I can’t see a single Minmatar region there. How are you defining ‘everywhere’.
Welcome to the world of ‘Agile’ development 
It is pretty lame to not be able to not play a game you’re playing.
I was told yesterday by @CCP_Habakuk that FOB’s were not enabled on SISI and he was unaware of any plans to make them active.
There is mostly solo afk kills by drone boats…
I thought these were supposed to be group content?
They appear to, for whatever reason, not escalate sufficiently (and ignore the drones) when faced with a lone drone boat which can kite the cruisers and wear down the structure. Larger fleets, and non-drone boats, prompt a more robust response and don’t fare quite as well and thus do require a fleet, but ingenious players have come up with this strategy which clearly works.
I would expect the pirates to “learn” how to deal with this strategy at some point soon, maybe even next Tuesday as they clearly aren’t intended to be this easy to solo.
1 Like
I tested this out over the weekend and they most certainly DO NOT ignore drones. We tried to grind one down w/ a pair of VNIs and then later with a solo 100mn AB VNI. I gave up after they killed all my mediums and heavies which dropped my DPS down to where it just near-instantly repped back up. TBH, we were just goofing around and thought that the cruisers would just continue to spawn or summon a response fleet.
Still: today’s killmail has 2 VNIs and drones… 
Once the initial wave of 4 ships is defeated, the FOB no longer sends anymore waves; as long as you only ever use drones.
This is what happens when you try to force something on people. I try not to be too critical of CCP too often because so many people can do nothing BUT be critical of CCP, but it has to be said, sometimes CCP doesn’t really seem to learn from the past.
6 years ago CCP changed the static anomaly system in null. The dev blog (which I’ve linked on this forum before) predicted these really unrealistic outcomes like unstable alliances and more fighting over territory. None of that happen, in fact that change to anomalies help bring about the ‘null renter’ culture of the last few years (alliances took space that they didn’t want, solely to rent that space to small groups that couldn’t take their own space). A change meant to spur war helped create a situation where no one needed to go to war (why fight when you can rent?).
In many ways this new pve content is the same. High Sec is ‘loner’ space, just like low sec is solo/small gang space, null sec is bigger group space and wormhole space is…for crazy people. CCPs 1st attempt and cooperative PVE (Incursions) is overwhelmingly not done by high sec residents, but is very poplar with null/low/wormhole alts as a safe way to make some quick isk. More "dynamic and interactive’ PVE in high sec in the vain hope of getting loners to cooperate is exactly like trying to stuff a square peg into a wound hole.
And apparently, CCP’s idea is to make MORE of them spawn. You’re gonna need more than popcorn for this one.
4 Likes
Why, thankyou! 
At least we don’t have to get our own salt…
I’ve played the game as a loner for a long time. I spent much of that time in a desperate attempt to not be bored while still playing solo. I finally realized the futility of the effort, and now I wonder what took me so long.
I don’t expect 100% redemption rates. I agree that some people are truly content as loners, and that’s fine. But too many just don’t get the nudge they need to give social play a serious go.
I can entertain the notion that this is too much stick and not enough carrot, but I’m entirely unsympathetic to the “nothing can be done about it so let’s just give up on them” argument.
1 Like
Again these events don’t seem to have any real incentive to rush out and put in the time for the minimal rewards.
Complete 1 Rogue Swarm Nest or Den site - 10 points
Complete 2 Rogue Swarm Nest or Dens sites - 11 points
Complete 4 Rogue Swarm Nest or Den sites - 12 points
Then;
Complete 8 Rogue Swarm Nest or Den Sites - For a whopping 13 points.
Keep in mind, these sites don’t combine - When you finish the 4/4 and start the 8 you start at 0 of 8.
Seriously - double what needs to be achieved each time - for one additional point? So at least double the time and effort for each level for next to no reward.
Try; 1 site - 5 points
2 - 10
4 - 20
8 - 40
5 additional points per site would at least make it feel like you were getting a reward for the effort.
Increase the overall points needed for the rewards and make each level at least look like it means something. Thankfully you don’t need to complete 8 of 8 Rogue Swarm Nest or Den Sites to complete the event - It would just be painful to have to do another 8 of those repetitious, boring sites for the measly 13 points…
Why can’t events have an element of “fun” and “interesting” game play?
I don’t know who puts these events together but they really need to look at risk vs reward + effort - Current reward system just sucks.
Can’t comment on the Arms Race reward boxes as far as value goes, can’t open them… I would hope the box contents are selectable, my Alpha char is Gallente with maxed drone skills and piss poor gunnery. A Brutix (for example) would be all but useless to me as would a Mega.
Repetition - Repetition and for the end game, a bit more repetition.
Rogue Round-up, what can I say - It completes the event, in possibly the most boring fashion possible.
Part 1 - kill 5 rogue drones - 10 points
Part 2 - kill 10 - 11 points
Part 3 - kill 20 - 12 points
Part 4 - Kill 40 - 13 points
Part 5 - kill 80 - 14 points
Completed the event in 2hrs 12 minutes - In a Tristan… Not sure how this fits in with the theme of “new found power of Alpha clones” as you don’t need any “new found power” to complete the event. A T1 frigate and T1 drones isn’t exactly “new found power”.
As events go, this one is on par with previous attempts from CCP - PPP, (pretty piss poor). If you want to keep doing these things, hire someone with a little imagination and most of all, knowledge of the game…
That’s the idea: to make people comfortable in not “rushing”. You just do it in your pace not breaking your current activity.
It’s true. They were suppose to only spawn in Blood Raider/Guristas space and they largely do, but there are a few outliers where a FOB spawned outside these spaces (in Gallente or Minmatar regions). There is also a tendency to spawn in lower security status systems.
I probably should collect the data and see if there are other discernible patterns but there is probably no point until after next Tuesday’s changes.
1 Like
Comfortable is one thing and can be good.
This is neither comfortable or good, it is just tedious and in no way encourages “not rushing” (implying it is content you want to make last because you’re enjoying it). Not rushing would speak to it being compelling or at least interesting content - This is just boring, drop drones, watch wrecks appear, align to next site.
Events need to be interesting, challenging and most of all rewarding…
This event is advertised as a showcase for the new Alpha release, yet the content can be completed in a T1 frigate with T1 drones using an Alpha clone, so not close to best skills…
I completed the whole event in just over 2 hours without trying to rush through it - It just ended (I hadn’t been watching the points accrue so had no real idea how quickly they added up).
I see more experienced Alpha’s blitzing this, while anyone new to the game won’t be able to complete it, without help.
Now, if it resets each day so I could farm the reward crates (depending on what is in them), the event could be worth doing for a few days simply to put some easy isk in the wallet…
While 'not rushing" and finding some enjoyment in this sort of content may suit some - It really isn’t for me. Maybe after 10 years I shouldn’t expect too much…
Yep, I’ve seen a few in Heimatar, Metropolis, Molden Heath and Derelik. I think the original link was Guristas only.
There’s not many in Minmatar space though.
Most Alphas won’t actually be flying BC or BS as soon as those skills are unlocked. It reads like the rewards of the event will be things like skins for BC and BS. So things that Alphas will want shortly as they gain those skills. The wording isn’t too clear but does that really matter?
Also the reason the points don’t work like you suggest are precisely so that there is decreasing return from grinding. You can grind if you want but it curves against you. Most people will have limited game time. The point is to scale for everyone and seems more subtle than your suggestion in my opinion.
This agency point system is a good improvement over the previous one, that had a 24h cooldown for each batch of agency points. I had no hope of completing an earlier event b/c had no interest in doing some of the event types.
Most of EVE PvE is boring repetition b/c missions and combat sites and complexes progress in exactly the same predictable way every time. The Agency is adding this new reward system on top of existing repetitive content… we have to take things one step at a time.
We are waiting on a long hinted / hoped-for overhaul of the Mission system which should add more random branching elements, and perhaps some reward scaling that would pay you a little more, for doing it with less - like the Agency mission types that said “shoot X NPC’s with a frigate.” The mission script would have to keep track of what each npc was shot by, to combat a simple cheat like turning in the mission while sitting in a frigate 