Kai DeathCutter
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Posted - 2007.04.27 16:53:00 -
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Each system has a maze of deadspace pockets distributed accross the whole system, with multiple entry points.
These deadspace pockets are rated by ship class, and every gate into an area restricts the class of ship allowed to nothing bigger than its own class, with the possible exception of haulers/fts.
The gates, however, are a much cheaper version of their current counterparts, and so begin to overheat as they accerlate ships to jump. The result is that they have a cooldown period during which they are out of action. Local structures also give a bonus to this when active, meaning a well timed attack could leave a hostile fleet split between pockets. Quite a low number to start, say 5-10, maybe going upto 50 with structures.
Each pocket can have one or more local infrastructure structures which must correspond to its class. The largest structures should control sovereignty, and possibly even system defenses, if they get introduced, and the middle structures should control bonuses, such as fuel consumption, production and research times. The frigate classed structures should control access, gate cooling systems and the deadspace defenses (not system/station).
Structures should have a reinforced mode timer which should be based on their size. Frigate classed objectives could be captured within an hour, but the largest could take upto a week. Capturing a structure should be based on objectives or goals achieved during the whole of the reinforced timer. These should be relatively simple tasks, but should require enough dominance over the system appropriate to their class.
Hacking may allow certain low level systems to be reconfigured, an attacking force may even boost the gate cooling in certain areas or comandeer some of the guns. New structures could give intel on the local system and its current state, these would also be a prime target for hostile hackers.
A frigate classed squad should not necessarily be able to claim sov in a defended system on their own, but they should be able to cause quite alot of disruption, however, they need to maintain the pressure as these small structures are quick to recapture. A BS Fleet or Cap ship attack will take much longer to recover from.
Passcards or security structures could be used to restrict access to higher levels, meaning certain frigate classed goals would need to be acheived before you can jump your cap ships in for the kill.
I don't know how much of this junk in space the servers can handle, but I like the idea of both, being able to have small scale cat and mouse battles in a single system (cut down on session changes) by having more locations of significance in one system, and spreading the more global effect accross constellations to avoid the system pilot cap where if they blob one system, you can go next door and still have an effect.
I like the idea of a more capture the flag type scenario, where more ship classes have a role not less as it appears to be with the current CapShip-Online direction.
Titans and motherships would still have their uses, but there would me more grunt work required before they can be brought in as frontline ships. An attacking force would definately benefit from a mothership/carrier filled with cruisers and frigs to replace losses in the early stages, Titans can still jumpbridge a fleet to a different system, or past gate camps.
As for individual pockets, I would like to see these a huge, but then they would need different code to current deadspaces. It would be nice to have objects that you could warp to within the pocket, not from outside, but just point to point within the pocket. Basically, scrap pos totally, and move all the current anchorables into this new environment.
Well, this is now also starting to converge with other similar ideas I think I may have read elsewhere on the forums, so appologies for any subconciuos plagerism and respect to anyone suggesting new ideas...
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