I had a recent thought regarding off grid boosting and how it functions. Now instead of coming up with ideas on how to fix the technology of it, I would like to propose a different option.

Leave it.

Leave off grid boosting exactly how it is and how it works.

Permit battle cruisers (t1 and command ships) to negate it.

We have the basis for bubbles. Why not expand it.

Permit battlecruisers tousle that utility slot of theirs to project a anti grid sphere. Make it big (like 100 km wide) negates all boosting effects that aren't within that sphere of influence. Similar to how HIC's can shutdown warp drives.

If you want to be creative, allow every booster module to be able to script itself. Sphere negation script. Everything that is inside the sphere loses any off grid effects. At the same time, the booster ongrid will provide its boosts to the fleet.

So instead of nerfing ongrid boosts, give the players the ability to negate the effects through a fleet comp.

Spitballing an idea while watching the final four.

Thoughts?

Why should the counter need to be on grid while the primary effect does not?

Server load.

Now you have to check range from every single ship in every fleet on field to every single T1 battlecruiser on field, every second.

that can be tested. I wouldn't discount it based on load. We took maybe 70 HIC's into null last week with some comical effects when we all turned on the bubbles.

I don't see that as a specific issue.

I'm assuming CCP can't limit the boosting effect because of how it functions. They could limit the effect based On a center point created by a separate module activated by the player though.

Server load.

Now you have to check range from every single ship in every fleet on field to every single T1 battlecruiser on field, every second.

perhaps this could be a deploy-able item instead?

Server load.

Now you have to check range from every single ship in every fleet on field to every single T1 battlecruiser on field, every second.

There are already effective counters to off grid boosting, such as the following.

Put pressure onto the opposing gang to use their links and use combat probes to find and kill the offending ogb.

Use your own links.

Don't engage.

Stop being bad.

The concept was to have Command Ships and BCs (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO) fit 2-3 of these modules in utility highs and be a heroic on-grid... Command ship.

A very long time ago something, something, somewhere went horribly wrong and now you have cancer. A considerable portion of second accounts are used for OGB, so GOOD LUCK trying to use common sense against cold, hard, currency which is generated here.

Sending out combat probers to catch combat boosters isn't a solution. Considering good chunks of them can simply sit on a undock or hugging a shield.

Counters to a bad system isn't to bring the same thing. Any strategy is lost. There should be a way to either bring the booster on grid or negate their boosting effects of combatant within the same grid of your booster (you risk it, if they don't like it, they can either go risk their booster by bringing it ongrid or go without it).

Pretty pointless to play of the answer to every situation is (bring this max ship for the fleet or just don't bother coming at all). The reverse should apply.

And none of this implies being good or bad, it's a flawed mechanic that can't be countered by the player base.

There are counters to OGB in some situations but not all. The mechanic is unintuitive and forces you to drag combat scan alts around. The OP solution is interesting but could it be more elegant?

There are counters to OGB in some situations but not all. The mechanic is unintuitive and forces you to drag combat scan alts around. The OP solution is interesting but could it be more elegant?

Just stop being bad... I routinely run on-grid boosts from my Claymore on one character, while using another character to scare the opposing gang's booster into leaving or hiding. Nothing is stopping people from doing combat probing and killing off-grid boosters. If the OGB is at a Death Star POS, just fight in another system if you cannot handle their boosted gang.

Until they come on grid I would like to see the combat links give a weapons timer. This would help prevent the pathetic station and gate hugging we see in lowsec and add a bit of risk.

Weapon timer sounds reasonable and logical (I'd even go as far as to say give them the same timers as logi) but imo moving them "on grid only" only benefits larger blocs who always roam in gangs and takes away from people who enjoy taking on much larger groups than their own by way of guerilla tactics, pulling and seperating fleets up to pick off stragglers and inexperienced players.

Well the deal is that if we want to bring the fight, we would have to bring our own set of boosters.

No one has a objection with that.

What was proposed is that either side have a way to negate that teams boosting bonus by bringing that boosting ship ongrid and being an active part of that combat fleet.

So I bring the fight to your boosted system, and project a field that negates your offgrid boosts for a range of x.

At that point, I've committed my gang into your home, and brought my own booster. To really screw you I keep him ongrid to knock off your offgrid effects.

Tables turned. Come at me without any links, bring your link ship to fight, or go home.

Currently people do not want links nerfed because of the bonuses they give, the afk opportunity they give for a fleet in a system... And that they are system wide. Frankly people don't want their booster alts nerfed So they aren't. Instead, give a incursion force the ability to deal with it by committing their booster to the field to counteract your 5 afk command ships on the undock.

Fleet wide and system wide boosts continue to exist, and combat ship pilots have a active role in a fleet to bring their combat capable ship to the fleet.

No nerf, only new tools and a new role.

There are counters to OGB in some situations but not all. The mechanic is unintuitive and forces you to drag combat scan alts around. The OP solution is interesting but could it be more elegant?

This doesn't add anything over simply removing off-grid boosting. It's harder to implement and doesn't actually add any depth of gameplay beyond "you either bring a BC to negate OGBs or your opponent keeps getting boost for free"



How about simply removing off-grid boosting, as originally talked about by CCP, and force boosters on-grid. If you can't keep them alive but the enemy can then you're already losing. Simple, elegant, no need for a mess of "bring this ship and push button to hard counter this bush button for 10% boost mechanic"

Or you bring the links on grid and that new role for being on grid to counter link is given in reverse to the booster who has to be on grid to give boosts. Not nerfing something just because people are used to it and don't want it nerfed is stupid.

I'm surprised CCP hasn't tied boosts to Grid_ID. The server load is already accounted for and optimized.