Tzar Sinak
Mythic Heights
173
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Posted - 2015.07.29 22:14:17 -
[1] - Quote
Once upon a time the sites were very different. In fact you needed different probes to hunt them down. The mechanic of opening the target was the same.
Over time probing was streamlined with the advent of WHs. It was an overall improvement to game play.
With Odyssey came additional probe changes for scanning that further streamlined the scanning activity. This update also brought the mini game.
- Scanning became very simple. Everyone could find near everything with minimal scan skills and enough time. Practice was all that was required.
- The mini game was generally regarded as being better than just click/wait/receive bacon. Some people hated it because of the distraction away form D Scan and the fact the hacking window was huge and could not be moved. Others liked the new challenge.
- The loot spew was despised by most and liked by few. It was eventually removed.
One thing in common with these events was the barrier to entry or hacking exploration was continuously reduced. There was a time that scanning required planning and lot of practice to become competent. Anoms could only be discovered by the ship scanner which only had a range of 4AU hence you had to want to discover anoms and travel from planet to planet ship scanning. Not everything was available as soon as you enter system.
Now a suggestion comes along to combine the hacking skills. This suggestion continues the trend to lower the barrier of entry. Everything listed above has devalued exploration. Dramatically. Of course it is possible to make a living exclusively on exploration (hacking not combat) but it is a ghost of its former self.
CCP has done some good things recently. They have added more hacking content. This is a good thing. However it could be better.
As mentioned several times in this thread, hacking needs to be iterated on. With Odyssey it was suggested by CCP that the hacking tools be an item to put into your cargo hold to be used else where. To have the tools as manufacture items that can be sold. It never came to be.
I only do combat exploration now. I recently gave up on the hacking sites. The rewards were butchered on the market with Odyssey (easy accessability) and the mini game became very easy and predicable with practice.
Chance, your observation of the hacking being basically the same is correct but merging them is the incorrect approach. To merge them is to take away an opportunity to breath life into exploration again. The "hacking" of both sites needs to be iterated on in two opposite directions. Data sites should be very modern and futuristic (and should include abandoned POSes). You are attempting to steal secrets etc.. Relic sites should be OLD, delicate and dirty.
Do not merge, iterate in opposite directions. Remember, we want new players but please remember that older players, old vets, would like something worthwhile.
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