Tecam Hund
The Buggers
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Posted - 2007.07.20 22:49:00 -
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For what its worth, here is my take on this.
First of all, the outpost issue. To anybody who understands a little bit about game mechanics, it should be clear that making outposts simply destructible is going to lead to outposts being the toys for largest alliances only, and in the long run will lead to even more blobs as players group together to try and protect their investment. After the large outpost-centered groups are formed, it will be once again close to impossible for roaming PvPers to successfully siege and destroy any of their outposts.
There has to be a middle ground solution. Turning outposts into wrecks with no services (but hangars) in which everyone can dock might do the trick. The conqueror will need to secure the system and rebuild what is left of outpost, while the defenders will have a chance to delay the attacker and still have their possessions in hangars.
In general, I don't believe outposts themselves are a central issue here at all. This leads us to the issue of POS and sovereignty.
Outpost being for the most part invulnerable until the POS network is destroyed is a fair mechanic which gives people time to field defense forces and requires the attacker to commit to the battle. However how POS themselves have to be sieged is what causes the problem.
CCP made a correct step by removing guns from behind the POS shield and making them controllable, but I think this has to be taken even further. POS battles need to rely more heavily on skills of the players than simply on HP of its structures and power of its weaponry. Also challenging sovereignty over the system should not require total destruction of POS tower, but rather destroying some special structure which becomes vulnerable after POS active defenses are gone.
If that is the case, then dreadnoughts and other capital ships will turn from a must have to storm a system to heavy fleet support which will give you a benefit, but not win the battle. Since new structures could be anchored once again near the defenseless POS Dreadnoughts will still remain useful in POS sieges should the attacker decide to destroy defender's POS network completely.
All of the above combined together will remove lengthy and unneeded things like POS reinforced mode and hours spent mindlessly shooting at POS shields without having any other choice. Nobody will be able to siege an outpost overnight, but at the same time a lot more will depend on players themselves.
Question of logistics. It should remain a logistical challenge to own and operate an Empire. Some might not like to be peons, but others view it as a worthy cause. Let players decide what they want to do rather than force them to play one way or another.
Tools of insurgency I completely agree with Cosmo's post about mobile infrastructure. Let people who want to build Empires build them, but give the roaming types tools to serious threaten security of Empires.
These are a few things I would try if I was a developer. Additional changes and balancing would be required of course. One of those changes might be the roles of capital ships, which probably should be remade into fleet battle ships rather than siege weapons (especially dreads and titans).
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