Captain Vampire
|
Posted - 2009.03.26 16:46:00 -
[1]
The probing system should get revisited. First, we really need a way to filter results for PvE/site probing, and probing ships is a very frustrating task.
I think the PvE and PvP system should be separated, because moving and resizing up to 8 widgets as fast as possible is not a great PvP mechanic. The system was originally designed for POS deployment, and works ok at that task. However, the system does not work well with the time factor of PvP. The constant "race" of launching 4/8 probes, selecting proper range, align them in a square and move them around is not a fun mechanic at all. It gets repetitive fast, and exponentially frustrating to use when your targets slip away time after time. Additionally the new system requires too much mouse clicking/dragging.
The worst parts of the new system are imo: Moving and resizing multiple probes as fast as possible Launching multiple probes Moving probes in the z-plane(can be done a lot easier, ref Homeworld) Missclicking widgets, clicking on other icons and probe spheres.
My suggestion for the PvP aspect, is to merge the old system with the new. Give combat probes the ability to find targets with only one probe, like before, but build the system around the new one. Basically, remove the need to launch 4+ probes and shape a pyramid with the widgets, let us move one close-rage probe around instead of four.
The new system could work like this: 1) Launch 1 DSPs(or similar long range combat probe) to check for possible targets in system. 2) If target found, launch 3 more DSPs, get a rough, say 8 AU radius sphere of interest, with the location of the target somewhere inside. Each ship hit should get a unique target ID for easy tracking within the solar system. Friendly target IDs should be tagable so they can be ignored. 3) Launch 1 combat probe, set range 8 AU, move to target area. 4) New scan reveals target with 2 AU deviation within the original 8 AU sphere. 5) Resize combat probe, move to the new location and scan. 6) Depending on the signature of the ship, narrow the scan further down or warp to the target.
This system is a lot easier to balance for Greyscale, it keeps the new xyz-"space" probing feeling, and it is less frustrating to use than the current because it requires a lot less clicking and dragging, and it leaves less room for mistakes(dragging wrong widget/wrong plane). PvP probing have been forced through the Apocrypha patch without as much as an afterthought from Greyscale(evident of his posts on the dev forum). It really needs to be streamlined in order to work.
|