Topic: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

First of all, on the new intrusion stuff, I don't think it really solves any problems with increasing beta outpost owners safety.  Plus I think the random intrusion targets being dropped will benefit those who have a lot of presence at their station, but should we leave most of the ownership increase to events that happen randomly? I don't think so. I think what we need are outpost towers.

Outpost tower type 1 -
Name: Cargo dumps.
Description: Owners of an outpost can place cargo dump towers within X distance of an outpost. X could be dependent on control ratio of the outpost. Placed outpost cargo dump towers allow for members of the owning corp and possibly their allies (perhaps this is added later) to dump their cargo at the dump tower and all the cargo shows up in the members cargo at the outpost. Possibly with some small delay, but without fear of being lost even when the tower is blown up.  Also, an added feature is that cargo towers could be used as start points for transportation missions.
Discussion: This allows beta corps to more safely mine on beta. I myself enjoy killing and pirating from mining parties on beta, however, if you own the nearby outpost it should be easier to get your cargo to your outpost. This will make losses of mining parties smaller as getting the mined material to the base will be easier since all you have to do is move it to the nearby cargo dump. The only loss will be bots. Also, this gives raiding parties another target even when the local outpost inhabitants decide not to fight. The towers do not have to be cheap. They cost money so a corp is going to have to weigh whether placing the towers is cost effective. Dump's should not be that easy to destroy and repairable

Outpost tower type 2 -
Name: Robot detection tower
Description: Corp members within Y distance of Robot detection bonus tower gain Z signal detection strength increase. Robot detection towers can be placed X distance from outpost. X distance from outpost could be dependent on corporations ownership ratio of the outpost. Y and Z could be technology dependent so the towers could have tiers just like modules.
Discussion: Defending corporations defending their terrain should have a boost to seeing enemy robots. Think about it. I own an outpost, don't you think I might spend some time studying the EM field around the base and use that as an advantage. This just puts that into terms of building things for the game. Again, these towers could be destroyed by the enemy so, when a corp doesn't defend it's outpost it can lose some valuable property. Again, the towers should take some time to destroy and be repairable.


Outpost tower type 3 -
Name: Speed boost towers
.....

Outpost tower type 4-
Name: Accum recharge boost towers
.....

Outpost tower type 5 -
Name: Sensor amplifier boost towers
.....

And on and on.

Outpost ownership gameplay:
Also, the number of towers an outpost can have could be limited. Plus adding towers increases the ownership ratio of a corporate. So instead of just buying increased ratio and not getting anything back besides ratio, corporations, could say, install towers upon getting ownership of an outpost, making their outpost more defendable and increasing their ratio at the same time. For each outpost allow possibly, only 25 towers, that give 2% each ownership ratio improvement. A well established corp could then take an outposts SAP's and then install many towers and be at greater than 50% very quickly. If they can't maintain control, the enemy corporations will destroy the towers and outpost ownership will more than likely be dependable on SAP control. However, if you can defend your towers you can maintain a good ownership level.

I know some will say, great, now I have to defend my base and towers all the time. Yes, but, let's not make tower destruction too easy so a 10 robots could destroy 25 towers in under few hours. They are large targets and if you go after them you make yourself a target. Attacked towers could ping red radars making it easy for corp members to see when they are being attacked.

Overall, I think PVP needs more targets. I hate going on roams and having nothing to shoot at and I hate logging in and having little corp support and being at a disadvantage to 5 bots when we have three bots around. There should be some advantage to owning an outpost on beta. These are my ideas. I am interested in hearing others opinions.

These comments are my opinions and not my corporations. These comments were also made with no intention to defame other corporations. However, these comments were made with the understanding that the thread could be turned into a troll or flame fest. So be it. wink

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Hm don't really want to bash your post, it's a nicely written wall of text.

But if I take it in as a whole , you're just trying to make beta safer and closer to the way alpha islands are riskfree ? I dont see the point behind tower2, it's not really any different currently, the mass effect on nearby bots would be pointless imo.

About tower1) it would just make it easier to simply logoffski everything at the site the moment scouts notice anything at the outer island gates without any real penalty. If the towers were so expensive that it presented a penalty on its own, then again, there's no point in having it. Maybe I just didnt read it right smile

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Outposts will one day be upgradeable but I am not sure I'd want it to use a method like this. Aura upgrades for outposts would be preferred and if they were destroyable all the better!

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Just blob more bro

easy solution to your concerns about being contested

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

From the dev blog:

Possibilities on the horizon include Aura-type bonuses for Outpost ownership which also scale with your ability to demonstrate stability.

Looks like you might be getting some of your wishes, since it's hard to imagine what good the "auras" would be if they didn't act a lot like nexus stuff.

As an intermediate step below outright destruction, maybe smaller forces could disable outpost expansions in interesting ways. Maybe they can jam the hatch on cargo dumps (preventing their use) or disable/sabotage towers (disabling them or reducing their effectiveness). Might also be nice if at least some of it could happen without the owner corp knowing, then there would be a role for blackops teams: weaken the enemy defence prior to an assault.

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Outpost aura's are going to happen. What I want is more targets. It is one thing for an aura to be put on, but there needs to be some way to get them removed as well. Ownership should not be just at the outpost, but the area around the outpost.

And as other threads have discussed, the advantages of a beta outpost really aren't enough for people to live there. Allow beta dwellers a little more security and we will see more people on beta. I have been on roams with 10+ bots and all we hear is crickets in general chat. I know others have had the same problems

Make some stationary targets around the bases and different strategies will have to be worked out to attack an outpost. Right now on any beta, how many locations are significant? 9, 10. The outposts and the teleporters, the approaches are countable and predictable. Add a large number of locations that are important to defenders and the defense and attack strategies multiply thousand fold.

We need the activities in the game to grow. More things to build, more targets, the more things to do the more people we will get in the game.

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

JaxterMan wrote:

What I want is more targets. It is one thing for an aura to be put on, but there needs to be some way to get them removed as well.

If the auras "scale with your ability to demonstrate stability" then they can be attacked in one sense. Start hitting the SAPs and the bonus will drop. At least that's my guess at the blog's meaning.

JaxterMan wrote:

Outpost aura's are going to happen. What I want is more targets. ... We need the activities in the game to grow. More things to build, more targets, the more things to do the more people we will get in the game.

I agree. I'd like (eventually) to see outposts disappear and for everything that an outpost provides to be turned into its own building or building enhancement. Player outposts would then just be a collection of structures that can be disabled and destroyed, repaired and rebuilt.

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Why are we trying to increase beta safety? I would have thought decreasing Alpha safety would have been a better option..

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

npc police towers? meh... they was awfull

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

I do agree with one thing, we need more stuff to build and "create stuff" in-game.

[18:20:30] <GLiMPSE> Chairman Of My Heart o/
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The Imperial Grand Wizard of Justice

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Syndic wrote:

I do agree with one thing, we need more stuff to build and "create stuff" in-game.

omg I do agree with Syndic ... this is the end of PO as we know it :-)

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Yes... Now we just need to get on comms... lol

[18:20:30] <GLiMPSE> Chairman Of My Heart o/
CIR Complaint Form

The Imperial Grand Wizard of Justice

Re: New Features for increased Beta safety -- outpost towers

Syndic wrote:

I do agree with one thing, we need more stuff to build and "create stuff" in-game.

^This.

This should be the highest priority imo, if not we will just keep losing players again, POS will keep pvp going and incentive to live on beta permanently , and of course much more of a reason to log in.

Being an alpha dweller industrial type myself, I think we had enough changes tweaks and content added for us, the more the better, but, the end game needs some loving too and intrusion 2.0 is not enough.

RIP PERPETUUM