Incentivizing 0.0 (CSM)

Stats

• Raised by: Darius Johnson
• Submission Date: 1/3/2009
• Issue ID: 0201-10-0098

Summary

This post is essentially extracted from our conversations in Iceland regarding 0.0. I'm not going to get too into detail regarding mechanics as that's really the dev's jobs, but I think we can all agree that 0.0 needs some love and it needs it now. There's a few pieces to this proposal and I'll update it as necessary with any good ideas. I'm in a bit of a rush as today's the deadline to get topics posted for Iceland so I'll be editing this with things I think of or your non terrible ideas as we progress. In simple bullet form:

• CCP has expressed a desire, and I agree kinda, to move away from POS's as the sov claiming mechanic. I don't believe a good replacement has been conceived. In the interim what could go a long way is reducing the quantity required to hold sov. My favorite proposal was made at the 0.0 roundtable in Iceland. This would have sovreignty claims moved from moons to planets, with industrial POS aspects moved to moons and decoupled from sov. This would serve to reduce the number of posses required to claim and give smaller groups a target to hit to disrupt industrial operations alone. Industrial structures should be easier to attack and should not require the large amount of people a sov pos requires to engage. This will also serve to address the problem of people "claiming more space than they can defend".

• Right now as it stands the risk versus reward equation is completely skewed in Eve. 0.0 is completely stagnant and the reason for this is that conquering space is simply not worth it. There's no "massive riches" to be gained. In truth with the way truesec works NPC 0.0 is actually FAR more profitable. What I'd recommend is not to reduce the value of NPC and Empire/lowsec space but to BUFF 0.0. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, one that I've proposed involves giving spaceholding alliances the ability to upgrade their space over time, increasing the sec rating or seeding asteroids or even a mechanic to add agents, perhaps via station upgrades. The possibilities for this are endless but at the end of the day the big picture desired end result is to make conquering space worth it. You should not be able to get richer in Eve doing less work.

Solution

• Separate industrial from Sovreignty claiming posses
• Move sov posses to planets to reduce count/eliminate spam/incentivize conflict
• Give players more opportunity to develop their space
• Increase the value of 0.0 to right size risk v reward.

Other Input

From Vuk Lau:

This is some of my ideas based on draft Darius made for current 0.0 situation

SOV mechanics

All moon structures (current POSes) would lose their ability to count for sovereignity. SOV holding structures would be moved to planets. POSes will remain as they are currently but they will lose all structures connected to sovereignty as:

• Cynosural Generator Array
• Cynosural System Jammer
• Jump Bridge
• System Scannin Array

Planet orbiting structures should have much more HP then current POSes and they should have ability to anchor and online following modules:

• Turret Batteries
• Electronic Warfare Batteries
• Energy Neutralizing Batteries
• Missile Batteries
• Shield Hardening Arrays
• Corporate Hangar Array

As well as modules connected to sovereignty mentioned above. Precise amount of HP (shield, armor and structure) as well as PG/CPU should be carefully increased, but with current number of capital ship ingame it needs to be a bit more then current Control towers.
That will significantly decrease amount of POSes we have atm and it would limit SOV holding structures strictly to the planets.

Planets

I would refer to the issue already raised by CSM http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=859419 . Every planet in system where alliances have sovereignty could be teraformed. Each planet would produce certain amount of NPC goods (or moon products) and it should be stored in some new structure which will be present on different warpin points around the planet (current mechanic where you warp from any direction to the planet and always end up on same spot needs to be changed). Those structures should be guarded by some light defenses simply to prevent lonely frigate to be able to pop it. 10 man HAC gang should be optimum to take one of this silos pretty much quickly and to loot the stuff from it. It will give a new goal to small roaming gangs which are at this moment pretty much useless in 0.0 alliance warfare.

NPC agents in Conquerable outposts

There should be introduced NPC standings towards Alliances. We have at this moment NPC toward corp standings but it is easily exploitable by making one man corps who will be owner of outposts. If counting only NPC towards alliance standings it will give huge role-play impact to 0.0 alliances which I am sure many will accept it with joy (hi CVA brothers). Anyway with hitting 1.0 standing towards NPC faction alliances should get ability to invite level 1 agents into their outposts (maybe after some event with AURORA team – yes we want AURORA back) or by paying certain fee. Later on with eventual increasing of standings alliances can invite lvl2 and later on level 3, level 4 and in the end level 5 agents (maybe end game would be cosmos agents or something connected with tech3). Ultimately it can be connected with planets structures and adding more roleplaying like, as higher standing is, more goods will planet colonies produce. Or opposite, hostile attacks on planet could decrease NPC standing toward Alliance.


From Ankhesentapemkah:

Summary of what I understand of the problems in 0.0, overlaps a lot of the things Darius and Vuk already stated in their posts though!

Boring POS warfare

• Currently the only way to conquer space is through the destruction of the POSes in the system.
• POS warfare is repetetive.
• No direct reward for those participating in POS warfare.

Solutions

• Detach sov from POS.
• Different objectives for different types/sizes of gangs.
• More stuff to destroy and plunder for instant loot!

Useless 0.0 space

• Many systems that lack valuable rats, ore and moon materials.
• Sov holders have much space they have no use for, but have to occupy for tactical reasons.
• No way to improve or develop space over time.

Solutions

• Ways to discover new belts.
• Dynamic rat spawns, based on player actions.
• Prospecting for more/better materials at moons (uncovered veins get lower yield over time?)
• Construction of POS/Outpost modules or small anchorables that bestow benefits upon the system.
• POS or small anchorables that produce consumer goods, etc.

Lack of Income sources for individuals 0.0

• Individuals can only gain income through mining, ratting and exploration.
• Complaint about missioning being exclusive to Empire/Faction space.
• Income sources are controlled by system, not players.

Solutions

• NPC factions respond to player action and establish themselves in alliance territory (or not), eventually handing out missions.
• Implement a player driven economy of trade goods (produced at small anchorables, consumed by outposts/stations).
• Add new professions and activities.

Lack of quick small gang PVP, lack of objectives

• Firepower is more important than mobility.
• Blobbing.
• Difficult if not impossible to take on capital ships without bringing your own.
• Small gangs cannot inflict damage or influence sov.
• Supply lines are not very exposed due to jumpbridges, etc.

Solutions

• More objectives besides POS warfare.
• Add small anchorables to destroy and loot.
• Add game mechanics that favor quick hit-and-run tactics.
• Make it beneficial for small gangs to roam and patrol own space.

POS fuelling is tedious

• Ice mining process is extremely boring.
• Distributing materials is repetetive.
• Trade goods cannot be produced in the general area.
• Administrative nightmare for large alliances.

Solutions

• Detach sov from POS so that less POS are required.
• Solar panels or reactors outside POS shield
• Fuel materials being processed to one fuel item

Relevant Forum Threads

http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=958826