Originally by: Astria Tiphareth

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So let me get this straight... having local allows you to see precisely what the enemy has in system, encouraging blobbing by bringing more people than they have (a simple and obvious tactic) or encouraging docking if you don't have more people. (In fact, it's amazing anybody gets to fight at all the way local intel is described by some...)

Removing local will now also encourage blobbing? Which is it? Or is it perhaps that safety in numbers applies regardless of the intel tools used? Setting aside that a lot of players view low-sec as a no-go-area right now...

As an empire-hugger myself, I can appreciate what you're saying about local & low-sec; it's quite nifty to enter a low-sec system and see precisely who's there. On the other hand, I don't really care who's in the system in low-sec, pretty much anyone is a threat. I do care if there's a gatecamp but I won't know that without going and looking.

Overall, the way I see local at the moment is vastly over-powered, but also very simple to implement and to use. On the other hand, it's pretty trivial to write a radar system or something similar for every ship so you get an idea of what's out there, and sensor specifics and warp spikes and all that jazz can be incorporated pretty easily. I even have visions of a solar system map with compiled data for fleet commanders, the way real naval battles are conducted... The question is does it benefit the game?

Not knowing what is out there enables more tactics, more ways to confuse and defeat your foe. Feints, lures, jamming, all become possible. As already mentioned cloaks need some suitable proximity warning (I would suggest only if moving, otherwise ambushes go out the window) otherwise they become far far too powerful. Do players have time and coordination enough to pull these sorts of things off?

One issue that does come to mind: how much of an intel tool can scanning be given the use of gates? Ultimately everyone has to come through one. If scanning replaced local by some means, would this just lead to gatecamps galore? Lets assume for a moment it wouldn't, perhaps simply due to time-zones...

Conversely, not knowing what is out there reduces the ability to actually engage the enemy. For comparison, a typical submarine engagement can last days if not weeks trying to hunt the other without giving away your own position. PvP has to happen reasonably quickly otherwise it's just a time-sink with no satisfaction at all.

In short, you need a balance. Whatever scanning system is implemented needs to be easy to use, just powerful enough that it doesn't take hours to find an enemy, and just underpowered enough that it doesn't immediately replace local, in which case you've achieved nothing.

I could mention how real carrier battles are theorised (since we've not really had one in any modern military) and all about the choice to radiate or not, scouting, passive sensors, active sensors, (a lot of the same applies in different ways to submarine combat) but it's really all fluff as far as EVE is concerned. Nice to have, not the core of the concept.

I'm all for a scanning system, and seen some great ideas like spotting concentrations of ships, but it must be easy to use, still enable PvP, and not protect attackers so much that people daren't set foot outside a station. Heck, put it in empire and low-sec, I don't see why they need any special treatment.

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