Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Hunting FW players and realizing how many of them are pathetic stabbed plex farmers has highlighted a point I've believed for a long time: warp core stabilizers need to be removed from the game. They have two major problems, issues that are inherent to the concept of the module and can not be fixed with a mere balance pass:

1) They create negative play experiences. It's incredibly frustrating to do everything right, especially in a situation where you're hunting an unwilling target that has every advantage in trying to escape (local, d-scan, etc) if they're paying attention at all, only to watch your target warp out because they had their low slots full of WCS. Did they win the fight? No. Did they earn an escape by getting out of range/neuting my point off/etc? No. They just fit their ship so that it's impossible to tackle for a solo player (unless they're flying a HIC). So you end up wasting time trying to get to a fight when you were doomed to failure the whole time.

2) They reward terrible play. Fitting WCS means admitting that you are never going to win a fight. In addition to the penalties from the WCS itself you've wasted low slots on them instead of using those slots on modules that will help you win. And they only help you when you've already screwed up by failing to use local/d-scan/etc to be aware of a potential threat and set up your escape. So you have the textbook situation for a Darwin award in EVE: a fail-fit ship flown by a careless player. But because they've fitted the magic "get out of jail free" module they get to escape with their ship intact. Incompetence is not punished, and the player learns that continued incompetence is acceptable. They're never forced to learn to win in PvP, or to use the available tools to escape before a warp disruptor is activated against them. They just mindlessly orbit the FW beacon and warp out if anything tackles them. This is a problem.

At the very minimum WCS should have crippling penalties such that they are only ever useful for travel fits, and can never be used while engaged in any kind of PvP or PvE. No offensive modules (including analyzers, mining lasers, etc) can be activated, and a ship with WCS fitted should not count towards any FW control beacons or similar "have a ship present" effects. If you want to do anything but get from point A to point B you should not be able to fit WCS.

You're one of those bloodthirsty twits who thinks everyone should be forced to fight, aren't you?

WCS is meant to help haulers WHO WANT PEOPLE LIKE YOU TO LEAVE THEM ALONE. All Johnny Carebear wants to do is take his stuff from Point A to Point B. He's not interested in fighting anyone, he just wants to get where he's going and drop off his cargo. WCS allows him to do that without your interference.

Stop crying about stabs and go do some real PvP instead of preying on haulers, you scumbag.

FW needs a rework to be more combat focused

There is no real argument for removing WCS.

If there is a mod for preventing warp, there needs to be one that blocks that. That's how the rock/paper/scissors of eve works.

There might be an argument for blocking WCS from FW complexes. I'd actually like every complex to be bubbled (with the edge of the bubble extending say... 10km past the maximum distance you can be from the complex center to still trigger the count down).

I'm for forced action in FW complexes... because that's what FW is about. You should be ready for PvP when you warp in to a plex. But WCS in general are fine.

WCS are a pro module that when used correctly do many marvelous things. Their primary purpose (my opinion) is to generate salty tears from guys w/out enough points fitted to their ships. If these stabbed ships upset you enough you will come up with a fit to counter them. Look into the faction scrams (3 points of scram) and things like that. I'm not saying it will be easy.

There has been quite a bit of reference over time of the negative impact that wcs are having on FW pvp. I get that. TBH it only makes sense that if you sign up for faction WARFARE you are signing up to do pvp - I get that too. I'm not solid on the mechanics with the FW sites, but I do understand that ship size limits are important to prevent one sided camping and that this makes wcs more powerful as ship size goes down.

It seems some form of adjustment to the game is needed, but I don't feel removing wcs from the game is the answer. It is such a broad stroke for shut a narrow issue. If all ships were using wcs all over Eve were avoiding pvp, then sure wonk them. The problem though is very narrowly focused, so I think a more focused fix would be in order. I don't know what that fix is (again, not a FW expert), but removing wcs isn't it.

If you are not willing to fit or form up to catch your target, I wish your target also spam fofofofofo in local after escaping because you deserve it.

Nobody in game should be exempt from any type of player-on-player interaction. So, yeah if Johnny Carebear is carrying stuff from point A to point B and somebody wants to shoot them...that should be allowed. Conversely Johnny is also allowed to try and evade, shoot back, etc.

op should be glade they were even nerfed

Maybe make it so FW players cannot fit stabs on their non-hauler ships and restrict haulers so they cannot be used in these sites.

I like that even better.

Edit: Well, except maybe the webbing part...unless it can be disabled by say shooting it or something.