Ardamalis
Caldari
A Third Betrayal
Circle of the Shadows
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Posted - 2011.01.10 20:57:00 -
[1]
This received a lot of positive feedback from the Features and Ideas discussion forum so IĘve decided to post it here also.
Most of us fall within two camps:
Those who love 0.0 local, and those who hate it. To me, the current state of local isn't very satisfying and neither is the prospect of completely removing it, so I propose a change that would be a small step: making local a sovereignty upgrade.
Basic Overview:
The mechanics are simple. Unclaimed 0.0 space does not have local chat; however, upon claiming a star system, the holder can immediately install a communication beacon on the infrastructure hub. The beacon creates a local channel within the solar system that everyone automatically joins and cannot leave. The beacon is created in a predetermined bookmarked spot in each solar system and can be warped to via overview.
*Note* npc 0.0 regions are unaffected and continue to have local
So what does this mean for Pirates/Terrorists/Gankers?
This communication beacon is very fragile. A single battleship shooting at the beacon could disable it within fifteen minutes. Upon destruction of the beacon, the system becomes "dark." A "dark" system no longer has local chat and acts similar to wh space. This remains so until the sov holder repairs the beacon again.
A small gang could roam enemy systems, destroying beacons as they went. These systems would become "dark" and its inhabitants would be easy prey. A single raid may not score very many kills, as all of the inhabitants would still flee upon seeing you in local; however, under a sustained campaign of raids and roams, you could easily catch enemy ratters, miners, and travelers off guard in "dark" systems. It offers a lot more  to those who are determined.
So what does this mean for Sovereignty Holders?
This change is not completely one-sided for the terrorists. There are benefits for the carebears also. The catch with communication beacons is that the owner can choose to turn off them off at anytime. Upon turning off a beacon, the system becomes "dark"; however, the beacon can always be onlined immediately.
Imagine if you are about to stage an assault on a neighboring sov holder. Your fleet forms up in one of your own star systems; however, as many of you already have experienced, the enemy already knows that you are coming long before you ever reach their territory because of scouts watching local. Now imagine if local could be turned off. You could turn off local chat on all of your neighboring systems. Your fleet could form up and travel stealthily. Of course your enemy would be suspicious at seeing all of your beacons turned off; however, he does not know how many ships you have and where you will strike. In addition, you could send groups of covert ops ships to pop the beacons in your enemy's territory further adding to his confusion. Scouting by visual confirmation becomes more important.
Have you ever felt frustrated with terrorist gatecamps? A group of terrorists camps one of your gates. As soon as you get a fleet ready and jump into the adjacent system, the gatecamp immediately scatters because a scout on the other side raised the alarm. ItĘs almost impossible to catch them but what if you could turn off local? If local were turned off in the adjacent systems of the gatecamp, a fleet could bounce them at anytime.
The uses for turning off beacons are nearly endless for sov holders. If you are planning a fancy mining op, you could turn off the beacon in the system to conceal yourself; however, you risk being jumped. ItĘs a trade. No one knows you are there but you don't know if anyone else is there.
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To be continuedą. |