Here’s a good GDC talk on that topic Good Design Makes Happy Customers: A Microtransaction Design Primer from 2:29 to 8:40 Crystin Cox makes a good point why subscription model is a weak design.
To all who is saying highsec crowd should’ve got together, fleeted up, stood their ground, etc.
There is Bartle player type theory, it’s well established theory in game design. There are different player types. You can’t force anyone into others playstyle. I wrote about it in Why people play
Preferred playstyle depends on your personality traits. It’s built into your character.
When engaging with Trigs it’s the same single playstyle, you just hunt rats. Why not let explorers and miners, any other player type, participate meaningfully?
Here’s my suggestion on fixing FOBs
Initially FOB is like it is now, or even harder, with full armor and shield, guarded. But It also spawns a number of signatures and beacons, combat sites, data sites and RW sites. Running those makes FOB weaker.
Running data sites breaks shields. Running combat sites and RW exhausts defenders. Those sites respawn overtime, but if at any moment there are no sites left, then FOB becomes exposed, loses shield, armor, defenders, becomes visible on overview and empire military start bashing it. Everyone including noobs and alfas then may participate.
Devide BPC into pieces, drop several cans with those parts. Loot spew mechanics once used in data/relics may be used.
CCP wanted highsec players to group up for Resource Wars. They wanted highsec players to group up to fend off FOBs that disrupted home systems.
How did it go? What did they learn? How many more times they have to bang their heads against this wall?