[quote=Spugg Galdon][quote=elitatwo][quote=Spugg Galdon]

Thus rendering research agents uttelry useless unless the number of datacores they provide is buffed accordingly, which would of course then crash the market!

But we need to get people into space doing things.

I only use the term "Mining" as it is what most closely resembles the same activity.

Imagine the sun produced 4 different kinds of solar anomalies that had to be scanned down with probes.

A Solar Flare:
Solar flares release huge ammounts of high energy particles which are tremendously hot. Activating a research module on this type of anomaly would produce High Energy Physics Datacores (you're researching high energy physics by doing an action like mining on a solar flare) Proximity to this anomalie would do AoE kinetic damage

A Solar Prominance:
Solar prominance is held together with massive magnetic fields. Activating a research module on this type of anomaly would produce Electromagnetic Physics Datacores. These would have EM AoE damage

A Sun Spot:
Sun spots would allow you to gather Nuclear Physics datacores. They would have a thermal AoE damage

An Imminant CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)
These would allow the gathering of Plasma Physics datacores. Thw area would produce explosive AoE damage

Now, other types of research sites:
Highly Unstable Wormhole (non traversable) - Kinetic and EM AoE damage

Event Horizon Anomaly (centre of wormhole):
Research of this would produce Quantum Physics Datacores

Gravitation Anomaly (in the wormholes "rings"):
Study of this would produce Graviton Physics datacores

The other datacores would have other sites. All found through probes.

The ship line that would do this would be the SoCT ship line. They have flat resistance profiles allowing them to spec tank easily. They are the "Teaching" faction so it fits that they would do research.



What I'm suggesting is that it shouldn't be a passive production but an actual activity in space, in a ship, at extremely visually cool sites with some danger to them. Be that area of effect damage for some sites and NPC rats at others. They can also be scaled easily for system sec status. Lower sec status gives anomalies that produce more datacores per cycle of the research module.

But is it interesting gameplay? Would players who build something, which is what they would be doing in this instance, like to have their product randomly ejected from the structure and able to be stolen? It is still a passive generation with an output that can be interdicted/intercepted. People will literally camp these things and wait for the datacaore ejection. This is not "fun" gameplay.

Yes, (some) people will say mining isn't fun but then again many many people do it because they enjoy that pace of gameplay.