Jonathan Xavier
Ars ex Discordia
GoonSwarm
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Posted - 2007.11.13 20:31:00 -
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Here's an idea to make POS management less tedious with respect to fueling, while keeping the risk / reward ratio high:
Starbase Solar Array
A module that would be capable of keeping a current tower running, without fuel. Design this module to cost about roughly the amount of isk that 6mo. of fuel in a large deathstar would cost (~1B isk). It would require much of the same npc goods that towers currently require to build, in addition to minerals. By costing roughly the same as 6mo worth of fuel to construct, the isk sink required by fueling towers remains the same, but the logistics are greatly simplified.
The module itself would exist outside the shields and would have around 1M HP. It would take the same amount of time as a tower to online and offline (30m/2h). Anchoring one would also reduce tower fuel capacity by 90%. The module would be approximately 20,000m^3 in volume.
A small gang could come in and deal a 1B isk blow to a hostile corp by destroying a SSA. If the module were destroyed, the tower would only run for as long as its existing fuel stocks provided for.
In times of war, or when the POS was in imminent danger, the corporation could simply unanchor the module, and return to fueling the POS as it is currently done or risk losing the module and making the tower vulnerable by leaving the module anchored.
Naturally, most alliances would love modules such as these as it would greatly simply POS fuel logistics. However, by taking the easy route and anchoring these modules, it would leave the POS towers vulnerable to attack and subsequent offlining if the toweres were not refueled within ~3 days of the SSA being destroyed. A successful attack would leave the victim -1B isk for the module and leave the tower with at most, 3D worth of fuel (-90% fuel capacity while anchored) or none (immediate offline timer) if the victim forgot / didn't bother to fuel a tower with an SSA anchored.
It would give small gangs an opportunity to wreak havoc on logistics networks in the home system of an opponent, where such modules would likely be common, far from empire space. Additionally, it would provide an alternative to current POS logistics; while less tedious and less time consuming, SSAs would carry significant risk.
I'll post additional thoughts and ideas on Sovereignty and POS towers soon.
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