Taking an idea from Avallo Kantor and expanding it.

Currently we have 120 unique base suits.
5 roles
4 races
3 tiers
3 variants aurum and ISK and LP
Compounded together is 180.

The SKIN system looks to eliminate redundant assets of BPO's, but let's take it a step further. Give all suits the slot layout of their prototype, then add a power core slot similar to the SKIN slot. The power core would add the tier appropriate CPU and PG. Suits would cost the same as standard, and then power cores will cost the equivalent difference in tier costs. There will also be aurum cores and LP cores unlocked early.

Now you have
5 roles
4 races
nothing else
Compounded is 20 unique suits

You just shaved off 160 suits from the memory cap. Even more if you do this to basic suits as well.

Initially a good idea, but I want to double check some stuff:

Generally, each race has its own unique CPU/PG ratio. How would that be affected without having to make a unique power core for every race/tier?

That +x, -y seems a little needlessly complex. The second option with four static values depending on what dropsuit the module is equipped to sounds simpler to me and perhaps more simple to iterate on in future.

black protoskins could be unlockable with the powercores, IF this even possible. There are some complexities, but let me crunch more.

Now these Power Modules will cost 0 PG and 0 CPU right ? Cause adding fitting requirements other than the Skills required to these things would completely kill this idea.

How would Officer suits work due to their unique style?

I'm glad that you're playing around with this idea, but Christ, the dev team couldn't figure this one out? Check out the concept of normalization, give your team a briefing and then reduce redundancy in the product. Watch performance sky rocket!

Good luck, Rattati. You can do it, buddy!

Yeah, my initial thought is that the only way this will work with BPOs is if you make them "better" than they were before, or else you're going to get a major outcry from the playerbase. The standard BPOs would be better with this core idea since you're gaining extra slots.

The ones I would worry about are Apex. Even Frontline isn't a huge concern since there is no money or time exchanged for those.

But if Apex isn't figured out correctly and properly thought through--knowing full well CCP will most likely never refund money--then there is a chance that people will get very, very upset.

Would it be too much to give Apex an advanced BPO core on top of having the BPO modules that can't be used on other suits? Would that be too much? I mean, in essence, you're only adding the cost of a current advanced suit, which isn't that much ISK. It will be able to fit more proto/advanced modules and weapons, but--then again--the user is taking on the risk of losing ISK.

I don't know, I would have to think it through some more.

All this suit/module/whatever bpo needs to die in a fire...if there is no cost then there is no reason for me to play this over the next CoD

The dropsuit also needs to cost isk.

It'a a brilliant idea: brilliant and simple.

I think Aero just scratched the surface of what this new system could be:

For example, this powercore system may be also applied as a slot layout modifier, shield/armor modifier and bonus modifier. After all, what's the difference between, for example, a basic medium frame, an assault and a logistic? CPU, PG, slot layout, HP and bonuses.

These are all values and this powercore would modify many values (actually, all of them) in order to turn, for example, a basic medium frame into a logistic.

By doing this you actually reduce the number of "unique" models at the simplest state of 3 frames * 4 races.

The great thing is:you can do the same with vehicles!

The assault dropship, the militia dropship and the standard dropship all share the same model: using an "assault dropship power core" would turn a "dropship" into an "assault dropship".

It would also allow the wise Rattati to experiment with "new" roles without actually adding new models or would allow CCP to add new models into the mix which will follow the same principle:

MTACs: one model per race, but different roles

Jet Fighters, MAVs, the possibilities are much wider.

What do you guys say? would it work?

Where are people getting the idea that Aero's post suggested all suits become BPOs?

I don't see that anywhere in there.

Absolutely.

BPO suits would also solve the issue of basic aurum cores. By that I mean the sit would require no skills but not function without a core. Then the aurum standard core could require no skills to keep everything the same, and then regular ISK core that requires level 1.

This would also mean current BPO's would turn into BPO SKIN mod and BPO core mod.

I see no reason why your Dropsuit skills can't convert to power core skills. And I don't think they'll be called power cores, I'm just calling them that for now.

A layout of 3/5 contains within it the 3/1 layout of a STD CALASS.

An uninhibited pg/cpu allotment allows me to fit the Std GALASS 3/1 (out of the 3/5) the exactly same way I fit the Std CALASS 3/1, thus removing Racial Slot Layouts as a limiting aspect differentiating these two STD level dropsuits, one from the other.

When CCP Z suggests something similar, everyone tells him to go to hell.

But when you suggest it, apparently you're the messiah. Lol.

I guess people who are desperate for performance gains will do pretty much anything.

Thanks for the explanation on progression creep, the fact that it's an intended outcome for you means you and others got it covered :)

I guess what this means is we're doing this in addition to the original reason of cutting down on instantiated objects during battle on the PS3 platform. Fine by me...is this the proper definition of tiericide of which everyone speaks?

We'd be getting rid of over 100 suits... I don't think adding one or two new tiers of Power Cores should be an issue -- militia, standard, advanced, officer, prototype.

Again, my main concern about this free BPO's for everybody is the financial aspect.

And if you turn our current BPO's to include a powercore BPO, then that is the equivalent of currently giving every single person in dust a bpo of everything in our current game for the price of one BPO.

Why is that the case? When you have 3 items (powercores), and one of them turns into a bpo (to compensate the old BPOs), that is such a massive gain into the system, we literally then have 1/3 of everything for free in the game suit wise, without having to finance CCP, without having to risk a whole lot.

So we either screw the people who bought bpo's financing ccp or we literally erase loss from about a 1/3 of the entire game under the proposal which traditionally was compensated by gameplay or giving money to CCP. Seriously, a powercore bpo is like one bpo to rule them all.

Hey Avallo, remember half jokingly discussing getting Officer suits named after us for this if it goes through? How about officer power cores instead? Seems more fitting (no pun intended)

Yassavi's AER-0 Modified Scout ak.0 Power Core
Same slot layout since it's an officer core not suit
Increased CPU/PG and improved base EWAR stats

And something for you, of course.

Please and translate any interesting feedback here!

Sticky means greenlight.

For me I'm thinking about the suits being BPO in terms of the fitting design and UI.

If the suits are BPOs it would be very easy to just replace the "module" at the top (where the suit currently is) in the fitting screen and have that be where you slot in your power core. All of the currently owned suits would just become a bpo of the suit type and the number of power cores you had stocked.

Heck there is already an art asset for a power core module in Eve as well from the Micro Auxiliary Power Core: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/eve/images/d/d6/Icon35_14.png/revision/latest?cb=20081129173428

Can't tell you how awesome it would be to finally be able to switch between a LP suit and ISK "suit" on the fly just by changing out the power core.

Dropsuits will be priced at lower points due to the CORE system.

And using COREs removes redundancy in your buying of equipment, meaning that you pay less in total.

Yes it is interesting.

But seriously, don't take this as confirmation it will definitely happen, merely that it's peaked the interest of Rattati and the rest of the team.

He's still crunching numbers as he said in his last post on the thread. But this for me personally an exciting idea with a lot of the positives that's Z's progression plan had while keeping it simple and in keeping with what we've had for he last two years.

That's a great idea for sure, but from a programming POV it could be a real mess to implement. It all depends on how adaptive Dust's code is, but according to what I've read and seen IG, I don't think it's really flexible..

It changes many things from the interface to the database (which is the most sensible part), and that would screw everything up if it's not done properly.