I have an idea and I'll try to keep it short. (yeah right) 

After recently contemplating on cancelling my EVE subscription yet again, I started to think really hard about what would get me back in the game.   Why am I not enjoying myself?  What am I leaving?  What was my issue this time?       

I'm a solo pilot who enjoys the freedom of playing when, where, and how I like. I am not anti-social, and I do enjoy fleets on occasion. Esp. wolf-pack style.    I don't have more than 1-2 hours available playtime in a given day, and only maybe 2-3 days a week I can play at all.    (life's pretty intense right now) -- But I still love my hobbies and I love SCi-Fi, and I love the universe of EVE.     Problem is, it's just not for the non-megacorp affiliated player that enjoys the gritty PVP aspect.   It's just not.    The dynamics of EVE fully support BLOB warfare.   The larger number of ships wins.    I don't contend to the obvious rule of thumb that 1 pilot should not be able to destroy a screen full of ships by themselves, but, being 1 shotted every single time PVP is available is unacceptable.    SO, I've been trying to figure out (for years now) how to remedy this issue without suggesting a total nerf of the PVP goodness that EVE has.   

I recently watched the SCi-Fi movie called "The Core".   In this movie, scientists and engineers built a subterrainian ship meant to reach the Earth's core while still holding strong and transporting a crew of humans and equipment safely.  The way they went about this was using a compound called "Unobtainium" as the outer shell for this vehicle.       The unobtainium's molecular properties enabled it to become STRONGER and more STABLE when extreme heat and pressure are applied to it.    The ship's power supplies were typically intigrated with this shell, and thus, the shell absorbed the intense heat and pressure and utilized it to power the ship and engines.    The end result was, the hotter it was, and the more pressure applied to the ship, the stronger it became and the faster it moved through the Earth's crust.      I IMMEDIATELY thought about EVE Online.

This would be an interesting way to somewhat "balance" things in terms of lore and the execution of ship-to-ships PVP.

In short, imagine a patch, or new expansion that involved the Jovians providing new Unobtainium materials to all four factions, thereby, replacing the current ship hulls with this new matieral.    So, in practice, 1 ship taking fire/missiles from many other ships (let's say 3) would in turn make the single ship stronger than it was and more resilient than before the fight started.   The ship would NOT become indestructable, but it would definitely change the blob mindset.      Let's now assume 20 ships hotdrop on a single ship.   All 20 ships focus fire on the 1 ship.   That one ship becomes so strong that 95% of the damage is mitigated, as well as being redirected to it's capacitor, thrusters/mwd, and maneuverability, giving the outnumbered ship a 'better' chance of escape, or to atleast hold it's own for a short amount of time while it attempts to call for backup (or make a deal/pay ransom, etc) --   however, if only 1-2 ships of that hotdropped group initiated attack, the lone ship would not have grown as strong/fast/endurant.   This would force BLOBs to be more tactical with their decisions, and keep everyone from simply fitting their ships to be a huge mobile cannon.

That's the latest Idea i've had about the issue.   I have more, and would love to share them if any of you are interested, let me know in reply or PM.    Till then, I'll leave it at this and see what kind of feedback I get.   I honestly think this isn't that bad of an idea, especially if considered that it would be adjusted and tweaked for best and most ideal results.

Let's not forget that as far as technology goes, it's not at all far-fetched to assume any of this is possible in the EVE universe.

Thanks for reading <3

Trolling?   ummm... no... I think that was a very literate and substantial OP.     Did you read it?

Unless I don't understand what the new definition of trolling is.

I really hope that's not the only input on the subject.

It would totally ruin the purpose of the game. EVE is not a balanced battleground, it's about winning before you attack.

Originally posted by xBlackBoxX

LOL

K I get it now, mature troll is mature.  funny bro

First of all, stop calling me bro.

Second, ... wtf?   How can you call this in any way shape or form trolling?   I don't get it.   

Third...  why do you keep replying with NOTHING to offer the subject that was written about?   

fourth...  Do you have an opinion on this at all?   Even though I think you're being completely rude and immature, I do still have an interest in your point of view (if you are an EVE player)

Originally posted by Vrika

It would totally ruin the purpose of the game. EVE is not a balanced battleground, it's about winning before you attack.

I understand that EVE is more about the 'plan' moreso than the actual 'fight' -- but that is kind of my point.  BLOBS don't utilize planning or tactics all that much (i've flown in plenty of them, so I know i'm not full of shit) -    Literally, everyn blob I've flown in and been attacked by was the same exact fight.   FC calls for everyone to fire on Target A.  Target A pops.  FC calls for everyone to fire on target B.  Target B pops.    all the while, everyone is RRing eachother, so there are no dedicated roles or logistics.  just a circle-jerk of 1 shots, until a bigger blob shows up and does the same thing.      snore fest imo, but I'm trying to be productive in my attempt to figure out a reasonable improvement.       

There are enough EVE players and even non-eve players that think this dynamic needs stiff improvement.

There is a possibility. In several muds and RPGs there is a term Harried. Each person in the room basically was a liability. Not enough room to move, hard to position, too much noise, etc. So everyone was at a disadvantage for example.

In some RPGs each person attacking you after the first would "Harry" (harrass) you resulting in a penalty to your defenses. Pretty straight forward.

To deal with the blobs you could invert that, thus due to all the electronics, targetting, etc incur a penalty to hit objects. To be fair it should effect everyone within a distance but would provide enough for a small fighter for example to have a chance to escape a large blob.

I'm not a fan of this approach but it would be possible. This would create an artifical limit on fleet sizes that could be tempered by the fleet commander's skills. It could be applied specifically to each fleet, all fleets, squads, etc. Depends on the impact you see in a testing situation.

The hardest thing to address in Eve based on the OP statement is this: "What artifical controls can be put into place to better level the playing field in open PvP (which in Eve's case is all there is) so that populations in fights can be controlled."

In MUDs it was easy, you could put a cap on how many people can fit in a room. Battlegrounds are another example of an artifical control.

As much as people would bitch about it, instanced factional warfare would greatly improve combat options in Eve. They have been VERY ANTI-INSTANCE with Eve and that is understandable. However, without adapting and growing Eve it will die a slow financial death that sadly has already claimed 20% of CCP's workforce. No one should have to suffer a job loss because a militant minority of players don't want 'their game' to change at the expense of new players coming in.

Would ya'll stfu rofl

I love the idea as a more solo player in EvE. Even 2-3 ships seem to eat thru my tank without any issues on most occations. 

/signed

Originally posted by idgarad

*snip*

As much as people would bitch about it, instanced factional warfare would greatly improve combat options in Eve. They have been VERY ANTI-INSTANCE with Eve and that is understandable. However, without adapting and growing Eve it will die a slow financial death that sadly has already claimed 20% of CCP's workforce. No one should have to suffer a job loss because a militant minority of players don't want 'their game' to change at the expense of new players coming in.

I agree completely.  

Similar to one of my past ideas, perhaps an option for virtual (factional tutorial maybe) warfare to take place in a low-to-non-risk environment, for those that want more action and less simulation (i.e. more pew pew less economics and politics) -- It would have to be instanced, but no more so than each and every star system that's already an instance in EVE.     I toyed with the idea of a holodeck-type of approach, where players would have to enter a training simulation where they are provided ships by their faction to fight against the warring factions in a more controlled environment, before being "eligable" for FW.  No gains or losses would be counted here.  No loot.  Just fighting.    Limits, regulations, window of opportunity, all details having to be ironed out by CCP of course, but I think that would be an interesting addition to get more players involved in PVP and more people interested in joining EVE.   

There's no reason to balance single ships vs groups/blobs. You just need to search for the right targets, i.e. single targets.

Where to find targets?

Don't go into 0.0-alliance-space, where there's only large groups by default. You need to venture into wormhole-space to find suitable targets.

And last but not least... EvE is not designed for solo PvP and never will be. So get a group of 2-5 players and hunt down targets in wormholes, or save up for money and declare war to bigger entities so that you can attack lone pilots in empire space.

EvE has flaws left and right, but the problem you're talking about isn't on the list, as there's ways allready available for your preferred playstlyle.

EDIT: There's allready an instanced battleground: the testserver.

Originally posted by gimmesome

Originally posted by idgarad

*snip*

As much as people would bitch about it, instanced factional warfare would greatly improve combat options in Eve. They have been VERY ANTI-INSTANCE with Eve and that is understandable. However, without adapting and growing Eve it will die a slow financial death that sadly has already claimed 20% of CCP's workforce. No one should have to suffer a job loss because a militant minority of players don't want 'their game' to change at the expense of new players coming in.

I agree completely.  

 

Similar to one of my past ideas, perhaps an option for virtual (factional tutorial maybe) warfare to take place in a low-to-non-risk environment, for those that want more action and less simulation (i.e. more pew pew less economics and politics) -- It would have to be instanced, but no more so than each and every star system that's already an instance in EVE.     I toyed with the idea of a holodeck-type of approach, where players would have to enter a training simulation where they are provided ships by their faction to fight against the warring factions in a more controlled environment, before being "eligable" for FW.  No gains or losses would be counted here.  No loot.  Just fighting.    Limits, regulations, window of opportunity, all details having to be ironed out by CCP of course, but I think that would be an interesting addition to get more players involved in PVP and more people interested in joining EVE.   

It is even easier then that and the mechanics are already in use.

There is nothing that prevents CCP, at this very second setting this up:

Spawn a WH with no entrance or exits. Players can queue up on a station at the FW hall as a specific fleet size and when a match is made they get deployed in stock faction assigned ships you purchase (Effectively there is a buy-in). You can have Last man standing, take and hold, and a variety of other Factional Warfare styled objectives. Perhaps multiples in a WH system going at the same time. In short use the worm hole mechanics to facilitate FW battlegrounds. When they die they either return to their station (we assume that the Faction is providing a 1 use jump clone) or depending on the scenario a FW command ship for the duration of the objective.

Large scale Incursion-like activities could also happen in those WH giving us a legitimate method to control populations AND not have to change the existing conventions of normal space.

Originally posted by Yalexy

 

And last but not least... EvE is not designed for solo PvP and never will be. So get a group of 2-5 players and hunt down targets in wormholes, or save up for money and declare war to bigger entities so that you can attack lone pilots in empire space.

EvE has flaws left and right, but the problem you're talking about isn't on the list, as there's ways allready available for your preferred playstlyle.

EDIT: There's allready an instanced battleground: the testserver.

Very good points here.    and yes, WH is a good place to find more small, non-blob pvp encounters.    But not all of us are running 3 accounts, which would be ideal for WH roaming.    I personally gave up on WH roaming as having to use 1 ship to scan them down, and then going through to find (or not find) a target, only to have to jump back out and go grab the proper ship to go back in, fight, win or lose, and then try and make out out of the WH before it closes is ridiculous.   No MMORPG should require each player to have multiple accounts running to have any chance at competitive gameplay.  That's absurd, and you know it.   

I guess once the thousands of players like myself leave because of this "non-existent problem" that we share, and are very vocal about, it might become something for CCP to think about.      

Someone said in another thread that the core elitist views of EVE players is soupholding that they would rather watch the game wither and die before accepting subtle changes/options added that would keep the community alive and flowing.     I agree, and think it's pretty sad.       I've been a part of EVE since 04, and I do not want it to become "all about solo players"   -- I just think at this point, CCP needs to keep in consideration that less and less people are willing and able to give EVE the time required for substantial progress and enjoyment if that progress and enjoyment requires joining megacorps and blob-fleets only.    More and more people even in-game openly admit to wanting more available solo/small fleet content and pvp accessibility.     

My playstyle preference is very similar to yours gimme.  That being said, I don't care for this proposed change.  Blobs will still be blobs.  95% damage mitigation would mean little vs 20 ships.  Sure, you might be able to take out one of the tacklers but by then the other 19 have you tackled and you will die eventually.  Said blob will *shrug* at the loss of one or two Rifters vs your killmail, re-ship and resume the hunt. I think avoiding the blobs is just part of the game and part of your own skillset.  Sure, it's not always possible to do so and you will die due to silly numbers from time to time - but that's EvE.

Faction Warfare was mentioned above - specifically some sort of instancing.  Well, Plexing already does that to some extent by limiting ship sizes.  No, it doesn't limit the number of ships that can come in but if you're in lowsec and not running your 360 scanner every few seconds then you're doing it wrong anyway.  When 3+ ships show up on scan then it's time for you to SS or GTFO (or diaf).

The biggest, craziest change that I'd like to see is the removal of Local like they did with WH.  That would make everyone, including the blobs, have to work twice as hard and have to think more.  From Pirates to Carebears space would become that much more interesting, imo.

Flame on!  :)

Originally posted by idgarad

 

It is even easier then that and the mechanics are already in use.

There is nothing that prevents CCP, at this very second setting this up:

Spawn a WH with no entrance or exits. Players can queue up on a station at the FW hall as a specific fleet size and when a match is made they get deployed in stock faction assigned ships you purchase (Effectively there is a buy-in). You can have Last man standing, take and hold, and a variety of other Factional Warfare styled objectives. Perhaps multiples in a WH system going at the same time. In short use the worm hole mechanics to facilitate FW battlegrounds. When they die they either return to their station (we assume that the Faction is providing a 1 use jump clone) or depending on the scenario a FW command ship for the duration of the objective.

Large scale Incursion-like activities could also happen in those WH giving us a legitimate method to control populations AND not have to change the existing conventions of normal space.

Delicious.   I like it :)     

I didn't think about the buy-in aspect.  That's a good touch.   Make people have to supply a little something for easily accessible fun.     Would also help to fend off exploits (a little bit)  --  

To add to it, what about the concept of using Faction and/or Concord standings to determine which faction assigned ships are available for purchase?   I consider faction warfare in a sense to be like enlisting to the military.  Therefore, I think Rank should be a factor, and would provide a more colorful fleet setup if you have players piloting anything from frigate sized to capital ships based on the faction standing they've achieved.

Originally posted by kovah

 

The biggest, craziest change that I'd like to see is the removal of Local like they did with WH.  That would make everyone, including the blobs, have to work twice as hard and have to think more.  From Pirates to Carebears space would become that much more interesting, imo.

Flame on!  :)

Gosh.... I mean, this is an obvious one.  And I agree.  As well as a shit-ton of other EVE players lol   But, I didn't bring this up because I don't feel like reading the pages and pages of "this again?  beating a dead horse" responses....   

But the fact still remains.   An easy fix for the issue, and I would be totally all for it.    Delay Local in lowsec, and remove local in nullsec.  

So many problems solved.  

Kudos Kovah

Well. I hear you. I'm fed up with alliance-warfare after allmost 6 years myself, but solo is not going to happen.

Wormholes are really fun, but you need a small group of 3-5 players to roam and that's as good as it gets.

And then, there's still the testserver for fun 1vs1 PvP, if that's all you're interested in.

Originally posted by gimmesome

Originally posted by idgarad

 

It is even easier then that and the mechanics are already in use.

There is nothing that prevents CCP, at this very second setting this up:

Spawn a WH with no entrance or exits. Players can queue up on a station at the FW hall as a specific fleet size and when a match is made they get deployed in stock faction assigned ships you purchase (Effectively there is a buy-in). You can have Last man standing, take and hold, and a variety of other Factional Warfare styled objectives. Perhaps multiples in a WH system going at the same time. In short use the worm hole mechanics to facilitate FW battlegrounds. When they die they either return to their station (we assume that the Faction is providing a 1 use jump clone) or depending on the scenario a FW command ship for the duration of the objective.

Large scale Incursion-like activities could also happen in those WH giving us a legitimate method to control populations AND not have to change the existing conventions of normal space.

Delicious.   I like it :)     

I didn't think about the buy-in aspect.  That's a good touch.   Make people have to supply a little something for easily accessible fun.     Would also help to fend off exploits (a little bit)  --  

To add to it, what about the concept of using Faction and/or Concord standings to determine which faction assigned ships are available for purchase?   I consider faction warfare in a sense to be like enlisting to the military.  Therefore, I think Rank should be a factor, and would provide a more colorful fleet setup if you have players piloting anything from frigate sized to capital ships based on the faction standing they've achieved.

 

I see taking a cue from MOBA rather then using rank to determine ship selection. Plan what ships your are all going to take as a group, pick which loadout you will take for those ships. I see rank simply as an indicator of Win\Loss ratios. Effectively, on demand faction-warfare based mini-pvp tournaments. Your rank perhaps could unlock FW themed\skinned ships, just decorative, but also bragging rights.

Oh and the risk that an NPC faction like Serpentis could pop in any time to try and pwn both sides....

Originally posted by gimmesome

Kudos Kovah

*ahem*  I didn't cap the g in gimme...

:p

I feel I should clarify something before the topic is derailed.

For the record, I do not think a solo pilot should EVER "beat" a large group of ships trying to destroy him/her.   Unless such a group was terribly bad and didn't understand anything about ship combat, they should almost always have the substantially higher chance of success, given that their target doesn't escape.       

The reason the title of this post has the word "fixable" in it is not to convey a sense of "soloists should win!" but rather, the idea that there are plenty of soloists in the game that seem unaccounted for, and PLENTY of small fleets that would be alot more active in PVP if it wasn't for the broken dynamic of "we know we aren't the biggest fleet in EVE, so, ...insta-fail. No point in even going there.."

Also, i honestly think the Lore would support such a change.   EVE is first and foremost a 'cold, dark, lonely universe where every pilot has to fend for themselves" <-- one would think that given that outlook of the life one lives in EVE that the technology advancement would go in the direction of making capsuleers' vessels superior to that of the general populace.    In the EVE novels, there's attention drawn to the agents and mission runners and how they are respected, and feared.   Attention drawn to how impressive capsuleers are in battle, given that their 1 ship is expected (and succeeds at) destroying entire colonies and bases of "rats" and pirate ships.     I would only assume that the ships capsuleers use should be superior in durability and technology AND firepower.   

Originally posted by kovah

Originally posted by gimmesome

Kudos Kovah

*ahem*  I didn't cap the g in gimme...

:p

hahaha my bad, kovah  

;-)

Thats going to be quite a difficult sell in EVE. Keep in mind one of the famous sayings. "If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, you are doing something wrong...".  EVE combat isn't about balance or fairness, its about WINNING.  Thats why blobs exist. Thats why gate camps are set up the way that they are.  I really do not see CCP ever developing something like this, as the various gankers and griefers would be howling like banshees.