topic #3

How about a SAP probe that can be purchased and deployed outside of the owners terminal (say 500 km from terminal).  It would relay timers and SAP information to the station that would be accessible to the owners?

Make it a probe that can be destroyed. or assaulted and repped back to functioning levels.

Topic #1
New NPC AI.
Wow, they have a brain.  I would like to summarize my new NPC ratting experience since the new patch (Beta mechanics)
Superior observers:
1.    They were easy to make self-drain out, shooting randomly until drained-- now they control their accumulator -- GOOD
2.    They could get caught in a nook or dead-end and just sit there to be killed--now they have much better path awareness and can adjust  -- GOOD
3.    They use to just randomly shoot into terrain and foliage without any consideration of a potential hit -- now they only shoot if it is a hit -- MIXED
Even the best pilots miss-judge the terrain and shoot errant shots into items other than their opponent -- fix: degrease the AI a fuzz so that they do, at least from time to time, shoot into an item that you are using for cover.
4.    Once aggressed they would “pin” to that spot and engage within that general area -- now they shoot, ecm, and then run off at a good clip (seems like about 52kph). – VERY BAD
If we can’t choose at least where to engage the NPC then there is no reason to even engage them.  Their new AI creates too much risk for the little reward that they offer.

Our encounter:  One Superior is engaged by a t4 fit ratting Gropho set up to hit at a 570 range.  Superior is aggressed but takes off running, firing back when we move from cover to cover.  Chased the superior about 6,000 km until he ran through an NPC nest and forced the Gropho to go another route to cut him off, this took another 5,000 km.  I called in some other support just to kill the thing.  So a Mesmer and another Gropho took to chase.  I met up with the Mesmer and pursued the Superior while the other Gropho cut his path from the front.  The Superior got to a hill and turned to light up the Mesmer that was in pursuit taking him below ½ armor before the Sup ran over the hill. The engagement ended with one Gropho at 1/3 health, one Mesmer at ½ health and the sup finally dead.  Total distance covered from initial engagement about 8,000 km.
Please understand that I agree these should be the hardest things to kill but what we have now is an NPC that will drag an 80 mill ratting bot all over a Beta island (very, very high risk) just to get the same old drops.  This is not at all worth the risk.  Please return the “pin them where they are aggressed” so we can at least control where they will be engaged.  The other AI adjustments are plenty to make them VERY dangerous and almost worth hunting these hunters.  Or - Create such a crazy drop from them that 3 guys are willing to form a hunting pack and chase them down.  I prefer the first option, pin them where they are initially aggressed.

TL/DR accumulator change good, improved path finding good, LOS shooting mixed, NPC's that run away BAD, and or loot must be adjusted to make it worth doing.

so you think the current undocking with a syndicate and no way of engaging the undocked pilot is a risk?  Please rethink and post accurate scenarios.  Currently; undocking and looking at the enemy is already a feature of 0 risk.  Right now you just undock a detector bot, see the fleet and dock back up to re-ship for counter.  Give the station radar a light bot site range and add in masker reductions as needed to limit what the station can see.

perhaps give an in station radar that can be disabled then remove SOME syndicate timer so there is like 4-5 second delay from protection to ability to redock?  This way there is risk for undocking to just look around.  If your in station radar is damaged, you take the risk to undock and repair the module.

Like this...how about a destroyable terminal radar that can be seen in terminal just like your bot sees it in the 3d world?

Perhaps it is a stationary item on the terminal that can be taken to 0 health (shut off by intruders) then repped to a usable function once undocking is viable again.  Make either action a pvp flaged event to add to the risk reward of the item.

"Take out the terminal radar"
"It will flag us."
"I am willing to take that chance, kill their eyes!"

I like it!

The only thing you NEED from beta is Epi.  If you don't want to put the time or politics into owning a Beta outpost, or you can't find a current owner that wants you as a friend, then go to the 6 Alpha islands set aside for your security and enjoy the game there.

I like the idea stated above and don't see how that line of thought is in any way a negative as you are trying to slant it.

Buy your Epi, stop whining or make some friends.  Last time I checked an MMO stood for mult-player which means going solo is only going to take you so far.  It is getting old hearing players talk like they should be handed the only portion of the game that needs to be earned.  Go big, get friends, or stay on Alpha!

Perhaps a crit bonus to give a risk reward of a chance of really doing some in-your-face damage and give the pilot some incentive to move in to kill tackle.

Also like the Precision for the Kain, not the sit and hit Mes!  Kain is more of a roam mech and precision would give it a measure of survivability against defending tackle.

Either of these would buff its ability to roam off a home island in smaller groups.

Or buff damage in falloff to a useful %

-1

alliance mechanics are for those that want to hide under the skirts of others.  The "Now they won't mess with my 2 man corp because i am part of X alliance" would be a terrible path to take.  the game is too small for making a super group to dominate the board.

Make friends, run with them, leave them, go another direction or whatever you want to do.  you don't need hand holding mechanics to do that.

If alliance mechanics are the path of least resistance then strong corps will just fill their ranks with cannon fodder for all the <5 man corps and the blob will be the norm.  The game is finally shaping up into some nice pockets of strength and diversity.

Get 500 active members then take another look at it.

Please leave Beta life – RAW. 
Do not add alliance mechanics that makes life easier for anyone.  Alliance mechanics are for those that want the option of allowing others to do work that they don’t want to do.  They want to be protected by numbers and not activities.

Beta should be unpredictable, emotionally challenging.  Big ups, big downs, rouge CEO’s who lock you out of your stuff, friends that turn on you in the middle of a war, enemies that become friends for the greater good.  I want to wake up and say WTF, what happened?  Alliance mechanics smooth’s out all of these epic events that turn into awesome stories that are told by others for years.

There are mechanics in place for the life of the predictable, it is called Alpha!

Bring on the unexpected, and thank you, thank you, thank you, for bringing PVP back to life in this game!

one more point about outpost ownership and scanning.  If you own the outpost you should have the timer and what SAP is coming without having to leave the station to drop some kind of scan charge.

You own and manage the station, the timers can be random but the knowledge of what is coming would and should be known by the owner.

BTW why do all these posts get cluttered with game play commentary (here is what I did to you haha) instead of helpful game mechanic possibilities?  Isn't GC ingame enough space to run our mouths?

I2.0 has brought a great deal of activity to Beta areas that have been vacant for months!  Kudos!

The larger alliances that have to defend multiple islands and multiple outposts for their friends or pet corps are complaining....Kudos again!

Corps should stay home and defend their own SAPS.  If you want to control pets and have pens for all of them, then welcome to the hard work of a large ranch!

Fixes are needed but I love the direction.  Some suggestions:

1. (Mentioned) kill the on island SAP information for all but the corporation that has an active one.

2.  Scanning for a SAP timer that you do not own, reduce its accuracy by 1+ hrs.  You want it, then commit to a semi-random timer for you.  Owning corp should get a 100% accurate scan.

3. Passive hacking- allow one pilot from owning corp to sit in the passive zone and reduce the SAP count down at a 1/1 ratio. This would take that SAP down from 60 to 30 min and make it more defendable. (Benefit of being on your island)

4. Destructive SAP - Allow the defender to "rep up the HP” on the SAP.  Have it start at about twice the current HP, and allow the defender to double or triple that number with remote reppers.   This in an essence would also reduce the time needed to defend as the HP would get higher than a small roaming gang could deal with. (Benefit of being on your island)

5. Kill the Specimen thing...I mean what is that anyway?  Make it an “Energy SAP”.  Attackers Drain x from it to capture while defenders get to add with remote energy transfers to double or triple totals when it comes online. (Seems energy should be one of the focuses of the station since from lore, that is why we are here anyway. (Benefit of being on your island)

6. Add some more awesome PVP bonus auras to the station options like: reduced lock time, speed increases, enemy interference, enemy molecular time reduction at teleports, or other small aids to defend against larger attacking groups. (Benefit of living on a Beta Island)

These changes will give the owners something to do while they await the aggressors and give them a slight time advantage as the aggressors will not have a specific time that the SAP comes online.

We have had some great fights and it has only been a few days.  Some minor adjustments and there should be a bright future for Beta Outpost owners.

and this has what reasoning with its size?