In the interest of attracting and retaining more players, it’s time for high-sec ganking to end.
No more criminal (red) safety in high-sec.
Those of us who’ve played for a while know how to counter gankers, so they’re predominantly going after the low hanging fruit, ie: newer players who don’t know any better.
The stats CCP released 10+ years back no longer apply and weren’t conclusive anyway (there’s no proof ganking didn’t lead to players quitting).
Players who quit after being ganked never learn how to properly fit, so there’s nothing to be learned or gained.
Gankers lead to fewer players logging in and for shorter sessions.
Victims just become further canon fodder for the narcissistic sociopaths who live to humiliate them further by sharing the zkillboard losses on Reddit, etc.
TLDR: It’s time for groups like Code and Safety to fade into history.
A step too far. I think there’s room to adjust things before taking such draconian measures.
Make disabling safeties trigger a perpetual suspect timer.
Double the base sec status penalty for ship and pod killing.
Buff the base defenses on T1 mining ships.
Something else…?
Ganking has negative effects, but it also serves a purpose. Whether the practice generates more negative effect than positive is certainly debatable (and is something that can be tuned for balance). But preventing it altogether would almost certainly have a negative effect on the game.
Naw, “draconian” is exactly what’s needed at this point. Ganking serves zero purpose in this game outside of ‘seal clubbing’ hapless victims. There’s no counter and zero recourse for victims.
There’s no downside, really. Guess they’ll have to “HTFU” and “get good” by venturing out into low-sec, null-sec and wormhole space. I’m sure the local residents would welcome these “elite” PvPers…
Or they can just quit if they don’t like it - just like they tell everyone else…
Actually, no. Ganking serves as a countervailing force to rote optimization. Without ganking, mining ships would be fitted for max yield with no regard for tank. Haulers would be fitted for max capacity with no regard for tank or align time, and would be flown across Empire space on autopilot, loaded to the gunwales. Mission runners would bling fit their marauders and chain-blitz L4s.
Ganking, when properly applied, places pressure on PVE players to balance optimization for purpose with survivability. This acts like a regulator on hisec industry. If you put an end to ganking, the economic impact would be significant.
I’m not opposed to your suggestion because it would be detrimental to gankers. Rather, because it would be detrimental to the game overall.
Bots are already strip-mining high-sec, so ganking has had little if any impact. One could argue that disrupting the playstyle of one small group is less detrimental than continuing to lose new players.
Besides - gankers are more interested in the low hanging fruit where they can gain maximum benefit with minimal effort.
Sure, do you have a plan to replace all the passive high-sec income for null-sec players? Because you did say all sources of revenue, so this includes mining, PI, manufacturing, trade, etc.
Its a way for ships to be destroyed in hisec besides warfare. There needs to be more ganking, not less. Especially with all the botting. If you’re going to quit because you lost a covetor this game is not for you. Getting popped is one of the best way to get good at EVE.
I wish to haul trillions in my freighters with max cargo expanders while AFK with no risk. This would help me.
And no longer do I need to fit tank to my barges. Max yield is the only way to go and skiffs with their hitpoint bonuses (lol hitpoints?) should be useless. Who needs defences anyway while playing in high sec?
I think it’s bad that I have to make gameplay and fitting choices and need to optimise my gameplay while playing. I think it’s bad that I need to be playing at all while I’m playing EVE, let me do it AFK. Thinking and paying attention is bothersome.
Remove (hisec) ganking from player activities completely and create a new type of diamond rat and related NPC corp that performs the same attacks.
This way people will feel less embarrassed when they die to gankers (NPCs) and their losses will no longer be posted to zKill thus the humiliation aspect will also be taken away, yet the risk vs reward balance of hisec will be unaffected thus game balance is maintained.
(Note: your TLDR goal will still be accomplished.)
Also as an additional feature: it is also possible to create an actual in-game (mining / hauling / etc.) permit system, where people could buy temporary permits from this new NPC corp and/or by completing certain tasks and missions for them to avoid being targeted by the ganking NPCs.
As someone who spends the majority of their time in game helping and interacting with new players ganking isn’t what gets most new players to quit. Rather than getting upset over being ganked most are surprised over how safe the game is compared to its reputation.
Especially when it comes to those still on alpha as most of them aren’t actually doing anything that puts them at risk of being ganked. Hs mining is heavily discouraged until you can mine ice so most are using wh or low sec.
Exploration or fw is what most new players just trying to get isk are pushed into as they by far have the best isk/hr with low sp or alpha locked toons.
The only ones really hanging out in hs are mission runners and they are rarely in anything on a gankers radar.
You’re going to need some real data that shows ganking leads to reduced retention.
Dunno. Skill injectors are still a thing. So is PLEX. Could be returning players who haven’t logged on in ages. But I don’t have any data on that one way or the other, either…
Using that logic even Titans could be ‘new players’ who need saving, because they could have injected or are returning players who haven’t played in ages.
Flying a blinged Marauder is not a newbie-friendly activity and the game doesn’t need to be changed to make it easier to fly blinged Marauders.
