Does it make sense that you log out and back in outside of a terminal?  Where does your bot go in the mean time?

I'm not trying to start a reality check on the mechanic. I haven't heard they are looking to change it.

I don't think it is a good idea to have a timer, if you get disconnected and can't get back in for 20 min because of a timer that is going to be frustrating. There's no way to determine if a disconnect was intentional either, so if you just put a timer on the player selected logoff, players will simply unplug the router or force quit the application.

Porting the player to the nearest base sounds like a built in transporter, since there can't be a timer, I just logoff and poof teleported to the nearest hanger or other such landmark.

The disconnect thing covers requiring people to log off/on from hangers only.

You could suggest the game be a total bastard and leave your bot where it is if you get disconnected, but really I'm not sure there is enough storage on this server to handle the threads that would start about people losing bots to this mechanic.

I would say if it had to change, the least offensive/exploitable would be moving you to the nearest hanger; although I doubt that they will change this mechanic.

No no and no, what if I'm out mining and we come under attack and I have to swap to my combat char?

Always be suspicious, especially if you are heading to a hostile island, don't be a dumbass and risk it, go in through a different route voila

Being aware of shortest distance trade routes and setting up an ambush seems like good strategy. It certainly adds an additional layer of complexity to trading and like Micheal Weston says, "Patterns are bad, good spys avoid them like the plauge and exploit them in others." ... or he would say that, use the Burn notice voice in your head when you read that, it sounds cool...no really, it does   

whats wrong with setting up ambushes?  Like powering down your mech in a forest when playing battle tech.  That was good stuff.  I feel the game is better for having an option for ambushes. 

Also, common sense helps to avoid the traps.  If you see one guy, all by himself sitting on a teleporter... guess what.  He's either a scout or stupid.  Chances are, he's a scout.  If they are not logging in, they are likely jumping in through that teleporter to ambush you. 

If you see a scout, adjust accordinly.  If you've been scouted, the smart thing to do, is to assume a large attack force is coming to wtfbbqpwn you and take your loots.  Its your own fault if you walk into a booby trap. 

Logging in doesn't need to be nerfed.  If anything, they should add an in game mechanic for ambushes, just to help the suspension of disbelief factor and possible add some mechanic to counter this, but in no way should we start removing players options for tactics and strategy.  We should add more options, not take them away.  We want more options then the blob tactic, remember?  More is better. 

So quit your QQ and man up.  This is not a sad tactic, its a clever one.

When you log off your robot is sent to your default terminal/outpost, I like that.

Our it could just warp out a couple of AU when you log out and warp back in when you log in.

Login ambush is not a new tactic. Its an old lame tactic. It is a tactic that relies on out-of-game team play, Vent perhaps.

Adding stealth to allow ambush would be an intresting ingame feature.

"Long range molecular instability" from being teleported to a remote location on an island that lowers your effectiveness in combat (ewar strength, damage) for a short period of time after logging in on the field.  Reinforcements through logons would still be effective because you wouldnt be force into battle but could still have a show of force and wouldnt matter at all if you logged in inside an outpost/terminal.  Login traps would be severely weakened and people could get away or try to fight before their instability has worn off.

I would push for a progressively lessening effect until you're at full, but a flat penalty would be much easier to implement.

Making in-game crutches to allow for stupidity and being lazy doesnt strike me as the way to go.

Login ambushes are the only way to launch a "suprise attack" of sorts since the radar detects everything in a certain radius, regardless if there's 30 people hidden behind the hill. Making the radar LOS and affected with terrain would add a much needed element of suprise and planning to the game. Login ambushes would lose their importance quickly after that.

The problem is it minimizes risk, you can safely kill all day like this and never have to worry about losing your robot. Thats the problem. If fine with some kind of stealth/radar effectiveness, your still out there risking yourself. This tactic smells of griefing ;p

edit*I like the powering down idea to remove yourself from radar or something along those lines. Or being able to use terrain/create false radar images.

Problem with that is how can you make an effective counter attack with a 1000m range, if you set up your ambush anywhere close enough, they just wont log in cause they know your there.

log out time is only 60 seconds, have to get there, target them and kill them before they are gone.

The only people caught off guard by this tactic or those that don't know about. Simply by making players aware this tactic exists they can find counters and counter-counters, which is exactly what combat is all about. Login tactics also either require a spy or a lookout, so if you see that Arkhe hanging around the gate, expect there are troops in the area.

This is only an issue on Beta, and as I was recently schooled, beta is risky. This tactic is just another risk you need to counter.

If it has to be changed, add a non-agression timer after login. You can not target or be targeted for 20 seconds after logging in. This eliminates the surprise volley factor but not the tactical advantage of suddenly having addtional troops in an area.

Edit: Removed a grammer thing that irritated me