Part 2:
Instead, i'd propose the following problem statement:
Quote:Combat probing has slowly but surely become too effective at placing fleets on top of other fleets. It is effectively a sledgehammer, with efficiency, speed, and exact location. It is the cause of fleet combat slowly but surely becoming a game of warping directly onto the enemy and in placing bombers into a location. Combat probing is so effective that one cannot run a nullsec fleet effectively without it. Being able to warp to a probe result has effectively negated any advantage of home field due to the ease and efficiency of combat scanning.
So, to recap: If we want to fix this while increasing fleet member participation and reduce the speed at which fleets can get on top of targets, let's fix
combat probing.
Let's look through the problem statement:
Quote:Combat probing has slowly but surely become too effective at placing fleets on top of other fleets. It is effectively a sledgehammer, with efficiency, speed, and exact location. It is the cause of fleet combat slowly but surely becoming a game of warping directly onto the enemy and in placing bombers into a location. Combat probing is so effective that one cannot run a nullsec fleet effectively without it. Being able to warp to a probe result has effectively negated any advantage of home field due to the ease and efficiency of combat scanning.
- Efficiency - Combat probes are not targetable and are reusable. There is no defense against combat probing, beyond merely warping away. Repeatable probe arrangements have also decreased the positioning difficulty.
- Speed - Combat probe results occur quickly, with effectively no delay. Recovery time between scans is relatively quick - allowing a user to scan, re-scan, re-scan over and over to pinpoint it.
- Exact Location - Probes return the exact location of the object, allowing the fleet to effectively warp on top of it.
Change any of these, and we effectively fix the stated problem statement. If we don't have an exact location, we encourage multiple probe locations so that an FC can warp tackle to two locations to try to catch enemy fleets, and encourage tackle to burn from the warp-in to grab enemies. If we don't have speed, fleets can move and adjust from locations during a delay, or scanning could take more time allowing tackle to be more effective. Efficiency causes there to be an action that can be done to inhibit scanning or make combat probes expendable.
Let's fix the problem instead of stabbing wildly in the dark.
Respectfully,
jokeres
Soldari Orion
An Interested Yet Confused Eve Player
P.S. If bombers go off the warp-in by 10 km, it's major. If they have to warp to a cloaked pilot who just scanned and warped, it barely effects them. CCP, your stated goal doesn't fix that for the vast majority of bombing runs.
P.P.S. This also retains "home field advantage" for FCs by allowing them to warp to their local bookmarks and engage enemies. The proposed fleet warp change negatively affect home field advantage and runs counter to Fozzie's proposed sovereignty design.