well - but there s the problem with the hardcoding. - no damage = no upset NPCs ... damage ( blast damage ) of even 1 point = instant anger.
train CDs are ... by the lore ... hessian CDs - that are really mostly used to stop trains. - now i know that most of the ships are trains on the server. - but there s still a fair amount of other ships - and the train CD has just become one THE common CD - if someone carries a CD.
i don t deny its usefulness in a dogfight - but there s just no way around it. - either NPCs get mad for being hit - or you don t fire them.
i had a fight against another person ( its quite some time ago ) - and alongside with me there were like 6 NPCs on my side. - i could have effectivly used my nuke mines and train CD to at least assist myself in blowing the other one up ( it was BHG hammerhead vs. blood dragon HF ) - but all the time, i haven t used my blast damage weapons ( including my missiles ) cause it would have upset my NPCs. - so i was stuck with 4 buckshots and one deb.
it was my choice - and it ended up with me getting blown up - but by the enemy and not by my own NPCs. of course, i could have pvped with all weapons i had - risking to upset or even destroy my allied NPCs ... and chances would ahve been much better for me then - but it was my own choice. - for such a fight ( me + many NPCs on my side vs. one enemy ) - my setup was simply ... ill-fitting. i would have done much better with 6 guns instead of explosives ... but the point was - i didn t HAVE to do everything possible to kill "the other player" but only everything possible "to kill the other character" ( which is... in these terms - quite a difference ) - everything possible in RP doesn t equal everything possible in pure pvp.
and so - sometimes, i simply cannot stop a running target, cause my equipment isn t suited for that task - unless... i upset my NPCs. - npcs can do it - but like i said, there is no way around it.
What I find is a great example of this 'good to be home' feeling is EVE actually. If you touch anyone in high security space, Concord will probably rape you. Outside of high security space, it's anyone's game.
The capitals of the houses are actually quite unsafe, compared to other systems. Take New York, they can't help the Rogue problem due to the badlands. New Berlin, London and Tokyo all have similar issues due to their asteroid and junk fields etc.
The main problem is that the tradelanes are the unsafe parts of the system. There are patrols along the lane but not frequently enough or strong enough.
Still, players are the exceptional people in their factions. If we were like other NPCs, we'd be mown down by every NPC patrol that came along.
I think we should have rheinland and liberty battleships all along the path inbetween the two houses in 4.85, considering they're going to war... just like we currently have with kusari and bretonian ships inbetween kyushu and leeds.
Besides the security advantage, it looks damn cool!
I love the effect of an ongoing war, it really boosts the immersive experience!
-Especially if the Security in some areas is almost impossible to breach unless you qualify as an ally(which makes you an enemy of other factions) or you bring your own army!
' Wrote:Not at the hostile planets / important bases. There is a system of tradelanes to be hacked...
adv. trin with armor upgrade mk. VI can flee on thruster whole way from point B (you piracy spot in middle of TL) laing between poin A (planet) and pint C (JG) without being killed.
Question again, how to do piracy with BS at every JG in home systems?
Texas alreaady have own BS above Huston, Hamburg need own too:)
I still think that NPC patrols should be overall weakened, and their numbers reduced, while base firepower is strengthened.
NPC battles are not the focus of multi player (surely?), and having to wade through masses of patrols just to get at the one player is not really encouraging player interaction...
In fact, I'd like to see jumpgates get increased damage capability, actually presenting a threat to a hostile force that simply uses the "easy" way in...