Forums » Suggestions
Ship Modification Ports
I believe that the ability to customize your ship while still keeping the game balanced would add more depth and fun.
A modification port is where you can install a module that affects your ship's features in positive and negative ways. For example:
Nano Hull I
Takes 1 mod slot
-5% ship weight (display in green)
-3% armor (display in red)
Cost: 5,000 credits
Nano Hull II would probably be -8% weight, -5% armor but would cost maybe 5x as much.
There could be many different types of mods:
* Nano Hull Mod
* Thruster Upgrade Mod
* Missile range upgrade (reduces damage)
* Missile speed upgrade (reduces range)
* Missile damage upgrade (reduces speed & range)
* Energy weapon rate of fire
* Energy weapon speed
* Energy weapon damage
* Cargo Capacity mod
* Battery recharge rate (reduces total battery capacity)
* Radar Extenders (instead of using them on small & large ports)
* Autopilot mod
* Extra HUD Details Mod
Ships could have from 0-6 mod ports. Possible stacking penalty for using multiple of the same mod. Special editions of a ship could have more mod ports than their standard version.
So you just start out with level I & II of the above mods. Level II mods should be much more expensive than level I mods, maybe even require a much higher license. Perhaps variations could be created via a crafting system...
I believe this would need to wait until the dynamic economy is put in. The market would indicate which mod's may be over/under powered.
I've been mostly playing PvE for now, so I'm not sure if this change would upset the PvP players, or add a new (fun?) dynamic. I sure wouldn't want to lose a ship with 100K worth of mods on it, but I see that stress as fun for some reason...
A modification port is where you can install a module that affects your ship's features in positive and negative ways. For example:
Nano Hull I
Takes 1 mod slot
-5% ship weight (display in green)
-3% armor (display in red)
Cost: 5,000 credits
Nano Hull II would probably be -8% weight, -5% armor but would cost maybe 5x as much.
There could be many different types of mods:
* Nano Hull Mod
* Thruster Upgrade Mod
* Missile range upgrade (reduces damage)
* Missile speed upgrade (reduces range)
* Missile damage upgrade (reduces speed & range)
* Energy weapon rate of fire
* Energy weapon speed
* Energy weapon damage
* Cargo Capacity mod
* Battery recharge rate (reduces total battery capacity)
* Radar Extenders (instead of using them on small & large ports)
* Autopilot mod
* Extra HUD Details Mod
Ships could have from 0-6 mod ports. Possible stacking penalty for using multiple of the same mod. Special editions of a ship could have more mod ports than their standard version.
So you just start out with level I & II of the above mods. Level II mods should be much more expensive than level I mods, maybe even require a much higher license. Perhaps variations could be created via a crafting system...
I believe this would need to wait until the dynamic economy is put in. The market would indicate which mod's may be over/under powered.
I've been mostly playing PvE for now, so I'm not sure if this change would upset the PvP players, or add a new (fun?) dynamic. I sure wouldn't want to lose a ship with 100K worth of mods on it, but I see that stress as fun for some reason...
Hull/armor "upgrades", within a given shiptype, are something that I'd like. Some small set of options which would potentially allow further customization of a given base ship class, perhaps only available at specific locations (you have to go to a mod shop, heh).
But, for alterations to weapons, firing rate, recharge rate and so on.. I would prefer that these remained attributes of the respective items, as opposed to having the ship place modifiers on the item specifications.
So, I guess I support a much more limited version of what you're proposing, although I don't expect it to appear for quite awhile. Plus, we have a few other changes coming in the nearer future that'll also impact possibilities like this.
But, for alterations to weapons, firing rate, recharge rate and so on.. I would prefer that these remained attributes of the respective items, as opposed to having the ship place modifiers on the item specifications.
So, I guess I support a much more limited version of what you're proposing, although I don't expect it to appear for quite awhile. Plus, we have a few other changes coming in the nearer future that'll also impact possibilities like this.
I have previously played a game that did this very well. Star Sonata. Now before you all head over there thinking its a replacement for VO, think again. Its like the old 2D asteroids on steroids, and if you haven't been playing for 5 years already, forget even being able to interact with those who have. That said they had implemented many good things like player owned bases and manufacturing.
Anyway, what they did for ship configuration was this.
Every ship had room for between 1 and 3 augment modules, that acted exactly the way Inc doesn't want these types of ports to act. I can fully understand the reasoning for not wanting that type of effect in this game. Eventually it would create the same balance only higher, and right now combat is on the edge of network playability. Ships had to be pulled back already, just to keep combat reasonable within latency requirements.
They did do a couple of things, that in our environment could work rather well. First, these things could NEVER be purchased from a station. They were only available as drops, much like the queen posi or hive batts.
Two, once installed, they could not be removed. The ship had that mod for life, and the mod was "spent". Now they had ways to keep you from loosing the really good stuff, like ship stasis instead of death. I think however VO's model would be better.
With these only available as bot drops, and only usable once, the quest for the best augments would be continuous, and you would only use those augmented ships for very special occasions. In our case the effects could be kept away from the weapons, and focus on ship abilities.
The second thing they did, was called tweaks. Special items that were treated as cargo, that when used, would give a very temporary boost, for between 1-20 seconds, depending on the item. Say +5 energy recharge for 20 seconds for example. Some of these could be purchased, and some where drop only.
These items kept the players always looking, always trying to hunt these unique, and expendable items. Adding drops like this would greatly improve the interest and reason for bot hunting. If anyone wants to know about the effects of this type of thing, take a read on operant conditioning on Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_Conditioning
Anyway, what they did for ship configuration was this.
Every ship had room for between 1 and 3 augment modules, that acted exactly the way Inc doesn't want these types of ports to act. I can fully understand the reasoning for not wanting that type of effect in this game. Eventually it would create the same balance only higher, and right now combat is on the edge of network playability. Ships had to be pulled back already, just to keep combat reasonable within latency requirements.
They did do a couple of things, that in our environment could work rather well. First, these things could NEVER be purchased from a station. They were only available as drops, much like the queen posi or hive batts.
Two, once installed, they could not be removed. The ship had that mod for life, and the mod was "spent". Now they had ways to keep you from loosing the really good stuff, like ship stasis instead of death. I think however VO's model would be better.
With these only available as bot drops, and only usable once, the quest for the best augments would be continuous, and you would only use those augmented ships for very special occasions. In our case the effects could be kept away from the weapons, and focus on ship abilities.
The second thing they did, was called tweaks. Special items that were treated as cargo, that when used, would give a very temporary boost, for between 1-20 seconds, depending on the item. Say +5 energy recharge for 20 seconds for example. Some of these could be purchased, and some where drop only.
These items kept the players always looking, always trying to hunt these unique, and expendable items. Adding drops like this would greatly improve the interest and reason for bot hunting. If anyone wants to know about the effects of this type of thing, take a read on operant conditioning on Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_Conditioning
I like the non-removable idea (called rigs in EVE). I would actually like both mod ports AND aug ports (why not lol).
When you say "these things could NEVER be purchased from a station", what about players who hunt these things just to sell them. I think it would be okay in that case (otherwise it would just move to the black market, just like any prohibition).
If there is an augmentation that increases cargo capacity, a miner who doesn't fight too much would have trouble ever getting it. But he would have little problem justifying the expense of buying it from a combat player.
This of course would require a player driven market component which is no small addition.
The tweaks idea sounds really cool. Could even bind them to the number keys. It could introduce a lot of options, but could also unbalance PvP fights, so I imagine it would need a lot of tweaking itself.
I can't really think of many things that tweaks could do though.
When you say "these things could NEVER be purchased from a station", what about players who hunt these things just to sell them. I think it would be okay in that case (otherwise it would just move to the black market, just like any prohibition).
If there is an augmentation that increases cargo capacity, a miner who doesn't fight too much would have trouble ever getting it. But he would have little problem justifying the expense of buying it from a combat player.
This of course would require a player driven market component which is no small addition.
The tweaks idea sounds really cool. Could even bind them to the number keys. It could introduce a lot of options, but could also unbalance PvP fights, so I imagine it would need a lot of tweaking itself.
I can't really think of many things that tweaks could do though.
Hmm... maybe something like this?
Although the Hive isn't strictly alive, because of it's self propagated system of artificial intelligence, it is extremely capable of adapting to the environment in peculiar, and sometimes (what seems like) brilliant ways. One such adaptation is the so called "augment modules" which can be found near the central core of most individual bots, although recovering one intact enough for use after destruction is rare. Consisting of a central core with literally thousands of mechanical spindles capable of modifying its host ship on the fly, each one is uniquely manufactured with the instructions and spindles best suited for the bot's lifetime task. Believed to be related to the error which causes the hive bots' erratic behavior, these augment modules look like they're something straight from a Corvus horror holovid.
After a few years of experimenting, researchers have developed a method of implementing these modules into any conventional ship. The results are mixed; although they definitely modify the ship in immediate ways from improving the overall structure of a ship, test pilots also report some interesting side affects such as their navigation system randomly routing to the nearest hive queen, IFF signals marking all humans as enemies (and of course hive bots as friendlies), sudden loss of energy or even the occasional explosion. Furthermore, after being introduced to a ship removal is impossible without replacing most of the ship's delicate equipment, as the augment modules seem to invade every portion of the ship that it recognizes, which fortuanately doesn't include life support systems or the cockpit. Although it's not unheard of for test pilots to report 'something' crawling around their legs.
Although the Hive isn't strictly alive, because of it's self propagated system of artificial intelligence, it is extremely capable of adapting to the environment in peculiar, and sometimes (what seems like) brilliant ways. One such adaptation is the so called "augment modules" which can be found near the central core of most individual bots, although recovering one intact enough for use after destruction is rare. Consisting of a central core with literally thousands of mechanical spindles capable of modifying its host ship on the fly, each one is uniquely manufactured with the instructions and spindles best suited for the bot's lifetime task. Believed to be related to the error which causes the hive bots' erratic behavior, these augment modules look like they're something straight from a Corvus horror holovid.
After a few years of experimenting, researchers have developed a method of implementing these modules into any conventional ship. The results are mixed; although they definitely modify the ship in immediate ways from improving the overall structure of a ship, test pilots also report some interesting side affects such as their navigation system randomly routing to the nearest hive queen, IFF signals marking all humans as enemies (and of course hive bots as friendlies), sudden loss of energy or even the occasional explosion. Furthermore, after being introduced to a ship removal is impossible without replacing most of the ship's delicate equipment, as the augment modules seem to invade every portion of the ship that it recognizes, which fortuanately doesn't include life support systems or the cockpit. Although it's not unheard of for test pilots to report 'something' crawling around their legs.
Awesome.
what about, lose some cargo space...gain a small port, lose more...gain a large port. like wise you could lose a port and gain cargo space.
This is a great idea.
This is something that if instituted with the current amount of ships and addond would allow for almost infinite customization options.
/dreams...
Plasma Accelerator. Increases the rate at which your plasma bolts fly but also increase the energy-per-shot cost.
This is something that if instituted with the current amount of ships and addond would allow for almost infinite customization options.
/dreams...
Plasma Accelerator. Increases the rate at which your plasma bolts fly but also increase the energy-per-shot cost.
incarnate, I don't like the idea of improving the hull of a ship. I would rather see a shield installation port that allows various levels of shield strengths to be installed. I think it would seem more believable to have an addition be variable instead of something already existing and as important as hull strength.
Then don't think of it as hull strength so much as how well designed a ship is so that it can hold together even after taking a beating. It's wasn't the material of the hull that made the Titanic (supposedly) unsinkable, but rather the way it was sturdily put together.