Don't want to do the real work and fix pos code so we'll just tinker with a bunch of stuff. Should I pass the weak sauce? Oh wait I see you already have plenty.

Especially with regards to Navy ships, demand is a variable. In fact I remember that in the past some large nullsec alliances used doctrines involving Navy battleships, and I think one problem was supply. Whenever a large fight went south, they needed to replace a large amount of ships fast. If there is not enough supply, prices rise. Or the doctrine dies.

Loving the deployables overall and the newest addition in particular

The ESS will rock some nullbear socks for sure (look at them squirming... oh noes, we might not be 100% safe ratting in null anymore).
For me it looks like the first small step towards enforcing to hold only the space you are willing/capable to defend.
We need more things like this, really.

D.

I don't get how CCP are so naive regarding human nature - this is a dumbass module that will always get blown up on sight particularly until they finally extract a digit and fix afk cloaking.

I'm still wondering why this thing needs to siphon 20% of the bounties in the first place. I get that you want thieves to convert them into "ISK tags". They are then expected to die with them in the cargo for the loot fairy to create another ISK sink. But overall, this is going to be an insignificant amount.

If ISK faucets are really too much for the health of the game, go ahead and nerf bounties by 5%. All bounties across the game, as an initiative that is separate from this deployable. It will still hit null the hardest of the regions, but will not feel as arbitrary and targeted.

Then forget the bounty siphon idea and pay out the full, globally reduced bounty to each ratter, whether the ESS is deployed or not. Store 100% of this new LP incentive inside the active ESS instead of granting it directly to the characters on bounty ticks. Let the "fight" happen over the LP stored in the ESS. This actually makes some sense and it feels like an interesting new feature. One that can later be potentially expanded to higher security space without as many abuse cases.

If the player is to risk more personal funds in the process, increase the cost of the module and/or design them to die more frequently. That will also increase the sink of it coming from npc buy orders, without needing "ISK tags". Other locals will still have incentive to come defend it, as they have personal LP at stake inside. This reduces the impact of it as a blue griefing tool and will prevent large alliances from considering banning it.

There is still another issue with it being racial. One per system means someone else can deploy one for a faction who's LP others in system don't care for. This will likewise create friction among friendly ratters over already scarce territory. This leads to some people potentially not joining the formup, in an attempt to let an unwanted ESS get killed. It is counter-productive to the small gang design goal of this module. You want it to bring people together. This can be alleviated by making it uniform LP of one particular store. That could be concord, SoE, or whatever other corporation is chosen or created. If a new one is created, it could further allow exchange to a limited subset of LP stores similar to concord LP. The amount granted can be scaled to balance, based on the quality of the LP being awarded.

As a future expansion of the module, higher meta versions could be created for higher LP payout (sink) at significantly higher ISK cost (sink).

The empire fleets stations (Federation Navy stations, etc.).

I live in null.....there are no "faction" stations or agents around how is this a good thing again? I have no motivation to use this deployable. I automatically loose ratting isk because of the changes.

But on the plus side I get:

a deployable that any red in system can destroy
a delay to access my lost isk
a warp bubble to prevent me from snatch and grab if a red does jump in to system
LP that I can't use....because I live in null...there are no LP stores out here
isk tags that I can't redeem because there are no faction stations out here
oh, and let's not forget, that you will automatically loose any portion of the isk that is below the smallest tag (10k i believe)

and can someone please explain these two statements from the dev blog

Destroying or scooping the ESS will not affect the system-wide pool. That is only affected by successfully accessing the ESS and choosing to Share or Take all. The system wide-pool stays intact and becomes available again when another ESS is deployed.

GÇó The payout level of an ESS is reset if it is destroyed, scooped or when it is accessed and the system-wide pool is distributed.

First, you only get tags if someone hits the share all option, so that is at least one les hassle for the ratter and more headache for the red trying to steal your isk.

First, you only get tags if someone hits the share all option, so that is at least one les hassle for the ratter and more headache for the red trying to steal your isk.

As for those two statements an ESS will give increased payout/rat over time it is this time that is reset, ie if a 800k rat gives 200k payout just after deployment it will give(not sure but think it was in the ballpark of 5% more) after 2 hours which would come to 210k. so after being destroyed and redeployed it would be back down to 200k, but you could still retrieve the isk
earnt during those two hours as long as noone used the share/take all optione before destroying it

It's worse with hostiles because they can plant the thing forcing you to destroy it before you can rat (and that's if they leave, which they won't). The time taken to shoot it is time you aren't ratting.

Why there is no one at CCP who can understand why this is bad is beyond me.

1. Spam ESS all over your enemies ratting systems, park a covert cyno alt next to each ESS
2. Make sure your BO team is in jump range.
3. Profit.

We've been over this

1. Park covert cyno alts all over your enemies ratting systems
2. Make sure your BO team is in jump range.
3. Profit.

The ESS doesn't enter the equation, because the neut in local means no one undocks in the first place. And hey, you don't have to spend 25 mil * systems to get blown up if they happen to form up more than you can chew.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

I have asked 2 simple questions in the comments thread, of the new blog on these.
They have been ignored.

They have no intention on discussing these devices and it makes no difference what we say.

We've been over this

1. Park covert cyno alts all over your enemies ratting systems
2. Make sure your BO team is in jump range.
3. Profit.

The ESS doesn't enter the equation, because the neut in local means no one undocks in the first place. And hey, you don't have to spend 25 mil * systems to get blown up if they happen to form up more than you can chew.

I'm sure this is just a typo.

Take option, not share option, to get tags.

The only reason I see to shoot it is :
a) you want LP from a different faction
b) you want to 'move' the ESS to a different grid to remove hostile perch bookmarks
c) ability to scoop it and dock, hoping they didn't bring one of their own to try to steal the money stored in system.

You can just rat with an enemy one in space, hit share when done and log off leaving it there.

This this deployable is:
- Rubicon lore of "capsuleers flip off concord" being shoved down our throat with unnecessarily complicated mechanics.
- A forced isk faucet nerf that CCP is refusing to have any discussion on or provide feedback.

I dare say more people moving away from null ratting and going to high sec may have been an objective of this project, as a means of further reducing the amount of isk injected into the economy by null sec. Furthermore, that reduction is likely to be a high level metric to determine further iteration on the project. So more people going to run missions instead = null isk faucet down. ISK faucet down? Working as intended, leave it be.

If anything, as a form of protest we should start mass ratting as much as possible. You know what affects the market far more than +/-5% changes to overall null ratting bounties? Tripling the ratting population.

That's why CCP has no interest in bringing high sec income alts back to rat in null. It just can't happen without blowing inflation out of control with current mechanics. Which is why, as I proposed, the ESS should pool LP instead of ISK and pay out bonus LP instead of bonus ISK. It makes the flow of the ISK faucet more constant and easier to manage. It also makes it easier to iterate on null pve without having to revisit this module specifically for a full overhaul. If it proves successful, we can start talking about other options for the footmen of null to make non-raw ISK income. Because encouraging them to live in the space they own is going to be a far better conflict driver, than deployables with gimmicky mechanics.

But none of this is going to change at this point. There is no more time to iterate on this before launch. It's the weekend. They will probably spend the weekend on QA of the already locked in final build, as it will be released on Tuesday. Once it's live, there will be less room for major changes around the general concept. This thing should really be pushed back to Rubicon 1.2 so it can get at least one more iteration cycle. And get a F&I thread, as it should have had from the start.

I just hope that everyone here realizes that this is a win for CCP either way that you look at it though its still terrible for the game

1. People move to hisec
-> less nullsec isk added to game, working as intended

2. People protest rat without using module
-> Increased player population in Nullsec and chances for pvp, working as intended

3. People do nothing different
-> not enough information to say its a bad idea, who can really say its not working as intended

4. People rat with the module
-> people like the new Module, Workign as intended

Sorry, but you guys are delusional now screaming no-one likes it.
Other than market fluctuations you loose no income using the ESS now no matter what happens, and you stand to gain 25% income.