All interesting ideas Wolf and I'm sure something like these will happen eventually but not for quite some time.

Also, as you mentioned, doesn't fix the one remaining exploit - alt locking districts for free growth - but would simply make PC more interesting and complex.

Iron Wolf, in the realm of game development there is no lack of ideas, plans or thoughts. You can find a never ending stream of consciousness from enthusiastic gamers about how to make better games.

What IS limited, however, is the manpower to perfect these ideas and implement them into a game. You can bet your ass that every single member of CCP has lots of ideas on how to make Dust and Eve better, and that they have been cherry-picking ideas like yours for years.

I agree that the PC system as outlined by CCP is far from perfect. I also think they had to draw a line and say "Okay, we need planetary conquest to happen by may 6th. This will be stage one." Could we wait and see what color CCP paints the walls before we pick out drapes, molding and carpet for the room? The roof of the house isn't even on the blueprint yet.

That said, your idea has it's appeal... but it's just another idea in a vast ocean of them.

I didn't dismiss, I symbolized waiting until the 6th happens before we start theory crafting ways to add to it. CCP themselves mentioned somewhere that the PC model they outlined could change before the 6th, so the figurative sheet rock hasn't even been properly hung.

Here's an idiom I will badly chop up to fit. You're putting the cart before the horse before the woods have been cleared to stamp out the dirt road.

You claim that other ideas listed aren't elegant. And this really doesn't seem any more elegant or simple than what I've read from most people. Also how would it be explained from a lore perspective?

"On Thursday, the citizens of Nein IV in the Ergruk constellation of Metropolis cowered in fear as their skies turned red! Something ominous is approaching their land...That or they are about to be drafted for biomassing for an impending war, once again. They have begun to protest in the streets and wish that their thoughtless merc overlords would change the skies back to white or green once again."

Well if you know anything about EVE, you know why they fear it. If you know anything about that, you also know that CCP is fully aware of that fear. I highly doubt they plan to allow PC to become a giant single coalition stagnant wasteland. I have faith that if it does happen that way, CCP will introduce something to shake it up.

I also have no doubt that no matter what happens, this forum will continue to be filled with Jr. Game Developers (tm) until the doors close... Why am I even posting? lol. Let the amateur game development proceed, good sir!

+2.

We need testing before refining the system.

Precedence

Actually the first thing to dissuade if turning anything into magic is the concept that in the world of Magic The Gathering there is no need to bathe or use deodorant. I've been to releases, that stench would rust a tank through the internet.

He is referring to the already proposed concept CCP is implementing.

The result being that we are saying we lack information to give a proper analysis of it, and using the bones of something we can't analyze properly to create a primarily new system means you can analyze that even less.

We can't properly prove or disprove the validity of any idea. I can start talking about roving bands of space banditos who strike districts being ignored too much. I can rave about training native animals to fight as part of your team and trading them on the open market as a resource from specific planets. I can talk about strapping a jetpack to a planet and moving it or the ability to build installations underground. I can have the greatest game developers of our time mate with ivy league professors and train the offspring to figure out if it is possible to modify the conquest mechanic to instead be a feudalistic driven society but their word wouldn't mean crap because they don't have the necessary data to make accurate decisions.

new tl;dr; my dad would not be a good coach for the steelers.

Referencing this idea.

Essentially, take 5% / 7% / 10% from the profit (per day they are in control) that a corporation makes on a district and store it in a "takeover fund" so that whomever comes in and takes over the district will be rewarded with this "takeover fund".

This will provide incentive to attack, especially when these funds get to be really large numbers...

To me (a novice) this seems like it would be a "quicker" solution and would not take as many man hours to program as some of the loftier ideas shared thus far...

As I replied in another post:

Because it is going to mean losing your district. In a one-off scenario, I agree, this is very exploitable.

However, I am thinking/hoping that if EVERYONE has this going on (and most corps will have multiple districts) and districts keep changing, that will leave them vulnerable to rival corps.

If you are in the midst of swapping out for profits with an friendly/alt corp and a rival corp sees this, would that not create a good time to attack the alt corp which may not have as many members from the true corp and thus be more vulnerable to attack.

I just think that have this little incentive and keeping things constantly changing (even if friendly changes some/most of the time) will allow for more conflict and less stagnant PC.

The one thing that limits the game is one of its design principles:

Even sided matches.

This principle does not belong to PC. It does not belong to New Eden. Things like stalling large corporations from dominating artificially only moves the said corporations into metagaming, which will be seen in the expanse of alt corporations used to gain more districts and utilize numbers better.

CCP should not cater to small corporations. Small corporations need to earn their place among the large alliances like they do in EVE. They can be renters, they can be mercenaries, they can utilize special guerrilla tactics to fight larger entities. Small corporations are not large corporations - they should never be artificially put in the same starting line.

This is the main drawback in PC at it's current iteration and glory. PC will make dust, and it will be brilliant. But trying to artificially limit large groups from utilizing their numbers is a very bad design choise, albeit it might not be the largest thing.

Well, this is where OGCs (Ongoing Guard Contracts) come into play:

https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=583770#post583770

Allowing corps to contract with one or more corporations to provide defenders is a way to eliminate the need for reinforcement timers (or at least broaden the windows).

It is also a way for smaller corps with good diplomatic and managerial abilities (but not necessarily shooty skillz) to potentially hold districts against the big boys.

Man you're way ahead of ccp standards on that, using soon tm for only a few weeks out!!??

Possible solution:

Have a lock out timer to where once you lose a district, you cannot move to retake it for 48 / 72 hours thus leaving the alt corp vulnerable to attack from Red or Light red

This would encourage coprs to always have a hold on certain districts because if they lost a strategic district it could leave them cut off.