Free Stations

[NeonSturm]

If you gift a station to public (another faction, TG, etc) it could return value by trade/mining in the background.
And then you use these resources to build it again.
Does maybe not sound like much gain in the first, else it would lead to exponential growth. Maybe only their own investment cost...

But then, you can fill the universe with your stuff without penalty.

And you additionally get a gate-network for yourself, some fuel refineries, a repair shop or all what may be needed.

 

[MacThule]

If you gift a station to public (another faction, TG, etc) it could return value by trade/mining in the background.
And then you use these resources to build it again.
Does maybe not sound like much gain in the first, else it would lead to exponential growth. Maybe only their own investment cost...

But then, you can fill the universe with your stuff without penalty.

And you additionally get a gate-network for yourself, some fuel refineries, a repair shop or all what may be needed.

Actually... your basic idea could form the kernel of a way to press players into (willing) service as content creators. Worth ruminating on.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

I really want schema to see this one, because this is the precise reason factions don't work. This is all of our story and one we've all heard on servers many times.

Our options are have 1 HB and anything else is vulnerable, or each of us have our own HB (and therefore faction). It's one more way HB invulnerability hurts the game, and a major reason stations need to be more profitable in terms of income (creds, FP, resources, whatever). If building a vulnerable station earned something worthwhile then it would be worth it because destruction would be cost of doing business and replacement wouldn't be so frustrating. When it's all a loss, the only sensible option is to each be a one-man faction. Likewise if no POS were invulnerable then why not be in a faction for mutual defense.

And automated patrols... so we don't have to be on 24/7. Our defensive fleets need to auto respond to attacks on our stations, like they do for NPCs.

This reminds me of an idea I had a while ago to address this issue.
Have the protecttion focused on both player and Faction in the following ways.

• Faction HB protection as normal, but I would like to see a monetary system in place for additional stations, paid cyclically. Cycles would be server/admin configurable (day/week/month/whevever/once). So as long as you produce enough moolah you can cover your outposts. Would be analogous to paying operational staff to protect your assets. The further out from HB, the higher the cost.
• Player protection could be applied to a chosen asset (station or ship only). Could also make it the last ship you were in maybe, so if you were disconnected from the server it doesn't get pillaged by an opportunist before you get back on.

 

[PromisedPossum]

Perhaps if HB protections are eliminated, we pay dues to NPC groups for station protection. They respond in declarations of war with a defense fleet and a fleet at one of the aggressor's assets. This would help limit station damage and make you think before randomly popp'n stations. The uber pvp could still probably inflict damage without much consequence but a nube in a downloaded titian would suffer. Just spitball'n, on my phone (dangerous).

 

[MacThule]

Perhaps if HB protections are eliminated, we pay dues to NPC groups for station protection. They respond in declarations of war with a defense fleet and a fleet at one of the aggressor's assets. This would help limit station damage and make you think before randomly popp'n stations. The uber pvp could still probably inflict damage without much consequence but a nube in a downloaded titian would suffer. Just spitball'n, on my phone (dangerous).

This could work. Still seems easier to me to just re-use the existing code that makes NPC fleets respond to attacks on their own stations for a player Fleet Command that would let us assign our own fleets as responders if any assets within a certain range came under attack.

 

[NeonSturm]

This could work. Still seems easier to me to just re-use the existing code that makes NPC fleets respond to attacks on their own stations for a player Fleet Command that would let us assign our own fleets as responders if any assets within a certain range came under attack.

That would be a bet on suicide and success.

If they are for free (like missiles or cannon bullets) or cost only the minor loot they drop it's fine.
A resupply station can act as launcher and costs the most of resources then.

 

[MacThule]

That would be a bet on suicide and success.

If they are for free (like missiles or cannon bullets) or cost only the minor loot they drop it's fine.
A resupply station can act as launcher and costs the most of resources then.

Fleets aren't free. We have to use resources to build the ships and then add them to fleets.

Suicide and success?

 

[NeonSturm]

Suicide and success?

What if I am happy if you spawn additional loot when I fly my titan against your station?
I attack a rather weak one, kill of fighters, then attack big one without them.

Or you don't defend your weak stations cuz of fighter/cruiser loss chances?
Guess then there is no point in defense fleets either.

Perhaps you come in with 10 massive AI warships and I use stealth because I know you have no recon chambers on the ships with the big turrets (or I took out that scout).
1by1 I can take them out. AI is a resource-sink.


Maybe I fly a test-attack with something small, notice you have massive shields and little guns.
Then I come with my own shield tank and warheads. Or stealth warheads.
But if you use glass-cannons I spam a lot of fake targets.

Or even better: I place mines in your sector before I attack that station, fireworks!

 

[MacThule]

I attack a rather weak one, kill of fighters, then attack big one without them.

That right there sounds like legit strategy. It's certainly how I work large opponents in RTS & TBS games; try to pitch battles in my favor while avoiding equal or unfavorable odds.

Or you don't defend your weak stations cuz of fighter/cruiser loss chances?
Guess then there is no point in defense fleets either.

I don't think it follows; I can build heavily defended stations that will combine well with a defensive fleet. Don't tell me that there's no point in defending a heavy battlestation with a large fleet.

The only thing the will protect every station is removing combat from the game, so at a certain point everything is vulnerable. But how much will it cost for you to take out that station? That's what determines who wins the battle.

Maybe I fly a test-attack with something small, notice you have massive shields and little guns.
Then I come with my own shield tank and warheads. Or stealth warheads.
But if you use glass-cannons I spam a lot of fake targets.

These are also examples of strategies (the stealth warhead issue is dodgy and has always been an issue for this game, though last I checked warheads weren't very powerful). I do believe that a clever player should be able to win battles through intelligent strategy. Combined arms and a balanced offense/defense profile tends to make cheap shots hard to pull off, and certainly with experience players will learn what works and what doesn't.

In the end though, a station + a fleet or three is a harder target than a station alone.

Perhaps defending stations should automatically receive some kind of bounty for attackers destroyed, to offset their inability to salvage ships they take down?

 

[NeonSturm]

But how much will it cost for you to take out that station? That's what determines who wins the battle.

Often, I agree. Everyone loses but the aggressor has more instances of loss.

Player vs Player there IS point in defenders (because they can choose to abandon station if the treat is too big and they know they lose loot while not doing any damage at all.
But AI acts like "superman and hopes to be as effective as luke skywalker while parents lose their son".

These are also examples of strategies (the stealth warhead issue is dodgy and has always been an issue for this game, though last I checked warheads weren't very powerful).

The point is not how powerful they are, but to deny the enemy loot and punish him by requiring him to repair ships. Astrotech might help the aggressor in this case, but only as long as he can offset loss with loot.

The best strategy with warheads is to tactically take-out of a big turret before engaging from behind or winning because you can loot the turret. You can also demolish enemy faction logos with it on enemy titans or outposts and screenshot it for a forum-victory outside the game.

The cost is not blocks or credits, but play time which can be converted to these.

In the end though, a station + a fleet or three is a harder target than a station alone.

Depends if they get headshots or are just small insects summing around you
(Note: no bacteria and allergies included)

Perhaps defending stations should automatically receive some kind of bounty for attackers destroyed, to offset their inability to salvage ships they take down?

This would only give rewards if the enemy comes with multiple targets and at least one dies rather than with globally-shielded dreadnought that is bigger than your whole faction's assets

ALL other points are still valid