Robert JD Niewiadomski
NULLIMPEX INC
414
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Posted - 2013.08.02 12:59:00 -
[1] - Quote
+1
Following could be a temporary placeholder for fully fledged and delivered OP idea. Until we get the real deal:
If CCP lacks actual working models for PvE drones, they can be made "quickly" by using existing game assets. Thought some work needs to be done. Anyway, "drones" can be made by fitting RDV with turret installations. Both turrets and RDVs can sense and follow players. They could be made with different sizes, HP and DPS. Maybe their AI needs some more aggressive tweak? If not it could be made up for with increased number of RDV drones per level. Or HP or DPS.
Instead of delivering a vehicle RDV would deliver a new RDV drone. If somebody called a vehicle, there could be some risk of RDV delivering it, being captured by drones and turned into the drone. With a message: Delivery canceled. RDV captured by drones. This would elongate wait time for another vehicle.
It could be then used to generate (at random, controlled by CCP, intervals) 16v16 (16 clones v 16(max) drones  ) corp Ambush battles (no MCC, 15 minutes long or no clones/drones left) by "infestating" owned districts with RDV drones. Clones for battle would be taken from district and would deplete with every merc's respawn. The Ambush corp battle could be entered instantly. And would stay there as long as there are drones left. Any drone left would replicate at some fixed rate. Meaning new drones to fight next battle. If the rate is less than 15 minutes, drones could replicate during battle too. Next battle could start immediately or at later time. Have no idea what max number of drones could a district hold. 100? 200? Or just 16 badass killer machines...
If drones are undefeated for too long (say, for 1-2 days - 1st Phase) counting from the first day of infestation, the district would become locked and not producing clones - 2nd Phase. As if attacked. If a district looses all clones during drone battles or drones are not defeated in 3 days, it becomes owned by RDV drones and corp looses the district, clones and biomass ISK. New owner would need to fight drones first with new, 36 mill ISK, 120 clones pack. During the 1st Phase of infestation district could be attacked by other corps. Drones would shoot at both teams.
If a district gets attacked by other corp during 1st Phase of infestation there would be two battle queues in corp battles for a given district. One instant Ambush battle - for battling drones, and another scheduled PC battle for battling drones and other corp. Ambush queue could be entered independently of PC, even at the same time (in parallel universe ) and helping to lower drone count in district and in PC battle in real time. With 1-2 drones limit per PC battle. But if there are more than 1-2 drones in a district, another arrive to replace destroyed drones.
Some indicator in corp tab of star map would be necessary to monitor progress of district infestation.
Maybe new corps would be more eager to enter PC just to get the chance to fight RDV drones
It almost seems to me (but i might be wrong  ) like using existing Lego bricks to make new combination... If it would take 1-2 man-weeks of work for CCP, would it be worth of interrupting core improvements efforts just to deliver this for our pleasure?
And most importantly would we be pleased? Would we accept such a stopgap? I would |