I started composing this post before the dev blogs about the return of ship spinning / cyno effect / gun icons and new font were released and I have heard rumours that another dev blog is in the offing that will be even bigger in terms of Flying in Space content, but I'm going to propose seven changes / additions that CCP could do over the next few months to revitalize the game.
1. Super Cap Balancing - OK, that was an easy one we know is coming, but let's get it and done right.
2. New Ships - Remember those two ship design contests and the awesome entries selected near the top. Tornado anyone? Get them in game.Tier III tech 1 battlecruiser that is more damage and less tank than the tier II battlecruisers would be enough to throw the current fleet design theories for a loop, or even make them equally powerful in terms of damage and tank as the tier IIs but on the secondary weapon system for that race (Gallente drones, Caladari rails, Amarr heavy assault missiles, Minmatar... drones/missiles/guns combo a la Typhoon).
Alternatively, make them tech II ships that are deep space exploration vessels with only 4 weapon hardpoints but have marauder bonus and bonuses to probing/hacking/etc.
3. Fix Blasters - give them enough tracking / signature resolution to be able to hit same size targets at optimal when target either has no propulsion mod or it has one but friendly webs are in play. This will help to put Gallente vessels (and some Caldari ones) back into rotation.
4. Update Incursions - Everyone agrees that the Incursions were done well for PvE content but have been mastered by the people who run them on a consistent basis. Add some more randomness to them to spice things up and keep fleets on their toes.
5. More Live Events - They may not mean much in the grand scale of things, but no one ever says "I went to a live event and was bored". They breathe life and excitement into the mundane.
6. Update Faction Warfare - make having control of an enemy system in FW worth something, like the ownership of faction warfare stations switch allegiance AND enemy factions can't dock at each others stations AND the sentry guns start to participate at that station. It may not be much, but it might be enough to make taking a system deep in hostile space for a staging area worth it.
7. More Space - Either new systems accessed by wormholes, or opening up the Jove space, or adding new regions, anything to change up the status quo.
Posts
#7 would go a long way towards helping imho, but the space would need to be huge to allow "real" expansion to it instead of immediate annexation by the current large power blocks.
ReplyDelete#3 and 2 would be nice as well
My thoughts.
ReplyDelete#1 Yes!
#2 No new ships until the balance Gallente and the currently unused ships.
#3 Yes! See #2. Blasters are only part of the problem with Gallente.
#4 Yes!
#5 No more live events until the people running them learn how to announce them ahead of time on CCP's news feed as well as holding during the week that is friendly to US time zone.
#6 Yes!
#7 I would prefer they fixed low-sec before adding more space.
I think I've touched on each of these at one point or another and fully support them all. Even though some things don't impact me in-game, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be addressed.
ReplyDeleteRail guns need as much help as blasters though.
And GCC needs to be five minutes, other than that you got it. +1 from me.
1. Super Cap Balancing - well as a wh dweller even we have the occasional run in with supercaps, they shouldnt be godlike "i win" buttons, but they still have to be effective enough to merit the cost, thats a tough balancing act....
ReplyDelete2. New Ships - i completely agree, though you forgot to touch on expanding t3 ships ie t3 frigs/bs/bc etc.
3. Fix Blasters - while I agree gallente ships like the deimos may need some work, blasters in and of themselves are fine what they need to do is fix RAILS!!!
7. More Space - additional space would be nice, but i think you'd run into the same exact issues presently in nullsec, there would have to be something radically different about the new space like whs to make it actually work.
These all sound really nice, but I need the fixes that allow me to actually play the game before I'm going to start giving them my money again. That's play in a way that is not frustrating because of all the little annoyances, the death by a thousand cuts.
ReplyDelete1. Random disconnects, usually two or three per gaming session, and usually in a combat, or action, situation. That's one account out of two or three running on the same comp that decides it doesn't want to talk to the server anymore.
2. 'Damaged' stations not rendering correctly (red stations) on high shader for macs. This also knocks the fps down by 90% or more when these stations are in view. (usually around 2-5 fps with just one client running)
3. Unreadable fonts. Yeah, they are working on new fonts, but the examples given are not a lot better than what's there now, and there's no size options. I actually have a small magnifying glass by my monitor so I can read the text in the game (market/info/mission/etc).
There's more, but these are the main pains.
If they fixed these, and left everything else as it currently is, I'd resub all of my accounts and happily wait for the fixes/improvements for the rest, but I'm not going to play a game that is more frustrating than it is satisfying.
I like these, other than the new space. Fix the space they have.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much area of low sec and areas of Null that are vast stretches of nothing.
The risk/reward for low sec is simply not there.
The risk/reward for Null is only there in some areas.
I would love to see more randomness in all areas of PvE AI. It is sad that Sleepers are the "smartest" PvE opponent.
Last night I was thinking: it's time the sleepers go on the offensive against those arrogant intruders from regular space. Let them come out of their wormholes and guard the entries/exits; let them infect belts and perhaps complexes in systems where their wh exit brings them; let them harass highsec stargates and/or stations..
ReplyDeleteIt would bring some (small scale) unpredictability and refreshment to highsec pve. It would allow the playerbase to get acquained with the sleeper AI even if you're not living in WH space. It could also be a good first chapter in bringing the Jove into play, for a future 'apocrypha II' style expansion.
Perhaps I should write a blog entry about it.
Here it is, written in haste..
ReplyDeletehttp://sered-sl.blogspot.com/2011/09/sleepers-awake.html
@Sered - that was already suggested direct to CCP at the PvE improvement roundtable at Fan Fest 09.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't get sleepers, we did however get Incursions that with pretty much fit with the ideas mentioned. Improved AI, team work required, higher difficulty etc etc.
Remember at the time there was also the suggestion from CCP that the sleeper AI be rolled out to L4 missions. There was a YAY...! (silence) gleep, erm ah... perhaps not response.
They did however, beef up officers (that was also suggested).
I'm a fan of more space. And definitely Gallente NEED some love. Rails as a priority, but everything from mobility through to racial ECM and command ships could use a serious look.
H,
ReplyDeleteThe difference between sleepers spawning from wh's everywhere and the current Sansha incursions, is that incursions don't affect everyone. You can chose to participate, and many isk farming ratters don't care about them. Sleepers spawning from wh's could have a much more profound impact, introducing a new uncertain factor for many more pilots.
Still, the idea apparently wasn't as new as I thought it was :) Thanks for bringing that to attention!