PART 1:

The incursion system launched very successfully and treated EVE players to a game mechanic that was long overdue. Just like any well thought out project, the launch is always just the beginning. The original concept of incursions brings players together to overcome the greatest pve challenge in game. This mechanic was also designed to reward all types of eve players: carebears, pirates and pvpers alike. Just like any good project, there needs to be an active oversight to continue and expand upon the initial launch.

Incursions 2.0 is not a plan to nerf or modify incursions, it's designed to expand incursions into something better. CCP has taken a leap forward by introducing Incursions. To limit its growth by "nerfing/adjusting" it will ruin Incursions forever. This type of action need to be in the foreground, they can't be allowed to sit on the back burner and be forgotten like so many features in EVE have been before.

In order to explain what Incursions 2.0 is, the issues with incursions as they are now need to be identified. Only then can they be fixed.

Incursion Issues -
1. ISK per hour is backwards:
The quickest, smallest fleets are making more then the larger fleets.

2. Motivation to complete larger sites are lacking:
Fewer fleets are actively taking down larger sites, several factors cause this.

3. Larger fleets are harder to maintain:
Larger fleets sometimes have to pause running after every site to replace pilots.

4. Sites were made as a testing sample:
Many kinds of sites to run, but they haven't been modified/replaced.

5. Site mechanics need to have variables:
The same site does the same thing every single time.

6. Site difficulty doesn't scale correctly (fleet comp):
Some fleets find sites challenging while others breeze through them.

7. Incursion completion requirements are broken:
A single fleet can end an incursion regardless of previous involvement.

8. ISK is a primary reward:
Rewarded with income rather then goods in which the player market can place a value on.

9. Loyalty Points are almost guaranteed:
Almost never are high sec incursions not completed. The LP pool isn't at risk.

10. Risk vs Reward isn't balanced:
Compared to the difficulty of incursions over other EVE mechanics, the reward out-weighs the risk.


Incursion fixes -

- Revamp the reward system

Addresses: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10

Solution: ISK is the primary medium in which products in EVE are exchanged. It has a fairly standard exchange rate with products giving it an implied value. When an NPC spawns ISK as a reward, it gives those players the implied value of ISK. This would be fine if the amount of ISK matched the difficulty in which the task was completed. In the case of incursions, this is skewed which causes problems with the value of ISK. The counter to ISK is products, these products can be valued by players and will exchange them for ISK. Thus leaving the value of incursions up to the market. The amount a fleet is rewarded is also skewed in relation to the fleet size and time it takes to complete a site. The reward per hour is backwards and doesn't scale properly. Head Quarter fleets should receive the highest reward per hour, not Vanguards. The way to fix these problems are to change the primary payout to something other then ISK (LP, item drops, etc.) and then increase the payouts for Assaults and Headquarters. Thus fixing the imbalance of ISK and backwards growth as sites increase.

- Revamp the Sites/AI
Addresses: 2, 4, 5, 6

Solution: Every single site needs to be reviewed and modified as needed. There are several sites that should be either removed, or replaced, with a completely new one. The sites that are currently in play look like a sample tray on a menu. Sites need to play more into the lore of incursions giving players better insight and more/new objectives to complete. Similarly, site spawns need to have some variables within them, no site should have the same exact spawns every single time in the same order, nor should they be completely random. Have different types of waves spawn with different roles. These roles could be attack focused, defensive/avoid focused, ewar focused etc. This requires the fleet to pay attention and react based on whats in front of them, not just go through the motions like they are now. The site difficulty should scale within a fleet size, meaning there should be Hard/Harder/Hardest sites for each of the fleet sizes (Vanguards/Assaults/HQs). Right now fleets can be tailor made to run from site to site with ease, while more standard fleets struggle. Having certain sites that spawn for only the strongest fleets gives normal running fleets less issues finding sites.

continued in part 2