Yet Another Asteroid Respawn Thread: Regenerate Unclaimed Systems

[Edymnion]

Okay, assuming that gas giants granting unlimited resources through some kind of passive extraction process isn't going to happen any time soon, and the asteroid respawn bug currently being squashed leading to stripped systems, how about a compromise that also helps newbies on established servers?

Keep asteroids as being non-respawning, but limit it to claimed space. As in, as long as you have a claim on a system, nothing in it regenerates, as it is now. However, if you abandon a system, have it start to slowly regenerate. New asteroids spawning in, planets respawning, etc. If you wait long enough, a completely stripped system will revert to mint condition, as long as no one is in it.

This would encourage established players to move their systems out away from spawn as they age in order to move on to fresh new systems with full resources. If they abandon their mined out systems as they go, they start regenerating, meaning areas nearer to spawn would recover enough for new players to move in. That would mean that older players who have the resources to travel half way across the galaxy are the ones who have to do so to get back to spawn, while new players who can't do that are the ones who get to stay closer to spawn instead of making newbs fly across the galaxy on their first day just to get to unclaimed space to start setting up in.

 

[Control]

This... idea has merit...

Though... what kind of respawn time are we talking here.. It'd have to be long enough that it's not worth it for a faction to just rotate on 2 sectors (we're here tonight till other one respawns, then we move back), but it'd have to be short enough that when a new player logs in, nearby empty sectors aren't empty..

Even if the new player went to a regenerating system at it was at 50%, that'd seem alright.. right? They should be able to harvest enough there to build and move out a bit further to a system that hasn't been emptied yet...

Hmm hmm.. much to ponder here.

 

[Parameter]

I like this idea. I think we should also have asteroid field sectors with more asteroids with a wider range of sizes. These sectors could spawn new asteroids at a slow to moderate rate when "no one is looking."

Maybe you could also add systems that replace planets with asteroid field sectors "orbiting"/arranged in a disk pattern, or even systems that are just asteroids orbiting a small burned out star.

These asteroid fields would be a resource you'd want to be near, but with the constant motion, mining, and respawn of asteroids, they wouldn't be a great place to build a permanent base in.

 

[CaptainTaz]

a wider variety of sectors with varying asteroid density is definitely something I'd like to see. Killing regenerating asteroids as a whole without a replacement renewable way of getting stuff at this point really hurt a lot of players like me who are in a faction without claiming permissions... something like what Parameter said would be awesome.

 

[spunkiethefirst]

a wider variety of sectors with varying asteroid density is definitely something I'd like to see. Killing regenerating asteroids as a whole without a replacement renewable way of getting stuff at this point really hurt a lot of players like me who are in a faction without claiming permissions... something like what Parameter said would be awesome.

While you wait I suggest you make an asteroid scoop.
What this entails:

1. Prepare a warp gate at your claimed system for receiving asteroids it doesn't need to be big. A 3x3 warp gate can receive any size.
2. Get a marker beam and set it to that warp gate.
3. Gather gate materials for making a large enough gate to fit an asteroid through (warp computer, warp modules, reactors, power capacitors, build blocks)
4. You'll need a ship with a 100% pull/push effect weapon or enough mass to bump asteroids around.
   
5. Search out any group of asteroids and build a gate on one of them.
6. Bump or push/pull beam the other asteroids through the gate to send them to your claimed sector.
7. Deconstruct or harvest the warp gate asteroid and return to the base in claimed territory to harvest with your mining bonus.

It's like a cattle drive of asteroids.

 

[CaptainTaz]

While you wait I suggest you make an asteroid scoop.
What this entails:

1. Prepare a warp gate at your claimed system for receiving asteroids it doesn't need to be big. A 3x3 warp gate can receive any size.
2. Get a marker beam and set it to that warp gate.
3. Gather gate materials for making a large enough gate to fit an asteroid through (warp computer, warp modules, reactors, power capacitors, build blocks)
4. You'll need a ship with a 100% pull/push effect weapon or enough mass to bump asteroids around.
   
5. Search out any group of asteroids and build a gate on one of them.
6. Bump or push/pull beam the other asteroids through the gate to send them to your claimed sector.
7. Deconstruct or harvest the warp gate asteroid and return to the base in claimed territory to harvest with your mining bonus.

It's like a cattle drive of asteroids.

o_o

You're a goddamn genius.

 

[spunkiethefirst]

o_o

You're a goddamn genius.

As an atheist.

 

[hzzzln]

I like the idea of encouraging players to move away from spawn, but I'm against having asteroids not regenerate. It kind of makes for a nomadic gameplay, and people wouldn't invest in big space stations anymore, only temporary ones.

However, what if some resources, for example the ones needed for things like effects and damage pulse computers/modules, can only be found (or are way more likely to be found) in systems far away from spawn? Or the respawn rates for resources could be slower in systems close to spawn, so they might sustain a smaller faction, but a big one looking to build bigger ships and stations would have to venture to more resource rich systems.

 

[Sha3es]

If these sectors were left unclaimed it would indeed help keep factions tied to few systems instead of many... but that faction mining bonus would work for a while and then I feel it would be wasted.

Also, I feel that asteroids in general should re spawn regardless if the system is claimed or not...
Perhaps if they re spawned at a slower rate in claimed systems than what they could in unclaimed ones... if they are in fact allowed to again

 

[Parameter]

If these sectors were left unclaimed it would indeed help keep factions tied to few systems instead of many... but that faction mining bonus would work for a while and then I feel it would be wasted.

Also, I feel that asteroids in general should re spawn regardless if the system is claimed or not...
Perhaps if they re spawned at a slower rate in claimed systems than what they could in unclaimed ones... if they are in fact allowed to again

Maybe multiple factions could lay claim to sectors that weren't in the same system as a faction's homebase and that didn't contain a faction station? A sector or system with multiple faction claims on it would be "Contested." Each faction laying claim to a Contested sector could get a partial faction mining bonus, maybe 6x instead of 12x. Also, the presence of your faction's ships in Contested space, or the destruction of other contesting faction's ships in Contested space, could gain a your faction a FP bonus, and/or maybe a higher mining bonus?

Asteroid field sectors or systems could disallow the building of stations, but allow factions to claim and/or contest them. These sectors with regenerating resources could be hot spots for inter-faction conflict, but still allow for more efficient resource gathering compared to regular space.

 

[Sha3es]

Maybe multiple factions could lay claim to sectors that weren't in the same system as a faction's homebase and that didn't contain a faction station? Such a system would be "Contested." Each faction laying claim to a Contested sector could get a partial faction mining bonus, maybe 6x instead of 12x. Also, the presence of your faction's ships in Contested space, or the destruction of other contesting faction's ships in Contested space, could gain a your faction a FP bonus, and/or maybe a higher mining bonus?

Asteroid field sectors could disallow the building of stations, but allow factions to claim and/or contest them. These sectors with regenerating resources could be hot spots for inter-faction conflict, but still allow for more efficient resource gathering compared to regular space.

I could see this allowing for a more teamwork related effort for mining, which could be used to strengthen factions as a whole. Additionally, I like the idea that you could have contested space for differing factions, however how would we determine how a sector is contested space?

Perhaps we could pull it off and say that there are contested systems, outside of the faction home system of course, that factions could lay claim to by building small outposts or something of the like in the systems?

 

[Parameter]

I could see this allowing for a more teamwork related effort for mining, which could be used to strengthen factions as a whole. Additionally, I like the idea that you could have contested space for differing factions, however how would we determine how a sector is contested space?

Perhaps we could pull it off and say that there are contested systems, outside of the faction home system of course, that factions could lay claim to by building small outposts or something of the like in the systems?

That's a cool idea.

Your faction could stake a claim on a non-faction-home-system by building a station and claiming the whole system via the faction block. However, another faction could put up a competing station in the same system and also lay claim, making the entire system Contested. Presumable the two sectors with faction stations in them would not be contested, but belong to the faction that owns the station.

In the contested system, they would both receive half the faction mining bonus, plus a FP bonus for having players in the system or destroying each other's ships. Maybe a ratio of FP earned by each faction in the system could be used to determine who has the upper hand. The faction with more presence in the system would receive an increased mining bonus, and the loser(s) a decrease.

You can claim an individual sector by claiming a planet in it, currently. Maybe to play off your idea a faction can stake a claim to a part of a system by building a "faction beacon/waypoint/outpost" in that system.

• These could be small, <500 mass non-combat structures that could be placed immobile in an unoccupied sector, like a mini-station.
• A Faction Beacon would claim a 3x3x3 or 5x5x5 sector cube of a system centered around the beacon for a Faction.
• Your faction could not place a faction beacon within the range of one of it's own previously-existing faction beacons.
  
• Faction beacons would cost FP to deploy and be invulnerable to normal damage, limited in mass, and unable to house weapons.
• Faction beacons would be visible on the galaxy map, so you can navigate to them.
• Faction beacons would have "Influence Points" that functioned kind of like HP. Initially a beacon would have Influence equal to its FP cost. Doing things to earn your faction FP in the region of a beacon would add to its influence. Other factions doing things to gain FPs in your beacon region would damage its influence.
• Perhaps once per day or some such a faction could spend X FP to increase the influence of a beacon
• If a beacon is reduced to 0 influence, it shuts down, isn't navigable in the galaxy map, and the faction's claim on the surrounding sectors is removed.
  
• After X days of 0 influence, a faction beacon is removed from the world.

What does this gain us?

• Factions can claim "interesting" or valuable areas in systems using beacons.
• Factions get bonuses in the claimed areas around beacons
• Opposing faction beacons can overlap yours, leading to contested areas
  
• Factions can't just fill a system up with beacons to prevent competition.
• Activity in a system strengthens your beacons and hurts opposing ones
• Beacons are physical representations of a faction's influence in a region.
  
• Beacons can't just be destroyed by a titan passing through. You defeat an enemy beacon by having a larger long-term presence in the region than them
• Beacons aren't big and can't be weapon platforms, but could still have beneficial stuff for a faction, like repair stations, storage, medical bays, etc. They provide a staging point for faction activity in the region

 

[Sha3es]

That's a cool idea.

Your faction could stake a claim on a non-faction-home-system by building a station and claiming the whole system via the faction block. However, another faction could put up a competing station in the same system and also lay claim, making the entire system Contested. Presumable the two sectors with faction stations in them would not be contested, but belong to the faction that owns the station.

In the contested system, they would both receive half the faction mining bonus, plus a FP bonus for having players in the system or destroying each other's ships. Maybe a ratio of FP earned by each faction in the system could be used to determine who has the upper hand. The faction with more presence in the system would receive an increased mining bonus, and the loser(s) a decrease.

You can claim an individual sector by claiming a planet in it, currently. Maybe to play off your idea a faction can stake a claim to a part of a system by building a "faction beacon/waypoint/outpost" in that system.

• These could be small, <500 mass non-combat structures that could be placed immobile in an unoccupied sector, like a mini-station.
• A Faction Beacon would claim a 3x3x3 or 5x5x5 sector cube of a system centered around the beacon for a Faction.
• Your faction could not place a faction beacon within the range of one of it's own previously-existing faction beacons.
  
• Faction beacons would cost FP to deploy, invulnerable to normal damage, limited in mass, and unable to house weapons.
• Faction beacons would be visible on the galaxy map, so you can navigate to them.
• Faction beacons would have a "influence points" that functioned kind of like HP. Initially a beacon would have Influence equal to its FP cost. Doing things to earn your faction FP in the region of a beacon would add to its influence. Other factions doing things to gain FPs in your beacon region would damage its influence.
• Perhaps once per day or some such a faction could spend X FP to increase the influence of a beacon
• If a beacon is reduced to 0 influence, it shuts down, isn't navigable in the galaxy map, and the faction's claim on the surrounding sectors is removed.
  
• After X days of 0 influence, a faction beacon is removed from the world.

What does this gain us?

• Factions can claim "interesting" or valuable areas in systems using beacons.
• Factions get bonuses in claimed areas around beacons
• Opposing faction beacons can overlap yours, leading to contested areas
  
• Factions can't just fill a system up with beacons to prevent competition.
• Activity in a system strengthens your beacons and hurts opposing ones
• Beacons are physical representations of a faction's influence in a region.
  
• Beacons can't just be destroyed by a titan passing through. You defeat an enemy beacon by having a larger long-term presence in the region than them
• Beacons aren't big and can't be weapon platforms, but could still have beneficial stuff for a faction, like repair stations, storage, medical bays, etc. They provide a staging point for faction activity in the region

Now we just have to figure out what actions award influence of beacons in contested spaces?

If asteroids were to in fact re spawn I would say that for the contesting faction, the one who trying to mine in an owned system, would be awarded X influence by the number of asteroids mined and the number of ships in the contested zone?
Additionally, maybe if they were to destroy or kill players responding to their system being contested?

For influence to be taken away, perhaps have the owner faction mine in the contested zone, or destroy ships/ kill players that are part of the contesting faction.

 

[Parameter]

Now we just have to figure out what actions award influence of beacons in contested spaces?

If asteroids were to in fact re spawn I would say that for the contesting faction, the one who trying to mine in an owned system, would be awarded X influence by the number of asteroids mined and the number of ships in the contested zone?
Additionally, maybe if they were to destroy or kill players responding to their system being contested?

For influence to be taken away, perhaps have the owner faction mine in the contested zone, or destroy ships/ kill players that are part of the contesting faction.

I think the following might gain or lose FP/influence points in contested space around your beacon:

• Mining asteroids (+ x points to you)
  
• Destroying enemy ships (+ x points to you, -x to opponent)
  
• Destroying contesting faction ships (+ x points to you, -x to opponent)
  
• Killing contesting faction players (+ xx points to you, -xx to opponent)
  
• Having faction players in the area (+ xx points every interval to you, -xx every interval to opponent)
• Having allied faction players in area (+ x points every interval to you, -x every interval to opponent)

The following actions might be applicable to a contested system:

• Selling items in faction-owned shops (+x per 100k credits)
• Building items in shipyards (+x per 10k blocks built)
• Total mass of faction structures in system (+x per 1k mass)
• Warp gate usage (+x per warp)
  
• In the future, having capital ships in contested space could give additional influence bonuses

I would be nice if there was a way to incentivize players with influence awards in contested space for doing things on planets, besides just blowing them up or mining them.

It would stink for a faction to drone-bomb an area just to get the entity count up and farm influence points. However, dropping drones actually would help them establish control in the area. The counter-point to that tactic is that if someone came through and trashed your drones around your beacon, you would lose a bunch of influence points, too. :D That kind of sounds like a fun back and forth.

 

[Sha3es]

I think the following might gain or lose FP/influence points in contested space around your beacon:

• Mining asteroids (+ x points to you)
  
• Destroying enemy ships (+ x points to you, -x to opponent)
  
• Destroying contesting faction ships (+ x points to you, -x to opponent)
  
• Killing contesting faction players (+ xx points to you, -xx to opponent)
  
• Having faction players in the area (+ xx points every interval to you, -xx every interval to opponent)
• Having allied faction players in area (+ x points every interval to you, -x every interval to opponent)

The following actions might be applicable to a contested system:

• Selling items in faction-owned shops (+x per 100k credits)
• Building items in shipyards (+x per 10k blocks built)
• Total mass of faction structures in system (+x per 1k mass)
• Warp gate usage (+x per warp)
  
• In the future, having capital ships in contested space could give additional influence bonuses

I would be nice if there was a way to incentivize players with influence awards in contested space for doing things on planets, besides just blowing them up or mining them.

It would stink for a faction to drone-bomb an area just to get the entity count up and farm influence points. However, dropping drones actually would help them establish control in the area. The counter-point to that tactic is that if someone came through and trashed your drones around your beacon, you would lose a bunch of influence points, too. :D That kind of sounds like a fun back and forth.

I like the layout !!! Should we make a new thread for our idea of just leave it in this one?

 

[Parameter]

I think we've probably gone a bit off the original thread topic. I'll make a suggestion thread and consolidate our ideas there.

Thanks for the brainstorming!