarky freaks in any way, shape or form. When I meet someone who spends most of their waking hours snarking at other folks on the interwebs about a space ship game, I am totally on their side. I want them to move to where they are going at full speed. I do not want to argue with them, or change them.

This is why my proposal said nothing about changing existing game play. In fact, it might even be a way to create more content for the pirates out in NPC null. But at its heart, the proposal is simply a way for FW pilots to engage in fleet battles in a reasonable amount of time.

One can snark at that, of course, but it is not an unreasonable request.

Imagine.... a game where you fit a ship and within 20 minutes you are involved in a fleet battle with a roughly equal sized fleet.

Then you live or die, depending on how your fleet fought, and then maybe you go have dinner with REAL people. Face to face and stuff. Then, after dinner, you spend another 30 minutes and have ANOTHER space ship fleet battle.

Just imagine!

Let's do that. It will aid in focusing the proposal and dispelling misconceptions.



Mercy, not the heretics! Seriously though, we already have rats in FW. Nobody dies in RL as a result.

Although Empire NPCs might not thrill the purists, I would argue that the absence of them is highly unrealistic given the lore, and is almost a bit weird. Anyway, what about Empire Navy ships attacking FW pilots, and customs ships intersecting smugglers? Concorde?

It seems that Eve could not work without NPCs. Perhaps it is worth experimenting with them in one tiny new corner of the game, to see if they mighty bring both lore and more content to the game?

This is not an "either or" proposition. It is a pure add on to all existing game play, using the same mechanics as currently exist.



Um, why not? You have lost me here. Why is arena style game play bad? And how are missions not arena style play? How is FW not arena style game play? Or null sec sovereignty, for that matter.

The only difference is, as you have noted, whether you can get right into it, or whether you need to hang out for half your life and make friends with all manner of psycho nerds for the privilege.

But, you have correctly grasped the essence of the proposal. Easy, quick fleet combat that is not a gate camp or blobbing some bear with a pack of like minded degenerates.

I put it to you that normal people, with a lack of time, can be part of the Eve community without destroying the game for the psycho nerds, the folks who do nothing except Eve.

I put it to you that EVERYONE could benefit if normal people could engage in fleet warfare and contribute to the general space.

You know, like "win win". It is the opposite of "jump on someone's idea and smear it with hysterical bile".



Daphuk?

Look, by the time someone has a cyno brigde, they are either doing blops with a BS or they are using a titan. Let me break this to you: some of us really don't want to wait six years to enegage in fleet warfare, and we don't want to be forced to join the fleets of those who believe their tenure in Eve gives them special privileges to control things for new players.

Again, my proposal is all about making the game more fun for normal people. You should not need to play for 6 years or take orders from freaks just to experience fleet warfare.

The way you say normal people makes it sound like the current set of EVE players are not "normal people". Also stop forcing "even/fairly matched" fights in EVE by your proposal.

At least he got something right!

OP - if you want an instant action style of game then play DOTA or COD.


What you need to realize is:

Eve isn't a spaceship game.

For most people it is essentially a social game/community. (Except for maybe you and Crosi Wesdoesnthaveanyfriends).

The spaceships are just a way to get these groups of people to interact.


Once you work this out - The real game begins and you will be part of the fights you want.

Or stop giving a **** about the red on your KB ....we make bilkiosn of isk in FW. Its OK to welp your t1 fleet

Yeah.

Small fleet fights, is the idea. Roughly balanced for size, to keep outcomes uncertain. Quick access for time poor normal folks who work, have kids, have friends, cook food etc.

I hear what is said about eve being a chat room with space ship backgrounds, and that is all good.

In that spirit, these fleet battles could enhance the backdrop.

I mean, wouldn't it be cool for all the ship spinning residents to chat away about null sov while space ships were having actual battles not far from them?

Pew *cough* ....pew.

Small fleets battles might be good for the servers, too.