david1024
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Posted - 2006.11.19 16:10:00 -
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Special Terrain, Dedicated Research Vessels, and Modules:
Research Frigate and Cruiser (or just large/small barges?). These ships get a bonus for a science research module's fit requirements or effectiveness so that the modules cannot be effectively used on industry/warships. e.g. Possible to fit, but the yield would be low on a non-scientific vessel. These ships could either be dedicated science ships with no weapons, or have a limited number of turret/launcher slots for self protection. In a fleet engagement, they should be a little more useful than a retriever, but less effective than a tier 1 frigate.
The ships gather Scientific Data Points (SDP's) at suns, planets, moons, black holes, eve gate, and other 'special' locations. Even the dreaded Rogue Drone Hive might be worth study.
These points could be tracked as a special report (10 SDP's = 1 Report). Reports can be sold, traded, or used. (0.1 m^3 /report)
The reports can be used a number of ways:
T2 production enhancements (Essentially an ME or PE boost for a single run)
Manufacture low-grade hardwires (should require lots of SDP's)
Sold on market (player driven economy would decide prices)
RP bonus with your Research Agent (should be the preferred use)
Repair T2 equiment (mining crystals/etc.)
The Environment is the area where research takes place.
The empire research areas should be stationary and very low yield. The non-empire (0.0) locations should be mobile--some on a 'known pattern' and some completely random. (The 'hunt'!)
The Reason to go there is the reports and SDP's. e.g. the bonus on production or the extra SDP's.
Tactically, the COSMOS complexes show that there is interest in this sort of thing, but just a high NPC respawn rate is not really challenging enough.
Existing modules/ships could work into this nicely as support for the science ship/barge. Perhaps several different types of modules would be required to unlock special SDP bonuses. Pre-evegate collapse technology surely exists floating around the eve-systems.
EX: While the science vessel is gathering SDP's on an ancient wreck, a computer is found and you'll need a hacking module to get the data from it--an SDP bonus. OR you need to hack the wreck's confused/damaged computer to shutdown some turrets that cannot be damaged by weapons that exist in eve. Maybe unlock/find/loot some extremely rare, item-type cargo while you are there? No 'IWIN' modules, but something between T1-T2.
There have been several proposed environments in this thread. Just about all of them would be usable as a location to gather SDP's. By using the scattered suns (low SDP yield) and new environments (dampening fields, nova's, wrecks, etc..) there could be a reason to be a scientist that actually, gasp, LEFT THE STATION!
Since the SDP's become reports, they would be lootable (for the pirates) and could require 'paper' or 'disks' or some other raw material to become reports.
And further, there could be a division of the type of SDP's available at a specific location or object.
(better use of that graviton physics skill at the black hole anyone?)
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