Mayrissa
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Posted - 2008.02.08 14:14:00 -
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Boy do people jabber a lot on this topic.
Well this is my concept, I like the ideas of making it a skill and making it a module, but they don't really seem to have that much of a drawback, for lowsec miners or haulers they don't really need cpu or powergrid, people will just take the decreased hold space as the price (as if it was low module slots they couldn't fit expanders)
So make it a module dependant on a skill
I'm thinking that the prereqs would be hacking 5, warp drive operation 5 and Electronics Upgrades 5. The new skill would allow operation of Warp Navigation Modules that would shorten the autopilot jump distance. Obviously it would be a high rank skill
Warp Navigation Modules come in 3 variants, prototype, improved, courier (like the cloaking devices) the courier can only be mounted in special ships.
Essentially the Navigation Modules add extra processing power to the ship, this however comes at the cost of reduced warp speed (to simplify the calculations) reduced maneuverability and acceleration (as the drive computer systems are now overloaded, even with additional computers) and hold space (as it now has bulky computing modules in it). This extra processing power is used to reduce the warp drive error (chance of being thrown off course by a large body close to the exit site) so that the autopilot will accept co-ordinates closer to a gate.
Essentially it would be possible to warp to zero but the trade off is that it would take your ship much longer to align to warp and then engage the drive on the other side, and longer to move back to the gate to avoid a camp on that side. I would suggest that the modules go in low slots, so that it would be possible to a degree to mitigate the align and speed costs by fitting overdrive and inertia stabilizing modules. But that would further reduce the cargo space (bad for haulers) and increase signature radius, as well as reducing the amount of nav modules that you could fit. Afterburner and MWD modules would also be disabled while the navigation module was online.
Essentially this means that you can be good at avoiding camps on outgoing gates, or incoming gates, or a mixture of the two, but not Both at the same time.
I would also suggest that the minimum warp radius should be extended out to 5km, so that a determined (or clever) pirate does have some chance to hit you. With a skill to reduce this penalty by 10% per level, with prerequs of (for example navigation and warp drive operation) it would of course be a high rank skill.
Courier ships (yes I know a new type) would not suffer the penalties with Navigation Modules, but would have a very small cargo hold and not many slots relative to their class (frigate, cruiser, battleship) and have lower total hit points. For example a frigate would have two of each slot type, (which would not allow it to warp to 0 but to get close (maybe 5k?) ) with cruiser and battleship being better, but having longer training times. Essentially they would be a better "type" of shuttle craft, but would not have much combat power and be relatively flimsy if caught by a gate camp.
That is the bones of my concept, I think that there should also be some type of pirate countermeasure, not an anti warp bubble, but something that would make it harder for an AI to plot an exit point, thus extending the radius back up To 15 k (it is important for balance that this distance can't be extended)
Any comments welcome, I know that the penalties are pretty harsh that is intentional. Any pirate countermeasure should have equally stiff requirements and penalties (reduction of scanner resolution comes to mind as one of them)
Please don't flame me, I'm just putting out an idea that would mix things up a little while not making life too hard for pirates.
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