von Steinroehder
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Posted - 2005.01.19 13:30:00 -
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I'll keep this free from long winded explanations, the concept speaks for itself. Look:
Player A researches Amarrian Starship Engineering with a daily output of 50 RP.
Player B researches the same, but has a higher skill, and thereby gains 100 RP per day.
When the time comes to draw a BPO from the lottery, it's determined who will get it. Based on research points only, player B has a 66% chance to get it.
Now, the new addition comes into play.
The BPOs are not all the same. Every BPO has a scientific skill rating, resembling what it takes to research it!
Take for example a Malediction Amarr Interceptor BPO. One could add the following to the BP's internal description:
"This BPO requires level 2 Amarrian Starship Engineering on your side as well as level 2 Amarrian Starship Engineering on your agent's side to be effectively researched. Not having those skills will make you uneligible for the research process."
Luckily Player A has level 2 Amarrian Starship Engineering, his agent has it, too, and he is in for the draw - when luck is on his side, he will win it.
Player B has better skills, he's at level 4 Amarrian Starship Engineering. His level 4 agent has that, too. So he's also in for the draw of the BPO.
But:
Imagine a tech 2 Apocalypse class battleship BPO is going to be drawn. This BPO says:
"This BPO requires level 4 Amarrian Starship Engineering on your side as well as level 4 Amarrian Starship Engineering on your agent's side to be effectively researched. Not having those skills will make you uneligible for the research process."
(Make it look like the normal skill tree, with multiple (pre-)requisites.)
Now, Player A is out of the game. He may win a Malediction with his relatively low skills, but it takes a master scientist to lay hands on the tech 2 Apoc.
Player B is still in the queue - he's got the necessary skills - and may get the Apoc!
With these measures you have added another element into the research process: skill requirements that determine how much work (and skill training time) a player has to sacrifice to get a BPO. You could generate a table with BPOs versus skill requirements (not limited to science skills, if you like) and you would split the researching players into as many different levels as you like. No more BPO drops with only a few days of level 1 agent work. No more veterans who spent a good part of their eve-life learning science skills with no BPO rewards up to now.
The science-focused characters will be the only ones eligible for top level BPOs, while the lower skilled characters will still have chances to get lower level BPOs. Work and reward - balance would drastically improve.
Any takers?
von Steinroehder Research Project Manager
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