Fester Addams
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Posted - 2003.08.28 11:33:00 -
[2]
My opinion about gate camping:
Firstly, I have to ask the question, I have run a few camps, I have avoided even more but the big question is naturaly is it fun?
Now to the problem.
In my opinion its the warp mechanics that is flawed and has caused all this gate camping problem.
When I warp to a gate I will come out 10-20km fron an exact coordinate nomatter what I do.
The same is true for warping to a station, an astroid field, a bookmark and whathave you.
Almost all the time you will also wind up on the same side of the target you are warping to.
All this will give you the ability to create a bookmark that will land you dead on target.
This is silly, decelerating from 2AU down to normal speed and ending upp 500m from a station, gate or rock in space is nothing close to suicide.
On the other hand, warping into a possible hostile situation and not having any choise on how far away you come in is also lunacy. If I suspected a thug was sitting on my doorstep I would not drive up to the front door to check I would stop a block away and have a look from a distance where flight would be easy.
Because of both thise things I think
1: A warpm ending too close to a station should give a warning, somthing like
"Proximity alert, destination point dangerously close to object." and the warp be cancelled, the ships navigator should be able to come upp with the best possible target coordinates.
2: Alow for players to set the warp in point fast or safe. Make it a button next to autopilot.
Fast would be the current setting, warp in as close to the target as possible.
Safe would be different, picture a sphere in space, 160km radius, the destination point is at the center, warping in safe should put you at a random point on this sphere. It will be next to impossible to blockade the entire sphere as the oposit points would be 320km from each other but it will give gate campers the posibility to spot you and start negotiating a toll.
Why 160km you ask, well as you may warp to any object a minimum of 150km away then you could come in safe, check the gate and when you have made sure its safe (be it after a cash transaction or the gate being clean) you can warp in close.
Usually safe mode would be for traveling only but it would actually be usefull for exploring roid belts, long range hunting, stations in 0.0 and so on.
I have never understood why you have to warp in at most guns optimal range, thats lunacy for a trader :)
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