I’ve ran POS before in High Sec and Low Sec – both to live out of and for Industry. I found the mechanic suitable for Hermit play, with an acceptable risk / reward balance.
As we would all know, POS and Player Stations are in an extended process of being replaced in game with Structures. I have remarked several times that I don’t like key aspects of this newer mechanic, and haven’t used them. Specifically:
. Unlike POS, they won’t defend themselves unless manned
. Unlike POS, they have a 24-hour anchor and a 7-day un-anchoring process
I always armed my POS. I knew it only took a half organised group to destroy them – but the difference was they needed to make at least a small effort to counter the defenses. This happened even if I could not log in. Maybe it is just me – but that made a lot of difference in being willing to plant my hard-earnt ISK out in space.
Sven Viko wrote an interesting blog piece (as he is prone to doing) covering his year of killing Structures as a Solo player. While I’m distracted by how to defend them, he is distracted by how to destroy them.
http://evelostfound.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/part-3-in-why-upwell-structures-are.html
It is an interesting read.
He remarks on the difficulty for solo attackers to get around the time zone tanking of the vulnerability windows. I complain about the difficult for a casual player who might not log in for a week to ensure they are online during vulnerability windows. CCP would probably just point out the discernable difference if you attack or defend in groups.
He remarks that due to Asset Safety, his salvage and loot drops were well under 10% of the destroyed value. In fact, if not for a couple key module drops, the return would have been minuscule. I have sympathy for him here. He – and many others – made good ISK on cleaning up POS. I wouldn’t suggest Asset Safety need to be scrapped everywhere. It is a key part of CCP’s narrative about moving from indestructible to destructible Player Stations. I wonder however if there should be some mechanism where half the tax paid by pilots to get their stuff out of Asset Safety ends up in the pockets of the attackers? Like what they do to pay out bounties? Think of it as the proceeds of bribes paid by the removalists.
He remarks on the binary nature of the Citadel v Player mechanic. The attackers are either impervious to the defences, or it is very risky. I don’t like that either. If I am defending solo, I’d like to think if I used suitable fits and tactics, that I could make some sort of difference or extract some sort of cost. Again, CCP would probably just point out the discernable difference if you attack or defend in groups.
Last of all he remarks on the time taken as a solo player to destroyer Structures over 3 timers. I don’t really have an issue with the time he remarks on having taken to be honest. But – yet again – CCP would probably just point out the discernable difference if you attack in a group.
The POS mechanics were viable for Solo Players. The Structure Mechanics have issues for Solo players – with the solutions mostly being not to play Solo.
There has been a Structure 2.0 update announced – arriving some time soonish and making changes to the destruction mechanism. In particularly those structures not actively using fuel should be easier to kill. I don’t imagine that will make me any more inclined to use them!
As a Solo player – when it comes to placing stuff out in space, you must rely on stealth, compromise, and a bit of luck. I’ve anchored and un-anchored maybe a dozen POS over my EVE Career. By carefully picked locations and my timings I could mitigate some (but not all) of the risk. I felt I had some sort of influence on the success of the action.
The deployment of a Structure takes at least 24 hours plus 15 minutes. In High Sec – unless under War Dec or you get a War Dec in the first 15 minutes, the process is relatively safe. If I were to anchor a Structure in Wormhole space (something I had wanted to do), I must hope for 24 hours that none of the industrious wormhole mapping denizens happen across it. It is similar in Low or Null Sec. I can try picking a system that is very quiet, but it is just pure – and out of my control – luck if it anchors. I don’t find that good game play for the owner.
Un-anchoring a structure is even worse. It takes 7 days. While the un-anchoring time is not displayed, the structure is visible on overview for anyone to see. And see them they do:
http://evenews24.com/2017/10/11/citadel-heist-mastermind-dumps-plex-in-perimeter/
The article is about the EVE Player Toni-anne Brinalle of the infamous Thieves’ Guild. There were several related articles – posted in the latter half of 2017. That player suggested they had stolen more than 500 Structures at the end of their un-anchoring process. How accurate that is I can’t say, but reading the various comments and things that were linked to at the time, there did seem to be an active and successful profession of identifying and in a timely manner scooping up Structures under the noses of their previous owners.
There is no skill as a Solo player that I can use to mitigate such a risk.
I get that things might be different for un-anchoring, if I played in a Group instead of playing Solo. I am almost seeing a pattern here. But – no.
The only solution I can think of for Solo player currently is to view Structures as ammunition.
BANG, 10 ISK gone, BANG, 10 ISK gone, BANG, 10 ISK gone, Anchor, 1 Billion ISK gone, BANG, 10 ISK gone.
I don’t like that mindset to be honest. Yes, only undock with what you can afford to lose, but you can moderate the risks you are exposed too through tactics and fitting and experience and knowledge. For Solo players I feel currently Structures don’t give you any real risk mitigating game play.
Anyway – once again I write about EVE and it ends up just sounding like a whinge!
The TLDR; my early concerns about the Structure Mechanics for Solo players remain. There is antidotal evidence my concerns are valid. I don’t see any changes in the pipeline to improve on this – aside a Solo attacker should find the destruction process easier after Structures 2.0 is released.
Evehermit 